Ginger*, a new sister, decided that she did not want to wait to be dunked until summer when the lake would be a more palatable temperature.  Her birthday was March 2nd, and it was her express desire to symbolize her new birth on her day of birth!  Isn’t that cool?  My husband went and looked at the lake that weekend, and he had to tromp through snow even to get there, so it was decided we would borrow a huge blow-up swimming pool and dunk her in our living room.  My husband and a fellow worker had the privilege of dunking her, and I wish that I could send a picture of the look on her face as she was coming up out of the water.   It was priceless! Please continue to lift up her growth as she will probably be leaving us this summer to either work abroad or return back home after finishing up her schooling.

One of the 27 (!) people in attendance that day was a young man named Zack*.  Zack is a friend  who has been attending our fellowship sporadically for a while.  He is married and has five small children.  Last week Zack decided to become a brother, and he gave his testimony for the first time at our group on Sunday.  Seeing our friend’s changed life had a huge impact on his decision to follow JC.  A young man named Vick* also become a brother in the last month or so.  We can hardly believe sometimes how different body life is here from just a few years ago!

* Names changed for story

In the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan state officials are increasing pressures on minority religious groups. This Forum18 article highlights 2 recent incidents in which the state has brought charges against minority [non-Muslim] religious groups.

Concerns for prayer include:

The leadership of the churches to be honoring to God and the rulers over them, trusting that God is sovereign over these men and women who seek to do them harm.

The members of the churches to not forsake the gathering together of believers because of fear of persecution. Also, that they would be persistent in praying for those who persecute them.

Softened hearts of the government officials and opportunities for them to hear the gospel.

Read the entire story here from Forum18.

From one of our families serving in the East part of our country…
“Why do they call it Good Friday? Good for who? On such a terrible day when our Lord suffered it looks like it would be called Bad Friday.” I have been thinking deeply on the thoughts that my national brother asked this week. Maybe like me many of you can recall these same thoughts as a young believer. For us, sure it was a “good” day, but not for our Lord. Oh the price Jesus paid to cover our sins and restore the relationship we had broken. This week as a family we have been studying through the Gospels about this week in the life of Jesus and meditating on the lyrics of old hymns, a few which were just recently translated in our people group’s language. We are deeply reminded of what was done by our merciful Savior on behalf of us, His rebellious creatures. Ponder with us these lyrics from some of the great hymns of the faith:

(more…)

From one of our workers in the East:

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself when it comes to learning a new language. Here is a funny story on my part in trying to spark a conversation with a stranger…

I was at the photo shop I frequently visit when a couple walked in. My friends identified the visitor as a pilot. I tried to ask him with my very broken language where he flies, what he does, or anything. But I got no reaction…nothing. I thought to myself, my language can’t be that bad. Then his wife told me—in English—“you can speak to him in English.” The guy was an American, who spoke my native language and only my native language. He married a local woman while he was in the Air Force and now here visiting her family. Turns out, they live in Maryland only about 5 minutes from where we last lived in Maryland. It’s a small world…after all.

But other than that English conversation, I’ve been having more and more opportunities to use the things I’m learning in language class. I’ve tried using a different approach to learning that emphasizes listening and community involvement over reading and writing. With this approach my vocabulary has increased significantly, and I’ve been able to understand a lot more. But I still have a long way to go until I can really participate in conversation. Just this last week I hired a language helper. He’s a native speaker who just carries on a conversation with me—a very slow conversation. But he is a great guy. On Wednesday for our language study I brought him to help me get one of our team vehicle inspected.

The process of driving to the inspection place was interesting. The rear view mirror had just broken off, and that’s not a good thing when you could have cars—as well as pedestrians, bikes, and horses—coming at you from any direction. To help compensate, my language helper was giving me a lot of verbal directions. Yet there was a couple second delay for me to process these directions. In the end no one was injured, and the words for left, right, straight, and slow down are indelibly ingrained into my head. I’m looking forward to my next meeting with the language helper. I’m hoping to have progressed to the point where I can carry on significant conversation by the time summer rolls around, since that’s a time when people generally stop work early, congregate outside, and talk. Please join me in praying for all of us as we try to tackle a new language.

