When We Discovered One Illegal Bible In A Syrian Refuge Camp; Part 2 - The Voice

It's the Voice that leads. His Voice.

Recently we posted the story of the Bible we found in the Arab refugee family's tent. One English bible, left to a family who couldn't read it and didn't know what it was, became the key to the healing of a man's hand and the subsequent open doors to sharing the gospel and permission for leaving Arabic bibles behind. Almost as awesome as the end result of the story (at least the end result we saw) was how the bible made it there in the first place.

Before we left the camp, I opened the front cover of the bible to search for an inscription. Sure enough there was a name and address. And as soon as we returned to the States I began the search for this person whose name found it's way into a Syrian refugee camp. After multiple address searches I found myself in reverse phone directories online. Unfortunately, none of them delivered a working number. However, Facebook brought me to some people with the same last names who seemed to be located close to the address on the listing. About an hour after sending a few messages through Facebook I got a reply.

"Jane is my wife," the message read. "She will contact you after she leaves work." I sent my phone number so she could call me directly.

I couldn't wait to tell the story of this bible to it's original owner. And later on that night I got one of the best phone calls of my life. A lady's voice greeted me with eager questions. "Are you ministering to refugees?" she asked. "Were you near the border? Do you share the gospel or do medical work?"

Together on speaker phone Nikki and I tried to answer Jane's questions and tell the story of the bible we found in the camp. In a few minutes we unloaded the testimony and were able to share how this man believed his hand was healed because someone told him to keep it tied to this bible. "Oh my goodness!" she shouted. "The bible!"

"John," she said, "I have to tell you how that bible ended up in the camp with me." The story went something like this:

Jane was the head of a large ethnic denominational group's medical mission. The team geared up to head to the Middle East in order to work in Syrian refugee camps bringing relief. No bibles. No evangelism. The risk for a large medical team was too great so their team's protocol was none of the above. Only medical assistance and prayer for people. Except on this trip Holy Spirit wanted to make an exception.

"John," she shared, "as I was leaving the house, I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to take a Bible that was on my bookshelf for years. I haven't used that bible in so many years. And I wanted to ignore Him because we don't take bibles on our missions." Jane went on to explain that she was almost out the door and on her way to the airport but Holy Spirit would not let her go. "I felt like He really wanted me to take the bible with me. And I was scared and frustrated because I didn't even have room. I wouldn't be able to explain to my team why I was breaking the rules. I argued with Him internally for a minute."

In the end Jane did the right thing. Obedience to the voice is always the right thing. She stuffed the bible in her purse and hoped for a moment to know she had done the right thing.

Jane explained to us that she worked in the very same camp a few months before us. Her team worked giving medical relief in a temporary clinic of sorts. Some time toward the end of her trip an older man approached her with a mangled and broken hand that she couldn't help. He probably needed surgeries that she couldn't provide. She didn't even have a splint. And then Holy Spirit gave her a picture of the bible tucked in her purse. "I ran to the car and pulled the bible out. It fit his hand perfectly!" She added, "I bound his hand to the book and told him not to take it off until God healed it. We prayed for it, and that was the last I knew."

Jane went on to tell us that in addition to the unction she felt when she left about taking the bible, she had a dream a little while before the trip where she was in a camp handing out fruit and felt the dream was a prophetic picture of her preaching. Of course, preaching wasn't part of their ministry at all. Like the bible, it was against protocol. "Now I can tell my team how the Lord used the bible! I'm so glad I was obedient to His voice!"

And so are we. And so is He. He leads us by His voice. Gently. Sometimes in ways that seem foolish. Often in ways we don't understand. Always in ways that have eternal purpose. In this case the Lord led Jane to do something totally out of her ordinary. Against conventional wisdom and even policy Jane obeyed God and it opened the door into a hurting family's heart. Not only were they ministered to but there were healings and open doors to the gospel. The administrator became part of the testimony. The missions team will share in part of this. We got to play a part. This is Kindgom at work. This is family on mission - God's family being the light Jesus empowers us to be. And any one missing piece changes the whole story.

This Christmas we can remember the reason He came to us. "Peace and goodwill towards men" wasn't just a thought we could put on cards and manger scenes and read as memorials to a legend of yesteryear. "Peace and goodwill towards men" was a statement made by the Creator and Judge of all time who bowed His knee and made us a way to enter an eternal conversation - a dynamic, living relationship - that offers that peace and life in the face of a suffering and dying world.

Don't be a spectator. Let this Christmas be the one where you stop attending religious memorial services and begin to listen to the voice. His voice will lead you to life and take others along for the ride.

Merry Christmas.

