Plowing and  Sowing. Our teams do a lot of this kind of work in tough places. We train them very specifically that the work of sowing seeds, even when you don’t get to see fruit, is significant. And our students have to cling to this biblical truth throughout their time overseas. There is joy to be found in God allowing you to sow seeds, but we all long for the harvest. Please pray for our Northern Africa team to find joy in the work God has given them. And pray that they will continue to be faithful no matter the response they get. 

Things are still going well over here! I think our overwhelming request right now would just be that we would not burn out. It can be hard to keep an eternal mindset when the days are long, and we don’t see immediate fruit. We take rest in knowing that we are playing a small role in a much larger story, but we still ask for prs of strength, perseverance, and wisdom during this time.

Our friend, “H”, that we met on the tram a while back invited us to a Pizza Hut dinner with her and her twin sister (where else would you take your American friends, right?). We were very excited about this meeting, and it actually turned out to be one of our most in-depth religous discussions. While the girls are not really seeking, they had a deeper understanding of Islam and Christianity than any of the other women we have talked with. We got to share the full story with these girls, but they couldn’t get past JC being more than a prophet. The conversation was good, and we pr that at the very least it will encourage them to seek more. The girls agreed that they should read the Word to know more, so we hope to see them again soon to give them a copy. Please continue to pr for “H” and for her sister (also “H”).

Something we talk about often is how we have to be ready in the in-between moments to meet and engage with people. The other day, after we had spent a good amount of time meeting people, we were tired and ready to head back to our apartment. I feel like it’s always in the times when we’re tired and kind of done for the day when cool things happen. This particular day I got to talk to a girl on our tram ride home. The conversation was not particularly out of the ordinary, but one thing she said was particularly encouraging. She explained to me that she was a Muslim, and I explained to her why I follow JC. She wasn’t moved by the presentation of truth, but she was very excited to tell me she had another friend at school who was a follower as well. What an encouragement to hear of seeds that have already been planted in this friend’s life! Please pr with us that seeds would grow, and for continued truth to be spoken to this friend.

As the summer has progressed we have had more and more opportunities to share truth with people. Praise Father! We have taken a lot of joy in sharing, but it can also be disheartening to hear similar stories from so many different people. We continue to ask for cultural walls to be broken down, and for people to seek truth in spite of what they’ve grown up hearing.

I want to continue to thank you for joining us with your prs! We believe that apart from the Father we can do nothing, and that pushes us to pr.