Some Final Final Thoughts

Iraqi that gave his testimony during the conference - I gave him one of Faye's hats as he encouraged me so much!

Sunset from our lodging!

I just had to report some other observations from today as we went to the caves and travelled a bit around Beirut. The caves were amazing. This huge ½ mile cavern had incredible stalagtite and stalagmite features. You walked through and saw God’s incredible creation. Then we went to the lower cave where you took a boat ride to see the rest of the cave. Awestruck - that’s all one can say.

The waterfront of Beirut is beautiful. The city planners did a great job in designing miles along the coastline of the Mediterranean. Beirut is like the northern coastline of Oregon. You have a major body of water on one side and a mountain range on the other. Only difference is that you have about 1.5 million people living there. But then contrast it with the military with their tanks on several street corners ready to engage if necessary. Apparently there are some Muslim sects at odds with one another with threats of extreme violence. Very bizarre to see them in the center of the city.

Okay it is 1:30am on Wednesday – one more hour till we board and a measly 26 hours before we are in Portland! See ya then!

Well – San Fracisco has free wi-fi so I am finishing things up. The flights were uneventful till we arrived in San Fran only to find out that our baggage did not come with us but it should be delivered to our home tonight – seeing is believing. Could not expect it to be flawless could we?! :o)

Closing Thoughts

Not sure when I will be blogging again other than to put some pics up for you to see the experience rather than me just talking about it.

One thing that just baffles me are the American restaurants that you see here: Mc Donald’s (duh), Burger King (which was huge), Applebees, TGIFriday’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dunkin Doughnuts, and of course Starbucks! The other night I had a Lebanese Burger – actually it was just a regular burger except they stick the fries in the burger. Last night it was a good ol’ cheese pizza. Just had to do it!

Last night’s class went really well. Many of the young adults from Syria, Iraq and Lebanon are still here going through more training in the daytime as well as the ones at night. They might be slowing down a bit but you would never know it. They are as enthusiastic as ever. They truly are an inspiration.

Tomorrow during the day I have the opportunity of touring through some caves just north of here. They say they are incredible. For part of it, you even take a boat to get out to them. Should be a real treat. Then it is one last class to teach, dinner (10pm which of course you remember that everyone here is still going strong!) and then off to the airport for that 3am flight.

I am continually reminded that people are the same no matter where you are in the world. We have been fearfully and wonderfully created in God’s image. The things that bring joy and sadness, what causes distrust and lack of faith is the same in every culture. Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. We can try all the different fads and all the technology but it truly does come down to becoming more like Christ, letting Him mold and shape us into His image. In the process we discover the universal principles and share them with one another so the gates of Hell will be crushed and more men, women and children are brought into God’s Kingdom. Can’t thank you enough for the support and prayers to see me through what I believe God is asking of me.

CONTRASTS

It is Monday afternoon and we are on a short break between ministering this morning with Hope of Lebanon and our teachings tonight with Grain de Ble. The best word I can use for what I have experienced from my time here in Lebanon is: Contrasts.

NEW & OLD: During the day yesterday we went into southern Lebanon to Tyre and Sidon. There we got to see the ancient ruins from centuries ago where there was a coliseum, a road built during the Roman Empire, a cemetery and an aqueduct. It was amazing to see how things were built to stand the test of time. We passed through areas where Jesus possibly did some miracles (Wedding at Cana) and taught his disciples. Then last night some of us decided to take a taxi downtown to the city center of Beirut. Everything is so new and beautiful built from the designs of the French. A new shopping mall filled with expensive European and American shops were bustling with people. All this has been built because of the civil war of the 70’s and 80’s which destroyed much of the city. When returning to our lodging and commenting to the taxi driver about how beautiful his city is, he replied that the old city was much more beautiful. One can only imagine.

HOPE & DESPAIR: Ruth and Karen (from Village Baptist Church in Beaverton) and I got to spend some time this morning with a ministry called Hope of Lebanon. Though this ministry is only 3 years old, they are accomplishing tremendous things for the Lord. Their heart is to help the Iraqi refugees that have escaped to Lebanon from the persecution and torment in Iraqi. After being in this country for a month, the refugees are considered illegal and can no longer receive any help from the government. In actuality, the government does not care if they stay longer, they just will not help them. The people are lost – they cannot return home for they will be killed and there is no help after they are here. The UN may try to find them a new country to live in but it could take many months and if initially denied, they must wait 5 years before asking the UN for help.