When We Discovered One Illegal Bible In A Syrian Refuge Camp; Part 1 - The Setup

In our recent trip to the Middle East, Nikki and I got to join TNT's 10/40 Window Team in reaching out to Kurdish refugees. We brought food aid, blankets, and monetary relief to both camp based refugees and homeless refugees, as well as assisting some charitable groups on the ground with ministering to local believers and families sacrificing to help in the midst of the crisis. The nation, although open to the practice of Christianity, is highly restricted from the sharing of the faith.

During our first visit to the camps, I walked with the 10/40 Team Leader and the camp administrator to pray for people and encourage them in their hardship. We had just unloaded the first ton and a half of vegetables. One particular family stood out and asked if we would join them for tea in their tent and pray for their 12 year old son. Recently he had been waking up at night with night terrors and had begun to wet the bed. The horror of what he had been through was exacting a heavy toll on him emotionally and physically. The entire family - 8 in total from grandparents to babies - was sleeping on a single rug with a few short mats that draped over a series of wooden pallets. Our hearts broke for this beautiful and kind family.

What was interesting about this family was that they were the only Arabs in the camp. The Kurds and Arabs, though for the most brothers in Islam, have a general animosity and sometimes hate for each other fueled by years of ethnic sparring, mostly for land. In this camp Arabs were not allowed for fear they would bring elements of ISIS into the camp and threaten the Kurds living there. However, this one family was deemed so desperate, and the father so weak, that the exception was made.

As we sat together, praying for the son led to a series of conversations and sharing words of encouragement to each of the family members individually. It wasn't long before the grandfather jumped in to tell us a story of his own. He was an incredible gentle and mild mannered man. His smile was so warm as he reached into a plastic shopping bag hanging from a pole in the back of the gray canvas tent. We knew immediately what he was reaching for when the gold foil trimmed pages began to emerge from the bag. They were wrapped in a soft brown leather cover and bound like a million other bibles I had thumbed through. Sure enough when he handed it to me it was a pocket-sized bible. But honestly I didn't understand.

The first question was why do you have this; followed quickly by do you read English? The latter answer was as we expected. Nobody there except us and the translator understood any English. The answer to the first question proved remarkable.

"My hand was terribly broken," the old man explained to us. "There was a woman here who helped me and told me that if I kept my hand on the book God would heal me." He continued, "she bound my hand to the book and look - God did heal it! The book has power!"

Never in my life have I been served up a more tailor made situation to share the gospel with someone. And I couldn't. We weren't allowed. The translator was afraid. The camp administrator was with us, in the tent, and the leaders from our host ministry were uncomfortable with the prospects of being kicked out of the camp and even the legal ramifications of proselytizing. But the stage was set and there was a burning in us that this had to be done. Jesus Christ was the hope and life this family desperately needed.

It would not be this time. As the time in the tent progressed it was clear that the door was closing. I began to pray internally to the Lord. In my heart I felt I heard Him say that "She was the key." She was the camp administrator sitting to my right. I began to interact with her on a personal level, and over the course of the final five or ten minutes we were there she was laughing with us and feeling freer than when we had arrived. Right before we left the camp, as we walked from the Arab family's tent to the gated entrance, I felt in my spirit to ask her if she was having pain in her stomach or torso near the lower left side.

"No." She said. "It's more toward my back on that side. I have some lumps, and they are painful and they keep me from sleeping well.

The reason the Lord pointed this out was obvious to us. He had already spoken to our hearts that she was the key. We had to pray for her. And we did. We prayed for the healing power of Jesus Christ to touch her body and for rest to fall on her in the midst of the chaos she was managing. And then it was time to leave.

As I said earlier, our hearts were absolutely burning to leave that family with the gospel. From the moment we left we set ourselves before the Lord asking Him to give us that chance again. But it didn't look like it was gonna come because we could not get back to that camp on that trip. It would be three weeks before we got the chance to get back there. Three weeks is a lifetime in the camps. Families move in and out, people get sick and even die, and there's really no way of knowing what these border camps will look like in just a few weeks.

None of that matters when God ordains a situation for His grace to be poured out. We prepared for three weeks trusting that we would get the chance. We got a Bible in Arabic and a comic book about the biblical stories leading to Jesus for the family's teenage sons. We prayed for the door to open. And then we flew back to the region and drove to where the camps were with a plan for another weekend of aid and ministry. This time we were going without an Arabic translator.

This next trip was a bit quicker than the previous one. We had basically a full day to minister bookended by the evening of our arrival and the morning of our departure. That particular camp was the first stop on our itinerary the next day. As we arrived we split into two teams; one handled the distribution of blankets and met with the administrators. The second group of us worked to greet people and pray with them. The only things we were missing was that administrator whom we had prayed for the last time and a translator who could speak Arabic so we could go back to the Arabic family with the Bible and book we had for them.

