Opportunity for Discipleship

This month has been like the others, full and fruitful, but it has also been shocking because of the ever growing great task of missions and need for discipleship. We as a family are continuing to do really well and are celebrating God faithfulness to us over these last two years here in the Middle East.  My wife is doing much better in her pregnancy is feeling more strength and energy, and our growing son is doing great! Our daughter is also doing well and is becoming more and more comfortable in this culture.  We are so thankful for your continual prayers and faithfulness to God.  

Over the last two years we have seen missionaries come and go, programs start and end, and God slowly grow His local church in this land.  However the need for discipleship and the maturing of the church is an ever present need.  We are a blessed community of people in our city because we have a local church, however for many people who miraculously come to believe, they have no community of faith to grow with.  We saw the need for discipleship within our local body and the greater need throughout the country and decided to take a step of faith.  We started a discipleship camp where people within our community and outside it could come for a month and grow with us.  We gather together daily for prayer, worship, teaching, and basic disciplines of a Christian life.  We have been doing a big picture series of the Bible in hopes that God would open our eyes to His Word and transform us into the image of His Son. We know full well that this one month won’t fix all the problems, but we pray that the Holy Spirit would use it to grow us all for God’s great glory.  This first camp has only had 10-15 people in it, but we feel God at work and only He knows how He will use it. 

This month has been shocking because as I have talked with people who have come from outside our community about serving in their local churches I get the common response, “There is no Christian church in my city”. I talked with one leader within the Christian community of our country and he said, “There are hundreds of single Christians who have forsaken their old lives and are hungry to grow in Christ, but simply don’t know how and have no local church within their cities”. He later told me, “If the Lord allows you to continue doing these camps I would love to fill them with people who have no other way to grow."  Please pray for us as we finish the last two weeks of the camp and seek God’s will for the future.

The refugee camp that I mentioned last month is in full swing.  They now have just over 10,000 people in it.  It is the fruit of a combined effort of God working through His big Church across the world.  The need there is overwhelming. Food and medical workers are on the top of the list. We sent another semi-truck full of fruits & vegetables this last week and pray that the resources will be there to continue to be able to serve practical needs in the future.  Mouths are continually hungry but the spiritual need is of more necessity.  We don’t know how long the door to share the Gospel will be open, but we do know that the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. Please pray with us for our Father’s kingdom to come and His will to be done. Blessings in Christ Jesus… to all who read this letter.  We love you all! 

Hard times & great Beauty

Everybody grows, it’s a gift from God. We grow mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  We are all in a process of change, conforming into the image of Christ. However, just as a child cries as molar teeth push through those baby gums, so do we often find ourselves crying under the graciously crafted burdens of maturing change. My family and I get the honor of being apart of Jesus establishing His church in this foreign land and He is causing growth. Growth is rarely easy, but always rewarding. This last month two more people were saved and baptized into this community of faith. God is bringing unity within His Church, and slowly young men and women are becoming mature men and women of God. Ministry opportunities are increasing and needs are ever present.  This and much more growth requires leadership, organization, and sacrifice. We are thankful that God is our Chief Shepherd and forever faithful Leader. Please pray for clarity, unity, and strength to follow Him as He builds His church in this land. 

We as a family are joyful and thankful to be here.  We have all spent time in the hospital this month and recently joked with the staff that they need to build us our own suite or give us a job and put us on pay role.  They laughed and agreed to both, however God is always doing more than we see and even at the hospital He is at work. One of the staff asked me what my job here was and I answered, “I am a Pastor.” Her jaw dropped and she began to thank God. She later told me her and her family are all Christians and they had no idea that there was a church in this city.  God is always at work and even in our hard times He can cause great beauty.  We are also excited to announce that at my wife’s last doctor’s appointment we found out that we have a baby boy on the way! We are so thankful and praying that the Lord would use his life for the glory of His name. 

We as a church are continuing to go through the sermon on the mount from Matthew chapters 5-7.  It has been incredibly fruitful and challenging.  Our men’s meeting is also growing and has been a fruitful time of discipleship and encouragement.  Both Christians and Muslims come to open the Word of God and ask questions and God has always been faithful to answer. We are continuing to work with thousands of refugees and have recently linked arms with several other churches to start a camp run solely by Christians.  The ministry opportunities here are overwhelming.  The camp will be for 10,000 refugees. We need help and I will share more about this in the future, but please pray for us! 