We were divided into two teams to visit some families in their homes. I was able to visit with two families. One was a young mother with 5 children whose husband was able to find some menial work for over 12 hours per day. They left Iraq because of the car bombings by the school in their village and the constant threat of harm. Here the children are not going to school because they only speak Arabic and the classes they should be taking are taught in French or English. They would have to start in grade 1 if they were to go (the oldest is 15). They will hear in 3 weeks which country they may be sent to if approved by the UN. The other family left Iraq because they were threatened to have their business be bombed and also be killed because they were not following in the ways of the militia. They left with nothing. The son has not seen his fiancé in 5 years because she had already escaped to Germany. They are still waiting to be together. The other group visited a family whose husband was kidnapped from his store 2 years ago and not be heard from since. They know he is dead. We were able to share the hope of Christ and scripture with these people. We closed with prayer each time. The families were so appreciative that someone would visit, to know where their physical needs could be taken care of and be left with their hearts filled with the hope of Christ.

The stories continue. The ministry of Hope for Lebanon is providing meals and clothes for these families. They have storage rooms filled with clothes and food to be distributed at their food and clothing banks each week. The Lebanese government is not able to handle all the refugees coming into their country which is where ministries like this are able to step in.

HISTORY AND FUTURE: You see the old massive apartment complexes where there is extreme poverty and you see the amazing new structures of beauty and stature. You see the young people out at 11:30pm in the city center dressed like they were going to some fancy affair and you see the Muslim women dressed in black and still covering their faces. At this late hour of the night you see families together with the children playing and you contrast it with the children I visited today who are hoping for a secure tomorrow for they do not see it today. One sees the deep, rich history going back hundreds and hundreds of years and you see the many buildings going up to accommodate the people still flocking into the country of Lebanon and the city of Beirut. The people don’t trust the government for it changes drastically every 5 years. So much is uncertain for them.

DARK & LIGHT: You see the amazing mosques being built and ministries like Hope of Lebanon and Grain de Ble where God’s light is shining in the darkness. God is doing a unique and amazing work here reaching into a very dark world.

Got to go get ready for tonight’s teaching. Not sure when any pictures will come up – might have to be when I get home.

Thanks again for your love, support and prayers!

Joy Unspeakable

(This is a post I tried getting up the other day - will try to get things caught up later today) The conference is over and, as always, it has a bitter sweet feeling to it. You head is full of “stuff” you have been learning over three long, intense days. (Our day would start with breakfast at 7am and we would come back to the lodging at 9:30pm with only breaks for lunch and dinner.) You are tired but exhilarated about what God is doing across the globe and a desire to see it being applied to our church and community back home. The young people here have been a complete blessing with their hunger after God and to hear what they are doing for the Kingdom.

Tomorrow is an all day tour of Tyre and Sidon. Monday is ministry to the Iraqi refugees and training in the evening. Tuesday is touring around Beirut and training in the evening before our plane ride to Frankfurt which is at 3am on Wednesday. Yuck! But maybe I will sleep! That was a maybe …. :o)

(Pictures are not loading up right now - I will try again later! Bummer!

Lasting Memories

It is Friday night here as I sit and write a few things that have been seared into my mind and heart. They are glimpses into what I have to believe makes all of Heaven just stand up and cheer.

Here at the conference they have a room designated for people who want to pray. I passed by it several times today and saw people in there praying - mostly Africans (Which does not surprise me!). To hear them coming before the Lord was humbling. I could sense the Holy Spirit letting me know how critical this was for Kingdom work. One time I was walking by and there was a cloth map of the world on a table and a woman had her hands on it coming before the Lord petitioning Him for our world. Victory will happen as we come before the throne! God was saying to me how I need to make this a priority in my life.

Tonight they had an Iraqi young man, probably in his early 20's, give a testimony as to how God is using his generation to reach children throughout their country. The Lebanese were very involved till 2003 when, jokingly, the interpreter mentioned that the US arrived. The ministry then needed to be done by the Iraqi people themselves. This young man and others like him took up the challenge. At one point, the young man realized that he was being filmed and people were taking pictures of him. You could tell that he was now very concerned and asked that all the film and photos be destroyed as it was important that this material not get back to his country. Amidst the jubilation of what God is doing through these young people, the stark reality of the world they live in smacks you right in the face. We take so much for granted.

The worship time tonight was extra sweet. In a couple of the songs, the worship leader had us sing them in our native tongues. I shut my eyes and just listened - oh what a sweet sound to hear the worship go up before the Lord.

All of Heaven is rejoicing!

All Nations Praise The Lord
It was a remarkable day as over 30 nations gathered together to worship the
Lord. You look around and see that everyone is in one accord. Just what
Jesus prayed for! Gives you a very small taste of what Heaven will be like.

