Home Again

Yes! I am finally home again. What a relief after a full 26 hours of travel/delays. God be praised I was able to make it onto a flight on standby, otherwise it would have been even longer. So much is going through my brain about what I learned, saw, and experienced that I'm not sure how to put it all into words. I will try to organize my scattered thoughts and make some post-trip blog posts with more pictures.

It's amazing that as soon as you get home you hit the ground running -things to do and people to see. I thank God for allowing me the opportunity to go on the trip and for the work that He has done on my heart and in my life. I pray that I never loose sight of North Africa.

No Witness

Today we went to a costal city with a population of about 200,000. We ate a nice lunch, enjoyed the breeze, and even went into a castle-like wall that is on the coast. The people are friendly and it is just an overall nice city.

There is a major problem. As far as we know, there is no church there. Not one believer. This thought broke my heart today. I live in a country with a church or three on every corner. Not here. How can we feel that we do enough for Christ and look out over a city that does not even have a church to worship Him and bring Him glory?

I Feel Like Traveling On

Right now we are traveling through the country. We do not have guaranteed interent access, so this maybe my last post until I get back home. Pray for us as we travel for safety, but also that God will give us a greater burden to see this country reached for Christ. One thing I noticed as we were riding through the countryside is the towers that proclaim the call to prayer 5 times a day. There are only a few farms in one location, but there is a tower there. Everywhere you go you see them. It's just another indication of their spiritual state.

As much as I love the US and want to be back home, I hate to leave. I know I've used this verse many times, but there is much work to be done, and few laborers.

People Are the Same Everywhere

One thing I have learned on this trip is that people are people. Profound, I know. Even though things may be incredibly different here, people are still the same. Kids say "mom" a thousand times until she acknowledges them, women love shoes and bags, men love sports, everyone seeks out friendships, etc. Even though many women here will look very different with their head coverings and all, they are still women who want to look nice and have friends - they are not people to be scared of. In the States, many times we will look from afar and not want to approach to talk or anything. I have learned that these ladies are very nice, and VERY hospitable.



We so often pray for missionaries across the world and the people they are trying to reach with the Gospel. Many times we pray not knowing really how to pray for them so we just pray rather generically. No longer are these people nameless, faceless blurs to pray for: they have faces, names, dreams, hope and desires, and are trying to please the only god they have been taught about. They sincerely believe that Islam is the true religion. I ask you to pray that God will open their eyes to the truth, to wonder what was so different about those Christians who came to teach English this summer, to plant seeds of doubt into their hearts. I have left the city I was in for 5 weeks, but God can still work in their hearts. Pray for Jihane, Asame, Mohommad, Wafa, Miriam*, and many others we were able to speak to. Pray that they will be saved and bring God unusual glory.

*names have been changed

Traveling -Third World Style

We left Wednesday to travel through the rest of the country. The country is beautiful. The major mode of transporation for long distances is train. The trains aren't bad at all - you can get up and move around if you wish, meet lots of new people, and there is even a guy with a beverage and snack cart if you get thirsty or hungry. The worst thing is how hot it gets. The cars are "air conditioned" - it said so on the sign with a pretty little snowflake on it. What that means is there is a tiny bit of air that blows out from below the window. When the natives here are so hot they are fanning themselves, you know it is hot. So far we've had 2 train rides each about 4 hours. We have 1 more long one, and one short one before we leave.

The other thing about going somewhere for 6 weeks is luggage. I'm a self-professed heavy packer. Wow does it get heavy after walking down the street for 10 minutes. The wonderfully amazing guys on our trip lift our suitcases onto the train, into the overhead storage, and even up stairs. I have to give credit where credit is due - they have been a HUGE blessing.

We are in a major tourist area in the country for the next few days. It's very close to the desert and therefore hot. Our hotel is close to the plaza where all the snake charmers, dancers, and fresh squeezed oranged juice booths are. We ate a late dinner on the roof. It was breezy up there, but even the breeze was very warm. We got into our hotel room and looked above the window and there was a beautiful white rectangular box that produces cool air! I think I almost cried. To get back to the hotel and go to bed with the window closed (no mosquitoes!!!) and cool air - it was amazing.

On the spiritual side of things, this is the 3rd city that we have visited here. We again see so many people who live here who do not know Christ. We were supposed to meet with a contact who is the pastor of a church, but our leader could not get in contact with him. This man pastors perhaps the largest evangelical church here we know of - about 30 people. Compared to a bustling city the ratio is not very good. Pray for this pastor and his church. They meet Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, Friday night, AND Saturday night - wow do I feel lazy! There is a great work to be done - pray that the Lord will send more laborers into His harvest.

