I've always loved listening to people in our
congregation reporting back from their trips
overseas.
My head is always buzzing with the
usual questions and an eagerness to hear about
the footprints that God has been leaving all
around the World. As I returned from Morocco,
I was faced with the same, welcomed questions;
"What was the weather like? Could you eat
the food? Were the people friendly? Could you
cope with the language barrier? And what about
the infamous taxi journeys, did you survive
them ok?”
As I reflect on my short, but purposeful week in
Morocco, two words come to mind -
"challenging" and
"significant." The trip was
challenging for me on so many levels. On many
stages of our journey, I was completely thrown
out of my comfort zone into a culture so
different from our own. Yes, eating snails was
a challenge. Getting stranded in the Sahara
Desert in 40 degree temperatures was
challenging. Trekking through the Atlas
Mountains on a Mule was challenging.
Communicating with the locals with a few
Arabic phrases and some ‘A’ Level French
phrases was challenging. Yet, above and beyond
those memorable and challenging incidences
along the way, I believe God had something
more significant to say.
We spent a week in Morocco with one of the long term
workers there, whose attitude, lifestyle and
heart for Jesus and the Muslim people
challenged each one of us. We spent many hours
listening to our friend share what God has
been doing in Morocco in the lives of the
local people through him and his family. We
watched him meet and greet the people as
friends. We enjoyed Mint tea and
cakes with the women who have many
questions about life and religion. We prayed
for him as he took a step of faith and handed
out Bibles to the men who sit along the
boarders every day. And we sympathised with
him when he shared of the daily struggle they
face of winning these people to Jesus, and his
challenge that even some of us would join
them. The Muslim call to prayer rings out
around this country five times every day, and
we watched many people flock to their local
Mosque to pray to "Allah," in the hope that they
will earn his favour by doing so. Sometimes we
felt hopeless. The need is too great! Can we
really make a difference?
And yet in the midst of our
frustrations, God quietly whispers and reminds
us of His Son Jesus, who died for ALL THE
WORLD.
Jesus paid it all that we could know His Father. In
light of this He asks us to
"Go and make disciples of ALL
nations” (Matthew 28 v. 19). In Morocco, and
many Muslim nations, the harvest is plentiful
but the workers are few.
Please remember to pray for the long
term workers in Morocco, that God would
sustain them daily.
Let’s pray as a church that God would continue to
guide us in what part we should play in His
plan for Morocco, and last of all, ourselves,
that each of us would be open for God to use
in the fulfilment of
His masterplan.
|
I've always loved listening to people in our
congregation reporting back from their trips overseas.
My head is always buzzing with the usual
questions and an eagerness to hear about the
footprints that God has been leaving all around the
World. As I returned from North Africa, I was faced
with the same, welcomed questions; "What was the
weather like? Could you eat the food? Were the people
friendly? Could you cope with the language barrier?
And what about the infamous taxi journeys, did you
survive them ok?”
As I reflect on my short, but purposeful week, two
words come to mind - "challenging" and
"significant." The trip was challenging for
me on so many levels. On many stages of our journey, I
was completely thrown out of my comfort zone into a
culture so different from our own. Yes, eating snails
was a challenge. Getting stranded in the Sahara Desert
in 40 degree temperatures was challenging. Trekking
through the mountains on a mule was challenging.
Communicating with the locals with a few Arabic
phrases and some ‘A’ Level French phrases was
challenging. Yet, above and beyond those memorable and
challenging incidences along the way, I believe God
had something more significant to say.
We spent a week in North Africa with one of the long
term workers there, whose attitude, lifestyle and
heart for Jesus and the local people challenged each
one of us. We spent many hours listening to our friend
share what God has been doing through him and his
family. We watched him meet and greet the people as
friends. We enjoyed mint tea and
cakes with the women who have many questions
about life and religion. We prayed for him as he took
a step of faith and handed out Bibles to the men who
sit along the boarders every day. And we sympathised
with him when he shared of the daily struggle they
face of winning these people to Jesus, and his
challenge that even some of us would join them. The
call to prayer rings out around this country five
times every day, and we watched many people flock to
pray to "Allah," in the hope that they will earn his favour by doing so.
Sometimes we felt hopeless. The need is too great! Can
we really make a difference?
And yet in the midst of our frustrations, God
quietly whispers and reminds us of His Son Jesus, who
died for ALL THE WORLD.
Jesus paid it all that we could know His Father. In
light of this He asks us to
"Go and make disciples of ALL nations”
(Matthew 28 v. 19). In North Africa the harvest is
plentiful but the workers are few.
Please remember to pray for the long term
workers there, that God would sustain them daily.
|
