Faith in Action

One of my goals for this year is to give the youth an opportunity to put their faith in action.   How can we serve the community right here in Bahrain?  How can we demonstrate our love for God and our love for people?

Our first project was participating in a program called Feed the Need.  This organization developed recently in Bahrain to help feed hungry people.  Businesses and individuals have donated refrigerators that are set up around the country, usually near grocery stores or small food stores in villages.  Members of the community can donate food items to the fridge and anyone in need can take from it for free.  One of the reasons I love this program is because it's so simple.  Most of the items in the fridge can be purchased for 100 fills (about a quarter)--milk and juice bottles, yogurt, packages of bread, fresh fruit.  Often kids feel like they don't have anything to give, especially not financially, but this program shows that by skipping a Pepsi for one day (150 fils), you can help someone else have a meal.  So the challenge was on!  We divided the youth group into two teams, and they had one week to collect as many coins as they could.  They raised a total of 70 BD ($180+) just by saving coins!  We met on a Saturday and were able to fill four fridges with all that was collected.  What a simple and yet powerful way to show the youth that they can contribute and immediately help those in need.

DC Bahrain 2014

This is a big week for us!  Our biggest youth event of the year is here!  Desert Challenge 2014.  The theme of this year is Morphosis:  The Change Within.  We are looking at how God transforms us from the inside out through his Holy Spirit.

This is the third year we are having this event.  Two days of worship, main sessions, speakers, games, food, fun, and tons of youth!  Last year we had about 250 youth from various churches attend.  We are hoping for that again this year. Please PRAY that this event.  More than anything we want the youth to encounter the LIVING God and experience the POWER He has to transform us!

Here is a link to last year's highlight video for an idea of what DC looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deexkvY-9v0

Winter in the MIddle East

I've been reading news reports and stories of mountains of snow, endless weeks of frigid temperatures, and various "Snowpocalypse" events in different cities this winter.  It all seems so familiar yet so far away.  Sure I remember snow:  the beauty of the first snowfall of the year, driving through a forest covered in white, the sound of snow crunching underfoot.  I even have more unpleasant memories of winter:  almost freezing to death my first winter in Iowa, endless days of gray, cloudy skies, sore arms and legs after an afternoon of shoveling.  But although I remember these things, they seem more like the memory of a dream.  I can no longer feel or really grasp these things as something that is a part of my life.  This is my seventh winter overseas.  Needless to say "winter" has taken on a new definition and is filled with different sorts of memories now.  I've been working on taking pictures these last few months that really show what winter looks like here in Bahrain.  

Winter means rain.  We have no drainage, so even a little rain means a flood.  This is the street getting out of my neighborhood.  

drinking hot chocolate and wearing sweatshirts.  It is 60* after all...BRR!clouds!  summer means plain blue skies; winter means clouds :)

The mall around Christmas.  They call it Winter Wonderland.  I wonder how many of them have actually seen snow...

The snow man is my favorite.  He's dressed in traditional Arab clothes!  

 BEACH!  It's finally pleasant to sit at the beach.  No swimming though, just drinking coffee.  It's not quite Florida, but it will do.  These are traditional wooden fishing boats.  They are called dhows.  Despite being an island there are very few good beaches in Bahrain.  Most are filled with trash.  The rest have been taken over by buildings.  They continue to reclaim a lot of land as well.  A lot of fishing villages and beaches are disappearing.  

 It's finally cool enough for plants to grow!  My little balcony garden.  Right now I'm growing mint and some other random things.  Mainly I like the green.  

More clouds!  And rain clouds!

tea with fresh mint from the garden

giant marigolds

The fishing villages close up for the winter.  They will open in a few months.  

lots of outdoor markets! 

Foundations

This past month I had the opportunity to attend the YFC Staff Training School in the Czech Republic.  Throughout the week, we attended sessions about the history of YFC, different ministry models around the world, fundraising strategies, and effective ways to reach teens.  But of all the sessions, my favorites were about prayer and holy habits of a leader.  Both sessions were given by the same man--Marian, a humble, soft-spoken leader from Slovakia.  English being his second language, his speech was simple, yet so was his message.  He shared about the beginnings of YFC in Slovakia--how a group of men met for Bible study and prayer.  They were untrained, young, and inexperienced, yet God had big plans for them.  They prayed bold and daring prayers--that they would seek God above all else, and that God would use them.  Little did they know how God would answer those prayers. 

Marian shared his own personal story of how God led him to sell his house, buy a piece of land in another part of the country, and build a ranch.  Now, many years later that piece of land hosts one of the largest Christian music festivals in all of Europe, drawing a crowd of thousands!  God's plans are so much bigger than ours!

His story inspired me and resonated with what God has been teaching me lately.  Beginnings are always hard.  It's hard to know where to start, it's hard to start alone, it's hard to keep going when you see little results.  So often we want to start with action--projects, events, programs.  These things are great and often bring immediate results.  But God has been showing me that the best beginnings start with the unseen--they start in people's hearts.  They start with foundations that are laid in prayer, fasting, and spiritual disciplines.  They start with time spent in worship and communion with God.  It’s easy to brush these things aside because they aren't very tangible.  But that’s the thing about foundations:  they are underground.  You can’t see the strength of a foundation except by the sturdiness of the building, by its fruit.  The same is true in ministry.  You will only see the depth and strength of its foundation by the fruit it bears.  Now is the time to lay a strong and deep foundation.  Please join me in praying for the ministry of Youth for Christ in the Gulf.

