Notes from Asia

The woman with the light brown skin and colourful calf-length skirt put her hands together in a prayer gesture and lifted them to her chin, greeting me in the traditional way. "Hello!" she said to me in her language. "Hello," I replied shyly, utilizing the only phrase of the local language that I know and remember!

My bare feet slapping on the cool tile floor, I went inside the church and sat on a plastic chair at the back of the room, next to some other young people, and tried to make some sense of all that the preacher was saying. I couldn't! One lady, who spoke English a little, told me that the text was from Ecclesiasties 3, and so I looked down at the Bible in my lap and writhed in frustration. I wish I had the gift of tongues!!

I joined my fellow SMs and some other Engish speakers for Sabbath potluck, which was sticky rice and various sauces and vegetables. To eat potluck here, you take a big scoop of sticky rice and fashion it into smaller "cups", with which you scoop up the other food.

My team here has done so much to make me feel welcome and at home, which I really appreciate with all the changes I have to get used to. But this is a beautiful city, full of fascinating things. There are elaborate temples on almost every corner, coloured red and gold, with large idols at the gates and smaller ones carved into the walls and roof corners. Small "houses" or altars to ancestral or territorial spirits sit at some street corners or houses. There are beautiful red and pink flowers, tall coconut trees and deep green plants wherever you look. Almost everyone here rides a motorcycle wherever they need, and the traffic laws are very...flexible!! As one of my team mates told me, "You need to drive defensively if you don't want to get killed!!"

Please continue to pray for me. I'm sure I'll go through some culture shock at some point, and I have many expectations to live up to and jobs to accomplish. In the moments when I can't communicate and everything seems a bit too different, I remind myself that God called me here. He has some plan. And that's enough for me.

Aha!

So today, January 27 at 23:26 (it's almost tomorrow!), I discover this ARISE class of 08 blogg. I didn't know of it's existence nor that I was a member of it. A lot of statements I've read about blogging make so much more sense now. Anyway. This will be a brief message from me as I really need sleep. I've been studying these last couple of weeks, my exam is on Friday. Being back home is good, but I also quickly learned that not all of my "old" problems were solved at ARISE. I still have serious issues with managing my time so please pray for me. On the plus side, I've become more aware of where I keep falling, Jesus is working on me.

I fully planned to go to bed at 9:30 today but then the bible (boot camp style) study on the Word of God that I had with my sisters and cousins started late and then ended late which is why I'm still up. When we started the study my cousin asked me what the point of this study was since she already believed in the Bible. You all should have seen her as she was learning about the claims the bible makes and the proof that supports those claims. She is very excited about this one and is determined to get the rest of them as well. On a side note, the dutch translation I was reading completely threw me off my game. In Dan 2:5 it didn't say anything about the king forgetting the dream. Thats a free tip from me to all of you (esp you foreigners): make sure your translations says what your teaching :) .

To everyone that has left me messages but has not heard from me yet, I still know and love you all. After my exam you shall surely here of me.

I'm praying for all of you still!

Zippora

Discouraged

I've been struggling. For the past couple of weeks I've been going through some dark valleys in my Christian experience. Sometimes there's seemed to be a wall between me and and real communion God, and I don't know what to do about it. I'm finding it hard to get up in time to have a meaningful devotional and prayer life. Sometimes, when I've been reading or hearing certain stories, I ask myself if I could go through the suffering these people do for my beliefs. And I don't think I could. I hate that, because I really want to stand strong for God no matter what... I want to really, deeply believe what I believe so that it's worth more than life to me. So please just pray for me.

prayers are important!

Hey to all, it's so good to read things here.. I pray for you Ben, Sara and James - and for all the ones that didn't write anything specific too : ) Please pray for me so God can really show me where he wants me to be the next 6 months. I could work in Bogenhofen in the girls torm, or stay here and work for my home church (what would desperatly be needed) or go to Graz and work there and do Bibleworking part time... or come back to the states and to bibleworking there : )
I've been home now for exactly a week, and it was nice because my little nephew Michael was born and I spend a lot of time at my sister's place taking care of the children. But I have the feeling that I didn't really do anything for a week, I would love to go on outreach or something like that, pray that I can encourage my church and find people that are missionfocused, that want to go out and be missionaries, and not just members. Being back at my home church the first time last sabbath was a little shock for me, there were just 20 people, they all sort of told me to "calm down"... well, God needs to do a lot here in Austria, pray for revival, not only here but everywhere - we want to see our LORD coming in the clouds soon, Amen? : )

Love you all guys, I'm praying for you, just let me know if there's something special I can pray for! God bless you sisters and brothers!
your austrian sister

Bible work

Hey guys looks like my Bible work for the year at my local church has approved, please pray I can serve God effectively in this year.