As we prepared to go to the family's tent in spite of these issues, I caught a glimpse of our administrator friend walking toward us from across the camp. She walked to us with a smile on her face and warmly greeted us. It was her first words I was especially excited about. "God answers your prayers," she said. "The night after you left I slept with no pain and the lumps are gone. Thank you."

There it was. I remembered what the Holy Spirit had put on my heart three weeks before in the camp. What I had felt was He said she was the key. And here it was, the Lord had touched her directly. And immediately I was able to give Jesus the credit for what had happened. And since Jesus was the reason for her testimony, He was going to be the reason we would get to share Him with the Arab family too.

"So I was wondering if you could help us," I asked. "We want to go sit with that Arab family. Are they still here?" I continued.

"Yes. And of course you can."

I pressed on, "That would be great. But we need your help." As I watched her reply with an accommodating smile, I asked for the favors I needed. "Would you help us, because we have no one who can speak Arabic with us today. Would you translate for us, and also - we have these books - they are bibles. Would you let us bring them to the family?" All the chips were on the table. Our motives, our heart, and the reality of our Christ.

"Of course I will," she smiled. And like that we headed for their tent.

When we arrived, the family was happy to receive us. Their graciousness continued towards us and they made tea as all Middle Eastern families would in that situations. Our time was limited, and the challenge a little extra today. We had one translator from English to Turkish and a second from Turkish to Arabic. But the Lord's setup to this point was perfect. In spite of the challenges we were able to share the gospel in clarity to this family. They wept as we explained that our aim in bringing aid was to open a door to the hope in Christ which we were really purposed to bring to those in the camps because hope in Christ was the only thing we could give them that would last.

Of course, we were blessed to hear that event he son had stopped wetting the bed. With the living testimony of the healing sitting in the tent before us, this was a clear and resounding message. They received the bibles and our prayer with open hearts. They were unable to deny the reality of the moment we were in and even said to us at one point that "our love for God and the purity of our faith was so evident." The love of Christ had moved upon them and the door in that camp was opened wider than before.

Jesus is amazing. In a restricted camp in a restricted nation we sat with a Kurdish Muslim who translated the gospel of Jesus Christ for us to an Arab Muslim family with whom she would normally be opposed to, all because of the testimonies God had given each of them. But the story is far from over. Not only are we looking for the opportunity to go back, but there is another entire side to the story which we will be sharing next. After all, how did the English bible get there in the first place?

To be continued...

Do You Believe In Miracles?

This week we will be sharing a bunch of testimonies we have been privileged to witness. We begin with our time in the Middle East.

Greg was managing the gate for a property our 10/40 Team is praying about purchasing. They hope to use it as a ministry base, training and equipping center, and safe location for victims of human trafficking and refugees. The protocol was the same as usual on location in most of the Middle East. We don't talk about what we do or use ministry terms in the presence of strangers. In Greg's eyes we're just looking at the possibility of running an organic co-op.

Greg spoke pretty good English, which isn't totally unusual but definitely stood out. As we toured the property Greg showed us the dilapidated bungalos and fountains, pointed to the abundance of fruit trees, and the view of the sea. There was nothing out of the ordinary until I got a chance to stand next to Greg for a moment while we all individually soaked in the views from the property.

Very matter-of-factly, Greg told me how good he thought this property would be as a Bible college or Christian training center.  He certainly caught me off guard; I wasn't sure if he was walking me into a  conversational trap, or if there was something about him that we didn't know. The leaders from our team only met Greg once or twice before. I did my best to smile and wave and change the subject. Then he asked where I was from. When I told him we had come from Tanzania and we were teaching, he smiled and said he spent time in Tanzania working with major international relief organizations and Christian ministry groups. Again, trying to hear the Holy Spirit, I struggled to process exactly what was really happening in this conversation. And again, I more or less shrugged it off. As we began to move on to the next part of the property, Greg got closer to one of the leaders of our local team. Apparently, in both the local language and some English, he began to share details of his past and how he ended up as a caretaker of this property.

The story went that Greg grew up in a Soviet satellite nation. He had joined the Soviet army and later became a KGB agent with specialized training in the language and culture of the Middle Eastern nation we were in. At the time of the Soviet Union's break up, he had said he had been asked to perform an assassination of a top local leader. When he declined, he went on the run and fled. Because of his understanding of the language, education, and this nation's opposition to Russian interests, he was granted political asylum and later citizenship. Although he was safe, he was alienated from his family for almost the past two decades.