Things to pray for:

1.      Local youth leaders in Bahrain—we've started a monthly meeting to share our experiences and pray for our youth groups and the youth of Bahrain

2.      Plans being made for our annual youth camp, Desert Challenge.  DC will be on March 28-29

3.      The country and leadership of Bahrain, especially this week as it marks the 3rd anniversary of the protests that began in 2011.

Winter in Narnia (aka Czech Republic)

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a YFC Staff Training School in the Czech Republic.  All staff who have joined within the last year are invited to attend this program, which teaches about the history of YFC, different ministry models used around the world, fundraising strategies, professional and personal work habits, and spiritual foundations.  I really enjoyed meeting fellow workers from around Europe and the Middle East and sharing stories of ministry in various contexts.  Although we are all working towards the same goal, it's fascinating to see how different ministry looks in Germany, Slovakia, Tunisia, and Spain.  I also got to enjoy the beautiful snowy landscape and frigid winter temperature.  And what winter adventure is complete without a trip to the local doctor and hospital with a case of pneumonia!  Yes, I know how to do it right!
I developed the yearly cough and cold about a week before I was to leave for Europe.  I usually get this once a year, so I wasn't too concerned.  However, ten days later, my cough persisted and was accompanied by a fever, congestion, and a general feeling of "being sick."  Since I generally don't enjoy doctors or medication, I insisted on toughing it out as best I could.  I stocked up on Tylenol to keep the fever down and continued to attend training sessions with pockets full of tissues and cough drops.  Only once I developed this obnoxious little chest pain in my ribs and lungs every time I coughed that I finally gave in and agreed to see a doctor.  Let the adventure begin!  First we needed to find someone who could drive us to the doctor.  There was a very sweet older woman who worked at the campground where we were staying who agreed to take me.  The only problem was, she didn't speak a ton of English. So first we had a meeting with the camp owner who listened to all my symptoms, and then explained in Czech what the problem was.  Then we bundled up and headed into town.  Unfortunately, the doctor didn't speak English either so after a few attempts at communication and many blank stares, we resorted to google translate to help us out.  What resulted was a 15 minute "silent" conversation where I acted out my problem, she typed something on google translate, and I nodded either my agreement or disagreement.  It was eventually decided that I had a bacterial infection that needed antibiotics.
I spent much of the next two days in bed, full of medication.  Unfortunately, as the days passed, I wasn't feeling any better.  My chest pain was worse, if anything, and I seemed to be more tired and sick than before.  So the last night of the conference, I found myself taking a midnight trip to the hospital, where thankfully I found an English speaking doctor who diagnosed me with pneumonia.  More pockets full of medicine, and I was finally on my way to getting better.
Although it wasn't what I was expecting at all, I must say, it was an enjoyable trip.  I learned a lot from the sessions I did attend, had great conversations with people of the same heart and mindset as me, and enjoyed the change in scenery.
I must admit I have taken most of these pictures from other people.  Being confined to bed is not conducive to many picture-taking opportunities.  :)

new friends at the Czech banquet on the last day

YFC Camp Immanuel (no, we did not stay in those cabins :) )

the lake

the team (minus me and my sick roommate)

at the hospital!  Getting my chest x-ray

the lake again, because it's just so pretty :)

I miss LOOKING at winter, not FEELING it.  :D 

training sessions

these frozen forests reminded me of Narnia

worship session

salt and light

At the beginning of December, we had a meeting with local youth leaders.  We talked about what we would like to see happen in youth ministry in the next year.  The overwhelming response from the leaders was we want to get involved; we want to be a part of the community; we want to serve others.  Wow!  That's fantastic.  What a great idea!  However, connecting with the local community is easier said than done.  Nonetheless, we ended the meeting by breaking into small groups for prayer.  I challenged the groups to pray for "big things".  There is no limit to what God can do, and sometimes all you need to do is simply ask.

So we asked.

And God answered.

Just a week and a half after that prayer meeting, I found myself walking into a local orphanage.  Through a completely unexpected and sudden local connection, we had arranged for the youth group at our church to host a National Day celebration at a local orphanage (National Day, December 16th is like the Fourth of July).  This had never been done before.  Getting into local organizations, especially orphanages, is extremely difficult, almost next to impossible.  But God opened an amazing door of opportunity.  We were invited to spend the morning playing with the kids and celebrating with them.  Our new local friend went above and beyond what we expected:  she found local artists who were willing to donate time and supplies for the kids to paint canvases about Bahrain.  She arranged for a jumping castle, popcorn machine, and cotton candy machine.  She brought in her talented friends to do face painting.  It was incredible.  All we had to do was ask, and God answered in ways we couldn't even imagine.

We met around 40 local kids that day.  Some were orphans; some were being raised by single mothers or extended family; most came from struggling families; few spoke English.  Yet we were invited to be a part of their lives, even if just for a day.  Our goal was simple:  be salt and light.  Love like Jesus loves.  Without words, we tried to communicate love and hope to these children who so desperately needed it.  I know our hearts were touched; we pray that theirs were too.