Near East 2009

Evangelism in the Square

2009-06-29T02:05:00.001-04:00

The past few days have been very interesting for me. I have been a part of a team that is doing Evangelism in this large public area. I have been able to talk with many people because so many know English. I am amazed at how pervasive Islam is in the people's lives. Many times the people will quote things that they have been told about the Quran that are simply not true. They have said the Muhammad is perfect and sinless, yet that is no where in the Quran. They have also said that they can have their sins forgiven by going on the Hajj. No where does the Quran say your sins can be forgiven for sure. The best hope they have in their own book is to have enough good deeds to outweigh the bad. With all of this said, the Muslims have been very open to discussions for the most part, We hand out free literature from the car and so lots of people have the word of God to read now. The team that goes down to this large area right now consists of two interns and myself all from the states as well as two men that live in the city, one for six years now and the other has been here 26 years.

There is great need for prayer and one young man is really hard on my heart.

-------Ayman is 18 years old and about to enter the University. He is an Atheist from a Muslim family. I was so impressed by him because He has questioned the beliefs of the people around him while so many have blind faith. We discussed all kinds of philosophical arguments about God. He had read Nietzche and even American atheists like Dawkins. We had great discussions and he promised to read the Bible for me. I gave him my email and told him to email if he has questions. Pray the the Holy Spirit shows the Word to him and that the Lord would reveal himself to Ayman.

Honor and Shame

2009-06-22T01:28:00.002-04:00

Some of you may have already heard of the term "Honor and Shame" culture. This is in contrast to the western culture which is based on "Guilt and Innocence". We have an understanding of both honor and shame but we do not fully understand the influence these ideals have on the middle eastern thinker. This is sometimes why we have a hard time understanding some of the intricacies of the Bible. It was written in this same shame based culture and spending the past five weeks here has revealed so many new details to stories I have read countless times. We have difficulty understanding people from many eastern lands because of this basic difference in worldview. These ideologies map how we see our worlds and neither is better or worse they are simply neutral beliefs, or more accurately foundations to beliefs. I have seen this so clearly here.

We were speaking with a family of Shia Muslims and one of the young women, who was not very religious, i.e. head uncovered, etc..., was very defensive of her Islamic heritage. We did not begin by saying anything about Islam or her beliefs. We were simply speaking about life and our personal convictions about Jesus. She immediately felt the need to defend Islam and defend her "honor", which is intricately intwined to their religion and culture. We would ask questions and then she would respond in question; much like Jesus would. She was never angry but it was interesting how she defended something she was quite clearly not following. A Muslim women would never be in the presence of a male without a head covering and she would be very slow to speak to a man, much less argue. In the west we would have tried to weigh "right and wrong" beliefs but here that was not at all the primary purpose.

The blessing of the night was that a young believer, family member to the girl arguing, was able to see the character of Jesus directly contrasted with Islam and Muhammad. The father was also very open to discussions. We will continue to pray for them and the opportunity to see them again in the future. I think that a better understanding of honor and shame would go along way in our view of the Middle East.

Sharing in God's Work

2009-06-15T06:37:00.000-04:00

Over the past week I have been blessed to meet many different people that are sharing in Gods work through out the near east. I have heard amazing stories and encouraging testimonies of Christ’s work among the hearts of the Muslim’s here. I am also encouraged seeing how the workers are truly united as one body in Christ no matter what company they work for. Everyone works and fellowships together, sharing the burdens and the blessings. There is so much work to be done in this part of the world but God is faithful to answer our prayers and he is working in ways that are far exceeding anyone’s understanding or expectations. Its interesting to see how the holy spirit is working in the people long before any worker meets them. There are countless stories of dreams and visions as well as stories of how Muslims have found the New Testament somewhere and began reading about Jesus. They have so many questions and seem to truly be seeking after the Lord. While these are immensely encouraging there are always reasons to pray.

> Work in the area I am has been very slow and has seen little fruit. The majority of people have little interest in spiritual matters or are too tied politically with Muslim groups to seek Jesus.

> Work among the Kurds has been very fruitful but recently there has been some persecution and spiritual warfare among the leaders in the movement. There needs to be prayer for encouragement during these struggles.