A few years ago, Greg was diagnosed with brain cancer. The local social healthcare programs provided him a means to care, but his deteriorating health combined with the fact that he was not a Muslim, created a huge problem for him in maintaining employment. So Greg told us that the last two years of his life were a steady decline of health and a steady march into poverty. By now, his cancer was untreatable and the tumor in his brain caused frequent blood pressure attacks that resulted in migraines and blackouts. He had no money, and the man who owned this property had given him one of the sheds as a place to stay so long as he managed the gate and the guard dogs that lived there.  There was no electric, running water, and only a small old wooden stove that he used to cook and provide heat. This man was living homeless. His history and character had him doing his best to present himself as a man of dignity. But it was obvious he wasn't lying when he told us it had been four days since he had showered and several more since he had the opportunity to wash his clothes.

By the end of the tour, we found ourselves standing around Greg as a group, asking him if we could pray that God would touch him and heal him. At this point, Greg smiled, welcomed us to pray, and began to cry as we laid hands on him. We called on the presence of God to do what He does best – to heal Greg's body and broken life. As we finished praying, he started to share a little more. He told us about how he had been separated from his now 22-year-old daughter. He told us how there was an outstanding debt on his medical care, and in the nation he was in until that debt was paid he'd be restricted from traveling. The debt really wasn't all that big, but to a homeless man it may as well have been a million dollars. As we were praying for healing, the Lord moved us to praying that he would not fear death, and that no matter what days were marked out for him that he would live them out abundantly and close to the Spirit of God. We had prayed for fullness and for fear to be cast out. When we were done, he Lord moved on our hearts to meet the financial need.

At that point, we invited Greg to come back to our place and take a shower and wash his clothes. We got an opportunity to share a cup of coffee and for him to tell us a little more about his life. The things he told us were incredible. Over the years the Lord had taken him to serve as security detail for different charitable and ministry organizations around the world. To have the honor of sitting with this man and offering him the only hope that we know, as brothers and sisters in Christ, was such an awesome privilege. It was one of those moments traveling the world in ministry that stands out and humbles you; God putting you in a situation where you get to minister life to someone whose experiences seem to make your own look small. But in the Kingdom of God it's no surprise when the Father uses His children across generational, social, and cultural lines.

As we parted that day, for all we knew or part in the story was over. Our time in the area was not going to be long, and we had no natural connections to this man. There was a good chance our local team could have contact with him again, so long as his health held up. But we said goodbye not knowing the next step for Greg. However, few days later Greg reached out to share with us some things that came out of our time together. Greg had an upcoming doctor appointment which was part of his regular care schedule. Of course, when he called us, we knew he was going to be able to take care of his medical debt. But that wasn't all. When Greg called he was so excited to share with us that the doctors were unable to find any trace of the tumor that was growing on his brain or the residual effects of high blood pressure and smaller issues that it was causing.

Greg told us that the doctors didn't know what to do and told him to come back if he had any major issues or relapses. If not, they said they'd hope to see him for a check up in two years! GREG IS NOW BACK IN RUSSIA WITH HIS DAUGHTER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS! What Jesus did that day was demonstrate to us once again how good and how great He is. What an amazing ride it is to walk with Christ.

Miracles are not the reason we follow Christ. But there is no doubt, they are fun.

Miracles can be scary. Believing in a God who could easily remove the pain of this life but often allows us to walk through suffering can feel like a huge contradiction. Facing the disappointment of what they see as unanswered prayer is the reason many people just stop trying. All of us cross that bridge in our walk with the Lord. But it's exciting to share the stories that show just how short the bridge really is.

In all He does, God desires to bear eternal fruit in this world through our lives. The times when we can't explain, or don't understand, what He's doing or His timeline are the times that we fall into trusting Him for what He's already done. No matter what we see or feel in this life, the reality is Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price and the miracle of salvation He offers is the greatest one of all. However, what we are learning, is that as we live by the voice of God and surrender all of our expectations and needs, the presence of God draws closer to us and manifest His glory more and more.


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Taking The Detour Home

THIS IS AN ONGOING BLOG

MORE DETAIL, PICTURES, AND VIDEO IS FORTHCOMING

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While we are here in the 10/40, we will be encouraging teams on the ground and joining them in their efforts to reach the lost. Multiple outreaches each week have us and the kids ministering on the streets, sharing life in people's homes, and when we have some down time, spending time in prayer and worship with the team on the ground here.

Locally, there are tensions flaring because the greater international conflicts are opening sectarian and ethnic wounds which have compounded external refugee pressures and added to the crisis here on the ground. In the town we are staying in there is relative calm, however we are seeing checkpoints and other precaustions to try and filter out problems. There have been some terror threats.

