Workers Needed!

We received this email from the local supervisor of the P52 Detroit team. Please pray for more workers!

 

Dear partners in ministry,

We had the blessing of having 3 ladies (Maria, Anna and Emily) for the past 52 days who came to minister among the Muslim community through ESL tutoring relationships.  During this time they shared the gospel stories with the women and families they met in Dearborn.  We know and are thankful that as God's word is shared that it will not return void.  Please pray for the families that they ministered to, that the seed of the gospel which was planted will take root and be fruitful.

Yesterday the summer Nehemiah Team (Project 52, see Nehemiah 6:15) left back for home leaving a void for needed continued ministry.  We need others who will continue to water. Before the ladies left, they asked if they could send friends to continue to meet with them, four of the families said "yes!" 

I pray that God would raise up a handful of Christ-following women who would be willing to continue to water the seed that was planted.  Please pray with me and consider how the Lord may be speaking to you regarding this.

I have had the privilege of meeting with one of these women's husbands, Ameer. He is open to learning English and also discussing the stories of Christ.  Pray for him to be saved!  Pray for his family and pray also for the husbands of the other women who are open to meet!

Please contact me if you feel the Lord speaking to you about being involved in this ministry opportunity.

 
-David

I want to know what Jesus did!

The past few weeks I decided to sit outside during my quiet time and pray for the people of Nashville, specifically Muslims throughout Ramadan. As I was praying, each day I began to notice a curiosity in two of the young Kurdish girls who I have grown close to. I knew the Lord was stirring in their hearts as questions about prayer, fasting, and Christians in general began to come up more often. 

Underneath a tree outside my apartment, I began to pray. That sweet nine year old girl, we'll call her TJ, wandered up and asked if I would read her my bible. I asked her what she wanted to know and her reply was, Miss Ashley, I just want to know what Jesus did.  

I told her several stories that day about Jesus feeding 5,000, calming the storm, and then I began to tell her about the crucifixion and resurrection. She listened intently to the stories and told me, "In my country, I had never heard of Jesus, but because of you and your friends I am learning!" 

I heard a woman begin calling to TJ and turned to see her mom quickly approaching. I was fully prepared for her mother to be upset with me, but instead I recieved a smile as TJ started to translate for her mother. After a brief conversation, I asked TJ to tell her mom that I love all five of her daughters and her mom looked at me with tear-filled eyes and said,

I love you.

I only have two weeks left and I am aware that TJ may not accept Christ before we leave. However, I have been encouraged by seeing her curiosity and her mother's love. I pray that the seed that was planted would continue to grow so that she may find God and know him personally. I also pray that we as Christians would continue to help TJ and curious people just like her come to know the love that God offers to us all! 

-Ashley

A {Pretend} Yemeni Wedding

Kasool, me, Samara, and Roobi

One of my favorite parts of each day is spending time with the women's children in their homes.  I always love being with children, but these Arabic kids have found a special place in my heart.  At one Yemeni home, Maria works with Alyan, Anna works with Haraz, and I work with the children.  Alyan and Haraz have four kids.  Some days I help the kids practice spelling, writing, and reading, but other days (my favorite days!) we just play.

One day, I asked them to look up a Yemeni song on YouTube and teach me to dance.  As they showed me how they danced at weddings, Samara and Roobi belly-laughed and Kasool tried to suppress her giggles at my dancing attempts.  Roobi dressed up in a beautiful little pink dress, complete with a "veil", and pretended to be the bride.  The girls took my hand and taught me the Yemeni version of line dancing.

At first, I was a little embarrassed at my white American attempt at dancing compared to their naturally beautiful, Eastern dancing.  But I realized my skill isn't what really matters.  What matters most is that my little friends see the love Isa has for them through the stories I tell them, the kindness I show to them...and my willingness to look silly by trying to dance like them.

Isa left His home in heaven and entered into our lives on earth so He could show His love for us and restore our relationship with Him.  God's plan for reaching the lost hasn't changed.  We can't show the great love of Isa by putting up barriers between "us" and "them."  

The Lord still calls us to leave our homes, our culture, and our way of life and enter into the lives and culture of those who don't yet know Him...and sometimes the best way to do that is through making a fool of yourself by dancing!

Sing, dance, and pray!

In the time that we have been in Nashville, we've met people from Burma, Iraq, Thailand, Nepal, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Egypt, Cuba, Ethiopia, and several other countries. We've been surrounded by numerous different languages, cultures, and of course beliefs. We've played with these amazing people, ate with them, sang and danced with them, prayed with them, and just listened to their stories. These past few weeks have opened my eyes to so much...to the realization that material things are really so unimportant, that smiling and laughing are universal, and that the lostness of this world is so real. However, meeting and worshipping with other refugee believers has been the greatest and most eye-opening experience of all. 

