Some Final Thoughts As We Head Home

Though posting this on Monday afternoon, I am writing on Sunday night and we are sitting here in the London airport having discovered that our flight has been delayed and we will miss our connecting flight so we will be spending the night in Chicago!  Welcome to missions.

Reflecting on what I would tell people as to where I thought the most ministry happened.  Yes, I was the pastor/teacher who equipped the saints but what immediately comes to mind is that it wasn’t in the classes or the information or tools I provided (Though they LOVED the glove puppets I brought and greatly appreciated what we taught), it was just being me – the willingness to come and be available - that was probably the most impact.

·      We laughed together as we played games

·      We cried together over their fears, their losses, burdens and hardships

·      We prayed together; I laid hands and I prayed over them

·      I prayed over their children

·      We grew closer together and with the Lord as we got into the Word through Bible Storying

·      I was available to them if they wanted more information or prayer

·      We blessed each other as we sang “The Blessing” song

·      We were and are the Church, the body of Christ, as we practiced the one-anothers that God has asked of us.

This is what I asked prayer for prior to leaving – know that God answered all of them!

·      Holy Spirit lead and empowered

·      Sensitivity to the spiritual and soul needs of the people as many are being severely persecuted for their faith

·      Stamina, especially in Iraq, as we teach 14 classes in 4 days

          ·      That I put people's needs before the actual teachings

I am humbled that God would use me in this way.  None of our lives will be the same.  But there is a lesson here for all of us to learn.  You don’t have to go to Iraq to experience this.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church, no matter where we are.  Walls can come down, we can be used to help each other be drawn closer to the Lord as we are committed to the Lord’s will no matter what the cost.  Who will come across our paths that need the loving touch and words of Jesus Christ?  Where will God want to send us and will we be obedient? 

Let me close this journey from the words of Isaiah:

I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

Whom shall I send and who will go for us?

Then I said, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

And He said, “Go…”   Is 6:8-9a

Back to War

The troops have boarded the bus and have headed back to Baghdad – they have gone back to a spiritual and physical war that we could never comprehend.  I was not sure if I would be up to see them off as they were to leave at 5am.  But alas, most of them stayed up all night and you could hear them singing praise songs throughout the hotel.  What a joy to visit with them one last time before they left.  It was a time to laugh, take more pictures and remind each other that it was not “Good Bye” but “ See you later!”  Our training team leaves tonight for Beirut and then we Americans fly home early Sunday morning.

Friday was an amazing day – God’s Spirit was moving mightily through the people and through the different sessions.  My last two classes were on Bible Storying and part of the time was to actually go through a lesson.  In the first session the Spirit began surfacing deep wounds in people and how they needed to surrender and trust the Lord in new ways.  There was not a dry eye in the class.  We then prayed for one another and my encouragement to them was to not push it all back down but to find someone who would walk through it with them.  For one young person, she found out while we were at the conference that her family was packed and moving out of Baghdad and in this culture – she had to go with them.  She did not want to leave the people and children she was ministering to.  For some it was the buried grief of losing loved ones in the war.  The second session had a different impact.  It was stories of having a greater faith in the Lord because He was their protector when bombs were going off all around them or for one man (whom we joked about was my bodyguard) a bomb went off in front of the building he was in and the glass shattered all around him but he was not injured.  One leader was struggling with his faith, desperately wanting to believe more but the circumstances around him were so difficult.  One older woman was heartbroken because she only had one son left who was in his early 20’s and he was planning on moving out of Baghdad and she did not want to leave. 

There is a lot of darkness here but these, our brothers and sisters, are committed to being the light of Christ and know they are called to stay where they are though it may cost them their lives.   

We were able to have dinner with Grain de Ble’s children’s ministry team called, Joy for Kids.  God is using them in phenomenal ways in the community and eventually it will be throughout their country.  God is opening up many doors for them to do ministry that have not been opened before.  We ended our time with prayer - all on our knees, our training team surrounding and laying hands on these valiant young soldiers!


