Blog Journal

I saw a video this morning and was so totally excited; so completely inspired that I am on fire with anticipation by what God has done, is doing and what is yet to come! Please take 5 minutes and watch, and don’t be surprised if you catch a spark in your hair just before you…
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Ramadan 2013 has ended. For those of you who faithfully followed this blog over the 30 days and joined me in a season of prayer for Muslim people, thank you. The stories shared in this daily prayer guide are true. They were given me by people who live or recently visited North Africa, Middle East,…
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Mona and Ahmed are the middle children in a family of ten who live with their parents, grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins in a small two bedroom flat. Mona and Ahmed both have significant physicals disabilities and their families brought them to the disabled center seeking help for their precious children. Unlike the majority of…
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A day rarely passes without a beggar at my door. Most are women; they have nothing in their homes to cook with for that day. They didn’t yesterday and won’t tomorrow. They will return home today to a house full of hungry, malnourished children. When medical needs arise, they only have an inefficient government system…
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Blue flip-flops. Hour after hour. Mile after mile. Through boulder fields and thorny underbrush. Up and down mountain passes, never a complaint never a whiny moment. Only humming and singing and constant jibber jabber. That’s the picture of Asan, a man I met at the bottom of the mountains and followed to the top. His…
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An area of the United States that I’ll call “Arab Town” is home to at least 8,000 people. A hundred years ago, many were brought to Arab Town to work in factories. Many people in developing countries have idealized America in their heads; all 8,000 of these people know better. Some work hard hours and…
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Matthew is not typical; he is well educated and speaks English well too. He is married with a little boy and a little girl. Unlike most he only wants two children; and unlike most men in this culture, he really helps at home-he cooks and helps taking care of his children. He wants a better…
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A few years ago a Follower of Jesus, frustrated with the limited success he was having in spreading the gospel in [Oman], decided to go where no one else dared to go. The road was long and tiresome, and he had plenty of time to chat with God. Not knowing the area and people, he…
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Nancy is an upbeat 19 year old student.  It is remarkable that she has a positive spirit after losing her father at a young age and then living through a Revolution that caused her to live in fear of going outside and kept her from school for a year.  And yet, she happily invited us…
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The joke is that Helen must be 300 years old.  She is a very small, shriveled-up woman always ready to speak her mind.  I met her when we were new in the neighborhood.  I opened our gate and found her standing very near our door; to my surprise she immediately began fussing at me.  Even…
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