Praises:

That our adoption paperwork is finished and has been sent to our agency. The next step is for them to hand carry it to Vietnam. Then, after a few months, we will receive a profile and a picture of our child.

That many people are
coming to faith in the
Middle East and His
Kingdom is advancing.

For His continued mercy, grace and blessings. That He always provides for all of our needs.

Prayer Requests:

For our adoption paperwork to arrive safely in Vietnam and that we would be matched with
our child quickly.

For the plans for the
African follow-up videos—that He would give Eric and his team wisdom and make the details come together, so we will be ready to film in January and February

Verse of the month:

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”
1 Chronicles 16:8

More Adventures

This newsletter is a continuation of our two part trip in September. Last month we shared with you about Eric’s trip to India and how the videos he produced have been having a tremendous impact in the ministry of our Indian staff.

The week after India, we both traveled to a conference in an undisclosed Middle Eastern country (for security reasons we cannot name the location). Our staff gathered for the conference to talk about their ministry and creating strategic plans for the upcoming year. We were invited to participate in these meetings to help them to determine solutions for their follow-up needs. This was also a historic meeting in that it was the first time that many of the wives participated! It was really exciting!

The main focus of the meeting was to share what God is doing through the newest Jesus film video entitled, Magdalena: Released from Shame. This video shares the story of Jesus through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. In the movie, Mary Magdalene highlights stories of Jesus interacting with women, such as the story of the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery. Our staff in the region requested this film be made to show women that God values them as much as He does men. In many parts of the world, women are seen as second-class citizens or worse. They are abused, shamed and have no hope. This video not only reaches out to them to share Christ’s love and ministers to them, but also to teach their children about Christ, which is impacting future generations for His glory!

Each day of the conference, we heard stories from every country about how women and men are responding to the film. The Lord is touching their hearts as they watch Jesus’ care and compassion for women. It is giving women worth, hope and esteem while teaching men to value their wives. We felt great joy listening to the stories and hearing about what He is doing in the region through this new film.

Even though we were encouraged to hear these reports, we were struck with the reality of how widespread false religions are becoming as we visited the city. As Christians, we were definitely the minority! There are 1500 mosques, compared to about 100 churches and 25 synagogues in the city. As we walked through the shops, daily prayers were being chanted over the loudspeakers. It was haunting and sad to see firsthand, the huge amount of souls who are lost without Jesus.

There is an urgent need in this area of the world for culturally relevant follow-up materials. For the first time, they are planning on how they can reach and disciple women who can, in turn go out to reach other women. We spent time brainstorming with men and women, separately, about how we can effectively disciple new Christians and reach out to people who are interested in Christianity in areas where it is illegal or “strongly discouraged” to be a Christian. It was awesome to see both groups excitedly coming up with ideas on how to accomplish these tasks. Our discipleship team has their work cut out for them in this area of the world alone!

Please continue to pray for our staff as they work amid very difficult conditions in their countries. They each talked about the challenges they face, and urgently asked us several times to remember them in prayer. Our hearts have been forever touched by the experiences we had.

Serving Him with you,