Alfredo Deambrosi

A colleague wrote a great post on his blog about how refreshing it is when students open up and share what their needs and burdens are.

This week, I asked my students to complete an online, protected survey so that I could learn a little bit more about them. They gave some very insightful answers to the question, “What long-term prayer requests (those that could potentially be requests of yours throughout this semester) do you have?”

The major themes seemed to be the following:

• growing in a relationship with God
• salvation of family members
• physical trials of family members
• keeping up with academic requirements
• being able to pay for school

There were also some unique requests that are still very important. For example, one student requested prayer that her sister’s wedding planning would go smoothly. Another requested prayer for a family member in Iraq.

Overall, this information helps me know how to pray better for my students. I am looking forward to getting to know them this semester.