Cumin Edition #7

I am so thankful to have stories to tell you each week of opportunities that the Father has given me to share.  I was afraid that serving in the Middle East would mean that these types of opportunities would be extremely limited.  One reason for many opportunities is that I’m in an autonomous region that is not culturally Arab.  These people are much more tolerant of other beliefs.  But I also know that another reason for so many opportunities to share is that the Father is responding to your requests!

I want to tell you a little more about Ron, who I mentioned briefly in my last update.  But to begin with I must explain that the morning before I got to share with Ron I attended a fellowship of local brothers and sisters which one of my students attends.  There is an ethnic group here that is culturally Chstn.  But it turns out that their service was full of rituals and memorized responses, and, upon further inquiry, they don’t know the Good News.  

Four of my adult students.

That night in class, only Ron of my five students showed up (it was the first night of Ramadan).  Ron is a Syrian refugee, but he doesn’t conform to any stereotypes.  He’s openly agnostic, and he’s a western-minded rebel.  But he is our star student, studies hard, and writes on a deeper level than the other students.  Earlier in our semester, he was the only student once again, and he opened up about some very sinister dreams that he was having.  It immediately made me think that there might be some sp oppression in his life, and I began to pr for him in that way.

Buses lined up for gas. Before the crisis ended they would line up two-wide for almost a mile.

Ron also knew that I visited the local fellowship that morning, and he asked me what I thought of it. We were warned against sharing in the classroom, but he had asked the question and the door was wide open.  I explained what I liked and what bothered me about the service.  What bothered me was that when it was time to take the Supper, the leader went behind a curtain to pr for it.  In order to explain why this bothered me, I first had to explain what the Supper is and what the temple in the Old Test. was like and what the purpose of the curtain was then (to separate the people from presence of God because He is too holy for man to be in His presence and live).  In the middle of my answer, I was afraid that maybe I had over-stepped my bounds.  So I asked, “Am I talking too much?”  “Oh no,” was his reply, so I continued.  Then I had to explain that at JC’s death that the curtain of the temple was torn from top to bottom.  And I explained that the significance of the curtain being torn is that there is no longer a separation between us and God.  Because of JC’s death and his atoning work on the cross, we can go directly before our Father.  This explanation illustrated the Good News!

I was so thankful to be able to have one-on-one time with a student, but since guys and girls cannot be friends in the culture, I’m not able to follow-up with him. So I introduced him to some of the guy summer volunteers.  They have already hung out with Ron and agreed to study the Word together!  Please lift up their study and ask that the HS would convict Ron and draw him to Himself!

Praises:

Adult classes finished well. And my co-workers were able to follow-up with some of my students!

We got gas from Turkey, and the gas crisis is over besides gas being more expensive now.

Requests:

Please ask for those participating in Ramadan that they are safe as they fast and that as they are more religious this month that they feel their need for truth.

Please ask for good conversation with Lucy, as she tries again to join us for pizza night.

Please ask that we are still able to meet up with friends even though they are tired and busy with Ramadan.