Lastly we are praying about establishing a discipleship program for all the new believers God is adding to our number. We want to fulfill Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations teaching them to observe all God has commanded.  Please pray for wisdom, grace, and clarity.  Thank you again to all of you who faithfully keep us on the mission field. We could not do any of this without your support.  May the Lord bless you immensely.

Psalm 127

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Ps. 127:1

This last month has been full, hard, & enjoyable.  We as a family moved into a different neighborhood for the purpose of discipleship and language opportunities. We also joyfully learned that my wife is pregnant and Lord willing will be expecting in Aug. The Church moved from right outside the city to an excellent location inside the city. We are currently renting a small hotel conference room.  Three weeks ago four new locals bowed their knees before King Jesus and gave their lives for His glory.  All four received new spiritually regenerated hearts and one was physically heal of a heart condition that had been painfully bothering him for years.  God is at work and there is no greater joy than to be following His magnificent leadership.  I get the joy to serve as pastor, but I am thankful for the reminder that it’s His church, not mine. 

This month started hard, I was tired, my wife has been sick in bed for the last month, language is hard, and there were growing divisions within the church.  Many of the members began fighting, again, with one another over small things and our numbers were getting smaller.  I knew God was at work in all these things and that He brings to completion whatever He starts, but I felt weak.  One day I broke. I went into my room shut the door and began to weep on my knees before our Great God. “Father it’s not my church, my glory, or my mission, but Yours.  Please Father glorify your Son, strengthen Your church, and shame Your enemy by the great power of Your Holy Spirit. I confessed in the depths of my heart, I can’t do it…, but I know You can. Please, Father may Your kingdom come!” One thing I have learned over the last few years is that battles are not won by our strength or talent, but by our weak prayers and the power of the Holy Spirit. The next week everything began to change and I have never seen the church's faith in Christ Jesus so strong.  Repentance of sins, strengthening of marriages, restoration between brothers, and the spread of the Gospel is sweeping through like a river and my favorite thing is that we are all glorifying His Name and His alone.  Please Church pray with us and for us that the mighty work of God will continue and the the Gospel may spread. 

In the near future we are going to begin taking steps to legalize the church.  This is no easy step, but we believe the Lord is leading us in this direction. There are many things that this will allow us to do, but we know it is not humans who grant this or that, but the divine leadership of our great God Almighty.  Please pray for this process, favor with the government, wisdom for church leadership, and strength for the church.  Please also pray for my wife and the healthy development of our new little gift.  Church thank you for your continual support of our needs! We could not have our hands to the plow without you.  May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Movement

Boxes are being packed, opportunities are being taken advantage of, new relationships are beginning, and the Gospel is spreading. The Three semis full of beds, clothes, and food we sent off last month for refugees made it safely and there were many opportunities to share about Jesus.  The needs throughout the middle East are immense and doors are opening for the church like never before.  God has allowed us to pray for the sick, feed and clothe the poor, share the Gospel with those who have never heard, and strengthen local churches.  We are currently praying about how we can continue to pour into these people in the context of a local growing church.  There are many options before us and we are praying for the will of God to be done. The needs are above and beyond what we can accomplish, but this is part of the joy in belonging to God’s great kingdom. It is always about His power, His resources, His way, and His glory.

We as a family are in the midst of packing boxes and moving into our new apartment that God has graciously provided. It is close to where we meet as a church, and in with a large amazing family.  It will open many new doors for discipleship, language learning, and cultural acquisition. Please pray for grace to do all that is required. 

The local church is doing well. We are now going through Jesus’ most famous sermon preached on the mountain from Matt 5,6, & 7, and it has already been rich and convicting.  We are also continuing our men’s and women’s Bible studies as well as seeking to be salt and light in this city.  We recently enjoyed a large BBQ with the church and had the pleasure of serving 18 college age visitors.  We ate, danced, sang, and had a few brothers share their testimonies.  It was was incredible to spend time with these men and women and get to answer their questions about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Please pray for the regenerating work of the the Holy Spirit in the hearts of these students.  We are praying that God would start a great work within this youth culture and allow His glory to spread. Please pray with us! 

