Fun stuff

As I was just saying...one step forward...last night at our little Lighthouse ch*ch, there were 28 people, the largest group we've had to date. We had a guest speaker from America and a translator that did a poor job and missed many of the main points. That didn't seem to matter in the least to God whose spirit was working in spite of all this, in the hearts of 3 people. Before the night was over, all 3 of these people gave their lives to Jesus! This just doesn't happen in Mus ministry. It was a night of celebration! The girl that I prayed with has only been coming for 1 month. Her father was the first person to receive Christ at the LH and the only one until now to be baptized. The place was packed with people and noisy kids. We had a fellowship dinner after the meeting and lots of fun and activity. But Rowan was sticking close to me and literally begging to know more and go somewhere quiet so we could talk. She said her heart was pounding while the guy was preaching (in English which she doesn't understand and with poor translation!) This is what it means for the Holy Spirit to open people's eyes and heart to the truth. He will do his work in spite of us! We finally were able to get the kids out of the one room and sit to talk in depth. She was so ready and wanting Jesus in her life. I explained a few things and she prayed to ask him into her life. I feel like she is very fragile and I need to care for her a lot in the beginning. I will go to her house and teach her the basics of the Christian faith. The neat thing is that she is great friends with a girl I prayed with 2 weeks ago, the one who lives in our house with us. This has never happened in 35 years of ministry to Mus; praying with two people in 2 weeks. It is exciting and rewarding and also a big responsibility to get them going on the right track. They really know nothing at all. Where to start?? I know God will lead me step by step. At the same time that I was praying with this young girl, Geryes (our Syrian partner) was in the other room leading 2 men to Christ who came for the very first time last night. He met them in the street and witnessed to them and they called him up yesterday and said they wanted to become Christians! They came with their wives and children. It was a pretty amazing night; one that leaves you in awe of how God works in people's hearts and draws them to himself. Pray for these fragile new believers who need so much teaching and deliverance from the demons of Is. that will show up later and drag them back if they're not dealt with now.  We need great wisdom.

A cry for help

One step forward and 2 steps back. That is how it often is in our line of work. We had high hopes for a couple who joined us a couple of months ago. I wrote about them in a previous blog. He was a well-known leader in the Is. world and suffered greatly when he denied his religion to follow Christ. He has been floundering lately and seemingly confused and angry at times. For sure, he has been unfairly treated and even abused by believers. All of this has caused him great anguish and he has fallen away from any fellowship with Christians and attending church. The only people he has not cut off are our Lighthouse staff. Yesterday as we sat in the Lighthouse after having dinner with a large group of people visiting from the US, somehow I found myself sitting alone with this guy and we began to talk. I was shocked as he spilled everything he had stored up inside of him for weeks. I was holding back my tears as my heart broke for this young man who had been so hurt by believers and the church. Just as someone in deep grief doesn't need a sermon preached to them about the sovereignty of God, I knew all I could do was listen to this guy and try to empathize with the deep pain he was feeling. I did tell him that all of us, unfortunately, can point to many Christians who have back-stabbed us and disappointed us and that is why it's so important to keep our eyes on Jesus because he will never, ever disappoint us. He said things that I hope he doesn't really mean. He said ugly, evil, mean things that made me so sad. The bottom line is that he was there, at the Lighthouse, because he says we're the only ones who have not mistreated him. When we finished our conversation, I went into the kitchen and cried. I cried hard and I cried long because my heart was broken for this man who obviously is possessed with demons from his past; a past that's full of wickedness and killing and such evil that it's hard for our minds to imagine. He needs deliverance for sure but until he is willing and asks for help, it is futile. I am broken-hearted for his sweet wife who was led to Christ by her husband. She is suffering a lot these days as she sees and hears her husband denounce his faith and seek revenge on those believers who tried to destroy his life. She claims that these are just words of anger that he's spouting and that in his heart of hearts, he still believes in Jesus and would never deny his faith. I hope she's right. All we can do is pray and love and forgive and embrace this tormented young man. Will you join us in this?