Interesting thing in the Muslim culture that it is okay to have the kids go to church and learn about Christ before there are 12 - it is considered childish things until then.  Then they have to follow the teachings that the family has.  How critical to reach them before 12!  It is like Moses being set apart for a period of time to be used of the Lord later in life!

At the closing celebration we heard from some older women who came to the conference figuring they would gain some tips but were going to quit working in children’s ministry and leave it to the younger people.  But God has revealed to them how His call is still upon them and they are more invigorated them ever.

I asked that you pray for the churches to become unified – that prior to coming here, they had their own wars against each other.  You would not believe the transformation from Tuesday to today!  They were talking about how to unite their efforts to reach the children and families of Baghdad.  They were talking and praying with one another where they had deliberately separated themselves when they first got here.  It was a beautiful picture of watching God had work, answering Jesus’ prayer for the church to be united so the world would know of His love.

Lots more could be written but it is time to pack see what things are in store for us today before we leave.  So far, the “sites” have been a mall in each city, but I think it will be different today.

Can’t thank you enough for your support and prayers.  Know that God has used you in this mission and His work will extend beyond what we could ever know.

How They Inspire Me

I discovered that I would survive very well here in Iraq.  The people eat dinner at 10pm, go to bed about 1am, the whole family is up by 6am and then there is a 2 hour break later in the day.  Sounds like my kind of people!!

Discovering more things about the culture and the issues they are facing especially in Baghdad.  I will have to make this brief as the morning session starts in 10 minutes and then the leaders are going on a field trip to see the Grain de Ble team perform at a local school.

·      Hospitality is very important.  When guests come, you serve 10 times as much food as you normally would.  After a couple of days I finally had to acknowledge that I was not being disrespectful if I did not eat everything given to me.  Lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, bread, chicken and lamb kebobs.  The food sure has been good!

·      Family is very important.  Whatever the parents believe, the children must believe as well.  It is disgraceful if they don’t.  If a child commits to a different faith, they will be disowned or killed.  So when a person or child makes a decision to follow Christ, they are told not to tell their families because of the repercussions.  What Jesus had to say about forsaking your family to follow Him, now make more sense – here it is a matter of life and death.  Also, when there are stories about the father accepting Christ and then the whole family follows suit, now we know why.  Whatever the parent believes, so goes the rest of the family.  You would not do otherwise.

·      Many of the people here are ministering to the street kids, which is a big problem in Baghdad.  These children, starting at age 6 have either lost their parents or they are being forced to “work the streets” selling various things or cleaning your windshield or just begging for food and money.  The children are very hardened and cause a lot of disruption in the classrooms.  We talked about the criticalness of prayer, especially against the idols that the Muslims worship and the need for these children to belong and loved.  My translator has a huge burden for these children.  He again reiterated to me that although many people are fleeing the country and becoming refugees in the neighboring countries, he is committed to honoring and serving the Lord in Iraq.  I admire him so much for his faith – he has told me how much I have encouraged him.  I personally don’t think there is any comparison!

·      The persecution against believers can be quite severe.  I was told of one boy who was the only Christian (follower of Jesus – there is a difference) in his school and the other boys started bullying him.  As he got older, they began beating him severely.  The parents kept trying to sell their home so they could move but they were finding that hard because they were believers.  They finally did last year but emotionally and spiritually this young adult is very angry.  The police just turn their backs on this because of the faith of this family. 

We have no clue, do we?!  Sometimes I wonder what would happen if this were to start happening in our country – what would our people do?

You can’t help but be inspired and motivated by the faith and tenacity of these people.  Okay gotta go – more later though it will be a late night tonight as we will be teaching till 10pm since we are not starting till after we get back from the program.

Mark 12 - Parable of the Tenants

I was impressed this morning as I woke up to read Mark 12.  It begins by stating how the landowner did everything to build a vineyard and then leased it out.  When it came time to receive some of the fruit, the workers were beaten and and some were killed.  I could not help but think of the stories I have heard while here in Iraq.