Eating Food That Looks Back At You

I have a confession. I am truly, utterly, an American. When I eat meat, it looks nothing like the animal it used to be. I go to the store and buy it in nice and neat packages, and most of the time, the bones are even taken out! What a priviledged life I have led!

Well Friday we took a trip to the beach with three sisters. They brought everything we would need for a nice, typically native lunch. They even brought a small gas tank so we could have hot tea and cook the food! We sat down at the table and uncovered the food. Through the steam eyes began to appear; not of the people sitting around the table, but eyes of the fish that had been cooked! There were many whole fish sitting atop vegetables. I have no problem eating meat, but when it's staring back at you - that's unnerving!

The only other thing was that even though I was careful not to eat the bones, it was still crunchy. Maybe it was because I was eating skins, scales, and all. Other than that, it tasted good. Afterwards we had watermelon, so it helped to replace the memory of picking off the sides of helpless fish to eat.

I guess I have just had a very sheltered life, never having to look into the eyes of something I eat. It's just something I'll have to learn to deal with.

Worship in North Africa

I have had the opportunity to attend 2 different churches here in North Africa. They are not "traditional" churches in the least. They are house churches. People do not come to the churches here to be seen, or heard, or to look pious. They come because they love the Lord. While the singing goes on, many people close their eyes. They are singing to their Lord and Savior. I just got this overall impression of true worship. They don't care what they sound like or who is listening.

Many of the natives here give up much when they become Christians, of course come do not, it just depends. One lady I was sitting next to spoke English. She was actually visiting her family here, because she lives in Canada now and her 27 year old son was visiting with her. She appologized to us because she was wearing a sleeveless dress. She told her parents she and her son were going to the beach and did not tell them she was going to church. She had to sneak out of her parents house to go to church. She did not do it for glory; she did it for love for God.

People worship here because they love the Lord. They do not expect any glory from singing well; they sing from their heart. Never before have I had the chance to see people who possibly gave up so much sing to the Lord.

Super Spiritual...or not

As a fellow intern said, sometimes we think that just because we're on the mission field and doing "missionary work" we become this super spiritual person. Well...it doesn't. Never before have I truly seen the need for a strong walk with the Lord. It's funny, but living here, in the States, or whichever continent you choose, it's still a battle just to do the simple things. The difference is that here we are so busy doing missionary work, sometimes it's easy to neglect the one thing I need most, spiritual food and drink. Isn't it funny that the easiest thing to do can also be the hardest? It's not hard to read your Bible everyday, but it is difficult to set aside that time dedicated to the Lord and nothing and no one else. Going to the mission field does not make you a "super spiritual" person. No matter where you live you still have your ups and downs. God has shown me a lot of areas I need to work on: having a strong walk with the Lord is number one.

Never Enough

Our time in this city has almost come to an end. We have one full week left here before we travel through the rest of the country. One thought has greatly consumed me: I haven't done enough. I haven't talked to enough people, I haven't given out the Gospel enough, I haven't met the people I have talked to enough, etc. There is so much work to be done. I understand that the city will not be evangelized in 6 weeks. How much will be done in 6 years? 60 years? One thing is evident: more laborers are needed. All you have to do is look up to see 1.5 million people who are lost and going to Hell if they don't hear and accept the Gospel. Staring into the face of this is burdening, overwhelming, and moving. If we don't go with the truth, how will they hear?

Frogger

A major aspect of life here is just getting around. Most people walk a lot. Crossing the street has never been quite so fun. As long as no one is coming you walk out into the road and cross lane by lane as it clears. One day I had an epiphany as we were crossing the street. It's just like the old video game Frogger!! So if you've ever had to urge to play Frogger in real life, just come visit.

Condemned Already

Today we stood on a hill overlooking the city - only 1/3 of the city actually. Just to give a conservative estimate, about 96% of the people have NEVER heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. If that many have never heard, how many are Christians? Very few.

God has been working on my heart with this very thought. A couple of my fellow interns have already written about this on their blogs - amazing stuff. A few days ago God brought to my mind the verse John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already..." I went to Peru 5 years ago and the preacher preached on this passage. He told us to imagine a red A on everyone's forehead for "Already." All I have to do is look around. Everyone has an A stamped on their forehead for "condemned already." What the Lord has really laid on my heart is the ladies. I don't need to imagine: the sign that they are condemned already is the head covering. Each time I see a lady, her head covering reminds me that she is condemned already.

Between the Dead and the Living Dead

This post was written by my fellow intern. She did such an incredible job writing this.

Today we stood between the dead and the living dead. Behind us centuries of decaying bones, before us millions of decaying lives. From a graveyard we overlooked a city full of people dead in sin, dead in idolatry, dead in a lie.