Praying together with a Cuban family, worshiping at a Burmese Bible study, and hearing refugee youth tell how they want to be missionaries, has filled my heart with so much joy. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done here in Nashville with so much pain and confusion, and often helpless and lostness among the refugee population. 

My heart is broken for the people here who have experienced so much pain without the hope of Christ, but this also makes me want to share my joy in Jesus with them even more. On the other hand, there ARE people here who get it...who, after everything they've been through, are still trusting in the Lord and praising Him. We even got the opportunity to hear an international choir comprised of the refugee kids we've met. I just know that's what Heaven will be like one day, where people from every nation will come together to praise our Savior, and I can't wait!

-Elizabeth

Lahifa

I listened as Maria prayed before we entered Maysam's home, asking the Lord to break down language barriers and to give Anna the words to say as she shared about Isa.  The day before we had tried to initiate conversations about Ramadan and the assurance of forgiveness of sins.  Maysam was eager to discuss her faith and listen to us share ours, but the language barrier made conversation difficult.

As Maysam welcomed us into her home, Maria and I sat by Maysam's sister and began helping her work through her English lessons.  Anna and Maysam sat on the couch opposite of us and attempted to resume their conversation from the day before.  Maysam expressed her frustration at not knowing enough English to explain Ramadan and then listened as Anna began to tell her about Isa.  I could hear Maysam often asking Anna to translate English words into Arabic on her phone, but we were confident that the Lord can even use conversations in broken English and Arabic for His glory.  Maysam and Anna spent several minutes trying to explain their faiths and understand each other. 

At four o'clock (about an hour after we arrived at Maysam's house), Maysam's friend, Lahifa, knocked on the door.  Maysam welcomed Lahifa and introduced us to her.  We quickly noticed that Lahifa spoke perfect English.  She sat down on the couch beside Maysam and Anna and immediately began to discuss Ramadan with Anna.  Lahifa told Anna about the purpose of Ramadan, how Muslims pray, and many other aspects of Islam.  Their conversation quickly turned into a deep discussion of forgiveness of sins, salvation, and the assurance of going to heaven.  At the end of our visit, Lahifa exclaimed that she has read books about Isa and she had been wanting to talk to a follower of Isa.  She expressed her dedication to Islam, but also her interest in learning more about Isa and discussing the differences in our faiths.  We were amazed at how the Lord had provided someone so interested in talking about Isa and so able to have deep conversations in English!

After our visit with Maysam and Lahifa, Maria told Anna and I that she had told her prayer partners back home to pray specifically at three o'clock, because our conversation with Maysam the previous day had been so good and that was the time we would be meeting with Maysam again.  Maria realized she had forgotten the time change, so her friends at home were praying at four o'clock our time, the time that Lahifa walked into Maysam's home.  God is so good and faithful to answer our prayers and provide persons of peace who are willing and open to hear about Isa!  

Experiencing Sports

In case anyone has missed it, the World Cup has been going on for several weeks now. Since soccer is not common in our hometown area, we have been the clueless, country girls over everything soccer. The people have been very patient in explaining everything to us.

However, tonight we experienced a different sport, in a different set up. As we were exploring a new apartment complex, we noticed some people playing a peculiar looking game across a field. We decided to see what was up. We quickly found out that the game was cricket. None of us knew the rules (I did not even know what the equipment consisted of). So, we sat down and watched. We discussed among ourselves what could have possibly been going on. Were there outs? Were there teams? How does someone even pitch like that? This went on for quite some time before we got someone to tell us a little bit about the sport.

One of us realized what had just happened. We went into a new area, where we knew no one. We went to watch a game that we knew nothing about. We were clueless as to what was going on until someone explained it to us, then everything made sense.

This must be a small glimpse of what the internationals feel like as they begin a new life in the USA. Many are clueless to American culture. They are not less intelligent; they just need someone to explain a new culture to them. They just need someone to help them understand.

The Gospel will be shared many times over the next few days.
Please pray that people would listen and understand.

Tell Me a Story About Jesus

"Can you tell us a story about Jesus?" This was the beginning of a conversation I had with a child this week. Last week, I tried to tell them a story about Jesus, but when you have twenty kids outside playing in the grass, it is hard to keep their attention. This week, one of the girls remembered that I had mentioned Jesus. So, as we sat down to begin "storying", she wanted to hear about Jesus...

