Loong Week!

Well, I now have a new roommate! Yay! Rebecca got in Wednesday afternoon from the airport in Casablanca, although her luggage was lost. I moved into a new house, so I am getting adapted to the way things work over there.
Thursday, we took our first arabic class together, so that was fun. I think our teacher is going to have fun for the next few weeks. Just pray that we will learn more.
Saturdayday was crazy! We left our city at 8 to go to Casablanca to pick up my roomie's luggage--by train! So, it took 6 hours to get to the airport, then 2 hours to find her stuff, and then another 6hours home. It was a long and tiring day.
This morning's service was really awesome! I loved the fact that they were not afraid of singing out for the Lord. They were loud and just loved praising Him. It was really awesome, and they have 2 dozen believers as well. God is good!

Continue praying for me as I am here serving Him these last few weeks. Pray that God would get the glory through me, but also pray that I would be all here and that I would hear what the Lord has for me. Thank you for your prayers for me; I have heard that many people are praying for me and the work here, and for that I thank you!

A Sad Goodbye

Yesterday all my roommates left to go back to the States. It was a hard goodbye, but I know that I am still here for a purpose. Tomorrow I am going to Casablanca to pick up my nect roommate, so that will be exciting!

She and I will be teaching English together and following up on the contacts we made before she came, and also making new friendships. (In addition to teaching basic English classes I teach a business English Class as well.)

Please pray for me as this 6weeks will be much more different than the first 6weeks. I will be learning how to live like a real adult, if that makes any sense. I can't depend on others to talk or do things for me, I have to learn to do it for myself. And there are other lessons I am learning as well; lessons that God is teaching me through His Word.

One lesson I am learning from God is that every day I have to put on the armor of Light here in this city. The armor of Light is Christ. Every day I have to put Him on, so to speak. I must rely on Him and Him alone.

I do appreciate all the prayers and keep them going to Heaven!

Week Looong Trip

We just returned from a week long trip touring different parts of the country. We were in cities and villages. I really enjoyed the village. It was much different than I expected. The people were very nice and shared with us what they had, which wasn't a whole whole lot.

While in the village, one of the believers told us a little bit about what Muslims believe about life after death. It was very moving. We were standing around the grave of his father. His father heard the Gospel, but never accepted It. The next day I was on a train and I saw a village and then I saw a graveyard. Those people most likely never heard the Gospel ever. It was very impacting to me. I get to go to a wonderful church and get to live in a free country where I can hear it every Sunday, but they don't. They won't ever hear unless someone goes and tells them.

This isn't a huge long post, but I just want to ask that you pray that God would send someone to these people. Our friend encouraged us to pray that if the Lord wanted you here to direct the way, but if He didn't then to send someone else. That's my prayer right now. My heart was touched by the sights of what I saw this week, but I know that God is working and His will will be done.

Glory to His name!!!

The day I asked you to pray for Miriam, God worked a miracle. It is only through Him that Miriam accepted Christ as her personal Savior!!!!!!!!!! The day after she made this huge decision, I saw her and she was just so happy and joyful. She told our friend that people at her work had noticed a difference in her. God is so good! I am so thankful to be here this summer!!!

Continue to pray for me. Tomorrow I will be spending time with a teen girl and her mother. She will be teaching me how to make CousCous. Pray that I would have the words to say when they ask me questions. Thanks again for all you support and prayers!!

Shards of Glass

This morning I got to class a few minutes early, so I decided to do some things on my computer. Well, my friend and I were in the middle of checking emails and all of a sudden we hear a loud crash and glass shatter!! Honestly I didn't think too much about it because we have crazy neighbors. Then I see 2 of the other students come out asking for a cloth or bandana that they could have. Then I see the problem....one of the guy students came out with a bleeding arm! The glass had cut his arm terribly!! The teacher and the other students helped get a tee-shirt tied around his arm to help stop the bleeding. So, then they eventually get him to the hospital, and praise the Lord he only had to get a few stitches!! So, that is an answer to prayer!