Shortly, the first trip out to a refugee camp will take place. The city this will occur in has been the focus of much pressure and many threats, as well as intermittent acts of terror. This is where Nikki was back in January. John and a memeber of the team are meeting a local pastor who is working with homeless people who cannot find room in the camps and are receiving no aid outside of what this tiny church can provide. They will also go into camps and minister one on one while assessing which is the most critical need the Lord leads us to address materially while they are there.

Over the next several weeks this will happen at least three times, and possibly more. There is another city which catches much of the floW from another part of this international crisis which has been targeted for aid and in which the team here has contacts.

***

Back in Africa, Tryphone is on his way to Mozambique for a three month class and expedition with IRIS Global, at Heidi and Rolland Baker's Harvest School. This was made possible by Transforming Life Church in Plant City, who stepped up and have supported Tryphone in taking a step forward in developing his call to ministry. At the same time, Musa, Damas, Moshi, and the rest of our pastoral team are working hard to continue reaching villages beyond their own. 

This was an interesting season; we had three remarkable teams come for three extremely different expeditions: The GWOC team helped finish the contruction in Kama on the church building and ran an evangelism effort into one of our mountain villages. The TLC pastors came and unloaded a mountain of anointed Word encouragement to leaders and members from 7 churches in 5 different villages. And Burning Ones founders Mike and Anna Dow followed up the GWOC teams evangelism with a Bible drop and some powerful one on one ministry at the top of the mountain.

***

We have already begun planning for 2016's expedition and training season. Of course, we will be Stateside first, having not been (as a family) since Spring of last year. We land in FL just before Thanksgiving, hit NY just in time for Christmas, and expect to hit much of the Eastern Seaboard, several places in the Midwest, and even a few spots on the Pacific Coast. 

Hope to see you along the way!

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We would love to minister to any group so give us a shout!

Expedition Season Is Off With A...Hiss?!

The Approach...

As we first came into Lekuti's village, we were greeted by scattered Maasai herding their cattle, plenty of thorn scrub and rocky ground cover, and a lush green vista on the back side of the Ngorongoro Crater that overlooked the Serengeti plains. It was amazing.

And then came the hiss.

No John, that was not a soda cap. To my defense, we had a case in the back of the truck and I couldn't hear the tire leaking when I got out of the truck. Yeah, duhhh.

 

Turns out it was a theme for this trip!

The Payoff...

Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. (Ps 54:2)

The man leading the children in song is middle of the group, slightly to the left. He holding a Bible and is an elder of the village and a long-time disciple of Christ. As the Team came in, he shared that our presence, the ministry we were bringing, and our relationships with our staff who come from the village was opening people's hearts to the gospel message. He told us we were "an answer to prayer."

We have been invited to share the Jesus Film and extended discipleship in a series of neighboring villages as a result of what was a long, taxing, but equally as amazing expedition. It all started about 2 years ago...

You may remember when Lekuti was the first of our Maasai staff to come on board, we soon thereafter invited his mom and adopted sister to come stay with us so his mom could get better medical care with our oversight. Her time greatly deepened our relationship with her whole family and people, and the fact that the Lord has restored her health a testimony to the goodness of the God we serve. This, the two years of work relationship with Lekuti, and his recent wedding celebration naturally paved the way for our invite to the Ngorongoro region where his village is. With that we were asked to bring ministry.

The Maasai are a marginalized people, even with their being the face of much of Tanzania's most lucrative resource: the tourism generated in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Kilimanjaro (Arusha) regions. Their way of life is rooted in ancient custom and herding cattle, of which they believe they have a right endowed by God to all the cattle in the world. Many of their ancient traditions like female circumcision and child brides are banned in Tanzania but because of their clandestine nature and the central government's lack of resources the practices continue. We are praying for the light of the gospel to reach directly into these situations to bring freedom from harmful traditions.

We know that the door has been opened. We are praying for keys to handle this privilege in such a way that life can be experienced and celebrated in the fulness of surrender to the Kingdom of God.

We gathered to share a word and to pray together before rolling out...

Water From Above But Nowhere To Drink

The Ngorongoro Crater is in essence a giant dormant volcano that is hollowed out and home to it's own incredible ecosystem. There is a water source at it's center frequented by all sorts of African game, including the carnivores that pray on Africa's largest mammals. Once per day, each Maasai cowboy is allowed to walk his cattle past the lions and buffalo and hyenas to this hole, as it is the only constant water source for miles down the sides of the Crater's outer slopes. In an area that gets plenty of seasonal rain and has lush grazing lands, most of the water drains down the mountain and runs off into surrounding plains like the Serengeti. The Maasai who live on the slopes are always on the move trying to find puddles and ponds to water their herds. It is virtually impossible for this to be carried back to the villages. Even if it were, it is hardly suitable for human consumption.

