Category: Ministry Page 4 of 7

“I Believe Jesus is Truth”

On September 7, 2016

In Bible, Chad, Islam, language, Ministry

Thank you for praying for M., my language helper. In recent weeks, we have had some wonderful conversations and I see God answering our prayers for her!

We are still going through the Jesus Storybook Bible, and we are nearing the end. Last week, M was confronted with the deity of Jesus as we translated and discussed the story of Him calming the storm. It provided an opportunity for her to open up to me and share that she loves what she is learning about Jesus. She said she wants to believe in who the Bible says He is and “join” us but recognizes it means leaving her family’s teaching behind. I shared some more Scripture with her over the days following that conversation, prayed with her, and encouraged her.

Again today, I had another opportunity to talk to her, and she says that she believes what she is learning about Jesus is true and that His claim that He can forgive sins is true. Again, she expressed that she is scared to tell her family and I reassured her that her work for now is to search the Scriptures and believe what is true. We talked about how this belief will change her heart and her life and what that might look like.

Pray for God to give M faith to believe beyond a doubt. Pray for her to feel convicted of her sinfulness and to fall more in love with this Savior! Pray also that she will desire to read/hear/study the Word of God more fully and desire to meet with others who follow Jesus. Pray that her heart will be like the good soil of Matthew 13, producing much fruit.

Learning Language, Sharing Jesus

By kimberly

On August 18, 2016

In Bible, Books, Chad, Islam, language, Ministry, Prayer

I have been using the French version of the Jesus Storybook Bible for two months now in my Arabic studies. My language partner translates the stories into Arabic; then we listen together, stopping for clarification on new words and phrases. This has helped me immensely in increasing my vocabulary. It also provides many opportunities to share Bible stories with my language helper and discuss the significance of the stories in our own lives.

Now halfway through the book, we just began the stories from the New Testament this week. We have translated and discussed the story of the angel Gabriel announcing God’s plan for her to give birth to the Savior; the story of the birth of Jesus; and the story of the shepherds coming to see the new baby. There is always discussion and clarification of things she has heard that are incorrect or halfway true. Many times I get to see “lightbulbs” going off in her head (and hopefully her heart).

Pray with me that M. (my language helper) will fall in love with Jesus as we continue to talk about the Truth she is presented with.

Pray that she will desire to read the stories in their entirety in the Arabic New Testament and search out Truth for herself.

Pray that God will convict her of her sinfulness, her need for a Savior, and her desperate need to believe in this Jesus who is God’s plan for salvation from the beginning of time.

The Absurdity of God as Father

By josh

On August 2, 2016

In Chad, Islam, Ministry

“I can’t say that. For us it’s forbidden.”

I had given my language tutor, Noah, a printout of the Creation story in the Jesus Storybook Bible to read and then tell me in his own words in Arabic. This is one type of activity in Phase 3 of our language learning method, which I had just begun. He tells me the story in his own words as I record it. Then I can go back and listen over and over until I understand it well.

“This page is good, and this page and this page. But this page, please excuse me but I can’t say this.”

The page he was referring to tells the story of the creation of man and woman, and says that the first thing the saw when they opened their eyes was God’s face. It also says that God looked at Adam and Even with great joy, like a new father looks at his child. This was too much for my Muslim friend. To say that they saw God’s face, this is impossible. No one can see God’s face. And to call God a Father, this is explicitly forbidden in the Qur’an. Of the 99 names of Allah that Muslims can be found reciting, Father is missing. The Qur’an explicitly states multiple times that “Allah has no son”. For Muslims, Jesus is not the Son of God and neither are we children of God. It’s absurd in their eyes.

I wonder if we’ve become so comfortable with God as our Father that we’ve lost the wonder of it. Humanly speaking, it is absurd to think of God as our Father. He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, but we are just omni-sinful. He is glorious beyond words and we were made from dirt. He is worthy of all praise and we are worthy of eternal damnation. What arrogance to call him “Father”!