Eph 2:1 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

The only difference between the living of this city and the dead is that the people here have a chance. They only lack messangers.

Rom. 10: 14b, c "And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

This city of more than of a million is lost and next to no one stands between them and a graveyard of eternal damnation. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Christians are spending their lives on legitimate ministries, but ignoring a needier field.

Ezek. 22:30 "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none."

Is there a man who will stand between this one city, or any city like it, and the grave?

Go with God
--Mira

American Holiday - Foreign Country

I've never been out of the country for an American holiday. So today is a first. Of course no one is off of work or anything: we still have to go our Arabic classes and what not. So my American team here decides to at least celebrate a little. We have an all-American lunch of cheeseburgers, (grilled out, of course) fries, and apple pie. The only thing is there are no pickles. It's the little things that you miss when you don't have them. Other than that, it was really really good. Then we have a good round of some games like catch-phrase and imaginiff.

We did have a couple of believers from here with us, and also a visitor who does not know Christ. So three native people were able to get a small lesson on American culture by spending some time with us today.

So in our own way we still celebrated America's Independence Day. After having spent a few weeks here, it makes me more thankful for all the freedoms we have and honestly take for granted. The Gospel is freely given anywhere in the States. That is not the case here. Sometimes I ask God why am I so privileged to have been born in America. It sometimes doesn't seem fair. It's those times I just have to stop and thank God. Also, as an American, I am one of the most able people to go to the world with the Gospel. With great privilege comes great responsibility.

July 1st ? Already?

I can't believe it is already July 1st! This month has flown by. We've settled into somewhat of a routine now. So everything that has been new and exciting has settled down a little more into normal. Yet nothing in really normal. We only have 2 weeks left here in this city, and the last week of the trip we will be traveling around the country. I can't believe it's half over already. After being here for about 3 weeks I do have some observations that are a little more in depth than all the new and exciting things I've been seeing for the first time. I'll focus on one today.

The variety of dress here is amazing. You have the staunch conservatives: the men wear the Islamic dresses and the hat, the women wear djallabas (i guess this might be how to transliterate it - the Arabic script is VERY different from our English alphabet) which are like dresses, head coverings, veils to cover their faces, and sometimes gloves to cover even their hands. The conservative women wear head coverings and the djallabas (with pants of course underneath in order not to show skin), the moderate (mainly single women) wear head coverings, long shirts that cover, long sleeves, and usually pants, and there are liberal women who wear short sleeves and sometimes even knee length skirts, and the ultra-liberal who wear low-cut shirts and and things that we see all the time in the states. The men for the most part just look normal - very European, but normal dress.

People who are friends here will walk hand in hand (YES! guys will hold hands, and girls will hold hands or link arms). You see people who are dressed differently walking together arm in arm. But usually only one, maybe two degrees away from their position (whether conservative or liberal) We know there are many divisions in Christianity, but there seems to somewhat of division in Islam as well. It's not as clear a line as we Christians draw, but there is one. Everyone still believes the same things and everyone we speak to (no matter staunch conservative or ultra liberal) says they are a good Muslim. You can almost draw a parallel because everyone in the States would say they are a good person. In order for a person to be saved, they must first realize they are lost. No one wants to admit they are a sinner. The same goes in Islam. I cannot tell people they are lost - that is the job of the Holy Spirit. We (really I'm speaking to myself first) need to pray that God will work on their hearts. I may speak to someone for 5 minutes, or maybe 5 hours, but God can work on their heart 24/7.

The Seven Zillion Mile Journey

This post was written by yet another intern on the trip. They do such a great job with what they write I wanted to share it with all. What he is writing about actually took place last Wednesday, June 25, 2008.

Written by Paul

Today was a 'free' day for our team, so Bro. Omar (who kindly asked me to stop calling him "Bro. Mustard") took us to one of the Spanish enclaves in North Africa. It was a really neat experience! This morning, we rode in two very cramped taxis for an hour. Then, after going through one of the sloppiest, most confused borders in the world, we entered the Spanish city. (At this border, some girls on our team saw someone bribe a cop... !) Once we entered, we walked for about 45min to McDonald's. After lunch, we spent two hours passing out Gospel materials in the city. The city itself is not very big, so there was no danger of getting lost. The city is actually a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, so the view was incredible all day long. After passing out our tracts and Bibles, we went to a hilltop to take some pictures, then headed back to the border, and drove home.

Yes, the title is somewhat of an exaggeration, but in reality, we probably did walk about 7-10 miles today, so everyone is exhausted. One interesting fact - this is the city where Omar is planning on moving to in a year's time. There is religious freedom here, even though it is located in a closed country. It's also a strategic position to reach other closed countries. Please continue praying for the work here in North Africa!