Dearest Friends,
THEY WERE WEEPING
When you and I tell His story, people are touched in ways we can not imagine. Today we traveled to a refugee area and met in Fatina’s home. She is Muslim by birth, but has come to know Jesus and wants all of her friends to know Him. Twenty women gathered around a small oil heater to listen to the Gospel. They all knew that they had gathered for this purpose. Everyone of them wore a head covering.
In their country, there is a civil war, so they are here as refugees. Each has a different sad story to tell. All have suffered loss…loss of family members and homes, jobs, a future , hope. Some families do not even know where the rest of their family is. As I was sharing with them today, I told a funny story as part of my testimony.I was talking with them about what happens to your face when you hold onto bitterness and unforgiveness . I made a funny face and they all laughed.
One lady thanked me and told me that she had forgotten how to laugh. It was the first time that she had laughed in months. There is not much laughter in their world.
My friend Samira came with us and played her oud (a traditional middle eastern stringed instrument) and sang. She was singing Arabic style praise songs to her Lord Jesus and Muslim women began to weep as her passion for God filled the room. Even though I do not know Arabic, I was also weeping as the Spirit of the living God touched us all.
The ladies and I spent an hour and a half talking about Jesus and His plan for them. We also ate breakfast together, had tea , and made pictures at their request. I spoke, sharing with them my testimony and how my mother taught me to love Jesus by modeling His love to me growing up.I shared with them 1Corinthians 13 and told them how such love had changed my life and how Jesus’ love could change them. We talked plainly about faith, sin, the resurrection, and Jesus as the Son of God. Sometimes they cried with me and sometimes they stared at me with a hunger that made my heart ache!
Though we spent hours together, our time together passed too quickly. They begged me not to return to America and stay with them. They dream of a day when going home is possible and they invited me to their country to share. God amazes me!
AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY….I NEED HELP
A lady met with us today and reported that many, many Muslim parents had come to her after the program that we did yesterday. They were grateful for the gifts, but were more happy with the story we told. I told the story of Joseph and talked about how we can also forgive when we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We explained every part of God’s rescue plan. She was so encouraged by what they said that she has offered to arrange another opportunity for us with 400 refugee children in a very closed Muslim village on Sunday.
The problem is that we have all of our Christmas boxes promised. Even though I brought hundreds and hundreds of gloves and hats with me, we now need socks. The cost will be about 600 dollars and we are going tomorrow to find them. The gifts are the key that unlocks the door with the village officials so that we can do a puppet show and share Jesus. More, the children are cold. Will someone or several people take this opportunity?Please email me.
In Jesus, Linda for a precious national team
