Unfortunately we have been unable to login to the blog until now, and that is why the team has not been posting. Thank you for praying for us. We have had a great week!
-Travel here was good. No surprises, made our connections, layovers were short. There were even empty seats on the leg from Houston to Moscow. Room to stretch out!
-Sunday was fun! We celebrated Christmas in the village with our brothers and sisters. There was dancing, singing, and drama (like a play, not like a diva). I preached a short message on connecting the good news of the Christmas story with Jesus healing the blind man in Mark 10. He asked for mercy and Jesus made him see, and then he followed Jesus down the road.
Isn't that what being a Christ follower looks like? We ask for mercy, Jesus saves us - I once was blind but now I see, and then we follow Jesus down the road. Don't be jealous that the mission team gets to celebrate Christmas twice!
-Our Ministry Projects went really well in the village. We had a week full of great children's ministry and home visits. We were able to share Christ with many who do not believe, and even many that had never heard. We were able to visit 6 or more churches that are a part of the network of village churches. We prayed with them, sang with them, and even enjoyed spontaneous teaching on prayer, suffering, and other pertinent subjects. The children's work was a big hit too. Crafts, lessons, music, games, and more crafts!
-Today was full of cultural experiences. We started our day riding a charter boat on the Mekong to a place called Silk Island. We saw silk products made from start to finish - worm to scarf! After that we went to S21 - the genocide museum. I've been more than 5 times I'm sure, and every time it effects me in new ways. Today I met a survivor and purchased and autographed copy of his book.
-Tomorrow, we go serve our partners at Mercy Medical Clinic. We asked how we could serve them, and the clearly answered - PRAYER. I'm expecting a really special day for our team.
Some reflection on what the Lord has taught me this week:
-Blessings come in lots of shapes and sizes, and are often the opposite of what the world and we expect - even lower back pain. Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayer for very specific reasons. Maybe it is to make us compassionate? Maybe it is to remind us He is in control? Maybe it is to help us remember how important it is to go?
-It is a huge blessing to be able to go - to go, love, serve - and share Christ to men, women, and children in a totally different culture.
We have seen so many old friends, made so many new friends; we have loved, and been loved on. Like the blind man - we have seen God!
Thanks again for your prayers - Randy
