Ever since this summer, & also this winter break, there have been two experiences that have influenced & have motivated me more than anything else in my decision to spend a year in the Middle East after I graduate. Here I want to share with you both of those experiences! The first happened one day when I was riding the Metro, AKA: the subway, & also part of my testimony that I'd shared at our Cru weekly meeting. The second was during a series of a couple of days this winter break (during the TCX conference) which I shared in an email to my discipler; this one is the edited version. ^_^ Here goes!
This really, truly hit me during our
second week when I was on the Metro, sitting by two women who had their heads
covered with two little girls on their laps. Both of the girls smiled at me,
& I smiled back at them. As I was listening to the song Oceans by Hillsong (my daily routine on my way to campus) & looked at them, it hit me: They will most likely grow up the rest of
their lives never hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, being forced to believe
that God will never love them & that they will never be good enough, having
no chance to go to Heaven. That broke my heart & it still does today. There
is this urgency, & I personally have a duty to go back to the Middle East.
They need to know & they need to hear the truth.
...
Throughout the entire conference
of TCX (Twin Cities Experience, put on by Cru), God spoke to me time & time again; the ways that He really spoke to me were through prayer, but mostly through
those speaking. One speaker that had impacted me greatly this year was a
woman named Amani Mustafa, who was from Egypt & had previously believed in
Islam before becoming a Christian. She told many stories of her ministry towards Muslim people, targeted at
women & men in the Middle East. The ministry that she does is through a television show, sharing the gospel & talking through it with people that call in. Her stories that she shared were incredible! As she spoke, God placed on my heart time & time again a stronger desire
to see both my Muslim & non-Muslim friends that I had made on my trip this past summer in
the Middle East. A few things stuck out to me most, especially when she said,
“What is going on in the Middle East is bringing
people to Christ.” Which is so true! One thing that she had said after that
was this: “There is hunger for Christ, and truth is being told.” This is
something that I saw clearly this summer, as I shared Christ with those on
campus at the university. The more she spoke, the more God
confirmed it to me: I need to go back & share the love of Christ with the
people of the Middle East, specifically in the country that I had gone to this summer. The Lord
reassured me of this through Amani Mustafa, as she had said, “The bravery He
puts on your heart will change the world.” And I know that He can use me to change the world - to impact the world for Christ. Another confirmation was made during the
breakout session for 4th Journey, when I saw several people come
into the room, interested in going there on Summer Mission or for STINT. Seeing people from all over the area, including people from the FM area, was one of the most encouraging experiences that I've had in regards to people going to 4J. A handful of others from my team this summer & I all made the decision to go back (I specifically want to go in the fall
of 2016), God placing a longing in all of our hearts to go back & tell the
truth to those that need to hear it.
It's been quite the whirlwind in regards to this decision, & I know that it's a huge one. What I know most is that it will all be worth it - that I am making the right choice! Until then, I ask for prayers of persistence & also financial support, the latter being my most difficult aspect of going a year & a half from now. God is faithful.
