The new school has started since I last updated you. They are an amazing bunch, and are already bonding very well! They get along great. We had our first week on Hearing the Voice of God, which everyone loved. Our usual speaker came and lectured/ran workshops for this. They loved it and learned a lot while also being inspired hearing what prayer does globally, stories so big that people read the answers to their specific prayers in the newspaper!
After just one week we went off and had some training on reaching out to Muslims and then did some evangelism to Muslims. These are the most beautiful, gentle and amazing people I've ever met. At the same time this is one of the few times I feel very comfortable being quite confrontational in evangelism. Muslims LOVE talking about faith and religion and will bring it up easily with you. They will talk about heaven...hell, judgement, things you can't talk as easily with other people about. They love an intense discussion and will comment that you must not believe in your God, or be very passionate about what you believe unless you get into the discussion as well. So we had some good debates and discussions with them, learnt a lot about apologetics to Islam, etc... What is even more amazing is at the end you are still able to laugh and joke with each other and get a coffee...I talk to one group for over an hour, it was intense, about Jesus as the Son of God and the Trinity. Then afterward I gave them hugs and said "I don't tell you these things to be right, or win a discussion, but because on judgement day I want to walk through the gates of heaven with you and celebrate for eternity with God. They laughed as I put my arm around them and pretended to walk through the gates of heaven.
The entire school was amazing considering it was their second week, they engaged in conversation and really shared Jesus with the people. They also had a lot of mindsets about Muslims shattered, seeing as most of them came from America. They loved the week.
At one point I was praying about the week and felt like God wanted us to pray into the night more and have prayer and worship going on downtown during the outreach. So we went downtown and while some were sharing their faith, a small group of other were praying and worshiping. I started at the prayer station and at this point no one had got saved and relatoinships were still just being built. But tonight as we prayed I had a man come up to me and say "I like your drums, we have hand drums like that where I am from in Persia, I want to be a Christian".
This man escaped the Islamic government in Iran and lived in Auckland, NZ for two years. He was vacationing and I bumped into him. He said that he has seen what Islam does to a nation and has thought about being a Christian before, but watching us worshiping and sharing with people he said that he has never seen such love and he said "they are such good people, YOU are such a good person.." So I shared with him what accepting Jesus meant and the gospel. Then prayed with him. I told him to find a church when he gets home and he said that he will, but he is moving to Brisbane in 6 months and wanted my number. Then he asked if when he came to Brisbane I could find him a church. I said yes, I actually work with churches and he got so excited and said "really? that is great, you will find me a good one then?". I told him I definitely would then he gave me his number and said if I come to New Zealand in a few months, he will quit his job early and travel New Zealand with me and I can stay at his home anything I need or want he will take care of it. He is married and has three kids. That was pretty exciting and powerful to hear what us worshiping in public did for him.
Also, I met a Sikh named Ravi, we are good friends now, and God is moving in huge ways in his life. He needs Jesus, but already knows God is out there. My friend Justin and I prayed for him and got words for him, after both he got teary eyed and we know God had spoken to him through us. Then we gave him a bible and prayed for him and again he cried. This was over 4 or 5 days! I am still keeping in touch with him. He promised that he would read the bible seeing as I gave him my personal one. Then he will email me with questions about what he is reading.
I guess there are two main things that were really powerful this week. One is that countries that get brainwashed by their governments and religions finally had their theology shaken by outside sources. We constantly have people opposing Christianity in the West, and so we have a check and balance to some degree. But these countries only get fed propaganda and dogma. They will admit this, but when they leave their country we can share with them without any threat of death. And they can choose to know God and return to be lights in their own nations, no matter how closed, God can impact EVERY nation on earth.
Secondly, 20 people on this new school were inspired to go deeper with God, to love nations and cultures more than ever before and their hearts honestly broke for people who don't know Jesus and can't have any assurance of salvation! It was a powerful week all round, one I won't soon forget!
Thanks for all of your prayers and support! Love you all!
Adam
