Jul. 8, 2007 - Happy Sabbath!

We were able to talk a bit with Number One Son this morning, which was Sunday night his time.  Thankfully, after he got home from work last night (they work 5 1/2 to 6 days a week), he had a little time to himself.  He was so exhausted that he slept really late this morning, but was able to attend an "official" church this evening.  It was a blessing just to worship with other believers, regardless of the circumstances.  Last time he was there, he was able to buy a bilingual hymnal with about 400 hymns in English and the target language - a mixture of Western and indigenous hymns - a great blessing!  Please pray that those who are seeking will speedily find the true church and get the discipleship they need.  Our friends in the true church there tell us that there is a desperate need for discipleship.

You see, we live in a Christianity-informed culture.  The culture these folks are in has been in opposition to God for millenia and the past century has brought a succession of weird cultural experiments, most of which turned the God-created order all topsy-turvy.  So, when a family comes to Christ, they not must deal with the reformation of their life and habit as new creatures, but often, they don't know where to begin with all of it - their work, their family, everything. 

"I knew everything about being a parent, then I became one," the old joke goes, but what if you have never known a Christian family?  What if you have no idea what God expects of you as a parent - or an employee.  I know we all must deal with that to some degree, but I don't think we realize how hard it is for someone coming from a totally non-Christian culture - I learned a lot of the Word of God at my mother's knee, long before I knew him - many new believers in closed cultures have never heard the Word at all.  Pray for them!  And pray for leaders and elders to be raised up!