Unless he is. Unless the Eternal Son became sin (2 Cor. 5:21) so that we could become sons and daughters. Then to refuse God as Father is to refuse the gift in His outstretched hand, to snub Him. And that’s the most absurd thing of all.

After a long discussion of Islam and Christianity (and me trying in vain to explain the Trinity in a mixture of Arabic, French and English), we continued our lesson. But I told him I would pray that God would grant him understanding of the truth.

Would you pray the same for my friend, that he would know the Truth, and that in Christ he would be set free from man-made religion?

Praying for “Amy”

By kimberly

On July 11, 2016

In Bible, Chad, Islam, Ministry, Prayer

Remember last week I asked you to pray for my friend Amy, since we were going to start reading the Bible together? The day that post was published, I found out she had to move. It was a very sudden thing. Amy has six children and has not seen her husband in about 2 years. He never sent money and had another wife in the capital. He appeared unexpectedly on a Wednesday evening and by Friday morning told her she had less than 24 hours to pack up her house and move all six children to N’Djamena.

It felt like a death to me. She was my favorite lady in the neighborhood, and, as I shared, not only did my children love her children, but she had connected me to many other women in the neighborhood. I asked God why she had to leave now, just as we were going to start formally reading the Bible together. He is sovereign over all things, even Amy’s salvation. So, I trust that what He began He is capable of continuing if He desires!

I see God’s hand in her leaving, at least a little bit: now I have several connections to other women. Instead of investing in one woman, her absence “forces” me to spend time with these other women.

We did send a micro sd card with the New Testament on it so she can listen on her cell phone if she desires.

Please continue to pray for Amy’s understanding of Scripture and for her salvation. We hope to visit her when we are in N’Djamena to continue conversations with her. I am thankful that her salvation does not hinge on my presence in her life! I am thankful that God knows the full picture and that He allows me to be a small part of His great plan.

Sharing Scripture

By kimberly

On July 1, 2016

In Bible, Chad, Islam, language, Ministry

“Amy” with Calla Grace

I have two language partners:

The first one is currently in my living room translating the Jesus Storybook Bible into Arabic for me to learn new words.

The second language helper, “Amy” practices a strict form of Islam. She has been my friend and language helper since January, and I was uncertain of how our relationship would go. Honestly, I was a little fearful. However, she has turned out to be a good friend; has been the key to many other relationships in my neighborhood; and has frequently conversed about spiritual things with me.

Recently, she shared with me that she has an “injil“- a New Testament – in Arabic. She told me she received it from a man at the hospital four years ago. The man is no longer in town, but she kept the injiil and says that she has read some about Jesus. I was interested in seeing the injiil but didn’t want to rush into anything with her, so I waited. Yesterday she brought it up again in the context of much spiritual and religious conversation and expressed interest in reading it with me.

So, after Ramadan ends next week, we will plan to start reading God’s Word together. I am excited and humbled. Pray for me to have wisdom to know how to answer questions and explain clearly, and pray that God will use His Word to change “Amy’s” heart.

(I also have one more neighbor who is interested in seeing what books I have in Arabic. I am praying that she will come look at them, and desire to read some with me from Genesis or Matthew. You can pray for her too! Thanks!)

Ramadan

By kimberly

On June 22, 2016

In Chad, Culture, Islam, Ministry

We are more than halfway through Ramadan 2016! What does this mean? It means that people are more than halfway through the 30 obligatory days of fasting from food and drink during the day, hoping God will see this “good deed” and erase their sins.

Even my neighbors who are pregnant or nursing are fasting. “Why?” I ask. Islam allows them to make up the fasting days later if people are sick, pregnant, etc. The answer is always the same: it is easier to fast now while everyone is doing it than trying to make up days alone at a later date. This group mentality is where our friends live everyday.

They are beginning to look towards “Eid” where the children get new clothes, people make their houses look nice, and everyone visits family and friends for one or two days. The market will begin to get busier than normal as people prepare. This is one of the biggest holidays for Muslims. We will be preparing, too, to greet children with candy or local cookies; and we will go visiting in our neighborhood in our nicest clothes.

