Syria: Day 2

Sun, Apr 26, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Subject - Syria: Day 2

Hey y'all!

First, thanks so much for the encouraging emails full of support, and P's. Also, the boys are thrilled with the sports updates! ;-)

Today was another incredible day. We went to the church where John Card delivered a message on the Great Commission. He also spoke on Matthew 28 (great commission verse) and also Acts 1:8. I know God was using him to reach many. Pastor Rami also spoke (who is Joun's brother in law, Pastor Samara's son in law), and was so incredibly passionate. He too spoke on spreading God's word. The service was in Arabic and so encouraging. I met many Iraqi women shortly after the service. They are so kind, and love the Lord so much! It was so encouraging. I know I will be interacting more with them as the week progresses.

Shortly after the church service, we went to St. Anania's house. We actually stood in the exact room where Paul's conversion took place; the exact place where the scales fell from his eyes; the exact place where Saul became Paul; it was so incredibly surreal. We learned a lot of history about Paul and Anania's today. We also prayed in Anania's house, and had our devotion time there. It was truly amazing. We all took plenty of pictures, and I even picked up a few items written in Aramaic.

We then went to the old wall, where Paul was lowered in a basket to escape the city. It was from that escape that Christianity was able to spread. We also had devotion and prayer time at this spot, which was truly moving. The Lord has been stirring all of our hearts in many ways. There are 7 gates to Damascus (old city) and we have seen 4 of the 7, in fact, our hotel is right outside one of them. It is such a blessing to see all of this first hand. The scriptures just seem to come alive in such a different way, being here and seeing where it all took place.

We then had lunch at the church, which was also great. The food here is outstanding! In fact, we all often eat too much! :-) After lunch we went to Ul Mayyad mosque. It used to be a church, and it was so very sad to see how it has turned. It was predominantly a Shiite mosque, as Hussein (which they would call their equivalent to Jesus - as the tour guide instructed) has a tomb there. Words cannot describe the sorrow I felt for these people, you could really feel the absence of Jesus all around the place. We, the women, had to dress in traditional covering (head covering and all) just to enter the mosque. Also, Krazer and Russell had to wear long gray skirts because they were wearing shorts, just to enter the mosque. We definitely took plenty of pics of that! ;-) They also claim that the head of John the Baptist is buried there, however, many are skeptical.

We then went to the market for some shopping. We were able to bargain several prices of souvenirs and such down, with the help of Fadi! :-) What a chaotic place!

Last night we went to the top of a mountain overlooking the city, to pray for the city of Damascus. That was a pivotal moment for many in our group. Just being convicted to be more black and white about our faith, stepping out of the gray area. Being more committed to living out of faith; being intentional in our faith - how important that is, and actually doing something with our faith. It was very empowering and inspiring, to just get out there and "do something" for God. God can move a revival through any city, He can use us anywhere at anytime - even Houston, Texas. :-) We prayed out loud on the street at the top of the mountain, and were totally unafraid and vulnerable before God. It was awesome.

Tomorrow we start out lessons with the kids. Please P for that. Also, tomorrow night I will be giving a message to the women's ministry group at the church. Card has given me some advice on putting together a message for the women, as this will be my first time putting together a message to teach to a group of people, ever. :-) Please send up some p's for that if you can! I think I may pull some stuff from Proverbs 31, which has always been a huge impact on my life.

Thanks so much again for all your support, encouragement, and p's. Please keep them coming! Shoutouts: Kristin says "what's up Rima, hello mom and dad!" That’s all for now! Our team is tired after today, so we are in need of rest. Please p for the Lord to keep us energized! Esp with the little energetic kids! :)

Blessings,
Kristina