On a more serious note, I do ask that you pray for our friend Miriam. Tonight, our friends are going to share the Gospel with her again. She has a lot of questions, but she has told us already that "she could believe" what we believe! Amen, God is so good! He is working in many hearts, I really believe.

Keep praying for us as we are here spreading His glory! I know that through your prayers God is working!! So keep on keeping on!!

Cake Baking

Yesterday, we took the believers to a place 45minutes away from where we live. Basically it was out in the middle of the woods somewhere. Two weeks ago, the man started a series from Ecclesiastes, but all of it I can't understand anyways because it's not in my language. Last night, though, he spoke to us college students about what he spoke to the believers about that morning. He spoke from Ecc 3. Basically the whole point of his message was that to everything there is a purpose. God is doing everything for a reason. The preacher gave an example of a cake. Like a cake you don't put all the ingredients in at once; you add one thing then add something else and so on and so forth. I am the cake and God is the Baker. God is adding ingredients to my life little by little until I am ready for the task He has for me. For instance, this trip is another ingredient of my life. I am learning new things about God and the plans He has for me and not my own plans. There are times in my life that I am like it's not fair, why do they already have that and I don't!! But, there is a reason why I don't and that reason is so I can glorify Him. So, that was one part that was really cool about the message. The other part was our responsibility to God. We are to rejoice in His doings, and we are to trust that He knows what's best.

I know for me I am learning things every day, and one of those things is simply trusting in the Lord. I hope this short recap of the message I heard last night helps someone else as it has helped and encouraged me.

Only in North Africa with some White Chicas.....

Ok, so only in North Africa with some white girls would a day like today happen!!!

So this morning we get up thinking that we are going to a nearby village again with some of our college age friends. Well, we get to the bus station and get on a bus for a nearby village. Everything is going great- other than we were an hour late. So, on the bus ride my friend and I start a conversation with the N Africans sitting next to us. By the end of the "30 minute" ride---turned into an hour--- they were in love with us, especially my friend. So, they ask us to go to their house!! And we want to so the other girls were like "sure for a little while". This was at like 2. We didn't get to their house until 3. We took a bus to their "bus stop". All the bus stop was, was the side of the road. Then the way to their house was even crazier!!....we had to walk at least a mile through a HUGE field, up hills, through cow and donkey droppings. It was not pleasant, to say the least. But when we got there, the people were so friendly! They bought little snacks for us to eat and they made us Mint Tea. It was really nice. And while I helped in the kitchen, the other girls had a chance to witness to our friends who we brought with us! Praise the Lord! So, we ended up leaving their house at 4:30, and we ended up getting down to the road at 5:30!!! Craziness!! And when we got to the road, there were no taxis or buses! So, we ended up hitchhiking!! It was great; we were all so tired but the guy let us ride in the back of his truck!! So, we finally get back to civilization and we get a ride in a glorified minivan. The thing only was supposed to hold maybe 20 people, but we fit at least 25. So, we were jam-packed in the vehicle for an hour! It was bad! My legs were very much squished after that trip!

After all of this happening, I am thankful that we were able to do that. We were able to share the Gospel with all of our friends. We also had a great cultural experience! I will never forget it, that's for sure!!

Summary of a few days....

Ok, so Sunday was so incredibly awesome! The other half of the church here came to where my group is at to have church. In total there were over 20 people, 12 of them being North African believers!!! It was an awesome sight to see and amazing to hear their voices singing to the one, true God!
Sunday evening I went to meet a few college age students with another girl from the group, which turned into us meeting 2 teenagers! I don't know what it is, but the Lord has been sending teen girls in my path to talk to, and all of them are 15 years old. It's sad but so true that these girls are just like some of the girls I know in America. They're whole purpose for living is for pleasure or they're drifting and waiting for Prince Charming to say the right thing to them. But I am excited because these girls and I might be able to meet up again on Sunday afternoon at McDonalds. Just pray that God would give me wisdom in how I handle the whole situation with them, because they are Muslim teenagers, so I'm sure their parents would not appreciate me telling their kids about the Lord. But, it could be a good thing, because if it effects them it may effect their parents. I know God will work everything out in this situation, but pray that He will give me wisdom to say and do the right things.