I have shared with you about my translator and his wife losing their baby because of a car bombing.  He went on to explain yesterday that there had been a prophesy over them and that they would get pregnant and the baby would bring so much joy.  Several weeks later they discovered they were in deed pregnant and how it filled them with joy - only to lose it in the bombing.  This man's response still amazes me and makes me question my own level of faith.  "The baby has brought God much joy and God is always good."  They have opportunities to leave Baghdad and Iraq but feel called to stay even if it costs them their lives.  They must remain obedient to the call of God on their lives - not my will but yours, Lord.

Jeff got in a conversation with a young woman at dinner yesterday and their conversation turned to the number of hours he worked.  Her response - when do you have time to really pray?  When do you read God's Word?  We have so much to learn!

A great majority of the people attending the conference are young adults - similar to last year when I was in Beirut.  They have such a heart for God and to serve Him at whatever cost.  They are the current leaders of the church as previous leaders have either left the country or have died.  Oh how the slumbering giant of American Christians needs to awake!

Some other tidbits before I go to breakfast and another day of teaching:

• the churches are not unified here - there are definitely factions that need to be broken down and for the church to work together.  The Chaldean Church is the oldest in civilization - talk about keeping to old practices!  Some are warming up here but they are very stoic in nature.
• there is a couple ministering with us here and they say the Christian population in England is only about 5% - here is another unreached people group.  The Muslims are greatly increasing sheerly because of the number of children they are having.

Continue to pray for stamina for the speakers and those coordinating the conference - there is lots to be done and ministry to be given for all people.  Pray for unity amongst the churches and denominations  - one would think they would work harder to stay united because of the battles they fight each day.  Thus the attack of Satan to keep the church separated and lose its spiritual power.  May we continue to give God permission to mold and shape us in the image of His Son!

Let the Tears Begin...

This will be a short post as I just have to get this out so you can begin understanding what my week will be like and you can ask the Lord how to pray.  The team of 50+ from Baghdad just arrived.  There are many young people which is what I remember from last year.  The ratio of women to men is about 75% to 25%.

I had the opportunity to meet "Simone," the gentleman who will be my translator this week.  We were having a great conversation getting to know one another and we began talking about each other's families.  He is married and pointed to his beautiful wife.  They are both engineers and God has given them a heart to work with kids.  Simone was describing the area where he was reaching about 100 kids and what he was describing was a slum where families lived in huts made from cardboard or mud bricks.

I then asked him about having any children of his own.  He said that his wife had miscarried - he then went on to explain that 2 weeks ago a bomb went off and the jolt of it made his wife lose their baby.  I was expressing my sympathy to him and he proceeded to say that they know that God is good and nothing can change that.  I am already wanting to cry.  I know there will be many more stories like this.  Let it "rain" - for Lord you truly do reign in the midst of tragedy and well-being!  His love and faithfulness endures forever!

more later ...

Incredible

We are here; it sure is amazing.  Security is really tight at the airport.  No one is allowed to greet you there – you have to take a shuttle or taxi out of the airport before meeting them.  We did pick up the Iraqi coordinator – turns out that it is “Tom” (protecting his name) whom I gave a hat, that Faye had designed, When I taught at last year’s conference.  It was great to see him again and he was very glad to see me.

It has already been stressed how important it is to build relationships with the people.  This conference has been prayed for many, many years and is believed to be a catalyst for some great works for the future.   I can’t wait to see how God is going to use it.

Sunday Morning

Last night was one not to be forgotten soon.  From our room at the convent where we are staying we had a magnificent view of the sun setting over the Mediterranean Sea.  Pictures are not downloading easily but hopefully I will be able to get some on soon.  Then it was time to hit the town and off to City Mall we went.  Because it is “winter” here now – this is the place to go.  It was amazing – there were people EVERYWHERE.  It looked like a scene from Willy Wonka’s with hundreds of people on the escalators which looked like conveyer belts throughout the 4 story mall filled with US and European stores and any food you could imagine.  It was worse than the last week before Christmas at any of our malls.  I made some comment about that and I was told that Christmas is much more crowded then.  That is hard to imagine! 

