Rejoice!

Being in ministry it is so important to remember that there are many who are sharing the gospel message and that God is always working in amazing ways, even though it is not always through us. I have learned that here at the Shelter - it is a blessing to rejoice with a fellow staff member when he or she has a great conversation with a guest, there is no need to be jealous or to make comparisons because all glory and honor and boasting should be pointed to God. Therefore, I rejoice with Christina Cameron - a super fun staff member from the States - she has an amazing story to share about a guest that is staying at the hostel. She wrote a journal entry about it and I asked if I could just copy her entry for you to read. This took place on Friday night, after we got back from doing a picture scavenger hunt outreach activity with guests. Little did we know what God had in store. . .

I'm in a daze. Our Lord Jesus Christ is absolutely amazing.
After the outreach tonight I gave a short talk about how if we seek the Lord we will find Him. I read from Matthew 7. As I went to walk out of the cafe, a young guy stopped me and said "Can I ask you some questions?" I said of course.
He asked, "Who is Jesus? tell me about Jesus" I wasn't sure where to start or what his back ground was so I started telling him about the divide between us and God and how Jesus bridges that divide. I told him how Jesus died and with him died the sins of the world but he defeated them and became alive again. Then he said something that surprised me. He told me that he was from a Muslim country and that the Muslims there tell him that Jesus (Isa) is dead but he knows that Isa is not dead because he is alive in his heart!!!!
He found a Christian website in his language and I think he said that there was a Christian there that told him in secret about Christ. He told me someone saw him looking at the website and he was beaten in the streets just for looking. He showed me the scars on his face from it. His home was searched and they found a bible and they left with it. He was warned by his neighbor about a week later that some men were waiting in his house to kill him and he didn't return and immediately fled the country. He's here as a refugee.
He pleaded with me, "teach me! teach me! I don't know anything about the bible!" He'd only read it in Urdu, which is a language he doesn't know that well. He was SO thrilled to learn that there was an Old and New Testament and the difference and that there are four gospels and a book about people being persecuted as they spread the gospel and then so many letters of instruction, explanation and encouragement. He read along in his language and I pointed him to encouraging scripture.
I was so overwhelmed and I asked him if I could pray for him right there and he said "yes! how do i pray? do I close my eyes?"
I cried as he told me the stories of what he's been through. Both of his parents killed by bombs in a war when he was 14. Yet he shines with the love of God. He said he knows God is keeping him alive and sent him to a Christian hostel so that he can learn about Him. I felt like a spiritual child next to this man who hung onto every word i had to say.
I don't know I don't know what else to say. Praise be to the Lord our God for holding this guy so close to Him. Praise Him for being Holy, loving, merciful, powerful amazing lovely and beautiful. I KNOW my God, the Creator of the ends of the earth! He is real, He is stunning He is alive His Word, His Son is alive. There is nothing, nothing, nothing else besides Him.
oh but there is so much more to this story. He may have to go back. He will surely be killed if he does. He smiled and shrugged as he told me this. Pray for this man. never stop praying for him. I'll update later.

Amazing, huh?! I rejoice with this man as well as with Christina and how the Lord planned for this conversation to happen. More over I know that our Heavenly Father rejoices in his new child, made complete in Christ alone. I am so encouraged and challenged by this, what a joy it is to share in ministry with many of you and I pray that reading this has increased your wonder of the God we serve and how majestic He is - may you be spurred on as I have been!