I sensed that she was searching for an anchor, for some stability in her life. After listening for some time to her story, and talking through ‘why’ all this suffering, and justifying that God has a purpose for her life and it doesn’t necessarily involve marriage (as the other ladies in the group were making comments in this direction earlier)…. I told her that in my experience, with all the moving around that our family has done, I sometimes feel a bit lost and blown around by the wind, but one thing that has always been an anchor for me is staying attached to the family of God, no matter where we are. I encouraged her to reconnect with the family of God, and I referred her to a group that I knew could be trusted (led by some close friends of mine). Once she returned back, she connected with this group, and found her life changing, but in a positive direction. 

The next time I saw her was 2 months later. There was a peace and calm in her spirit, a softening to the rough edges, and she was in love with her Savior. She was being mentored and restored to health spiritually. She had begun preparing for baptism. I told her there is a verse in Proverbs that says, “Good news brings healing to the bones.” It brought such joy to know she was strengthening her commitment to follow.  
Pray for Zaynab…she has been having health issues and can’t seem to get to the bottom of it.  She still has to work hard in spite of these health issues to make ends meet (her family is poor). Please pray for her. Thankful she has a solid community of believers around her.

Zaynab’s Lament

يا ربي عارفة أنا مقصرة و منيش متذكرتك و منيش إمسلمتلك « أمري و منيش إنشوف في رحمتك

O Lord, I know that I am broken and that I have not remembered you and that I have not surrendered myself to you completely and that I don’t see your mercy.

عارفة أنا بعيدة عليك و عارفة أنا خليت الدنيا أكبر همومي

I know that I am far from you, and I know that I have let the world increase my burdens.

عارفة أنا تغلبت و ضعت و ماعادش عارفة وين نمشي ،

I know that my life has been turned upside down and that I’m lost, and that I no longer know where I am going.

حاسة روحي ورقة في مهب الريح و يمكن هذا يلي أنت اتحب اتوصلهولي باش اترجعني لحضنك ، باش إتفهمني يلي داري و ملجئي و حصني هوما أنت موش الناس

I feel like a bit of paper blowing in the wind and maybe that is what is needed to bring me back to you, to your embrace, to help me understand that

you are my home, my Saviour, my Refuge, you are all of this to me, not people.

معندي علاه حتى نتذمر حتى كان الذنب موش كلو ذنبي

There is no reason to complain, or blame you even though the guilt is not all mine.

أنا مخترتش ولادتي و اسمي و ديني و عقيدتي مخترتش بلادي ولا قدري ولا ناسي ، مخترتش نكون حتى أنثى ، مخترتش عائلتي ، لكن اختيار إني نكون تحت جناحك هو الاختيار يلي مفماش حتى شك فيه أنو اختياري

I did not choose my birth, or my name, or my religion, or my ‘creed’. I did not choose my country, or my destiny, or my people. I didn’t choose to be a woman. I did not choose my family, but the choice to be under the shadow of your wings, this is the choice that leaves me without a doubt.

يا ربي ضيعت الثنية ليك موش عارفه كيفاه نمشيلك

O Lord, I’ve lost the way back to you, I don’t know how to get there.

موش عارفة كيفاه نرجعلك موش عارفة أنت وين … موش عارفة طريقي وين

I don’t know how to get back to you, I don’t know where you are, I don’t know where my way is.

يا ربي إذا كان قدري انعيش فاشلة و تعيسة

Oh Lord, if my destiny is to be miserable and a failure, teach me how to accept it

علمني نتعايش مع نقصي ، علمني نتونس بيك في ظلام ليلي ،

Teach me how to live with my limitations, show me how to stay close to you in the dark of my night.

علمني إنخرج مني النسخة الاصلية لبنت الملك

Teach me how to be as you want me because you are the king and I am your daughter

وريني كيفاه أنظف قلبي من الوجيعة إرحمني من جلد الذات

Show me how to cleanse my heart from pain. Have mercy on my from….

