What's Going On...My Perspective...

Part 1 in a 3 Part Series: What's to come:

2) Why No Change?...The True Need…
3) My Feelings…In All Honesty…

The country is in a state of limbo. When we arrived 17 months ago, the country was considered a mostly Islamic country but with a large amount of religious freedom and stability (safety). However, shortly after our arrival, we began hearing of Coptic churches being burned and the people being attacked. Then in January of this year, the youth of the country decided that they had enough. They had enough of being arrested and tortured without cause. They had enough of the government taking their money when they could barely afford to put food on the table. They had enough of the same president that had been in place for 30 long years, and they really didn’t want to see his son take his place. So, after 18 days of protesting, over 840 deaths, and 6,000 injuries, Mubarak stepped down and turned his power over to the military.

So, what has happened since then? The country became a free state, the economy has improved, people are treated fairly, and everyone is satisfied and content, right?? Wrong. The crime rate has gone up, and, according to the people, the economy is even worse than before. Therefore, in the last month, the youth has gone back to the square. We have seen a couple of weeks of violence, with a break for parliamentary elections that were held on Monday and Tuesday, and which will be continued December 14.

These elections are supposed to be the first in more than 30 years that were not fixed. They are particularly important because the members will take a big part in writing the country’s new constitution. The candidates consist of both secular and religious groups. The most extreme group is known as ‘Salafi’. If this group takes the country, every women will be made to veil, the pyramids will be closed, and tourism will no longer be an industry. Of course, churches of any type will not be allowed. The second group (more well-known) known as the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ or the ‘freedom and justice party’ are a little more lenient but still have a strong Islamic influence. I believe they would heavily tax Christians and other non-muslims, and try to force them out of the country. We hear a lot about these parties, mostly bad in our neighborhood, but when we ask who the people want in office, the large majority of the people answer, “I honestly don’t know.”

Please keep the country and these elections in your prayers. Tomorrow, I will continue with “Why No Change…The True Need…” in sha allah (Lord willing).

Glory be to God for one saved!

Selwa, a 24 year old coptic girl that babysat for us when we first came here, came over to the house today to visit. She sat with tears in her eyes and told me about problems she was going through and how she wanted to go to america or any other country. The conversation quickly turned to religion and I asked her to tell me how she believed she would go to heaven, being that many people call themselves "christians" but believe very differently. After not being able to give me a good answer and changing the subject back to her problems, I was able to tell her my testimony and explain to her that her true need was a personal relationship with Christ through faith alone. She was very interested; it was very obvious that the Lord was working. I sat down with her and lead her through the plan of salvation. After taking much time to make sure she understood, she told me this was something she wanted to do at the time. This young lady began praying in a standing position with her palms up, like the coptics do, but ended it on her knees, face down, begging God to save her.

There was a very sweet moment in the middle of the time we were talking, after going over Romans 10:9-13, that it looked like a light bulb went off in her brain. She said, I always thanked God for the cross and for loving me, but never thought to ask Him for salvation.

She left with gratitude and joy. She talked about how she was going to tell her family. Then, she asked if we could explain it to her sister as well. Thank GOD!!

I am so humbled and overjoyed to see God work in such miraculous ways!!! -Just last night, I felt defeated. - God is Good!!!

"Want to go home?"

So, I haven't written in a while. The last couple of months have been super busy. We have upped our hours in language school and will up them again next week. The kids are doing well. Joshua is potty training and finally getting the hang of it, and Sandy is beginning to talk a little more. I have been a little worried about her speech, but I believe it is coming slowly due to her hearing two languages everyday.

Now that Ramadan is over, I am not sure what to expect to happen in the country. Elections are supposed to be in the next few months (it's difficult to know exactly because they keep changing the month and never give an exact date). The islamic extremists are coming out from under the woodworks and really working their way into the runnings. While the educated population is against these men, the average person (majority) seems to want these men in office.

I battle with thinking on these things and continuously reading the news. My heart will become uneasy, and then the Lord reminds me of His promises. Here is an excerpt from one of my devotions a couple of weeks ago:

Psalm 94:3,6-14,16-19,22-23 – The psalm begins by the psalmist praying for vengeance against those that are boasting in iniquity and hurting and murdering the Christians, widows, and fatherless. Then, it is as the Lord is saying, ‘I made the ear and formed the eye, of course, I hear and see what is going on. I chastise the heathen, of course, I will correct also. I teach knowledge, of course, I have knowledge. But, blessed is the man that I chasten and teach out of my law. For, I will not cast off my people or forsake them.’ “Who will rise up for me against the workers of evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” Then, he speaks about how they are accusing him and he is innocent, but how the Lord is our defense and refuge.

The Lord is showing me that He hears, sees, and knows what is going on in the world. He will avenge the heathen, but He will also chastise the believers. He says, I know what they are doing wrong, but I also know what you are doing wrong. Then, He asks who will stand up against them. I don’t believe He wants someone else who will rant and rave against them or to give revenge. I believe He wants someone who will tell them the gospel. Then, the psalmist said, I am falling, but the Lord had mercy and held me up. He gave comfort and delighted my soul in the midst of tribulation.