My tutor is preparing to spend the summer in America by studying English.  One of the ways she works on her listening skills is by visiting church services that are conducted in English.  During one of our tutoring sessions she showed me the lyrics to a hymn they had sung the previous Sunday to see if she had translated the words correctly.  One phrase that confused her was “lamb of God.”  We talked about the Jewish sacrificial system and I explained how Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for us by dying on the cross.  The figurative language the Bible uses to describe Jesus often confuses her and I have had the opportunity to explain a few of the metaphors to her.  This has not only be an excellent way to share with her but has also caused me to think more deeply on phrases that are so familiar to me that I generally don’t give much thought to.  Please remember my tutor as she is visiting church services that the power of God’s word will come alive and speak to her heart.

During one of my English classes, the conversation somehow moved to the topic of heaven and hell. “What do you think? Are you going to heaven or hell?” I asked. One student said, “For sure I’m going to hell because I’m a bad person.” Another said, “I’d like to think that I’m going to heaven, but I’m not sure. At least I try to be a good person.”
Then I pointed to Michael*, “How about you? Where do you think you’re going?” “Most probably I’m going to hell. But after I’ve suffered there a short while (to pay for my sins) I will move on to heaven.”
“Interesting,” I said. “Well, I know for sure I’m going to heaven.” (more…)

Recently, a believer, Sakan*, in our city was chatting in an online forum with other believers in Turkey.  It turned out that one man on the forum lives only 30 minutes from him.  They decided to set up a time to meet and chat face to face.  We have had multiple opportunities to meet with this man, Mehmet*, in the last month.  He is relatively young in his faith, but has the desire to grow and see Jesus work in his and his family’s life.  Please pray that Mehmet will grow in the Lord and that his family will come to faith, as well.  Please also lift up Sakan as he and his family are struggling financially.  Pray that he would see God at work as he passes through this difficult time.

*Names changed for the story

1. Please continue your prayers for the establishment and development of a training center for Iranian believers, especially the Sorani-speaking (sor-AHN-ee) Kurds of Iran.  A property has been purchased with a small building on it.  Work is now underway to completely repair and remodel this facility.  We have plans to have a small recording studio at the center to record music and teaching in the heart language of the Iranian peoples, especially in the Sorani Kurdish language.  The facility will also be used as a printing, storage, and distribution hub for Farsi and Kurdish scriptures and other materials.  Finally, it will be used regularly for training sessions for Iranian believers since this work cannot be done easily inside Iran at this time.

2. Pray for the strategically important cities of Tabriz and Urumieh in the Northwest Iran.  These two cities are the largest cities in an area of Iran where perhaps fifty percent of the local population are Kurdish.  More than one million Kurds live in this area where there are few known believers or churches.  There is little to no gospel witness in these cities.  Pray that God will raise up believers in these places, and that they will serve as gateways into the more unreached rural areas of Iranian Kurdistan.  We believe that God is on the move and doing some amazing things there to save people.  Pray that field workers will be sensitive to all that God is doing so they can be ready to respond accordingly.  

3. Please pray for three new “groups” of believers in Iranian Kurdistan among the Sorani-speaking (sor-AHN-ee) Kurds.  After the first believer’s conversion and baptism, he gathered together six others. Now there are over 20 believers! The beginning is small but holds hope for the future. These groups are being discipled primarily by Bible storying.  Pray for field workers as they try to provide sets of 60 Bible stories on CD for every language group living in the Zagros mountain area, beginning with the Kurds, then moving on to other people groups in the area.  We hope to complete the Kurdish story sets in the next six months. 

Fashionistas, as they are called, are pushing back against the strict Islamic laws regarding clothing in Iran. In recent attempts to quell any non-Islamic societal trends, the police have authority to take offenders into captivity. [link to article here.]

These fashionistas take their cues from the West. Some change their names to sound more western, they watch Fashion TV and are fervent about the styles and brands of clothes they wear. It seems like they would more readily fit into New York City or Paris instead of Tehran. Despite the risks of being jailed, they don their favorite brands and styles and publicly defy the law, risking fines and imprisonment.

Pray that satellite broadcasts about Christ would produce devoted followers who would risk their lives for something that matters more than fashion.

Pray for those creating these broadcasts to have funding to produce more programming for peoples in the Middle East.

Reference: Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe article.

1. Please pray for a team that is sharing the Good News in two strategic cities.  Pray that the hearts of those who hear will be granted faith to turn to the Father.

2. Please thank the Father for an international partner who just returned from a trip inside.  Please ask the Father to allow that partner’s witness to bear fruit in the hearts of those who heard the Good News.

3. Please pray for scattered new believers in two strategic cities.  Please pray that the Father will grant them the opportunity and the trust to network into a community of faith.  Pray for two workers who travel regularly to these cities to help them.