March Part 4-Oman

MARCH PART 4: Oman

    The reason and the goal for coming to Oman on this trip was to ensure that all was in place for the team of 7 that will be coming in June.  I excited about the team, as I am every team and every project to this region.  This team is made up of people God called (of course), many of them are dear friends, several of them have never been to this region and a couple this, is their first mission trip.  So I want to ensure that I can make sure everything on my part is ready and then to “trust the Lord that He will do the rest.”   Any time you bring a team over to a region where it is illegal to share Jesus, you are walking on eggshells, not only for the team but more importantly for the people that invite you to come.  So lots of preparation is needed along with lots God. 

    I arrived on Tuesday, late in the evening; after another day of flying.  So the final planning really started on Wednesday.  On Wednesday, we went through the daily plans of what a day will look like for the team.  Since we will be working with churches, will they be ready and will the team get to participate in services.  And yes, I have 2 Pastors coming and they are probably going to be speaking in multiple services on Friday and the two Sundays that we are here.  So it was a fantastic day of planning. 

   There are always visits when I come over and this was no exception.  These visits are with identified “seekers” and a time of sharing.  Tonight we met with Adem (who invited us), his friend Sieb, and with Haleb.  Amazing time with them sharing, talking, laughing and eating fresh fish and octopus.  The visit lasted for almost 3 hours and when we left, we left them with information and a Bible passage about love.  It is always good to leave them with God’s word.

    So today is Thursday and it is my last full day here.  We got all the planning done and then we went for a visit out in one of the remote villages to meet with a seeker.  What a visit it was!!!!  There were lots of questions, lots of answers, and a man who is on the verge of making a decision.  We arrived at the village with the man being very nervous and anxious of our visit.  We headed to a place away from the village where we could speak about the truth.  Upon arriving at the place, you could just tell that he was still nervous, and on edge.  His first question to us was:  Who created Earth?  Interesting way to begin our conversation, from there the conversation quickly went were most of the conversations go with a man of his faith, who is Jesus?   About 3 hours later we left the meeting, but over the course of the meeting you count see him become more relaxed and at ease with both of us.  He is not there yet, but there is a cost here to becoming a believer…a HUGE COST.  But he is seeking the truth and I know it will be very soon.

      Tomorrow is Friday here and it is church in the morning, back to complete packing and then to head to the airport for about 35 hours of transit back to California.  I know many of you have been following this, praying for me, and my word can never express how grateful I am that you are and were praying.  This is not the final blog of the trip but the final blog of the reports to you about what God has done, is doing and is going to do in the future in this region.  The final blog will come when I arrive home and am able to tell you the rest of the story of today and how your prayers were felt today in a situation of my own making.  There is your hint.  Again thank you for blessing me with your prayers, love and all you do for my family and me.