Say what?!?

Looks can be deceiving!  I've learnt over the years to not judge a book by it's cover and also not to assume things.  I need not explain why but I am sure in your own terms you are able to also agree with me on these two statements.

Today I had my first encounter with a friendly, old and interesting Muslim gentleman.  This isn't my usual encounter but his wife was close by, so, I was at ease, in a way.
It was interesting chatting to them about their recent celebration, Eid.

Sadly, he assumed I was Hindu and went on explaining why following man isn't right because (I quote), "In the scriptures it is written that when man is born out of a woman he is classified as a maggot.  A maggot is found in trash.  God himself cannot be compared to this as he is not a maggot, so, why follow man?"
I kept quiet and listened.  Before I could explain my faith he then said, "Do you know that nowhere in the Hindu scriptures does it say you are not allowed to eat beef?"  I then smiled and started to explain my faith and he quickly added, "Also, in the bible, they tell you not to even touch pork yet Christians eat it!"  And he shook his head in disgust.

His wife hovered close by looking at our products but sharing an ear to our conversation.  She didn't mention a word.
I doubt I was even going to get a word in but started to pray silently for Mr Rawat.  As I looked into his eyes and heard his conversation with my heart, a deep compassion filled my spirit.  Nothing stopped me from praying and I obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

His last input was, "When Jesus turned over the tables in the temple it was because the people were selling things with interest, that's why he was so angered!"
With raised eye-brows I stood shocked at the way that small chapter was explained to me.  I never quite looked at it that way but it's definitely not the last time I will hear of it this way, no doubt.  He off-course did not allow me to speak, so, I remained silent yet again.

Lastly, he went onto saying that in Islam they do not follow Mohammed but Allah and the crux of our entire conversation was (I quote), "Islam means 'in submission to the will of God'".

He then asked if he could give me two documentaries on the true religion and I said yes.  I am really keen to take a look at it and unpack it for myself.
As he walked out the store, he turned around and looked me in the eye saying, "Follow the true religion, not man."

Spoken from passion and excelled by the need to share this passion, Mr Rawat remains in my prayers.
Like myself, we are two very radical characters.  
One of faith.  One of religion.

Speaking without Words

After my experience with my dear friend at the post office, the next day I had a quiet time with Daddy.  It was most encouraging.

It went a little something like this:

There are many ways that you can speak good things into the lives of others without ever saying a word.

You can speak with the "face" of approval,
with the "eyes" of understanding,
with the "ears" of alertness,
with the "smile" of delight,
with the "tone" of kindness,
with the "spirit" of compassion,
with the "heart" of love,
with the "hands" of mercy,
with the "embrace" of acceptance,
with the "handshake" of companionship,
with the "glance" of interest,
with the "tears" of comfort,
with the "nod" of affirmation, and
with the "touch" of tenderness.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  Galatians 6:9

So, we put on the armor of God, go out there and continue to be who He has called us to be.

Paying our Electricity Bill

I usually pop into our local post office once a week to either fetch our post, mail letters/postcards to amazing friends across the world or pay our electricity and water bill.

Kereshnee, a petite Indian woman, generally greets me with the biggest smile imaginable and her chirpiness is quite contagious.  
I simply love conversing with her and sharing random stories of my expeditions.  She listens with such eagerness that an underlying hunger is visible and needs to be fed.  Her curiosity towards Jesus is getting deeper and deeper.  Every visit I make and have the opportunity of speaking to her, the questions are getting tougher but her heart is definitely becoming softer.
Kereshnee comes from a Tamil back-ground and is in her early 30's.

On my last visit to the post office, I noticed that she wasn't there.  The guy who helped me wasn't as friendly and I didn't want to ask any questions but as I walked out the post office, I had a funny feeling that something wasn't right and I needed to pray for Kereshnee.

Today, Kereshnee didn't greet me with the biggest smile imaginable and as I walked closer to the counter I looked beyond the glass divider that separated us.  I could tell she wasn't well but her eyes held a deeper emotion.

I asked my favorite heart question, "How are you?" and waited.  For the next 45 minutes Kereshnee shared her heart with me.  She lost her brother, aged 37, to alcohol and needed to go back to Pretoria for his funeral.  After 2 days she returned back home to perform religious rites for her grand-mother's 1 year ceremony.
She explained her brother's reasons for alcoholism and then went onto explaining her child-hood and her life in this current moment.  She kept asking me, "Why is life so unfair?" 

There is just so much pain, abuse, hardship, struggle, negativity, fear and doubt that wrestles with Kereshnee day in and day out.  Behind that chirpy exterior lies a lot of hurt, hurt that only Jesus can heal and restore from her life.

I listened throughout the 45 minutes and during that time I kept praying for her heart and life.  I encouraged Kereshnee with scriptures, not quoting them but speaking them into her heart and the conversation we were having, as if it were a normal conversation. I could tell that she held onto these Words, the Bread of Life.  I stood humbled.
I asked if I could hug her and I could see her fighting back tears.
How many more women are there like Kereshnee?  How many need the love of a Savior because mankind has destroyed them?  How many more women are fighting to survive in this race of life?  How many women are caught in abuse because they know no other way out, except through fists and blows that leave them bleeding and speechless?  How many women are abandoned by their own families?

Before I walked out the house today, I read a powerful quote:  "When love and skill work together; expect a masterpiece."  I chuckled.  I read that quote a year ago and it changed my outlook on one of our outreaches during MDT.

