I am incredibly humbled that the Lord has been using me like He has. Where can I start?
Personally:
I am incredibly blessed to be surrounded by a great number of friends who have been challenging me to share the gospel here in the states. God has provided at least one opportunity every week since I got back from El Salvador to share the gospel with strangers and friends alike. It is an incredibly good thing to be fulfilling the great commission of Jesus Christ. The joy I've found in obedience to the Lord's command is inexpressibly wonderful. I hope and pray that the Lord is driving each one of you towards this end as well. There is no greater pleasure to be had on this earth than serving our King and loving the lost.
Summer Missions in El Salvador and Honduras:
This past summer, we spent a month in El Salvador and Honduras building a house for the widow of Miguel, a dear brother in Christ. The widow's plight was incredible, she was raising her five young children alone and in the squalor of a tiny mud hut with a dirt floor. But because of our construction efforts, she is now raising her children in a sturdy concrete structure. And because the team of people who came down was so large, we had the opportunity to preach the gospel door to door and house to house throughout the village while the construction continued. It was an interesting challenge being the primary translator on many of the house visits, but the Lord somehow enabled me time and time again to translate His words clearly in Spanish. God is incredibly faithful, because my Spanish still needs quite a bit of work. (As in, a complete overhaul, but who's counting?)
International Student Ministry:
With the end of the summer and the beginning of school, the international student ministry is once again in full swing. Earlier this month, I found myself sitting down to lunch around a table laughing and talking with people from four different countries: Saudi Arabia, Syria, Brazil, and Germany. And as a result of that lunch, the Lord has graciously allowed a dialogue to continue with the young men from Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Today, the student from Saudi Arabia requested that we meet just one more time before I leave for Nigeria. Note that his hunger for friendship and for a discussion of faith is so great that he is the one asking me if there is room in my schedule.
Truly the fields are ripe for harvest in the international student ministry. The students are starved for friendship and family so much so that a Muslim will go out of his way to meet with a Christian who has continually preached the gospel to him.
Every time we meet, our discussion turns to matters of faith, and we have not had a discussion shorter than two hours. Every discussion we end up discussing the Holy Scriptures and getting into deep conversations about the truths of the Bible.
Please pray for my friend, that God would bring him to a knowledge of his truth.
Nigeria:
Tomorrow, I will also be leaving for Nigeria for twelve days. I am excited about the prospects of continuing my ministry in a country that has completely captured my heart. Yes, the food is terrible and the climate is hot, but the Lord has given me an incredible heart for the Nigerian people and their desperate need for both physical and spiritual help. This trip, we will be training up godly men in all of the new churches that have sprung up as a result of the ministry. Two of the three churches are in Muslim communities. One of the communities has completely turned to Jesus Christ, and the other is in the process of receiving the message. Please pray that the Lord continues to show the ministry incredible favor and that He continues to protect his church there.
In addition, we will also continue to meet the physical needs of the poorest of the poor and to orphans. Check out the video below for a summary of our work in Nigeria:
When I return, I hope to bring back more stories of how God is working in the hearts of the people of Nigeria. I have never been so excited about a trip as I have for this one, and I have no idea if it just my external circumstances or if the Lord is planning to use us for something powerful this time. In any case, please pray that we would be bold in sharing the gospel and that God would give us the right words of compassion and truth to share with the people we encounter.
I apologize as I have only written a short account of the things that are going on, but I have yet to even begin packing for my trip (and it's already 1:00 AM). I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight.
Please let me know if you have any questions about how you can personally get involved in the ministry.
Psalm 44:6-8
I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
but You give us victory over our enemies,
You put our adversaries to shame.
In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
Grace and peace to you all,
Paul
