Greetings from the M.E.! I must say it shocks me to write this blog post 4,000 miles away from “home”. We have landed… we are settled… we are in a schedule… we are beginning language learning… we are richly blessed.
I’ll briefly go through the details of our traveling and try to communicate as much as possible without boring you. Our flights were so smooth! Seriously, our daughter was a legend. She barely slept on our flights (she did pass out for 3 hours on the floor of the terminal in Paris) but didn’t once have a meltdown, which we consider an absolute miracle. When we finally arrived at our midway destination we were all wiped, passed out around 8pm local time, and promptly awoke at midnight ready for the day… the only problem with that was that it was midnight. It took some time for our bodies to acclimate to the time change. I’ll just say we had many a midnight Cinderella viewing! We spent a few days resting at a hotel and went exploring into the heart of the city to check out the historical sights. After two days we boarded our plane and headed to our final destination…
Since our landing two weeks ago we have been busy: learning the layout of the city, activating/registering our phones, spending time with friends we are serving alongside of, finding/moving into/settling in our new house (which has a guest room… hint hint), applying for permanent residency, beginning language acquisition, spending time together as a family, eating a lot of delicious food, missing our family & friends back home, and falling in love with the people here. This place is beautiful! I’ve been truly taken aback by how easy it has been to adjust in being here. I attribute that solely to the grace that comes from God alone and we are so grateful for the prayers that have been prayed for us! Seriously, we could not make this transition, bring the Good News, or live daily life without your support whether it is thru prayer or finances. From the depths of our hearts we say THANK YOU.
The most crucial task ahead of us at this point is learning the language. Right now we are taking introductory classes three times a week and in February will begin taking class five times a week. Our goal is to spend at least twenty hours a week on focused language learning as well as spending time in the markets and talking with the people. People here are so gracious with us, and it means so much to them that we are trying to learn their language so we can communicate with them. We greatly look forward to the day that we can preach the gospel in their tongue, but not knowing the language is not an excuse to not speak of Jesus! One thing that has been stirring deeply within my husband’s heart is a desperate need for the Holy Spirit. I’ll close with some last thoughts from him.
“As I walk around this city of thousands I am overwhelmed with the realization that apart from Christ we can do nothing! There has been a growing desire to see God pour out His Spirit, to see the dead raised, the sick healed, and the Word of God spread. I do not simply desire a display of power but signs and wonders that reveal the true Sign and Wonder of knowing Jesus Christ. If I am honest I must confess I do not see God pouring out His Spirit like He did in Acts. I am convinced church planting strategies, eloquent words, and charismatic personalities will not save the Muslim souls. We need the Holy Spirit. Please pray that God would have mercy on a people far from Him. Pray for a revival that exults Christ, builds the Church, and blesses this city.”
Acts 4:29-31 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.