"What kind of story do you want to hear?" I asked.
"A story about Jesus."
"What do you want to know about Jesus?"
"I don't know, like how he died?"

"Yes, I can tell you how He died...." Thus, this was the beginning of the Jesus conversations in the apartment complex. I told them about the birth and death of Jesus. Then, the girl wanted to hear more about this man. I told the story of the feeding of 5,000. I told the story of Jesus calming the sea. We talked about him being a great teacher.

Most of the children would listen for a few moments, then run off and play. However, one little girl, about eight years old, stayed back and listened. She was digesting the stories and asking many good questions. She does not yet fully understand the Gospel, but the doors are wide open for discussion with her and several others within the complex.




Please pray for...

• Continued open doors in the apartment complex behind our home.
• Understanding for the children that are listening to the Bible stories.

The Harvest is Here, but Where are the Workers?

"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few...'"

This passage of Scripture has never been more real to me. Throughout the week, I have been pondering as to how I was going to write this post. How do I effectively convey my thoughts, desires, emotions, and burdens with as much passion as I feel?

"The harvest is plentiful..." Yes! Yes, it is! Since we have hit the halfway mark of the summer, a new sense of emergency has hit. We are surrounded everyday by people who do not know God. They reject Him and choose to follow idols. But somehow, these very same people want something more. I have seen it. They want an assurance of salvation. They want to know that the Creator of the universe loves them, but they are still clueless on how to find that love. We tell them stories found within the pages of the Bible. We serve them with our hands and feet.

However, it may take longer than two months to reach them. "The workers are few." Yes...yes, they are. The three of us will be gone in a matter of weeks. We have more connections already than the team of  nine can handle. Who will step into our place after we leave? Who will continue to share with them about God's love, hope, mercy, wrath, judgment, and the coming Kingdom? Who will be there to minister and serve the internationals? The 50+ Iraqi community? The elderly, sick woman, who longs for friendship? The children who want to hear stories about Jesus? The international who has been led astray as to what true Christianity is? Who will be there to disciple the young believers in Christ? Who will step in and fill the gap?

The three of us have halfway jokingly, halfway seriously mulled over the idea of how we could move here and continue on working with the internationals. We could transfer colleges and finish school here. However, we know that we cannot do all the work by ourselves. New people arrive in this growing city every week. New needs arise in which we are not qualified to help. Who will these workers be? We pray that these workers would answer God's call to reach the nations here in Louisville.

One of the directors said this week that he hopes that the organization will not exist in 25 years. I was confused by this statement. He said that he prays that the Church, God's Church, would rise up and "do their job" to help, love, befriend, and share the Gospel with those in need here in Louisville. If the Church will do that, then there will be no need for the organization.

Now, I pray that it will cease to exist.

"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Matthew 9:37-38

- S. Danielle

Mishel

Sharing with a friend

We sat in Mishel's living room as she told us with tear-filled eyes about the war in Iraq.  "Iraq, very bad.  War very bad," she said over and over again.  She told us that many of her family members are still in Iraq, including two of her sons. Suddenly, the endless conflicts in the Middle East were no longer distant events, but real wars that deeply affect the lives of our friends. We had shared many stories about Isa with Mishel in previous visits and we were able to see how the Lord was opening her eyes and heart to the truth of who Isa is.  Maria asked if we could pray for her.  Mishel smiled sweetly and said, "Yes, I want!" 

Anna, Maria, Mishel, and I lifted our hands, palms facing upward, as Anna began to pray to Allah in the name of Isa. Anna prayed for protection over Mishel's family and that Mishel would know the love of Isa.  I heard Mishel crying quietly and mumbling words in Arabic in response to Anna's prayer.  As believers, we know the Holy Spirit is always with us, guiding and encouraging us.  But in those sacred moments in the living room of our Iraqi friends, we felt the Holy Spirit as thick as a blanket, wrapping us in the love of the Lord.  After the prayer, Mishel repeatedly said, "Thank You, my God, thank You," with tears still rolling down her face.  We know Mishel is still trapped in the lie of her religion, but being able to be part of the process of witnessing her taking steps toward joining the Kingdom of Isa is the greatest blessing.