As I reflect on today and continue to pray for Kereshnee I am reminded that we just need to be a vessel of the Lord, totally willing to do as He asks, which isn't much.  Like lending an ear, offering advice, smiling, conversing with those who aren't given much attention (cashier, car-guard, petrol attendant....)
It's the simplest form of evangelism I know and it's presented to us everywhere!

Be encouraged to ask Daddy how you can serve Him today and be ready for an adventure.....at the end of the day, when the sun sets, it's not about your achievements but about your attitude.  

This blog isn't just another story because there's no ending to Kereshnee's story.  It's life and it's reality.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

What's the Matter with Johnny?

In Sunday School, Johnny heard how God created everything, including human beings.  He seemed especially interested when the teacher said that God formed Eve from one of Adam's ribs.
Later in the week, Johnny's mother noticed him lying down and clutching his side.
She asked, "Johnny, what in the world is the matter?"
Johnny replied, "I have a pain in my side Mom.  I think I'm about to have a wife!"
Author Unknown

So often we forget to appreciate the humor life throws at us.  It's so easy to get caught up in the moment and throw a pity party.  Be it in a relationship, marriage, work situation.  It's just about me, me, me.  Sadly, we don't get very far when our attitude focuses on the negative.  We are more likely to spiral down in a whirlwind of emotions and regret the day, hour or moment.

I find it easier walking away and then returning to address the problem.  It's not always the case though because our nature is to retaliate.  
How much damage can I cause when I am hot tempered, easily angered and too quick to speak.  For me, that calculation = DISASTER!

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind...."  I read this so often and off-course the Holy Spirit whispers this into my heart when I am in conflict.

My rules for fighting fair:

1)  Speak to build each other up
2)  You have 2 ears, 1 mouth - clearly we should do more listening!
3)  Forgiveness
4)  Love
5)  Respect
6)  Learn
7)  Move on

And lastly, it's point no. 8) Laugh

Prayer Night with a Twist

Many of us decline attending prayer nights because the first thing that pops into our mind is: BORING!
There's probably going to be some old guy or woman standing up front, speaking from a piece of paper, quoting scriptures and then would probably split us into groups, get us to do prayer walks between the aisles or wait for it.....pick on us to pray out loud among the small crowd of attendees.
This entire event will probably go on for 2 or 3 hours.....how on earth does one last at something so boring yet so needed in our daily lives?
The first 5 minutes into a prayer night is just an opening prayer itself and already I am yawning and my mind has vacated the building.
I find myself thinking of the ocean, work, books, conversations, people, nations, countries, travels, my grocery shopping, and who's being persecuted right now in this very second of life and what am I doing about it?

Well, the prayer nights we attend are slightly different.  I lie.  It's actually a whole lot different.  Ever imagine yourself in the scenario you are praying for?  How about the persecuted church for example.  In our dialect it's called mission simulation.  It's all about touch, smell, taste, hear and sight.

The prayer night started with a bring and share meal, much laughter, joy and conversation.  We were then ushered into the prayer area, took our seats and got comfortable.  It was a cosy atmosphere.  The leader handed us some rope and taught us how to do hand-cuffs by making bunny ears and tying the ears together into a knot.  We were then instructed to tie our hands.
Each of us were then given a piece of paper of current events happening globally and in our current time, not 10 or 20 years ago but right now, 2012 and the very present.
Each paper had a different country on.  We were about 25 present.  Important prayer points were listed and as the room stilled, I could see that many sat shocked with the content just read.  I guess it opened a whole new door to the persecuted church among the young and old.
We were given one warning, to read what's on the paper and remember it.

All of a sudden the lights went out and the leader barged in dressed in police attire and held a torch light, shining it in individual faces, and his tone was rather harsh. "What are you doing?!!!!"  "This is illegal!"  "Get up!"  "Get out of here!"  "You will pay for this!"
We found ourselves captured, driven out of the prayer meeting we righteously attended and we were lead outside to a dark garage aka prison.  We were then told to keep quiet, but in a harsher way off-course.
It was cold, we definitely weren't dressed for this occasion either and the abusive commands weren't necessarily what we signed up for.
Well, that my dear is how it's done in the real world of suffering.  

My description doesn't sound as bad because I don't fully think that we will ever know what these people experience on our behalf.  The persecuted church is to be respected, admired and esteemed in prayer.

Can you imagine laying face down in a helicopter position and not being able to see what's in front of you apart from the filthy ground, with your legs angled in a certain way and you are handcuffed?
That's how it's done in North Korea.

Or how about being locked away in an overloaded shipping container, in the heat of the Sahara sun, who's temperatures are insanely above 45 degrees?  No food or water at your fingertips?  No toilets easily accessible?  You see the sun maybe once or twice a week, depending if the guards are "happy" with your behavior?
That's how it's done in Eritrea.

There are many more stories to share of just how much suffering our brothers and sisters go through.
How do they hold onto Jesus in these times?  Where does their strength come from?  How does one find Jesus in all this suffering?  Is it all worth it?

They say that they feel our prayers carry them through and their greatest prayer request, are you ready for it?
"Pray that we hold onto Jesus in our strife, pray that we never let go of Him or turn away from it but we brave this suffering for Him."

I hunger for prayer nights like these.  You will never leave the same.....

Proverbs 18:10
The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

Recommended site to update your knowledge of the persecuted:

www.opendoors.org