Lord, Father, God, Savior, I understand now that You know what is going on in the world and will get revenge. Yet, You want me to focus more on my life and walk with You and minister to those evildoers and workers of iniquity. Help me to set my focus and to continually be a witness for others. I love You, Jesus! Amen.

Recently, someone asked me, "Doesn't that just make you want to go home?" I have to say, "No, definitely not." My Lord is Great and He deserves all honor, glory, and praise. Please pray with me for boldness to do His will.

A Year, Already!?!

Cant believe we have been in Egypt a year now. Two weeks ago, I walked into the bedroom one night and told David how happy I was that the first year was coming to an end. I made it. From what I heard, that was the most difficult time for missionaries. Then, after that, I had one very difficult week-maybe the worst since the first month. Lonely, disappointed, stressed (did I say lonely?) - these are a few of the emotions I was experiencing. I thank the Lord that He saw me through it, and I am doing much better now. I have learned that there will always be trials, but the Lord is always there to help me through them. An attribute that I love about Him is His LOVINGKINDNESS!

This past year I have been shocked by:

*How difficult it was to find and buy furniture to set up our home. Then, how long it took to get it delivered. "Really, you can't deliver before 60 days?"

*How the Lord used Churches to provide for our needs and encourage us through prayers and letters and cards.

*How it can be so fun and frustrating at the same time to learn a language.

*How many american items I can get in this city!

*How religious the people are. Didn't realize that a country could be so religious. -But how easy it is to witness to people because of this. :)

*How quickly things can change. Aka-the revolution.

The Lord has been so good to me this past year. There have been some tough times and there still are, BUT, there are so many MORE GREAT times. God's grace has been so evident to me and to my family. And those tough times have grown me closer to Christ!

Culture Shock or Sin?

In the last week, I have heard so many people talk about how much they hate Israel. It seems like most of the people in this country does not even think of them as people and would love for the people of Israel to be slaughtered like cows. This has added to some frustration I have had (like feeling used all the time) and I have found myself with a very bad attitude towards the people I am supposed to love and serve.

And then it hit me: CULTURE SHOCK! Right!?!?

I spent some time talking to David about these things a few nights ago. He agreed with me that some of the things we have recently heard (not on television, or through the "grape vine", but from people we know) have been horrible things. Then, he discussed the idea of culture shock. Does it happen? Certainly! But the Biblical term for my thinking was "Sin". Ouch. Without realizing it, I had made an excuse for my sin. So thankful that my husband was so honest with me so that I was able to confess it to the Lord and ask Him to help me to love people as He does.

Matthew 5:43-48 - Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

God's Still in Control!

When I came to the field nine months ago, I must say, I thought it would be a fairly "quiet" place. Naive, I guess, I thought that since the main industry of the country relied heavily on tourism, everything would remain relatively peaceful in order to keep the money coming. Since we have gotten here many things have changed and I don't really know what to expect for the future. What I do KNOW is that The LORD is GOOD-all the time, and HE is in control.

Our trip to the states last month was good. I really enjoyed spending time with our family and visiting our churches. I learned a lot about trusting the LORD and relying solely on God for all things.

Now, we are back and getting used to some changes. Some good and some that will require adjustment:

Good:
-The people feel more liberated (or at least more hopeful for the future), and Christians feel more at ease to witness.
-More opportunities for us to personally witness because we can share the hope that we have in Christ when much of the city is afraid of what may come.
-The young people have cleaned much of the city and are trying to push people to keep the country clean.

Not so good:
-Many stores (including our "super center") is still not open due to the looting that took place last month, and the meat is more expensive than before. We went to buy beef last night and it was $8 for 1lb of regular ground beef. Needless to say, we didn't get any. Hoping to find it cheaper somewhere else tomorrow.

So, maybe you're wondering how I'm doing personally through it all. I'm ok. I cried on the way to America because I missed my friends and hated leaving them in such chaos. I cried on the way back because I missed my family and friends in the states and was worried about how my children would react to being away from Grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins again. But, the truth is, they are doing well and so am I, thank the LORD. There have been some tough times, but His grace is SUFFICIENT! I am not afraid to go out by myself during the day, but believe the Lord has given us wisdom to avoid certain parts of the city at certain times. I do appreciate your prayers. There are always attacks from within and without, but it is comforting to know that the Lord is on the throne, and we have friends across the world partnering with us in prayer.

Mixed Emotions

Since the bombing in Alexandria, which killed 23 people on New Year's Day, there have been many mixed emotions in the country. The coptic church that was bombed was filled with about 1000 people that attended a midnight service. The coptic religion does not teach that one may attain heaven by trusting in Jesus Christ alone as Savior. Therefore, we are even more grieved.

All of the "christian" community has been deeply effected. Many of our friends have cried while talking with us about what happened, while others have responded with extreme anger. The most encouraging thing that we have heard is that one of our language teachers told us that her muslim friend told her, "If this is what Islam is, then I don't want it anymore." Many coptic people are also scared and are looking for eternal security. Please pray for ALL of the Egyptians. Please pray that the Lord will use this for His glory, as we believe that He will.

For those of you that have called and written asking about our family, we honestly do not believe that we are in any more danger than we were before this happened. We just ask you to pray for the souls of the people here and that no more violence of this manner will take place.