The Maasai will often drink nothing but cow milk and blood for months on end when water is at its scarcest. In the ward which incorporates Lekuti's village with several others over miles of hillside, there is one well pump that is not deep enough and barely draws water most of the year. For some in the ward it is several miles to walk. We are on a mission to bring a viable well which will pump all year and bring water to villages which are now perpetually thirsty. We believe we can have this completed this year, hopefully even before the worst of the dry season is upon us. 

And we pray the well we dig is not only a physical structure, but also a spiritual source of life in Christ that remains long past our influence can be felt.

The Icing On The Cake

It's pretty amazing when we get to go anywhere on behalf of our King Jesus. When it happens to be into the teeth of the African wild, you simply smile and say thank you for the ride!

What's Next?

• We are hosting 2 of the planned 3 teams coming to Tanzania for Expedition Season. There will be a team helping us launch a church in one of our Tongwe villages, a team coming to do a pastor's retreat and seminar for local pastors, and a team coming to work on a village building project and village outreaches.
• By the end of this month, Musa and Tryphone, two of our national missionary staff, will be accompanying one of our soon to be planted pastors to the village he is going to serve in. They will be meeting with village leaders and the believers to prepare for the coming church. 
• Currently, we are prepping one level 2 village medical seminar and revamping the first responder/first aid course to help some local missionaries as well. 
• Ibrahim, our lead translator and staff missions pastor has begun a church plant in his farm village and we plan to follow up with a discipleship seminar late May or early June. 

October will bring the refugee aid trip to the Middle East, assisting peoples displaced by ISIS. We will keep you informed as we draw closer.

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Stories Of War And Peace

When the tragedies happening in the wake of ISIS began making news earlier this year, my heart broke for the innocent people who were being martyred for their faith and for those being terrorized for not bowing to this evil. As our 10/40 team began to minister to the families caught in the fallout, the tug on my heart became stronger. I kept my desire to go and help silent. About 3 weeks after I began praying for this burden in my heart, my husband John approached me after reading a testimony from the 10/40 team and he suggested that I go on a trip to join them. The 10/40 team was leaving on Jan 10th to the Syrian border to work with refugees from Syria, and I felt as if the Lord was directing us to be a part.

I would be going to work with a team in refugee camps and then aid a family of 12 in relocating to a city where their sick Mother could get good medical care. We would be escorting them to start a new life as their home in Syria was under siege. We also would be bringing with us the funds to bless distribution centers with several tons of material help like soap, sugar, diapers, and other help (which was amazing to see when it was all said and done). But the night before I left, I was struck with intense fear. I have a tendency to underestimate intense situations; maybe as a way of dealing with them a little more frequently than we used to. But at that moment every voice (in my own mind and from outside) that questioned me stepping out, every news article I read about this particular place - leaving my husband and children - all hit me like a bus. Who does this? What am I doing? Why would I ever intentionally put myself in harms way? Am I crazy? But peace washed over me. I KNOW that God has called us to these crazy places. I think it's because our answer will always be YES! I AM crazy enough to go when he says go, even if it may not make any sense at all. 2 Corinthians 5:14  says," For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that Christ died for all, and therefore all died." I am compelled. I had words spoken over me three times before I left, that God was going to unlock something in my heart. I didn't exactly know what that meant, but here and now, I feel I have come to an understanding of what that meant.

We hit the ground running in preparation for the family that was leaving the camp with us. Buying sheets  and blankets, dishes and cups, pots and pans, and just about everything you would need to start a home. They were coming from war; having left their home with only the clothing on their backs and a few odds and ends. There were team meetings, prayer times seeking God for direction, and planning for when we hit the Syrian border. I knew we were heading into an unstable, dangerous place. What I didn't realize was the severity, at least until our arrival into the border city. As we were driving into the town where the refugee camps were located, we were greeted with a bomb from one of the U.S. airstrikes that was about 10 miles away (the picture on the front of our newsletter). That was a very unnerving moment for me. Not only did I not realize that we were THIS close to absolute war, but we still had another 5 miles to drive. As we drove closer, the atmosphere changed drastically. We noticed an increase in people, just milling about and walking the streets. The streets were full. We passed refugee camps, scattered wherever they'd fit, with crowds of children playing in frozen puddles of mud, shoeless and without jackets. Fences and anything else that worked held drying clothes.