> Prayer has also begun for the start of a new Language Institute in Iraq sometime in the next year. This would be a business and therefore much more difficult to be removed. It would serve as a great means to see workers in newly opened areas of Iraq.

There is Bread and Salt Between Us

2009-06-06T03:57:00.000-04:00

This week has been a little bit slow but I have enjoyed finding time to read. We are staying in mostly and not traveling because elections here are soon and we thought it better to be safe. We are not worried anything will happen but you never know and we don’t want to get stuck in trouble. I have been able to meet some amazing people the last few days. We have spoken to a group of workers that have come here to work the fields during the summer and they are living in a camp like area with large burlap tents. The camp looks like something like the Bedouin camps I have seen in pictures. We have had the opportunity to share stories, many from the old testament. Fellowship and family is so important here I am amazed. When we met these men for the first time they had three seats and the older man gave up his seat and forced me to sit there. They also gave us coffee and water even though they clearly had little to give. The men would offer us a smoke or ask if we wanted bread and the women would serve hot tea and coffee the entire time we were talking with the men. The older gentleman seems to truly be seeking and so we are hoping to have him over to our home Sunday to show him the Jesus video in Arabic. Stories and visuals are so important to the Arab people. If we have him here and share food with him then there will be a very string bond formed. In the Arab Culture it is the ultimate token of friendship and sacrifice to eat a meal with one another. They will say “there is bread and salt between us” to show the strong ties between one another. We can even see this in Numbers 18:19 when forming a covenant. How significant it now seems to me that Jesus shared a meal with His disciples as the last thing He did and how much greater was the act of giving bread to Judas when Jesus knew He would be deceived by him. This can be very powerful to the Arab soul.

Adventures of the Soul

2009-06-01T14:06:00.001-04:00

So far the trip has been really good. I have been able to see many things that I did not think I would be able to see. While traveling I had some time alone in the city and so I was able to go do some sightseeing. I learned the Arabic needed to tell the taxi how to get back to the flat. I saw a lot Mosques that are absolutely magnificent. I am in awe of how large and beautiful they can be. There are also hundreds of them in the city and during the prayer times the Call echoes off of the building and seems to drawn out the city life. I was able to talk with some younger University students that know a lot of english. We spoke about religion and Islam and I was surprised at how much they revered Islam and yet they did not practice. Islam is so much more than a religion in the near-east. Islam is a culture and a way of life. The hold that religion has on their lives is amazing.

I was encouraged though when I met a young university student that was Kurdish. He is studying English Literature and is dreaming of Journalism. He was so different from the other young men we were talking with. He seemed to take life very seriously and question many aspects of life. I was able to give him my email address and so I hope to stay in touch. Some of the guys I am lived with are hoping to begin reading the Bible with him soon. We spent a lot of time together and watched the Barcelona vs. Manchester Utd. game at the cinema together. Please pray for him and many other University students that the guys are reaching out to.

Safe Return

2009-05-31T14:35:00.002-04:00

I am sorry that i was unable to post on my trip. I had internet but was unable to get to this blog site because the government blocks many American sites, including Facebook. I hope to be able to put up some pictures. I really had a great time traveling and have a lot of amazing stories to share. Time is short now but since I am back I will be a little more regular about posting. Thank you for your prayers, Josh.

Travel Needs

2009-05-22T10:08:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow I will be traveling with the missionary into another country here and so will need prayer for travel. We are also carrying sensitive material with us and will need prayer for that as well. I am unsure of exactly how long we will be there but somewhere around 8 days. I am doing well and have been able to read a lot. Steve you would be happy to know that I am reading The Brothers Karamazov. I figured that I would have the time. So far a bit challenging although interesting. I am interested to see where Dostoyevsky takes the story. Thank you again for your prayers. I will hopefully update again soon from the new location.

Philippians 4:11

Day One

2009-05-21T13:51:00.002-04:00

After long flights and long waits I have arrived safely. The family I am staying with are great and have been very welcoming. The country is much more beautiful than I imagined but there is a lot of remnants from the wars in the past. UN trucks are prevalent as well as the local guard so this is very strange from America. The living conditions are very nice compared to most third world countries though and I had a hot shower this morning. I am slightly jet lagged so I have been tired most of the day. I am doing well and will try to update again soon. Love you all.

