Transcript
We are Don and Betty, and we serve in the Middle East. Living in the Middle East, we often have images from television of what people are like, but when we're actually on the ground, we discover the hospitality is amazing, and the warmth and friendliness of the people we come in contact with on a daily basis is remarkable. To be honest, we feel safer walking the streets there—it’s simply a very safe place.
I want to share a story about Jonah. We met him in another city in the Middle East, where he had fled with his family because of ISIS. When their family fled, they turned their back on the majority religion, saying it no longer reflected what they believed. Jonah began seeking truth and explored many religious backgrounds—Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity. He wanted to get away and decided to go to Europe to get another master's degree. Some amazing things happened along the way. He was denied a visa twice by the Polish government, and on the third attempt, I went with him, bringing a letter I had written in Polish. The man in the embassy looked at the letter, then at Jonah, and asked how he had a letter from a Canadian written in Polish, presented in the Middle East. Jonah explained that he had put his faith in Jesus, and the man stamped his visa. The rest is history. Jonah is now determined to spend his life talking about Jesus.
Not long ago, I was in a kitchen studying a newly translated New Testament in a local language with another worker and three young women in their twenties. One of them, named Winona, at first didn’t seem very interested, but as we went through the Scriptures, she became more and more fascinated by the stories she was reading. It is so exciting to watch God draw people closer to Him. Please pray for Winona as she continues to hear God’s Word. We also had a short-term team come.
We had arranged for them to work with children in the villages, but due to bureaucracy, during their three weeks with us, we only had one day of ministry. After noticing their frustration, I told them that at 7 p.m., when it gets dark, they should take a soccer ball onto the street and start kicking it—they would quickly gather a crowd of children. They did, and it worked. Later, after a prayer walk through the community, they took a frisbee to a local park and started throwing it around in the evening, gathering more people. One family, sitting and having a picnic, adopted them, making a meal for all fifteen of the students so they could enjoy the culture. They realized it doesn’t take traveling across the world to be involved in what God is doing. Every one of those interactions led to God conversations—great conversations.
One of the amazing things about being part of the Alliance family is your faithfulness and generosity. We want to thank you for giving to the Global Advance Fund and for making us not just a bunch of churches doing church, but a movement going into the world, making disciples everywhere.