In Lebanon, with a few exceptions, one is allowed to share openly about your faith.  Very different than Jordan.  We got into a discussion at dinner about the youth and their faith.  It is very much like the US where the youth are leaving Christianity by the droves.  I asked about the family and their role in a child’s spiritual development. Because people relate here on shame, parents are reluctant to lead spiritually and depend on the church to do it.  They think they cannot do it well but the church would do better.  (Hmmm, sound familiar?!)  But the kids are leaving the church for the things of the world.

I have been pondering what the Lord is doing with this movement of turning the hearts of the fathers back to their children and having them become the spiritual leaders in their own homes and not relying on the church.  Is God preparing His remnant as people learn to have family worship in their homes?  What is the future of the church as it currently is operating?  What will revival look like for this generation?  God is faithful and is at work – it just might be very different than what we are thinking.

This morning we are off to an English speaking church and then to lunch where we will start preparing for the conference in Iraq as all the team members will finally be together.  Then another short plane ride and we will be in Iraq this evening.  Pray for unity and the Spirit to reveal to us how to best minister to the Iraqi people. 

Leaving Jordan ... Onto Iraq

Just about everyone returned yesterday for a full day of teaching.  (We already knew that some could only attend Thursday evening.)  Got to hear more about how daily life is here:

·      Some are recognizing how relationally dysfunctional they are as a culture.  Generally, women are timid and not able to nurture well.  The men are angry and don’t know how to relate to their children.  They are desiring materials to be used in their churches to show couples a more Godly way of living.  What a great opportunity to minister to these families and show them the love of Christ.

·      75% of the participants know the intense spiritual battle that is going on because of the witchcraft coming through the Muslim faith. 

·      The dynamics of talking to others about their faith is very tricky.  Basically, you can answer the questions that people have but you can’t press them in any decision making.  That’s when you can get in legal trouble.  If someone makes a decision, it has to be very private.  If it became known, it could mean death.  So if a decision is made, you may not know it because they won’t talk about it and they won’t step in the doors of a church.  That is why house churches or home community groups are more common because people can sneak into fellowship versus a church building.  If they are seen going into church, it would cause trouble for them.

·      It could be the areas we have been in Amman, but it appears to be doing well financially.  Other than the Bedouins that we saw as we left the airport and travelled to the city, the vehicles we have seen are very nice and the buildings are well taken care of.  (There is a cleanliness and “freshness” here that was not seen in Beirut.  Beirut seems to be tattered and torn.)

After the sessions last night, we got to “see” where the Jordan River ends and the Dead Sea begins.  Only problem was that it was dark and we really couldn’t see anything but we can say we were there!  :o)  Interesting how there is a boardwalk along the roadway and how families congregate there after a days work.  There are barbecues going and horse and camel rides happening along this concrete path – but it is not really along the water.  Most people would have come from Amman which was a good 45 minutes away.  Our driver said families would stay there till about 1am before heading home.  That part does not surprise me as it is like other hot climate cultures where families are out very late in the evening and then start the day later.

We also went to King Hussein’s car collection.  For you cars’ buff – you would not believe the cars that he owned – can’t remember how many Rolls and Mercedes plus a Ferrari .  It was an amazing collection.  You can tell he did not live in an environment like our own.

Well, I take that back – at 5am, the city sound systems are blaring with Muslim worship and prayer for about 15 minutes.  Found myself praying for the believers and their ability to remain steadfast in a world that is not favorable to them.

We are now back in Beirut for the night and leave for Erbil in the morning.  It is our understanding that this is the first organized training in Iraq in over 10 years and it is unknown if anything like this will be able to happen again.  It is truly amazing how the Lord has us on this mission!  I don't know that we will ever fully understand the eternal spiritual significance behind it all.  

Thanks so much for your prayers - they are needed and appreciated.  Please pray for stamina and sensitivity to the Spirit's work as we begin teaching 14 workshops in 4 days.