The other teen girl I met, I actually went to her house on this past Tuesday. It was really funny because I thought she was at least 20, but when I saw her I knew she would be younger and she told me she was 15. But she is a sweetheart! And her mother was there too, which she helped me with a few Arabic phrases. This is the awesome part!!...They invited me back tomorrow at 3 and she is going to teach me how to make Mint Tea (which is the best tea here in N Africa). Also, they invited me over to their house again next Friday to eat CouCous, which Muslims only eat this on Fridays. So, the Lord has been blessing me with meeting people lately, praise His name!!

Yesterday, we went to Spain which was really fun! And honestly, I was a little nervous, but everything was fine! We walked over the border, which was interesting with the passport patrol people. We got in fine. Basically, we just walked in. While we were there we ate several authentic Spanish cuisine (which made my stomach just lovely). We ate octopus, duck, chicken heart, chicken, sausage stuff, crab salad, and stuff that was like tuna fish. It was definitely not extremely filling to say the least. Afterwards, we passed out John and Romans to Muslims on the street (at least we tried). Some took them but others didn't. I had one guy flat out tell me "no I am a Muslim, I believe in Mohammed". It just made me want to shove it in his face and say this is the truth!!! But I know that if I do that then it just turns them off easier.

June 2nd

Today was a great day! I met 3 new people today!!...
The one was a follow up visit with a girl I met last night in our Apartment Building. I met her and her mother. She is only 15, so it was a little weird at first. But, I asked her to teach me how to make Mint Tea, so I am going to her house on Friday for her to teach me. Then next Friday they invited me to eat CousCous with them. So, there is a friendship starting to form with her family.
The other 2 I met this evening at McDonald's. They were also only 15, but they told me they hang out a lot! They knew quite a bit of English, which helped me talk to them about teenage things in general. And they seemed very fun and excited that I-an American- would even talk to them. So, I think we are going to meet up again in the near future.
I also went with another friend of mine to meet 4 college-age students at a cafe. They are a lot of fun! We laughed a lot of the time! I hope and pray we can continue a good friendship with them and that in the Lord's time we will be able to share the Gospel with all of them.

Time Change

Ok, so the time changes during the summer in North Africa. This morning I was awakened by the other girls who had gotten up due to the fact that our "house-mom" told us that there was a time change last night!! So, actually we all woke up an hour later than what we actually thought. So, 2 of the girls were late for Arabic class and the other one was late for teaching an English class!

And for my Arabic class, we discussed what our teacher believes in. It was a very interesting discussion. I didn't really say a whole lot, mainly because I don't care for discussions, but the others in my class did a great job. I was just there as a praying friend. Seriously keep our teacher in your prayers as you pray for myself and the other students. I really believe that the Lord is doing a work in his heart, but because he grew up Muslim there are a lot of things we need God to break down. (Some of his beliefs, we need God to break down.) He is open to what we have to say, but there are just some things that we don't agree on, which make it very difficult to talk about.

Tonight, my friend and I discussed Motivation in our English class. Our students answered the questions very well. (Some of them I was like wow that's great!) But, I can just see how they do things so they will feel good and to make their names great. I guess that may be because of how they've been raised-Muslim. But there were some questions that they answered, and I was like wow!! It put me to shame.

Continue to pray for me while I am here. Pray that I would make friends with some girls here, and pray that I would be able to witness to some of them. Before I close, I will tell you about the experience I had with a girl named Sara. She's a college-aged student; she's a true college-aged girl. So, another friend and I talked to her and another girl named Nora. While my friend talked to Nora, I was able to talk to Sara a little bit. I tried explaining Christ to her. I could tell though that she really didn't want to hear about the Lord at that point. Just pray that the Lord would soften her heart to the Gospel. Her name is Sara.