Wednesday, July 15, 2015

As our time comes to a close

The last two weeks have gotten so busy for our teams. Our time is coming to a close and we desperately want to use it all for His glory. Luckily, He's provided plenty of opportunities to meet with friends and minister to our city.

First was an opportunity to break the fast with a Muslim friend. She came to our house by motorbike (of course), and then we sat on floor pillows around our low table and broke fast together. We had never had anyone over to our house to break fast before, so we were nervous. But, she said the food tasted good, so we figured that meant we had passed. After she prayed, religion came up and we started talking, and we kept talking for hours. Our friend is so open about religion, and so discussions with her take a long time. Not that we mind though. She's already heard the Gospel from us before, but we were happy when God let us share it again with her, along with many other truths from the Bible. We spoke of death, heaven and hell, persecution, ghosts, and many other topics. As we watched her drive off, we prayed that she would not just be a hearer of the word, but a doer of the word. One who is obedient to her Savior's call to "come and follow me."

The second was another meeting with a friend, this one at McDonald's. This sweet Muslim friend was not nearly as open as the one we had broken fast with the day before, so we thought. Spiritual issues came up, and instead of quietly listening like she usually does, our friend started asking questions. Questions about Jesus, the trinity, even the second coming. Elise, myself and our supervisor's wife were able to share truth with her from the Bible to answer her questions as best we could. And before we left, she had made plans to study the Bible with us sometime. We didn't think she would really do it, but a few days later, she texted us and asked to meet!!! Praise the Lord!!!!

Saturday morning we gathered once again in our home and studied John chapter one (to attempt to explain the trinity to her). She listened, asked more questions, and when it was over, looked up at us, and said, "What's next?" What an exciting question!!! We pray we will be able to continue studying with our sweet friend and show her exactly what is next for her.

The third chance... we partnered up with another team from another organization and hosted a Fourth of July party. We rented out a local recreation center and invited our friends that we had gotten to know over the Summer. We had hot dogs, chips, and watermelon. We played American games including American trivia, and then shot fireworks. The party ended with a BANG. Everyone had a blast and enjoyed catching up with some of our friends and saying goodbye to others. We also had the opportunity to participate in another Independence Day party hosted by our Field Supervisors and their church team from the states. They had invited a class from a local Senior High school to come to their house. We spent some time getting to know them. It was interesting to see how much we had in common with our friends. After getting to know one another, we broke the fast with them and enjoyed the remaining evening in meaningful conversations, playing an American trivia game, and of course shooting more fireworks.

In closing, we were invited by our friends to attend a cancer charity event. The facility provides affordable care for those affected by cancer and their families. It was very difficult to walk into the center knowing that some were barely holding on to life. We toured the area and met a few patients. We attended a seminar where we were able to learn more about the foundation and introduce ourselves and get to know the patients there. Some were newly diagnosed, others were fighting for their lives, and others had won the battle. After the ceremony we helped the workers hand out food to break the fast. We were able to break fast with some of a few of our friends who invited us and made new friends with some of the patient's family members. We finished dinner and were invited to visit some of the patients in their room. We met three women at different stages of their battle. Each one shared their story and their battle with cancer. It was a very difficult thing to sit though but I know the Father had placed us there in the midst of these sick people to shed light on their dark situations. We silently prayed for them and continue to lift them up as they fight not only for their lives but for their salvation as well.

Our last days here will be just as full as our previous weeks have been, if not more. There are so many things to see, people to talk to, and tasks to complete as our time here comes to a close and we attempt to plant our final seeds here in SEA.

-Seed Sowers