As Ramadan 2016 continues, we are having more conversations about how and when we fast according to Scripture. Pray for more conversations about the kind of fast God desires. People here know we are different. We are praying that the differences point them to the cross and their need for a Savior who can wash away their sins once and for all.

Praying Scripture for Missionaries (or anyone, really!)

By kimberly

On June 16, 2016

In Bible, Ministry, Prayer

Sometimes it is hard to know what or how to pray for those missionaries who live so far away in another country and another culture. It’s always helpful to pray for their health and fruitfulness, but beyond that it might seem like you are praying the same prayers all the time. In the last few years, I have found praying the words of Scripture for my family to be a helpful practice. Andrew Case has a book called “Setting Their Hope in God” that has taught me how to pray Scripture for our children.

So, as I have been reading the Bible lately, I found two passages that I thought would be great ones to pray over missionaries. If you ever wonder what you should pray, other than the normal things, maybe the examples below will help you. And while you’re at it, using this model to pray for yourself or loved ones might bless your prayer life like it has mine!

“Lord, please help [Missionary’s name] be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of You, God, fully pleasing to You, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You. May they be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks you You, who have qualified them to shared in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Taken from Colossians 1: 9-12.)

“God of peace, You brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant. Please equip [Missionary’s name] with everything good that they may do your will, working in them that which is pleasing in Your sight, thr0ugh Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” [Taken from Hebrews 13:20-21]

Learning Arabic, Sharing Scripture

By kimberly

On June 16, 2016

In language, Ministry

I am starting a new phase of language learning this week. It will provide me more opportunities to speak and grow in vocabulary. A major part of this phase is to utilize “shared stories” – stories both my language helper and I are familiar with. I decided to try going through The Jesus Storybook Bible with one of my language helpers. She doesn’t know all the stories yet; so she will read the French copy, La Bible te Raconte Jesus, the day before our lesson. Then I will ask her to re-tell the story in Chadian Arabic. I will record the story and play it back, sentence-by-sentence to “negotiate meaning.” If I don’t understand a word, we can discuss it until I understand. Then, I go home and listen to the recording until the words are all familiar to me. It’s a win-win: I learn more Arabic, and my language helper gets to know some Bible stories. Hopefully this provides opportunities for discussing Truth and looking further into Scripture together. Please pray for M’s heart to be open to the Way, the Truth, and the Life as we enter this next phase of language learning.

A look back at our first year in Chad…

By josh

On May 7, 2016

In Chad, Family, Ministry

Good Friday

By kimberly

On March 25, 2016

In Chad, Ministry

On this Good Friday, we feel tension in wanting to stop life to focus fully on the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Savior; yet, life in our part of Chad doesn’t yet stop for the message of Jesus. Instead of a Good Friday service and time off from “work” this weekend, we find ourselves very blessed to be in the “thick” of ministry and life.

We have the opportunity to see in reality the blessings of Jesus’ work on the cross by…

… helping a malnourished baby and saying, “Thank you, Jesus that your body was broken for us and that if we “feed” of you we will never be spiritually hungry. You are the bread of life and you sustain us with joy and hope and peace and salvation.” (Luke 22:19; John 6:50-58)

…filling clay jars of water for our neighbors who have been days without water, and we say, “Thank you, Jesus for being the living water. We remember your death now, and we rejoice that your suffering and shame have given us life everlasting. In you, we will never thirst.” (John chapter 4)

…providing soap and water for little girls who visited us with filthy clothes and filthy bodies, and we look to Jesus and say, “Jesus, our works for you are as filthy rags, just like what these girls are wearing. Your death and resurrection have the power to wash our filthy hearts clean and make us new creatures.” (Hebrews 9:14; Isaiah 64:6)

…attending a full-day circumcision celebration for several young boys, and we can say, “Lord, we praise you that by believing in your death and resurrection, you circumcise our hearts; you set us apart to love You fully, inside and out.” (Romans 2:29)

In these very daily, sometimes monotonous matters of life and ministry in Chad, we are still able to worship at the foot of the cross and rejoice in His resurrection. Celebrating with you, brothers and sisters! Happy Easter!