Sunday surprise!

Saturday evening my Syrian friend Abby called me to tell me that her husband had returned to her, begged her forgiveness and wanted to start over again. I was shocked to say the least and wondered if he was serious. I invited them to come to the Lighthouse on Sunday morning for a little gathering with another couple on our team and a couple of neighbors they had invited. We had no idea how this morning would go, no real agenda and just prayed that God would be present in our midst and lead the way. In the end, we were 4 Americans, 3 Syrians and 1 German + 4 children (2 American/2 Syrian) The German is a lady who lives upstairs from the Lighthouse and has a Syrian PhD student living with her. They both came and the woman told us that she believes God brought us to this place just for her. (ha! we thought it was for the refugees) She had been hiking a few weeks ago and out of the blue, starting thinking about Jesus Christ and wondering what he was all about. She came 45 minutes early and sat reading the Bible in German. She exclaimed with tears how happy she was to find us and that she never felt such love & acceptance before. Abby & her husband (Henry) joined in the conversation and also seemed to be "sucked in" by the love they were shown. Our teammate was leading the discussion and told the group that we want to become a body that loves deeply and has total freedom to share openly what we're going through. We started out with a robust German brunch (which they're famous for) and then sat around tables discussing what it meant to "cast our cares on Jesus". It was a great Sunday and we plan to do this every week for now and see how it evolves. We may have a general devotional and then break up according to language groups and discuss more deeply. Yesterday everyone's level of English was adequate to have a meaningful discussion together in English. Although we are primarily here for the refugees, we are seeing a steady stream of Germans coming by and asking what we're all about. We are seeing a spiritual hunger among them that is shocking. (since we've always heard how difficult they are to reach) Who knows what this Lighthouse will mean in this community? We envision now a day for Spanish speakers and Arabic speakers and German speakers. Who knows what God has in store for this place? We are ready and excited to see!

Reality is setting in

Last week I received an email from a friend in another country. She told me of a Syrian woman who lived in her country for a year, from a Muslim family, who has had a true conversion experience and is now a believer in Jesus.  I went to visit her last week and listened to her story...Her husband has lived here in Berlin for a year, trying to get papers for her and her 2 children to join him. She finally was reunited with her husband 3 weeks ago. She noticed right away that he was "on edge" all the time and not kind to her at all. She wondered what had happened to him during their year-long separation. Come to find out, this man had gotten involved with very secular Muslim friends and also some German friends who are every kind of horrible you can imagine!! She soon found out he was using drugs, sleeping with other women and basically gone completely off the deep end. When he came home at night he would scream at my friend and his 2 adorable sons and act like a raving maniac. It didn't help that they're living in one room which contains a small kitchen (1 burner hot plate, 2 plates and a few cups, 1 pot to cook in and a leaky faucet), bunk beds, single bed and crib and a tiny table with 2 chairs. My friend, let's call her Abby, says she can no longer allow her husband to come there and torment her and her children. For the last 2 days, he has not come back and she feels some relief from that but also deep sadness. She is all alone in this place, not knowing one single person except me. I feel the reality of her situation weighing heavy on my shoulders. Who will defend this young, beautiful woman? How will she manage in this strange country, not speaking a word of the language? She is clinging to her faith in Jesus but still feels at times like he's abandoned her (haven't we all felt that way at times?) I tried to tell her that Satan doesn't attack weak people; he attacks strong people because he knows they are a threat to him. Abby is strong and has been through so much pain as she's fled her country and all of her family, to try and make a better future for her children. Yesterday Darrell went with me and we took the children some toys and goodies to brighten their day. Their smiles and excitement were priceless! Abby's situation seems hopeless. It will be difficult for her to find an apartment for her and her 2 children. She needs a miracle! Would you pray for that? She told me yesterday that it's all luck as to who gets an apartment or not. I told her we don't believe in luck; we believe in a miracle-working God. The reality that this is ONE story which we will begin to hear over and over as we start this refugee ministry in earnest, is a bit sobering. We need God's wisdom and divine guidance as we maneuver these uncharted waters.

What's in a name?

It was not at all easy to choose a name for our new center in the heart of Berlin. We had settled on one name but then learned that there were many other Christian organizations here with the same name. Still, we couldn't come up with anything different. Then one day we had a large group of people praising the Lord and praying in our building. Many of them prayed that we would be a lighthouse in this dark city. The word Lighthouse stood out loud and clear and it was decided that that would be the name. Since choosing that name, we have had much confirmation that it is indeed the name God had in mind for this place. While this location is perfect in SO many ways, we did not know at the time that our building is right on the edge of the gay community here in Berlin. Not too far down the street, you can find all sorts of evil dens of iniquity! We have also been told that devil worship and witchcraft are rampant here. When talking to our national partners recently, they warned us that Berlin is a difficult place to start any Christian endeavor and that it would be an uphill battle all the way. Well, thus far, securing the building, signing the lease, furnishing it, etc. has gone super smoothly. I believe the battle will begin when people start coming out of the darkness and finding their way to the lighthouse. In looking up "lighthouse" in the dictionary, it said "a structure displaying or flashing a very bright  light for the guidance of ships (or people!) in avoiding dangerous areas..." We pray that people will see a very bright light flashing in this place and run to it in order to avoid danger in their lives. We feel confident that God led us to this name and that many will find him here at the Lighthouse. It has been a long time since we've worked in a country where we could freely display the Alliance symbol and the fact that we have church affiliation. Kinda cool!