Please pray that:

• Mishel would have dreams and visions of Isa that would further open her eyes to see Isa as Savior, not just another Prophet 
• Mishel's husband would see the transforming work of Isa in Mishel's heart and would come to know Isa as his Savior

Praying Boldly

This morning, my quiet time was about prayer. As believers, do we pray prayers that move mountains, or just rose petals? Which way do I pray? Do I pray with belief or with empty words? Do I actually believe that the Maker of the heavens and earth would care what a crazy college kid would have to say? Do I pray boldly? After thinking over these questions with mixed answers, I was ending my quiet time in prayer, as I usually do. I came to the "give us opportunities to share the Gospel today" part when I stopped in my tracks. That was not what I was to pray. I was to pray, "God, don't just give me the opportunity to share the Gospel, make me share the Gospel. I might miss an opportunity, but let the opportunity slap me in the face and know that it is from You."

The time alone with God ended, and I went on with the rest of the day. We do not work on Saturdays with the rest of the team, so we had plans of our own to go out with friends and eat. What better time to share the Gospel? Of course, the plans would get cancelled. Then, we were invited to a church event among Christians, so not much opportunity to share there either. Well, we had nothing better to do, so why not take a walk in an apartment complex behind where we live?

Off we go, just a normal evening walk. We met some kids and starting playing with them. Before too long, I found myself sitting on the ground with three of them when they asked to start "storying." What? I began with Noah. They told me half the story of Moses. Then, I moved on to Jesus. God answers prayers! I was not even looking to share by that point of the day; God made it happen. What an evidence of God's grace! He is faithful continually, and He is in the answering prayers business. Let's pray bold prayers and attempt great things for God! Continue to pray for us as we continue in His work throughout the summer.

... stay with us forever!

"Emily, Insha'Allah (God willing) you'll stay with us forever!" 

Praying that the truth of Jesus' love takes root in my little friends' hearts and they always remember how deeply He cares for them!

-Emily

Worship among the Nations... just imagine!

Elizabeth, Katharine, and I have had the opportunity to worship and study God’s Word with people from Burma, Rwanda, Egypt, and a few other places every Thursday for the past few weeks! As we have started to build these relationships, I am seeing the many ways God works in our lives. I am constantly reminded of God’s love every time I get around these people. I am also encouraged by the love they have for God and their hunger to know him and His Word better. The lessons I have learned are far beyond what I had imagined I would learn.

At one of our Bible studies, I was given the chance to share my testimony for the first time since I have been in Nashville. As I began to look around, I saw many smiling faces encouraging me, giving me a sort of peace. At that moment, I realized that as much as I like to think that I am here to show them Christ or to help them, they are teaching me what that really means. I know, I know, that’s totally cliché! However, I meant it. This Bible study has made a huge impact on me and on my perspective of life. 

Worship songs have always brought joy to my heart, but as I hear songs from the different languages I can’t help but smile at how beautiful they are. My favorite Karen song translates to ‘we will praise His name…’  Singing this song with M.D. gives me chill bumps just thinking of how awesome it will be in Heaven when we truly worship our King with ALL the nations. The Word says, “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” Psalms 86:9 

We have been worshiping with people from different countries and cultures who have faced many kinds of trials, but still we all find hope in the same Savior. The joy I have within my heart worshiping with them on Thursday nights is unexplainable.

-Ashley

Evidences of God's Grace

One day, we were in the offices after the day's events. Everyone was very tired and discouraged; it did not seem as if God had been at work around us. One of the guys said that he had something he wanted us all to do. He called it, "Evidences of God's Grace." We would go around the room (in no particular order) and say how we have seen God at work around us. It all began kind of slow; we were new to the game. However, after the first few went, things got going.

New people had been met.

Children had heard the Gospel.

God had given wisdom.

Children had been physically healed.

We had found a church home for the summer.

God had definitely been at work around us! Over a week later, we find ourselves sharing random evidences of God's grace throughout the day. We learned that we tend to focus on what God is not doing, rather than what He is doing. God is always at work around us. As Jack on Adventures in Odyssey once said, "Life moves in rhythms and cycles and we all go through periods when it seems as if nothing is happening. But things are happening, Connie. All the time. We just have to stay in tune enough to see what they are, how they fit together. So that even in times of quiet and boredom, God's handiwork is shown to us."

Jesus says in John 5 that He works where He sees His Father working and that He can do nothing apart from the Father. God is working all around us. Let's join Him in the work. We should all take time to notice the evidences of God's grace in our lives.

Please pray that we would keep a God vision during the rest of the week. We do not need to be focused on earthly matters, but on our Father and what work He is doing around us.

A New People Group

God is doing some amazing things! Last week, the team was doing outreach in an apartment complex. Through this outreach, we met a woman and her three small children. They arrived in the USA about a month ago. The mother was very overwhelmed with American life and really needed a friend. The next day, we met a father and son from the same country who had been in the USA for about a year. Wednesday, we met three more families... from the same country... who had been here anywhere from eight days to ten months. Before too long, we were connected with this group of 50-75 people, all from the same country, most from the same city. How were we to help these people?

