The Arabian Peninsula Partnership
The Gospel for every person and a church for every people in the Arabian Peninsula amongst indigenous peoples
December 20, 2009
Surprised.
Praise
Praise God for visiting with local families during the Eid celebrations at the end of last month. Pray for the fruit of the gospel from the many invitations and visits that our teams made during this time.
Prayer
Thank God for Christian teachers who come from abroad to teach national as well as foreign children. They meet a huge need in the lives of foreign families who are freed up to do other things. They also have opportunities to get to know national families as they teach their children. Ask that more teachers will come and fill these positions.
Please pray for the salvation of Hussein, a college student who presented a report telling of his love for Imam Ali, a founding Shiite father. It led to an extended conversation with his believing professor, who spelled out the gospel in clear terms, and who continues to have a warm relationship with Hussein.
Two families among our workers have tensions in their relationship. Pray that this week, both will commit to meet each other with or without a third person mediator and find ways to work at the restoration of trust.
In the upcoming weeks we will be hosting information meetings about our major church plant (for expatriates) in a new part of our city. In January, we will launch team meetings, and, Lord-willing, the church will begin gathering weekly shortly thereafter. We'd love for you to keep these things in your prayers. Please pray as we look for a meeting place for the church's weekly gathering, volunteers to help plant the church and people to invite!
Pray for the upcoming Christmas season. We will have a Christmas party in our home for our special friends. Pray that we'll have an opportunity to share the reason for the season.
Testimony
One day, a few months ago, I was chatting with my colleague, Jaleela. As we were talking the subject of forgiveness came up and I had the opportunity to share the story about the woman caught in adultery. Just then, Jaleela interjected, "I have read some of the Bible." I was so surprised! Rarely do I meet anyone in our country who has read the Bible out of curiosity.
For a few more minutes, we talked about the Bible and then I offered, "If you would like to read more of it, I could get you one." She replied, "Yes I would." A few days later, I brought her a Bible and she graciously received it. Then she commented, "You never know, I may become a Christian." I answered politely, "You never know what will happen."
School was ending just after that, and we were all on summer break. I didn't see Jaleela for a few months. When I got back, I was interested to know if she had picked up the Bible while we were away. When I saw her, we caught up a bit and not five minutes into our time together she mentioned the Bible I had given her. She told me that she had read some of it! Please pray that Jaleela would be prompted by the Spirit to read God’s Word and that it would pierce her heart.