Thoughts and Impressions

Friday morning and the sun is out – it looks to be a beautiful day.  Lots of thoughts running through my head all night (Imagine that!)  For the sake of time, both yours and mine, I am just going to randomly list them:

• ·      Coming out of the airport, you knew you were in the desert.  The land was arid and flat.  Interestingly though, as you approached Amman, you came into the hills and valleys.  You saw how the city was built in amongst the terrain.  The buildings are relatively “short” as there are hardly any over about 15-20 stories – most being 5-7 max.  ALL the buildings are made from concrete/sand and are painted beige or occasionally white.  It is rather strange when you first see it.
• ·      Marriage is a high priority here for the Christians – though not so much for the Muslims.  We have been joking about bringing our daughters here (Jeff and Ruth each have a daughter as well) to get married as the groom pays for EVERYTHING!  Huge engagement party, wedding, the rings – anything and everything.  Engagements are usually at least two years as the groom has to purchase a place to live before they can get married.  A very small flat could cost up to $100,000!  (I am preparing a place for you ...)
• ·      Lots of division amongst the Christian churches and organizations.  The people organizing this conference (Bible Society and Grain de Ble) have seen God’s hand upon it as there are 8 different churches and some other non-profits attending.  This just does not happen here.  Thus trainings are non-existent.  You would never know it as we watch and hear the people interacting with one another.  The people are very engaged and wanting to learn.  Very humbling yet privileged to be part of God's work here.  They totally believe this will be a catalyst for a move of God here in Jordan.
• ·      My prayer is that we will only pass on the things that are eternal and not just what we thought has worked for us – because as we are experiencing in the West, what we thought has worked for the last 50 years is really not.  Our youth are leaving the church in droves – they estimate that 80-90% of youth will leave the church and possibly their faith by the end of their freshman year in college.  Having age-segregated teaching may not have worked as well as we had thought.
• ·      But I have to believe that the Lord reminded me that for many of these people, they are starting new – they are forsaking their families and their culture to follow Christ.  The church is the youth.  Together, hopefully and prayerfully, we will learn from each other and unite together to be The Church.    

      Okay - time to go and teach a session on Bible Storying.  Can't wait to see how they respond here.

First Night In Amman

Sometimes it is hard to believe that I am on the other side of the world - but with some amazing people who are crazy in love with the Lord.  As we flew into Amman, you could not help but notice that there was such a thick haze over the area.  Apparently it was from a sand storm - you could not see the hills which were just a few miles away.  Tonight it seemed to clear up and there was some blue skies.  As we were driving from the airport to the city, there were many shepherds herding all kinds of animals:  sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and yes, even camels!  So weird to see them all just on the side of the freeway with no fences to stop them from walking alongside or into you!  Oh did I mention that everything is white and tan here - buildings, cars, land - it is very obvious.  Well, no there was one exception - the only building that was predominantly all blue glass and higher than all the other buildings was the American University - it really does make a statement.

So how does one experience this new culture?  By going to the mall!  We only had a little bit of time to get something to eat and so it was to the food court we went.  I don't know why we think it should be different, but I gotta tell you it was so weird to choose from McDonalds, Burger King, Sbarros, Tacos, Dunkin Donuts, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Sushi.  The mall itself had 5 floors with bowling alleys, fitness center and movie theaters .

Tonight there were at least twice as many people as anticipated - way over 100 young and old alike, from many denominations.  Amazing to see them all interacting and learning from each other.  This does not happen often in these parts.  It is a beautiful picture of God's church at work.  They are so open and desiring to learn so they can build up the next generation in the things of the Lord.  The church where the conference is being held is actually more of a community center.  The pastor has seen many ways in which the church has been a blessing to the community and not one where the people have to isolate themselves.

 I will post some pics and videos tomorrow and let you see things for yourself.  I opened the first talk letting them know that we are  all co-learners - there is a lot we can learn from each other.  We are having to unlearn many things and we have much to learn from them .  Ruth did a great job of having       them work in groups to figure out what the needs are of the children in their communities.   The people love to engage with one another. 

 Time to head back to the guest house and try to get some sleep - oh yea - we are supposed to get dinner first!  Missions = Flexibility

Thanks for your prayers and support - all are needed for us and our families!