Also please continue to pray for my friend Annie, she was Adventist all her life and knows God's word, but she has recently thrown off all restraint and is drinking and sleeping around. I have tried talking to her but I'm afraid only the Holy Spirit can do anything now.

You guys are in my thoughts all the time, all the best with your projects!

Ben, so glad to hear your Mum is ok, that would be a hard cross to bear.

love ya's all
James

Update On My Mother

Hello my family,

I just wanted to give you an update on my mother. She's out of the hospital. All the test results came in and it appears that she doesn't have heart disease. It looks to be a blood problem--which isn't quite as serious and a bit easier to treat. I just want to say thank you for your prayers and support. It means a whole lot to me and to my mother as well. Thank you especially to all of you who sent emails. It really helped. God bless you all.

So Much Love,

-Ben

hey guys!
i also want to ask you to pray for a family in australia, they are friends of the family and their little boy, alex, 8 yrs old has brain canser and they are not sure if hes gonna survive or not! please pray for him and also his little brother who has severe stomach problems and that their parents will find strength from on high to go through what they are going through right now!
thanks a million!
sara

URGENT -- Major Prayer Request...

Hey everyone, this morning I got a message from my mom that she had seen out family doctor and that he said she needed to have tests done for her heart. This afternoon I received another message that she had been admitted having stress tests to see what's happening with her heart.

I don't know what to think or do. I should have updates by tomorrow. For me this just feels like Deja Vu. My maternal grandmother, who died of congestive heart failure, was first taken to the hospital within two weeks of me leaving town for a long trip. Now, in just over a week of arriving at Miracle Meadows, it just seems ironic to have my mother going in for heart problems. I just don't like the feeling right now.

Anyways, thanks for the prayers, guys. I love you all

Devotions - be the salt!!!

Hey family,

I totally agree David!!! Read what I found today:

“Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour it is impossible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. We cannot give to others that which we do not ourselves possess. (and now:!!) It is in proportion to our own devotion and consecration to Christ that we exert an influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind. If there is no actual service, no genuine love, no reality of experience, there is no power to help, no connection with heaven, no savor of Christ in the life. Unless the Holy Spirit can use us as agents through whom to communicate to the world the truth as it is in Jesus, we are as salt that has lost its savor and is entirely worthless.” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 37)

I was just sitting in the airplane when I read that, and we were about to depart, when I had that impression: pray with this guy sitting next to you. I looked at him, I just had said “hey” first, that was it, well, and he is about my age, and GOD – you really want me to ask him if he wants to pray with me!?! That’s embarrassing. Wait a second: Are you ashamed of the gospel of Christ? No Lord, I … don’t want to be. Please help me not to have this pride, this selfishness – okay, I ask him.
Simple question, simple answer: Yes : ) that was a great little experience for me today.

Be the salt – GOD NEEDS US!!!!

keep up those devotions!!

wowlio you guys, i've just been super blessed the last few days.  the other night i was in devotions for an extra long while, and it was such a huge blessing!  it was really great to be in the Word just really seeking God for real.  seriously, let's keep each other accountable to keep studying, because that's our only sure map in this life.  i've been reading the book Christ's Object Lessons, and that's been phenomenal!  say, if you haven't listened to the Pathways of the Pioneers cd series, you've GOTTA check them out!!  what a blessing!  you can listen to them for free by clicking the link or just copying it from here: http://www.whiteestate.org/pathways/pioneers.asp let's lift each other up in prayer too and do our best to maintain those goals we wrote out for ourselves, especially since most of us are starting college or work or whatever we're doing this week.  GB everyone!

Psalm 32:8/Psalm 34

Remember: "The safest place in the whole world is in the center of God's will."

-David Fernandez