Getting to Know Mohammed

As I got on the plane to Brussels, I found my seat, stowed my bag and sat down.  I'd pulled out a book, my Bible and journal, figuring I would read a little before sleeping the rest of the seven-hour flight.  If I slept this first long flight and stayed awake on the second, I'd be on schedule when I arrived.  Little did I know I'd spend the next four hours talking to the African man next to me about Islam, Jesus, forgiveness and Christianity.

Mohammed quickly introduced himself after I sat down. He's from Guinea, has worked in Sierra Leone, studied in Germany and Spain, and now lives in the U.S. He was coming from Tennessee, where he now lives with his wife and five children, ranging in age from 12 to 27.

We had briefly shared about our religious backgrounds.  He asked me about the purpose of my trip but I told him I was just visiting friends (to be consistent with my visa).  I closed my eyes so ready to rest and started praying, asking God to just lead me in what to share and asking that if I had been too vague in sharing the purpose of my trip, that he would tell me what to share.

I didn't even have to open my eyes before Mohammed says, "There's this famous atheist writer… do you know of him?" (He was referring to Christopher Hitchens.) "He is very sick with cancer, and he just doesn't believe there is any God.  I can't believe some people believe that there is nothing more than this and that God did not create us.  It's so sad that some people go to hell."

Talk about an opening!!!!

So we spent the next four hours going back and forth, most of the time with me asking him about Islam and genuinely trying to fit the pieces together but being honest when I didn't think it added up.

Eventually, he brought up natural disasters. He suggested I watch National Geographic and then think about how powerful God is and the fact that he will use natural disasters to destroy the people who don't love him.

I told him I believe God is powerful enough to do that but that I don't think he will destroy the earth like that.  "For example," I said. "In the story of Noah, God promised he would never flood the earth again."

"Did you read that in the Bible or did someone just tell you that?" Mohammed asked me.

"It's in the Bible," I said. "I can show you."

And all of a sudden we were reading God's covenant out of Genesis.  Mohammed asked me to read it out loud to him.

Later, Mohammed mentioned a few times that no one could know God, and as he was telling me about the prophet Mohammed in Islam, he said that the prophet Mohammed was the only one who really was with God.

I asked him about Adam or when God revealed himself to Moses.  Mohammed pointed out that God was speaking to Moses when he gave him the 10 commandments, but I told him I was talking about when God let Moses see Him after he passed by and so we looked up the story in the Bible and this time Mohammed read it out loud!!!

This story got me excited to think about how powerful God is and how close Moses got to be to Him, and the great thing about Mohammed was it was completely comfortable to show him my excitement in the Lord.

I told him one of the things I love about God is that He is relational.  He cares about relationship and that He tells us we will seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart.  While we can't completely understand Him, He does choose to reveal Himself to us.

Mohammed could not stop himself from saying his god (Allah) is good.   "God is wonderful," he would say over and over.

I told him I bet he'd like Psalm 136 and turned to it and read the first few verses to him.  I told him he made me think of this passage.

The overwhelming thing to me about this man was that he loves who he thinks God is.  And my heart just kept thinking of Paul in Acts 17, sharing, what you worship as something unknown, I know who He is!!!

So many of the things Mohammed believes are true of Allah are true of God.  And yet there was such a void, especially in the area of forgiveness and eternal life and trusting God's character.  Mohammed thinks god can do whatever he wants but that he is not necessarily just or fair.  When I started asking about this, he said he couldn't answer out of fear that he would sin.

I'm sure this post is driving some of you mad, especially those who are well-versed in theology and apologetics.  I know I'm pretty inadequate in this area.  But I do believe this conversation was a blessing from God. And the thing is, the Gospel of Jesus was shared and God's word was spoken and read, and God says His word will not return void!

So I don't know what His purpose was in this meeting, but I'm excited that I had the chance to meet Mohammed that I had the chance to experience that conversation with God.

Mohammed said he was so glad god worked it out so that our paths crossed.  I said I was too and that it was very good to talk to him.

"It was excellent talking with you," he said.

Leaving

(written Tuesday)

"For I am the Lord, your God,

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, "Do not fear;

I will help you."  -Isaiah 41:13

I'm leaving DC now for Brussels, and I am excited!  Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement.  I have felt SO supported in getting ready for this trip.  Thank you so much to those of you who have stopped and prayed with me or for me in the last few days. I'm so glad you're a part of this journey with me!

I really can't believe how calm and at peace I've felt—and that's how I can tell you've been praying, because if it was in my own strength, I'd be freaking out.

A couple of things that have encouraged me…

I read this in the prayer sheet I edited Monday morning:

"We will never be satisfied with knowing about God…we are satisfied only with our experience of God."  -Charles Price

And this, Psalm 62: 11-12a:

"One thing God has spoken,

two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong,

and that you, O Lord, are loving."

I'm excited to see how He will allow me to experience Him and those He loves. Please keep praying!

Burundi

I made it to Burundi safely last night (Wednesday afternoon U.S. time), and I was able to find my hosts at the airport quickly :)

I have a couple more things written from the trip but they will have to wait til my computer's cooperating.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Visas!

Visas are in hand!!!  Yay!  Thanks for praying for this.  It's a relief to have my passport with my visas for Burundi and Mozambique back before the weekend!

I posted new stories to the OMS website today-- the biggest work thing on my to-do list before leaving.  You can check them out here!

Now, it's off to Cbus to share a little about some opportunities to give in response to poverty.

OneWeekend and pics from Btown

OneWeekend is only five days away!!!  This weekend-long retreat is an awesome opportunity to deepen your relationship with Jesus, unpack how God might be calling you to missions, and get a clearer understanding of what it's like to be a missionary, as well as the many different ways you might fit in!


It was such a gift to volunteer during part of the first OneWeekend event in Nov. 2010, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for this weekend. 


Please be praying for us (the team facilitating the weekend) and for the 15 participants who will be arriving Friday and staying on OMS campus until Sunday afternoon.  We are praying for five more participants to come this weekend, so if you are interested, please contact me!  

In January, I had the opportunity to go to IU Christian Student Fellowship to share about this opportunity at Encounter, their Thursday night worship service.  I'm so excited that two of the students are already registered for OneWeekend, and we are hoping to see a few more :)


It was snowing so hard that night that I remember my co-workers worrying about me as I headed to Bloomington, but I left this trip feeling so nourished and just reminded that God knows just what we need.  I went down to make an announcement, but left feeling fed... He is good!  The women in the picture below are some of my spiritual sisters...they are quality and deep-- just being around them filled me up!!!  But having the chance to worship, hear Chris' sermon on Romans 10 and connect with supporters and friends made it that much better!

The next day I was able to catch up with my bro over Runcible breakfast...yum!  I stopped by a friend and supporter's home on my way out of town.  I think it had been months since I'd seen Mark and Cindy (and their kids pictured below), but they are dear friends and the first family I lived with while starting to raise support with OMS.  Cindy discipled me during my last couple of years at IU!  What started as a quick visit quickly turned into dinner and then helping put the kids to bed and then heartfelt conversation about some tough stuff and then prayer and then before I knew it...an extra night in Btown.
All this may seem everyday to you, but to me, it is just an example of one of my favorite things-- deep friendship and relationships that God gives us to nourish and encourage us in who He is!!!!  It's easy for me to write this tonight even a few weeks later, because I am finishing this weekend feeling the same way...so thankful for time with good friends, for my church family, for how He has provided!  Praying tonight that He will provide the same for you, too.
"I find myself praying for you with a glad heart." Philippians 1:4