He is already doing more than we could ever ask, imagine or hope for!

Arrived in Beirut

We have arrived safely in Beirut for a quick rest before going back to the airport for our flight to Amman.  Everything went smoothly other than our flight from Portland had a surprise stop in Chicago which we got      in late and had 5 minutes to get something quick to grab to eat and then to the other gate.  If this is coming out funny it is because the connection to the blog is in Arabic and is going backwards!  Don't know how to fix that one.  Wondered if I was having a new teaching from the Lord when the guy behind me in the security check in pushed the tray off the counter that held my computer.  I keep joking how I could lose a lot of stuff but just as long as I had my computer, I would be okay.  Everything is obviously working fine but it taught me once again to be dependent on the Holy Spirit and not my stuff.

No pictures yet but should have some tomorrow as we begin teaching in the evening when we arrive in Jordan.

This Is the Day...

... that the Lord has made - let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Everything is packed and ready to go for our 11:30am departure!  Some have been asking about the different religions in Iraq and Jordan.  There is a great resource called Operation World that keeps track of what is happening in all the countries around the globe.  You can go to  their website for more info:  www.operationworld.org 

IRAQ:  (we will be in country from 10/2-8)
96% are Muslim
1.6% are Christian
.03% are Evangelicals
41% are under 15
We will be in the Northern Kurdish region (the city of Erbil or sometimes spelled Irbil) where the church may be tolerated more than the rest of Iraq, but they do suffer growing marginalization at the hands of the increasingly dominant Kurds.  Economically they are very strained because the Kurds, who left under Hussein's regime, are returning in droves and can't be cared for.  Many participants will come from the other parts of Iraq where there is great persecution.  There is a tremendous amount of unrest and division amongst the various religious and political groups.

JORDAN  (We will be in country from 9/29-10/1)
96.5% are Muslim
2% are Christian
.4% are Evangelicals
35% are under 15
Though there are state laws guaranteeing freedom of religion, and a public presence of the Church, there is still pressure placed on the evangelicals.  Though the number of Christians have greatly increased in the last decade (there are now 50 churches and many more house churches in the whole country), because of the huge influx of Muslim refugees, the percentage of believers has dropped from 6.5% to 2.2%.

I truly believe God has us going for a specific purpose, other than our teachings, which He will reveal to us as we faithfully move forward.  Be praying for our unity, our health, our physical and spiritual strength (I was reminded by the Spirit of how the enemy likes to attack my stomach when going into certain countries!).   Be praying for our families as well as the devil will attack wherever he may find a weak, unprotected spot.  

Hope to get a picture of our dynamic team posted from the airport.  Thanks for your support!  Could not do this without you all!

Preparing for the Middle East

On Tuesday I leave for the Middle East with Ruth Jordan and Jeff VandenHoek to train leaders in Amman, Jordan and Erbil, Iraq.  We will be serving with Grain de Ble based in Beirut, Lebanon.  graindeble.org   What a privilege to come alongside our brothers and sisters and give them some tools to help them reach the lost children in these countries.

We leave on Tuesday, September 27th for 3 days in Jordan and then start ministering in Iraq on October 3rd.  In those 4 days in Iraq,  I will have the opportunity to lead 14 workshops (7 different topics, each one twice).  My prayer is that God will do immeasurably more than I could ever ask or imagine; that He would sustain each of us and that we would be keenly alert to the needs of the people and not just be about the task of teaching the different classes.  I know I will come back with far more than I could ever give - God always works that way!

The topics of my workshops include:

• Bible Storying...Practically Speaking
• 7 Laws of the Learner
• "Puppetually" for the Kingdom
• Spiritual Development of Children
• Building Community Where Every Child Belongs
• Bible Memory Games
• Leading a Child to Christ

Thanks for caring and praying!  We are Touching Heaven...Changing Earth...Together!

It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves.  Our only power and success come from God. He is the One who has enabled us to represent His new covenant.                      II Cor 3:5-6