Dearest Friends,
JOY
At the puppet show some 250 children responded with laughter and clapping. We could hear one little boy praying out loud, calling on Jesus, but felt that more children were responding to the Father’s love. They were all so excited! Many returned asking for our autographs. It was everything that we had hoped and prayed for in a first show. More, our friends that watched the show were thrilled and eager to come to the training that we have planned. Please keep praying!
Twenty Five Minutes
Twenty five minutes from where we are staying at the seminary, a plane crashed into the sea this morning. A lightening strike apparently brought it down with no survivors. Some 90 people walked into eternity this morning. Too few here have even heard about Jesus as more than a prophet. They do not know the Gospel. They live and die with no hope.
Tomorrow, our shows will probably be canceled as 54 of the passengers were from this country. A national day of mourning is expected and all schools will close. Please pray as we seek to reschedule these programs. Most of these children who we were planning to be with tomorrow are Muslim. I do not want them to live and die without hope.
A good friend of many of our friends, an Ethiopian Pastor was planning to fly today. However, his paperwork did not come through. At church Sunday, they said he was aggravated about the change in his plans. Now he is so thankful.
Please pray for those who died. Ask the Father to soften their ears to the Gospel. Ask the Father to soften their hearts to the Gospel. Ask the Father to send Christians to them to show them compassion.
THE NEWS
From this morning……..I am sitting in the chapel listening to my brothers and sisters from all over the Middle East sing praises to Jesus. Their smiles are so beautiful. Their joy is so real and deep. I am forever changed. I will never hear the news again without thinking about them, their wives and children.
We now have friends from Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kurdistan and more countries. Now when I hear these names, I will think of their hopes and joys, their dreams. My prayers will be bigger. Pray for these brothers and sisters who so fearlessly serve our Lord.
WORSHIP
Sunday morning, we went to church. Though this is not an unusual activity for any of us, I confess that I felt different. I have never been in an Arabic service. It was incredible to hear so many Arabic voices singing “Jesus lives in me and this is the song of my victory”.
The pastor shared his own testimony. As a 14 year old boy, he had called on God. He simply said “Lord have mercy on me, for I am a sinner”. He explained how that simple prayer forever changed the life of one man. He told people how he was an overcomer because Jesus lived in him and urged no one to leave church without making sure that they knew Jesus.
I was very surprised when I later heard that 35% of the crowded meeting place were visitors. Most were not believers. There is great hunger here for the Gospel.
As I see the Father moving so powerfully in this place, I have questions. Am I devoting prayer time to the people of this place? Are you devoting time to the people of this place?
FUNNY THINGS… DIFFERENT THINGS…
1. A little girl was very excited when she found out I was an American. She said, “Have you met Hannah Montana?” This was a first for me.
2. We eat olives for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I love this because olives are one of my favorite foods. More, they are very different than those at home. They are especially tasty!
3. I always want to make a good impression when I meet people for the first time. I was so excited when I met Gladys at the airport. I was telling her a story and walked into the elevator door. Now my eye is turning black and my childhood dreams of outgrowing my clumsiness are ended.
PLEASE PRAY AND FEEL FREE TO WRITE BACK IN RESPONSE TO THIS EMAIL!
In Jesus,
Linda for Sam and Silvana