Some of the connections are amazing - it shows how small the world really
is. Missionaries in Brazil that we know the same family in Chicago. A
Children's Pastor in Sudan remembers me doing a training for his church in
Vancouver more than 15 years ago, a missionary that knows people at Rolling
Hills and I am sure that Heather knew him from Multnomah. The list goes on.

I did the Bible Storying class today and judging from the responses of the
participants - they appreciated it very much and were going away with many
things they could begin using in their ministries. The eagerness for
everyone here is to gain all that God would give so it can be taken back
home to use in ministry. You hear many stories of the Christians here in
the Middle East where 99% of the people are Muslim. It's a different world.

Time to get to bed. Blessings to you all! I can't tell you how much I
appreciate your prayers and support.

Day in Istanbul

What a great day to be in this amazing city. With 15 million people, some living in Asia and some in Europe, there is incredible history throughout this city. It sprawls for miles upon miles. We took all kinds of transportation to get us there and back - not quite like driving in India but almost! One of the train trips had us jammed in like sardines but the boat ride at the end was very relaxing. Aaron and I had an opportunity to talk about the people and how to minister to them. There was a test that scored different nationalities and their level of insecurity and lack of trust. Turkey scored the highest. To minister here takes a long time because relationships need to be established which will not happen easily here. But also, the universities where Aaron and Esra serve are closed campuses and you have to get through gated, guarded areas.


The museums and mosques are amazing here. This famous mosaic is incredible to see live. There are countless gold pieces in this and many more. the museum it is in was the largest church ever built and would cost $3 billion to replace.








I told you we were going to the market - oh my! Husbands, keep your wives far away from here! This picture does not do it justice. It went for miles and was all underground. No way you could go through it all in one day. Truly magnificent pieces of work there.


Last but not least, one final picture of a very happy William. I am off to Beirut in the morning and will update as I can! blessings to you all!

Beautiful Day in Turkey

Today turned out to be a beautiful sunny day in Istanbul. Aaron and I took a long walk on the boardwalk which is just minutes from their home.


Great opportunity to visit with him as we walked, talked about life and ministry and prayed for one another.

Esra has been feeding me quite well but she agreed that it would be a wonderful break to go out for dinner. So off we went to a nice local restaurant and had a very authentic Turkish meal. The culture here is that the amount of food is a sign of hospitality. Boy was this place hospitable! Lots of really good food. Everything is eaten with fresh baked bread - can't resist that! So after several helpings of chicken, lamb, and salads, we were ready to call it quits - and there was still plenty left. Not sure the picture will do it justice, but here is our table loaded down.





And last but not least, one cute picture of dear William sleeping in Mama's arms. He loves to look up and see the things above. He is already looking at things in the right perspective - keep your eyes focused on things above ...


Sorry that the pictures come out sideways - can't seem to correct that. Tomorrow will be a day in Istanbul which I am very much looking forward to. One of the stops will be at the market - nothing like a good Jew in a big market!

Made it to Turkey

It was sure nice at the end of the day with so many connecting flights, that I made ti to Istanbul with no problems. What a joy to see Aaron, Esra and sweet William. Now he may not like being called sweet, but for now, it fits him perfectly. Aaron and Esra are such great parents, showering William with love while being patient trying to understand what the different cries mean! They are making the adjustments to making William a priority and not just a tag-a-long. I am looking forward to catching up on their ministry tomorrow and seeing some of Istanbul on Tuesday.
Poor William - it took all 3 of us to get this outfit on after his bath! More pics tomorrow.

The Night Before

It is Friday night and the bags are packed, the last card game has been played and prayers have been given by all the family. Tomorrow starts a journey to new lands and people: Turkey and Lebanon. I will have the wonderful opportunity to be in Istanbul with some dear friends, Aaron and Esra and their newborn son, William. What joy to be with them all - I promise to visit with Aaron and Esra! :o) Then on Wednesday I head down to Beirut for the Global Children's Conference. Hundreds of people from 38 different countries will be there. Many of them will be young Lebanese adults. I am so looking forward to hearing what God is doing throughout the world; to open my eyes and mind to how God is doing more than I could ever ask or imagine. The conference is: A one-of-a-kind gathering to equip and encourage leaders who minister the life-changing love of Christ to children around the world. If you would like more information about the conference, go to: www.globalchildrensministry.org. After that I will join some friends from Portland and do some training with Le Grain de Ble ministry in training children's leaders from Lebanon and Syria. Time for bed as the alarm will be going off very early! The next post will be in Turkey with some baby pictures!