Unity within the small community of believers throughout our city is beginning to grow.  There are Two different communities within our city, ours that has a focus to minister to primarily locals and another expat church reaching primarily foreigners. The two communities have in the past been at odds with little, to no, desire for a change. However, we know there may be many parts in One Body, but there is only One Body and we have been praying that God would cause humility and unity within His Church. I am thankful to say that we are beginning to see movement. People are beginning to pray together, worship together, and work on various ministry opportunities together. Please pray with us that the unity will go beyond the surface and spring forth from a Love that non of us worked for, or earned. May the Church grow, the Gospel spread, and Christ be glorified. 

Thank you to all who make our ministering and work here possible and we could not do it without your support.  May the Lord bless you eternally.      

Growth

This last month has been busy, fun, and exhausting.  Around the middle of October we began collecting a few shirts, toys, and food items for the growing number of refugees within our borders. It was a project that started small but quickly grew to large-scale proportions. We recently, by the grace of God, shipped three completely full 18-wheeler semi’s to refugee camps in desperate need of help.  It has been amazing to watch God work. He has been stirring hearts, opening doors, and mobilizing what we could never have done.  We currently have friends within the camps ministering and seeking to share the Gospel while taking care of practical needs.  Please pray for us as a church to have wisdom from God regarding this massive situation.  There are more needs than we could ever meet. We are not trying to change the country over night; we simply want to follow Jesus wherever He leads. Our desire is to meet both practice and spiritual needs in a sustainable way.  

The church locally is doing well. We are learning day by day how to live life together and live the Gospel each day. We are currently going through the Word to answer the common questions we get asked as a church, such as: Who are you? What do you do? What do you believe?  Our hope is that we may be able to give answers that are Biblical, simple, helpful, and God-honoring. The church is maturing and beginning to take shape. Please pray that God would continue to lead and guide us. We will also be starting a men’s Bible study this month going through the book of John.  It will be our first meeting held completely in the local language and led by locals.  I couldn’t be more thrilled to take a back seat.    

We as a family are, thankfully, continuing to do really well. We love being on mission in this time and place and are ever growing in the culture and language. We are currently praying through a new opportunity to move closer to the primary place where we meet and do life together. God has provided a ranch and hotel for us to use where we can meet daily, pray, and hold meetings.  We can also house people here for the purpose of discipleship.  We have been meeting here for awhile, but it has been hard to be really involved because of the distance from our current apartment.  This new house would open a lot of language and ministry opportunities and stretch us to grow. Please pray that God’s will would be done, His way, and in His timing. 

Lastly thank you to all of you who faithfully pray for and/or financially support us! We could not be doing what we are doing without your help.  There are times when everything is growing, we see God clearly, and most everything is going well. But, there are other times when things are dark, slow, and hard. We truly need God for every breath and greatly appreciate your prayers on our behalf. May His Church grow, His enemy be shamed, and His glory fill the earth.  

Opportunities

The seasons are officially changing.  Over these last several months we have not seen a cloud in the sky, the weather has been hot, and tourism high. Now the storms have come, cool weather has returned, and the tourists are heading back home.  Late fall and winter bring many new opportunities. Our city thrives on tourism and therefore most people work 12 to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week for about 6 months. During this time it is harder to spend a lot of time with people here because they are so busy and tired. However, as the season comes to a close ministry opportunities multiply. Please pray that as many seeds of the Gospel go out in sowing, that the Lord would cause great growth in reaping. 

The fellowship here is continuing to grow and it is a joy to see God at work in us and through us, day by day.  This last week we had the opportunity to baptize two new believers:  was 81 years old and the other 26.  God has done an incredible work in their lives and it has been such a privilege to be a part of it. Please pray for them both as they begin their new lives in Christ.  The Lord is building His Kingdom here in this city, but is also beginning to open our eyes to His larger body throughout this country.  We recently met 6 believers in a city about 45 minutes away from ours. They are all new believers, they have no gathering, and are craving discipleship.  We are talking and praying a lot about how we might be able to come along side them and serve them.  It looks to us like an excellent planting opportunity, but we are praying that the Lord’s will be done, in His timing & His way.  Please pray for wisdom and clarity. 

As many of you know there is a lot of unrest throughout the Middle East and needs everywhere.  We as a local fellowship are currently gathering clothes, beds, food, and other essential items that we will then deliver to a local body that is in the midst of all this unrest.  It has been amazing to see not only believers help but also our local government and many businesses. Please pray  that peoples eyes would be opened to see the only One who can truly deliver their lives from danger. If anyone would like to help by donating finances please contact us before sending the money.  

