Recently, I was asked, “When are you going to start doing something?” and I’ll be honest my initial reaction (in my mind), was one of frustration because, I am doing something and have been for the past few months. However, I understand the question, because this is has been like nothing that I’ve ever done before. And…Honestly, I haven’t done a great job of explaining my circumstances…So here goes:
I want to challenge you to take a second and imagine…Imagine a world, where the illusion of religious freedom is painted. One where church freely exist, but cannot be frequented if you’re native to the country. Now imagine having questions about the faith that you’ve been assigned, but no freedom to ask them for fear of repercussion. Repercussions for these questions could include anything from familial excommunication to death. So maybe you decide not to ask in public, but you still desire to discover privately. So you set out on a quest to discover Jesus in private, but there is literally no place that will/can sell you a Bible and because telecommunication are monitored (in some areas) you wouldn’t dare download an app, for fear of governmental repercussions.
What do you do?…
The work that I get to do in some of these places literally cannot look like anything else that I’ve done, because I am operating in closed countries. A closed country is a country where sharing the gospel is illegal. So, if I did want to offer prayer on the beach, I could be kicked out of the country, jailed or face worst repercussions. If I openly profess to the wrong person, the family hosting me can come under government scrutiny. (The government has literally already contacted one of my host based on being informed of such behavior.)
Being the hands and feet in these countries looks significantly different. The assumption is generally that most American’s are Christians so sometimes, your mere presence gives them the space and opportunity to ask and learn. Other times, Holy Spirit prompting creates an avenue for sharing. Either way, the basis for being used in these countries is building relationship and loving people well daily, which with your help, I will be blessed enough to be continuously doing!
Below is a God Highlight from that area to show you some of the ways that God is at work in these places!
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PRAYER REQUEST:
* Team Unity
* Increased Holy Spirit Sensitivity
* Obedience & Strength
* Funding (The only way that I can do what God has called me to do is through Your support in prayer and finance! Together we can impact and change the world!)
