Our little boy is officially one year old now! Silas' first birthday was a special day for all of us. It was a time to celebrate everything that the Father has blessed us with this past year. We had a big celebration at our house and we invited all of our friends. In total, there were around 25 people who came to Silas' party. It was a great opportunity to build relationships with our neighbors as we invited many of them to come to the party. Getting people into our home has been challenging. We were greatly encouraged when so many of the people that we invited actually showed up for Silas' party. We had a great time getting to entertain and fellowship with all those who attended the party. We continue to thank our Father everyday for delivering Silas from such a serious situation in the days following his birth. Knowing what Silas went through makes special days, like birthdays, especially sweet and joyful. Also, knowing what Silas went through helps me to m*nister to those who have experienced loss with greater understanding. I met a man named Peter this month who had lost his son to a land mine in the Middle East. I was so heart broken for him. I met him in the city center. When I first saw him, he was visibly distraught and he had the smell of alcohol on his breath. We began talking and he shared with me that his life is in shambles. After his son was killed, he and his wife separated. Then he became addicted to alcohol. I shared with him my story about Silas' birth and his close encounter with death. I then shared some wisdom with him that I had gained from watching the recently released movie Courageous. I briefly described the plot of the movie to him and how the man in the movie copes with his daughter's death by the comfort that our Father gives. I assured him that there is hope for his life and that the Father can bring healing to his heart. Peter began to weep. I then shared the G*spel with him. We pr@yed together and then we parted ways. It was such a blessing to be able to help this hurting man. I had literally just watched the film Courageous three days before meeting Peter. Some of our family in the States sent the movie to us for us to watch. The content of this movie was still fresh on my mind when I met Peter. Then I was able to help Peter through what I had seen. It truly was a d*vine appointment. I was also encouraged by another encounter that I had with a different man this month. Every Wednesday night I help a local fellowship with a m*nistry that they have to the community. On one of these nights, I felt lead to show up a little bit early so that I could stand out in front of this ch*rch so that I could talk to people passing by. I stood out in front of the ch*rch for one hour with little success (or so I thought). Then I met a man at the Wednesday night m*nistry who was fired up because he had just been able to share his personal testimony with a local South Asian man. After he got done telling us about how the Father had opened up a door for him to share with this man, he proceeded to tell us that the man he spoke with told him that "some American guy" had given him the J film just minutes before their conversation. I laughed and told him that I was the one who handed him the J film. It really encouraged us a lot because we both caught a glimpse into what the Father was doing "behind the scenes."
Pr@yer Requests:
1. Silas is sick right now with an infection in his chest.
2. Pr@y that Peter would see his great need of the Father. Pr@y that the Father would bring healing to the pain that was caused by his son's death.
3. Pr@y for the South Asian man who received a J film from me and then heard my friend's testimony shortly after.
4. Pr@y that the Father would continue to open up doors for us to talk with people. It has been particularly challenging to m*nister to people this past month. Most people are not interest in talking with us at all. We are always on the outlook for an open door to step through.