God is Good

2009-05-20T08:30:00.002-04:00

So the Lord provided and now I am in the London airport waiting on my flight to the middle east. So far the trip was uneventful which I suppose is a good thing when flying. I wanted to do a quick post and say thanks to everyone for your prayers and supports. I will need your continued blessings over the next 7 weeks. Please be praying for Kayla and my parents as well. I know that this is a taxing time in their lives as well. Again thank you and I will post in the next day or two.

Philippians 3:13-14

Getting Close

2009-04-15T11:16:00.002-04:00

Ok I am starting to get really excited and at the same time a little sad. Nearly 2 months is along time to be away from the ones we love. I know though this time will most likely make me cherish them even more. I am getting in a lot of support and so I praise God for this, and also thank you all for the prayers and support. I have a credit card payment due on the 25th for the plane tickets and so I am hoping to have enough raised to cover this before then. The total for the tickets was $1,476 and so this is a major piece of the trip expenses. I will be leaving on May 19th and returning on July 3rd. Thanks again for all of the prayers and here are some areas that I are most vital at this time. I know God will be working and so I place my faith in Him; that as he provides for the birds of the air, so too, and much more, will he provide for me.

----> Prayer for safety in travel

----> Prayer for my sensitivity to the Lord's leading while overseas

----> I also would like prayer for my relationships and family, that this would be a time for growth and not only strain.

"How beautiful are feet of those who bring the goods news!" Romans 10:15

Prices and Fees

2009-03-06T17:49:00.002-05:00

-------So I recently got a quote back on the price of my flight. The best quote I have gotten so far is $1529.61 This plus the (appx.) $1500 for room and board plus food puts the total trip cost just over $3,000 dollars. Please be praying that God will provide the means for the trip which I know He will. Thanks for the prayer and support already and I will try and keep you all updated about the amounts that I have received so far. Thanks again

Terrorists Saved!!!

2009-02-22T15:02:00.003-05:00

-------I really liked this video because I think that it really shows the heart of Islam. As Christians we must be radical against a radical world. Islam is gaining ground and no political agendas will slow the march. The world needs Christians to stop being silent and to take action. Not in the sense of political protest or community development but in winning souls for the Lord. This is the only way to change the hearts of the Muslim people. "The greatest treat against the world today is not radical Islam but nominal Christians."- Joshua Lingel (Correction from Support letter) I hope you enjoy the video. To God be the Glory.

Terrorist Finds Christ

Update

2009-02-17T14:43:00.006-05:00

-------Ok so I have decided that all I am going to post for the next few weeks is any prayer concerns for the trip as well as some interesting stories and facts from the middle-east areas. I hope you all enjoy the content and when I get closer to leaving I'll blog more often. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. To God be the glory.

Start of New Semester

2009-01-19T21:54:00.009-05:00

-------I wanted to at least get one post going before I begin forgetting to post. I have to admit that this is not very natural but maybe by the time I am overseas this will be second nature. I guess I will begin by explaining the purpose of my Internship this summer.
-------I am currently in my 3rd year at Toccoa Falls College and I have one more year left to graduate. I am a Cross-Cultural Studies Major. Which essentially is worthless in the states. I am learning the intricate relationship between culture and Christianity. Learning this will hopefully allow me to be an effective missionary for Christ in the future. I do not know yet were God will call me but I feel called to the Middle-East or somewhere in South-East Asia. Part of my degree requirements is taking a 6 week internship in another culture. This is why I am going to the Near East for 6 or 7 weeks. I will obviously be working with Muslims and in a country that does not allow proselytizing and so I am not able to publish the location that I will be going to. This is mainly to protect the local full-time missionaries. I will be sending out prayer letters hopefully by the end of the week and so if you visit this blog as a result of that, let me say I am looking for support in prayer above all else. I understand times are difficult for many people and so I am not expecting financial contributions from everyone. I hope that each will give as they are able and above all else as God would have them give. I want to thank all of my friends and family for their support in my life. I do not know how well I will do at keeping this updated so do not expect too much. Thanks