The Community Outreach Director set up a meeting with these people for Friday to explore their needs. They need ESL for children and adults, jobs, childcare services, English practice, schooling, business launching advice, and so much more. We are now exploring ways to reach out to them. All of the needs are legitimate; however, we know that their spiritual needs are of utmost importance. We want to share the Gospel with these people who do not know about Jesus.

One of the things that surprised me the most about the night was how open and welcoming the women were. From the moment I arrived, I was not playing with the children, but visiting with the mothers. The women do not know much English, so most of the time I was listening to the native tongue (occasionally, one of the women would translate for me). However, it also saddened me to realize that a language barrier could potentially be a barrier to sharing the Gospel with them. I am very excited to begin learning about their culture and to help with their needs for holistic change in their lives.

Please pray...
That language would not be a barrier when opportunities open up to share the Gospel
For wisdom to help meet their needs
For the beginnings of new friendships
For local Christians to volunteer with meeting some of the needs of these families (because we know that we will not be here for the long term)

I Didn't Know

Before coming to Nashville, the word refugee was nothing more than a word because I never really knew what it means to be a refugee. I just used the word "refugee" to describe what I was going to be doing this summer. 

After orientation, I learned that a refugee is someone that "flees their country and is unable to return due to a well-founded fear based on persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion." Learning this has been mind blowing to me. I had no idea that people had to leave their home and everything they know behind because they are being faced with persecution. I have been so used to living in a country where you are free to choose your religion, social and political group, and where being a certain race or nationality doesn't mean you have to flee your home or even another country. I have been so ignorant to think that these things don't happen around the world. 

What breaks my heart most is seeing how difficult it is for most refugees to adjust to our American culture. Most refugees do not speak English or know how to do thing we never would have thought we had to teach someone how to do. Teaching a refugee how to do something has been one way we have been able to show God's love. My GoNow supervisor told me, "God is revealing Himself to the refugees... even if they don't know they need Him."

-Katharine 

Awesome Partners

A  bit of the children's artwork

God has blessed us with some amazing ministry partners. Several teams will venture to Louisville this summer to partner with us during outreach events. Many times, these teams focus on the children, which is great for us! If the children come, a few of the parents come. When the parents come, we are able to engage in conversation with them. It is that simple! The teams have been intimidated at first, which is expected. But after warming up to the ministry, they have been very instrumental and beneficial in building relationships.

Please pray for the teams that will come this summer.
Pray that they will have a servant's heart and a willing spirit to continue the work.

Answered Prayer... People of Peace

For the past two weeks, we have been praying to find people of peace. We were becoming discouraged about not finding these people, because the summer is short and time is ticking. Anytime we thought we may have found those people, we discovered that circumstances prevented us from befriending them... so the team kept praying, seeking, listening, and searching. This week God has shown us several families to befriend. Prayers have been answered!

One of the things that blew our minds was that all five families are from the same people group! Evidence has shown that God is doing amazing things within these people, and we get to be apart of it! These people are very open to us, and we are excited to begin building relationships with them!

Please pray that as we build these relationships that we would be able to effectively share the Gospel with them and help them assimilate into the American society.

Summer Prayer Calendar

If you attended the Sunday night community service during orientation you were able to pick up a calendar to use in praying for the teams this summer. If you didn't get a copy... go to our website www.nehemiahteams.com & download one now to use daily as you pray for teams. From the home page, click on the "Take a Stand" logo to open the pdf document.

New Place...New People...New Connections

Everything is new for the Louisville team this week! We have been in the sun from 4-7 hours a day working in a new apartment complex. This complex previously was not open to outside help; however, they have opened their doors lovingly. Now, we have many connections with the management, children, and parents in this area. Thank God for answered prayers!

Please pray that as the summer progresses, the management would allow us to continue outreach in the community.

Jesus is my Friend

                A-B-C,  1-2-3

      Jesus, Jesus, is my friend! 

The words to this song resounds in my heart and I have began to sing it everyday. We have met so many families, but one of my favorites consist of 8 children from Sudan. The girls love to sing and the meaning of this song is much more than what you see on the surface. The Word says, 

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.    -John 15:15

These girls have been such a blessing to us. They have taught us that we are not pretty unless we are smiling and that singing to Jesus is always fun. So, today I am thankful that I can call Jesus my friend! 

-Ashley