Over the last two weeks we have had a dear family staying with us from Arkansas. They are considering joining us in the work here within the next year.  It was a wonderful time for them to meet the community here, talk through what life together might look like, and see what God is doing. Please pray for this family that God would clearly lead and open doors that only He can. 

Lastly, we as a family are doing wonderful… a little tired, but doing really well.  God has been faithfully sustaining us and leading us all along the way.  We not only love each other but we like each other and are pleased to be able to serve the Lord together. Please continue to pray for us and for the the work God has called us to be a part of.  Please pray for minds to grasp the language, hearts to love the people, wisdom to lead the fellowship here, and faithfulness in the secret place. 

God is at work

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." |Philippians 2:12-13|

Thank you to any one of you who read our blog last month and prayed! God has done amazing things in a short amount of time.  He has brought a peace, love, and joy to the church that wasn’t previously here. The brothers have gone from yelling at one another to loving and praying for each other. There has been a new boldness to preach the Word and share the Gospel and God is slowly growing His church.  It is continually humbling to be a part of what God is doing in this region.  There is a lot going on in the Middle East these days and we are more confident than ever that He has called us here to serve Him and His bride. We as a church have been praying about how we may be able to serve our country and our persecuted brothers and sisters through out the region. Please pray that the Lord would guide us by His Spirit and give us wisdom as we pray into the future.

We finished the book of Ephesians this past month and are now working our way through the Lord’s prayer.  Ephesians was an incredibly foundational book for us to go through and I am excited to see where The Lord takes us from here. With the Lord’s prayer one brother told me that I would have grey hair before we came near an end of this magnificent prayer. He is absolutely right, but I am thankful for the time we do get for Jesus to teach us how to pray. Our church meetings are a joy each week and the worship is getting louder and louder.  I believe we are also learning that church is not just a place we go, but our identity as the people of God in this land. We are doing life together and are praying that through us God may reap the harvest for His glory and fame.  

Language is continuing to go well, and our daughter will soon be fluent, but as for my wife and I we need grace and endurance.  Please pray that the Lord would continue to grant us the desire to learn this language and that we would have the mind to quickly comprehend. We can have simple conversations with everyone, but to understand the complex language of the Bible and be able to teach it simply, this still feels a long way off. However, we are continuing to learn and are trusting that God is at work.

Lastly please continue to pray with us that the Word of God would spread and that many would come to love and worship Jesus.  Please also pray that God would raise up local elders within the body who will lead by example, serve with humility, and faithfully pick up their crosses and follow Jesus.  We cannot thank you enough for your faithfulness toward us and your persistence in prayer.  May the Lord be forever praised through your sacrifice.

Praying for Maturity

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ ." |1 Peter 1:6-7| 

This last month has been hot, hard, and filled with lessons. We are doing well in the 123 degree heat, but would appreciate your prayers as the work here progresses.  We are a young church in a land that doesn’t want us, made up of many cultures, backgrounds, and traditions. It is no surprise that conflict seems to arise as we try to unite together and corporately build our lives upon the Word of God.  Each week there are fiery conflicts to be put out, more language that must be learned, more people to speak to, and more grace that is needed. There are disagreements between brothers that cause us as a church to limp along the way of missions, there are temptations that distract us from the purposes of God, and pride that fights for position rather than the worship of Christ. 

I’m writing all this to ask for prayer.  We are a young church of about 6 months and immature in many ways. Each week we plant seeds of the Gospel and water it with prayer, but we know that only our sovereign God can bring life out of death. We counsel people, pray with people, preach to people, live with people, but we need an act of God for any real change to take place in all of our hearts .  Please pray that we as a church would grow, the Gospel would spread, and God would be glorified in this land.  People have said a healthy church run by locals is impossible, but please pray with us that what has not happened for hundreds of years in this city, God would be pleased to make happen now through weak people like us.     

We as a church have been going verse by verse through the book of Ephesian and will Lord willing finish in the next few weeks.  We started a women's Bible study and believe that God will greatly use this for both spiritual growth and to spread His Word. Our language class taught from the Bible is going excellent and growing.  The work here is hard and slow, but praise be to God the Gospel is spreading! A man called me two weeks ago in tears, begging me to explain the meaning of life because surely there was more than this broken world.  A neighbor told me yesterday, “I feel as though I’m cursed I know there is a God but what is He doing… there must be something I’m missing.” We all need God and thankfully through Jesus Christ we can know Him. God is working in this city, in hearts, in His church. Please pray for endurance and grace, maturity and conformity into the image of God.