Stares. There were many many stares from very worn, weary faces. There were people who when you made eye contact with them, smiled. Then there were those who looked at you with hate in their eyes,  a hate that sent a chill down your back. A hate that made it suddenly VERY REAL! We would find out shortly thereafter that ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, and even various mafia and smugglers were very active in the town recruiting, terrorizing, and exploiting whichever population demographic suited them most.

Our first contact was with a woman who was running a food and clothing distribution depot. She was a Turkish women who looked as though she lived off of coffee and hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks. She was a very smart women who had a ton of responsibility. She was intimidated by nothing and knew how to get the job done. She gave us a tour of the depot where they move literally tons of food and supplies from diapers to flour in a matter of hours. From there it was on to the clothing depot where we met a women who's face and story I will never forget. She was a Kurdish freedom fighter. I would have never guessed the life this women lived- she was so very humble and soft spoken - unless I was told. She shared how she grew up fighting for human rights and against persecution. She told us freedom was something she came to experience when she moved to New York as a young women. She lived in New York City for 7 years, and said how her time there, taught her what true freedom was, which brought her back to her homeland to be  trained as a soldier and take part in the liberation of Kobani from ISIS. The ISIS soldiers are taught to believe that if they die by the hands of a women they go directly to hell. And a special place in Heaven is one of the reasons they fight.

We were then brought to a conference room which definitely had seen better days. It looked like what I would imagine a makeshift army barracks to look like. We were brought to a room and told to sit, and about 15 minutes later a foreign dignitary from Kobani came in and began to share with us the horrible stories coming from his country. We were told about fathers digging holes in the ground to protect their families from shrapnel, about how those injured waiting to cross the border are being mowed down by the guns of ISIS soldiers, and how his own home was taken by ISIS guerillas. It was one of the most sobering experiences of my life. There really are very few words that can tell how my heart felt at that moment. I felt a gut wrenching sorrow, a mourning in my spirit that to this day I can't shake. 

The following day we helped to distribute food. Because the camps were completely full of people, many refugees are living on the streets, in even worse condition then those in the camps. Those in the camps are given food and some simple supplies. But those in the streets were given only one ration of food a month, if help even found them. Which turned our attention to them. Most were such warm, friendly people who still held on to hope. They were so very desperate, at times skirmishing for their portion of supplies. But when we engaged them, and loved on them, the loved that poured back out burned my heart.

On day 3 we were brought to the only church in this border city. A group of 30 believers, many of them had only recently met Jesus. We were able to sit with 2 of the church elders who began to pour out their hearts to us. While we were sitting their, the realization of what we were really doing hit me. Here we were sitting in this small room, a group of 10 obvious foreigners who were just led off of the street into the back of a building. The electric and lighting flickered off and on. We were all sitting on the floor. It was very tense for me. I felt as though I was waiting for someone to kick in the door and begin firing at us. But as we communed with these 2 elders, the Holy Spirit began to fall and peace again overcame me. They shared how there is not enough time in the day, because the need is so great. They work their jobs from 7 to 11 in the morning, and the rest of the day pour into these families living on the streets. They buy what they need for their family and with whatever is extra they then buy a pair of pants or a bag of flour for a refugee family who is in need. It has been an open door to share the gospel to broken people. One thing said stuck with me. The pastor said its been bitter cold, and for us, when we see snow we think vacation. But when they see snow, they cry because of the hardship the cold brings. They are freezing and have no help.

As we listened, a man walked into the room and when I saw him my heart sank into my stomach. I KNEW him, I KNEW his face; I dreamt of it the night before. I never met him up till this moment, but I knew him. After I shared that with the group we found out 2 others dreamt of him the night before as well! The Holy Spirit began to give me a word for this man, who we came to find out later is a Muslim. Only because of the love of this church and how they are pouring their love out on his people, he began to help and attend services. He began to cry as I told him what I felt the Holy Spirit was saying. The Father knows each one of us so well. He is so passionate for his children, desiring that each one will come to know His love. He knows what each one of us need to bring our attention to him and we got to see that day His love for this man.

There is so much more to write about. The family we helped get out of the camp and to receive medical care is doing so much better. There is a church in Australia which has sponsored a portion of their expenses for the foreseeable future. But there is still a ways for them to go. The church I wrote about needs a transport vehicle to help them better handle the distributions. This entire region of the world needs help, needs us, and needs CHRIST. To hear the stories of the families, the husband who was shot from an ISIS sniper, or the brother who was beheaded in front of his family, was overwhelming at the very least. While we sat with people in the camp and watched bomb after bomb explode, feeling them vibrate through our chests. Until I experienced it, I couldn't even imagine the terror that those little children are experiencing and seeing. Watching people jerk from the bombs in the distance, still hearing the AK's firing from only a few miles away, was so horribly saddening. In the end, I was proud to be a part of this, but my heart has been pierced by these people. I feel as though I won't be able to shake this experience; one I do believe is only the first of more to come.

