This is the very first time I have blogged in this way and it kind of frightens me. I am typing this for the first time straight onto the blog site. Agh no preparation, no spell check, no back up this is crazy. Welcome to my life.
Some of the things I am thinking about right now.
The other day we were doing some street evangelism in this park. I was not really feeling it as the whole language thing still makes that fairly difficult, but God really laid this one guy on my heart and I watched him get up and lovingly take care of his daughter and it was such a good example of our Heavenly Father’s loving kindness. I just wanted to talk to him, not necessarily invite him to the service, just to talk. So I abandoned Ashley, my bench buddy, and went over to talk to him. His name is Dan and he is fairly disenchanted with the church. I think it was really good for him to hear someone who is claiming to be a Christian agreeing with him about the disenchantment and discussing what the Bible says the church should really look like and how we have fallen short and how it is our responsibility to revitalize the church. He seemed very much more willing to open up with me after that time. It was really cool for me to be able to talk about his little girl with him. He was so proud of this beautiful two year old little girl. He told me “she is my biggest accomplishment in life.” He was just such a beautiful father and to have the privilege of telling him that his daddy feels the same way about him was so incredible. We talked some more about community and our being designed for community and it’s role in edification and accountability. He voiced frustration with religion and we talked about a relationship. It was awesome. We went to visit Stacy’s family this past weekend and this was one of the highlights of the month. They were so warm and welcoming to our whole team coming into their home. We played games with their kids, they fed us a lot, we pitted plums with her grandmother and they showed us the orphanage that they are own and are working to get started back up (it is closed for now because the American sponsors had to pull their funding because of the economic downturn) and we got to see different parts of the villages where Stacy’s parents were raised and prayed for a couple of men and had a great time.
We found out this week that we are not going to Egypt for various reasons, but for this coming month as individual teams we have the privilege of asking God, ok we are not in Egypt where do you want us for the next month. It has been overwhelming, honoring and exciting for me to think that my God is wanting to tell us that and guess what that means, we have to hear what he is saying. Eeek. So exciting. Be praying for all the J & K squad teams though as we go through this process kind of early in the race. Pray for our voices and all other voices to be silenced while we learn to really listen to God. The next month will probably be Turkey instead of Jordan too, just so you know what is probably coming.
We went to the gypsy village for the last time yesterday (more about this experience later). That was really hard. We have fallen in love with the kids there and have built relationships with them have learned what it means to love those that don’t receive love anywhere else because of who they are. So leaving for the last time was really hard to do. One of the little boys, the most cuddly of them all, followed us onto the bus to give us each one more hug and then proceeded to follow us up the road as long as he could keep up waving the whole way. Break my heart already.We have been so blessed during our time here by one family in particular who on the first day we went to the gypsy village they gave us a huge bag of vegetables and the every time since then have provided dinner for us on those days. Really good dinners for that matter. Get excited about sarmale I am just sayin. The best part about that all is getting to hold their 2-3 week old baby, Sunshine. She is so beautiful and a miracle indeed. A team that was here before us went and prayed for her while she was pregnant because the baby was not turning around, she would be born breech and so she would have to deliver c-section, they prayed and God turned the baby and everyone is healthy and happy and no expensive surgeries required. It is so weird how we come here expecting to do a lot of blessing and here we are getting literal physical blessings left and right.