"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." |Acts 4:29-30|

Pruning & Fruitfulness

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” | John 15:1-2 |

As children of God we will always continue to be pruned, refined, and matured by the grace of God. However, throughout our Christian lives there seems to be seasons of intensified pruning where God draws near and shakes what can be shaken only to leave us standing by His grace alone. These seasons are heart exposing, hard, and needed. We just finished a time of prayer and fasting as a church praying over the possibility of more leadership (deacons and elders). What transpired was our hearts laid bear, times of repentance, and a fresh call to the great commission. We were reminded as a church that we live in a city of thousands upon thousands of people who have never heard the Gospel.  

Many times we can get distracted on structure, strategies, and organization, so much so that we forget Jesus’ words from Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” We put great value in the structure laid out in God’s Word and we will strive to build accordingly, but we don’t want to get so caught up in positions of authority and a neat organized place for the healthy, that we forget to share the Gospel with dying sinners. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will give us boldness as we continue to proclaim Christ, grace to move around schedules, and unity to move forward as a church.  

We as a church just secured a room that we can call our own. The room is small, a bit far from the city, and probably temporary… but it’s ours. It’s the same place we have been meeting in for church, but now we can also use it throughout the week for smaller meetings. This may sound small but to have a church building where people can pray, worship, and hear the Word all in their own tongue in a city where a year ago there was nothing like this is exciting! We have had quite a few desires for additional meetings throughout the week and now it looks like these may be a possibility. Each week there are new people, new opportunities, new challenges, and through it all God is causing us to grow as a church. We would like to one day be able to meet in the heart of the city, but all in God’s sovereign timing.    

We as a family are doing really well! Our three-year-old is now in pre-school for half days which is a huge blessing. She is making new friends, learning the language, and growing so rapidly. With her in pre-school we also are more able to meet with people and concentrate on our language study. Our language is going well and it looks like the Lord my be opening some new doors for learning, but we would love it if you would continue to pray for grace to learn. We need it!      

Thank you to all of you who continue to support and pray for us we could not be here without your help nor would we be able to stand without your prayers. May the Lord cause us all to be fruitful throughout the world for His great glory and fame.

Foundations

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.  Ephesians 2:19-22 

We as a young church are continuing to go through the book of Ephesians verse by verse.  I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing His words to be written.  It is always practical, heart piercing, and absolutely essential for us as we grow together in this foreign land. I feel like we are working on the foundations in every aspect of our lives.  There has been a tendency to get frustrated and want to simply start building, but oh how important this time is for us.  While my dad was here this last month he warned us not to start building too quick, spend money too fast, elect more leaders too early, or take over the city in a hurry.  He said, “Only God knows how big of a building He’s building through you all, therefore who are you to say when the foundation work is done?” It was a word of wisdom in due season and we are trying to learn through every lesson the Lord brings.  

As a new Church we are working through how to spend money that will produce the most long term fruit, how to do a cultural church service without deluding the Gospel, how and when to elect new leaders, how to practice church discipline in a way that shames the enemy, grows the church, and glorifies God, how to best disciple young Christian to look day by day more like Christ, and how establish Biblical roles that equip individuals, families, and the church, and on and on… Every day there’s a new lesson, new trails, new mercy and grace, and thankfully, through it all, we are growing.  Our continual hope is that there would be a lasting Church in this city, built on the Rock, and faithfully standing until Christ’s return.

We had the privilege to baptize two people this last month and they are continuing to grow. Please pray for Bassem and Kati. Pray that what Christ has started He will faithfully bring unto completion.  This last week we had the opportunity to talk with a man named Oguz. He came to church simply to drop off a chair we bought, but by the end he was on his knees praying that Jesus would change His life and the lives of his family. Please also pray for this man! 

We as a family are doing well! We are busy, sometimes exhausted, and having a blast.  It is always an honor to be proclaiming the Gospel in this land.  Thank you to all of you who continue to support and pray for us, we couldn’t be doing this without you.  May the Lord bless you, and keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you!