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| Yemeni Food |
We have just crossed the halfway point of the summer, and I
was feeling a little discouraged. Although we had met a lot of people and were
able to show Jesus' love, most of our Yemeni friends were very resistant to
talk of the gospel or did not know enough English to understand. We began
praying for doors to open for conversations and that we would encounter people
in the homes that could speak English or that God would show us some way to
communicate. Oh how our prayers have been answered!
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| Abril at Yemeni friend's house |
Right after we began praying, our friends introduced us to
an Iraqi couple that have been here for 15 years, speak English, and love to talk!
We have spent many hours going back and forth about religion and life. We have
also been able to share in the homes of many of our Yemeni friends we have been
teaching all summer. School recently got out, and now several teenage daughters
come in to help their moms with translation. In two of these houses, one of us
has been able to deeply share the gospel with these daughters and answer their
questions while the other partner is teaching the mothers.
As this week of prayer continued, God kept opening more and
more doors in front of us. At a very devoted Muslim friend's house, I noticed a
giant Arabic Study Bible on the shelf and inquired about it. She also brought
out an English/Arabic Quran, and we were able to read some of both while her 10
year old son translated our questions back and forth. While this was a
difficult and sometimes inaccurate way to have a conversation, it resulted in
her agreeing to read the book of John while we read the third Surah! While the
Quran clearly goes against the gospel, this Surah shows that Jesus is holy,
powerful and different. Surah 3 is often used as a bridge to the gospel, which
she is now reading in the book of John! We are so excited to go back to this
house next week and follow up with her!
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| Kids joining in on the English lesson |
Through the last few weeks, He has shown His grace and
faithfulness, and we have learned the power of prayer. He has opened so many
doors, and we continue to pray that our friends' hearts and minds would be
open. This time with Muslims has also shown me that our job is to sow the seed
and pray for our friends. We trust God there will be a harvest, and we pray for
workers to come and continue His work in the harvest field. We pray that our
friends will come to the Lord soon, but even if we don't see the results, we
trust God and see He is working.
Pray that our friends would not just seek head-knowledge of
Christianity, but that they would see their need for a personal relationship
with the Savior.
Pray that we would be able to focus the conversations on what
matters.
Pray for our Syrian and Afghan refugee friends who are
looking for jobs and better housing.
Thank God for all the doors that He has opened.
-Sarah