Dear friends and family,
Although less so in our city—we are still seeing the effects of the earthquake throughout the country. Our team has made trips to the affected areas and helped distribute tents, toilets, and small privacy cabinets for people to take bucket showers with. A connection with a Christian couple in the earthquake region has allowed us to regularly deliver supplies and take the time to encourage and pray with this couple.
This is an amazing opportunity for us to support the local church body, and for them to step into a place of leadership and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
During Easter time, we hosted an “experience a Christian holiday” meal and invited anyone who wanted to learn more about Easter. We had 6 guests show up, and a local believer was able to share why we celebrate Easter and how it is connected to Passover and to Jesus. It was a fun time with food, laughing, 3 different languages being used, and sharing the importance of Easter. Several guests were surprised that it isn’t about coloured eggs, as they previously thought!
The month of April also brought Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world fast and seek Allah. This year, because of the earthquakes, many people were fasting, afraid of Allah’s judgment. We celebrated Eid with our neighbors and broke the fast with them and all 100 of their relatives!
Another change in our life happened about two months ago when we invited a Turkish believer to live with us. This has been an amazing opportunity for language and cultural learning (she speaks very little English) and we have had many conversations about Turkish views and perspectives. She is also younger in her faith, and we are privileged to help disciple her, read scripture, pray together, and demonstrate God’s love. Of course, there have been challenges, so please pray for us as we navigate through all the difficulties and learning experiences that come up through living together.
Prayer Points:
- That we would have wisdom in choosing how to spend our time and energy effectively
- For our roommate, that she would grow in her knowledge and understanding of God’s love and her calling
- For our language learning, that it would continue to grow quickly
Biking is one of our main ways of transportation!
Until All Know Him,
