Dearest Friends,
I am in Istanbul, and there are 3,000 mosques in this city. Spiritually, this is a very dark place in desperate need of Jesus‘ beautiful story of redemption! Five times a day you hear the call to prayer from the minarets that top the mosques. I think of it as a constant reminder to pray for this city. I beg you to pray for this place that I have come to love so much!
So Many Doors
The Father has given me some incredible opportunities to share with Syrian refugee children. You can see some pictured above. They are so precious! They listened very well to the story of Joseph and to me as I prayed to show them how they could pray and trust Jesus.
More, in the hour that followed, I spoke with their mothers. Some of them remembered me from years before when we were last together. How dear to share with these precious Muslim women the sweet hope of the Gospel! I had almost an hour to explain why I choose to follow Jesus and how that decision has shaped my life. I wanted them to see the deep, deep love of the Father. I wanted them to understand how being forgiven makes it possible for you to forgive others. I want them all to meet Jesus!
We ate a lovely sandwich and welcomed another group of refugees and their children. This group of ladies was from different African nations. I have worked in all of their nations. They really seem to appreciate that I knew something about their home countries.
I told them the story of the prodigal son and how God waited for them to come home to Him. It was a very sweet time, and though I had spoken to them at other times across the years, they listened the best this time. Please pray for all of these refugee ladies and their families to find their hope at the foot of the cross!
So Many Closed Doors
To be a refugee here is to be stuck. You cannot imagine their frustration. Too often, the doors for immigration do not open for them. They live in sub-standard housing, not knowing the fate of their family and friends, and they wait without hope. Life is on hold for them. They cannot go back to the life they had because war or disease or something else has wiped it away. It is only a memory. They can not go forward… they are lost and forgotten. Please pray that the Lord can show these people that they can be found in Him!
In Jesus,
Linda