Here's how to help:

We are organizing medical relief missions to Syrian and Iraqi refugee camps. One is tentative for March, and another is set for October. ISIS victims will receive aid as they did in this trip, as well as simple infection and fungal diagnosis and treatment, as well as medical recommendations we are equipped to make.

WE NEED:

1. Medical volunteers (particularly with diagnosis skills)

2. Partners and Sponsors

3. Help spreading the word

4. PRAYER!

To partner with the Garrett family for this and other mission work, visit:

www.touchingnationstoday.org/donate

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Or, for checks:

The Garretts

c/o Touching Nations Today #3068

19387 Hidden Oaks Dr

Brooksville FL 34604

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Grab a cup of coffee and let's catch up...

Welcome to our new blog home! Most of you follow us on FB or receive our email newsletters. This blog will be used as a supplement to those methods and a place where we can include more content without having to send an email all the time.

We hope you enjoy this post as it should help to catch us up on everything from the end of our expedition season, to the retreat we just hosted for our team of pastors, and what's in store for us here in Tanzania!

Now!
The 2014 Annual Village Pastor's Retreat just ended. This year's title: "Building What Will Last." It was awesome. Take a look:

Worshiping in the presence of God was one of the central themes of the week.

This is our gang of village changers!

Local church leaders and our village pastors were together for Saturday's seminar.

Janet (far left in white) awaits her time to preach at MMPT Kibrizi Church.

Pastor Daniel with Sadok (pictured left to right) who just received the guitar we were able to bless him with after her led us in worship.

Janet and Nikki taking a stroll next to Lake Tanganyika.

Now that the retreat is over, here's what we're up to:

• The local seminar on Paul's Epistle to the Romans kicks off teaching and training season. Currently John and Nikki are preparing for teaching over the course of the next 5 months which begins with staff and team members, and reaches local schools, village pastors, and beyond. Subjects include Biblical studies, medical training, and vocational training.
• Ibrahim's farm will have 3 hectares developed and planted for this rain season.
• Mzee Josiah is about to finish his first semester of Bible school!
• Steve and Javen are getting treatment and rest while itinerating back in the USA, as they were the victims of a village roof collapse.

Soon To Come.
Ministry plans for the next 6 months, the prospect of digging some wells, and a teaching base!?


 ...So in the video we forgot to mention the wells! In short, we have an opportunity to dig a well in one of our staff member's villages and are in the process of looking for a well driller who can handle the job. If it comes together "well" (no pun intended), we might be able to follow it up with several more...so we will let you know how it goes!

In Review...
Expedition season started fast and ended faster! A month before we planned on ending expeditions, a roof collapsed while being installed on the church in Kamabwensofu, with Steve, Javen, and a fellow missionary dropping with it. They are now home and recovering well in the USA. But up to that point, we touched 7 different villages in ministry this year, and began sustained ministry programs in 5 of them. It was also another year of establishing solid foundations which have now set the stage for a real push into discipleship work that is beginning with teaching and training now in this rain season and will continue through 2015. Here are a few photo highlights...

 It was incredible to introduce Ibrahim to his new motorcycle.

 Getting to participate in CFaN's massive gospel crusade in Bujumbura with Ibrahim was a special time that has stretched our vision.

River passages were the common theme of this year's early expedition season, as our new set of recovery gear got us through places we couldn't previously pass.

 In Missanga we were able to cultivate a deeper relationship with the village and believers there; and for the first time Pastor Daniel (center, in the white and green) was a part of our Annual Village Pastor's Retreat.

Back in August we began investing in a savings match program for Ibrahim to develop some farmland and generate a means of sustainable income for his family's future. 

20 students through Section 1 of our Village First Response and First Aid Course this year.

Nikki, the kids, and Tryphone (far left) with a family we were able to support after their father died with tuition grants in exchange for bringing our medical seminar to their son's school!

Overall, it has been a very productive year. Although we always feel that there is room for more, and opportunities to get more effective and efficient, we have seen the hand of God touch many and open more doors this year that will help to continue and grow the work of the gospel in Tanzania.

Thank you for Sharing this with us and for your prayer and partnership which makes this possible!

To partner with us or donate, mail checks to:

Touching Nations Today (3068)

19387 Hidden Oaks Dr

Brooksville FL 34604

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