إحميني من ظلم الناس و داويني بمحبتك العظيمة خاطر هي دواء لجروحي كل

Protect me from the oppression of people. Heal me with your great love. Because it is the cure for all my wounds. 

Below illustrates how we equip others to love and serve the nations locally and globally. We often refer to this as a joy-centered, trauma-informed lifestyle. 

One Point of Intrigue  

Trauma affects all of us. It does not play favorites. 70% of American adults have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.

One Story

“Trauma healing is not merely a program but it is a lifestyle.”
realization from an African sister

Years ago, we, like most Westerners, thought that trauma was only for “others” in far away war-torn places. However with a better understand and realization of trauma that quickly changed. In short trauma is a painful experience that has not been successfully processed.

By simply Googling trauma-informed schools,churches, workplaces, health care or parenting, you see the effects and broad reach via millions of links. Trauma affects all areas of our life. 

As a wise, white-haired pastor discovered, “I did not realize how much I personally need trauma healing. Everyone in my church needs this. No, all my people need this.”

So the question is not whether we encounter pain but what do we do when we encounter pain?

~ Discounting our own pain is a sure sign that we cannot be a reverent witness to the pain of others. ~ Kathleen O’Connor

One Practice
Be a good, active, safe listener by asking these 3 Questions. 
1. What happened?
(Establishes facts and timeline)
2. How did you feel?
(Healing takes place at the level of emotions. Naming the emotions puts boundaries on vague feelings.)
3. What was the hardest part for you?

(Each person is different. We need to know the answer to this from them.)

When was the last time someone listened with you without judging, fixing, theologizing, shaming, dismissing, or belittling your story? 

~ Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable. ~ David Augsburger 

SUPPORT CARS NEEDED

The support cars allow the rider to focus on the race set before them. They also provide essentials for the rider to flourish within their abilities and skills. 

In this stage of our race, we are asking for more support cars   in various forms. The following are ways for YOU to participate with us:

• Pray – Join our virtual prayer group via an app that gives more up-to-date and detailed requests. If you love praying with others and/or want to learn how to pray with others, then simply email us and we will add you. 
• Give – Holy Spirit guided us to ask for an end-of-the-year $35,000 to propel us into the next year as we continue to equip others to love and serve the nations locally and globally. Give via our support page.
• Advocate – Serve as a door-opening ambassador. Browse your contacts and ask the Holy Spirit who needs to connect with the Moses family. Simply write an intro email or group text to connect us. We desire more potential prayer intercessors, financial supporters, and advocates.  

On December 1, we will celebrate 10 years of marriage.  Over these years and even beforehand, many of you have and continue to cheer us on. You are some of our biggest fans. We are so grateful for your excitement and words of affirmation.

Recently we were discussing the difference between FANS and ADVOCATES. Angela immediately thought of bicycle racing and the Tour de France. The riders value, appreciate, and even need the fans cheering them on along the roadways and at the end of each stage of the race. 

However the Tour de France  riders need the support cars. They are often unseen but are the backbone for the racers. The support cars are instrumental to the rider and provide various necessities. They provide repair, first-aid, refreshment, and are equipped with spare tires, accessories, and energy drinks. 

The support cars allow the rider to focus on the race set before them. They also provide essentials for the rider to flourish within their abilities and skills. 

In this stage of our race, we are asking for more support cars   in various forms. The following are ways for YOU to participate with us:

• Pray – Join our virtual prayer group via an app that gives more up-to-date and detailed requests. If you love praying with others and/or want to learn how to pray with others, then simply email us and we will add you. 
• Give – Holy Spirit guided us to ask for an end-of-the-year $35,000 to propel us into the next year as we continue to equip others to love and serve the nations locally and globally. Give via our support page.
• Advocate – Serve as a door-opening ambassador. Browse your contacts and ask the Holy Spirit who needs to connect with the Moses family. Simply write an intro email or group text to connect us. We desire more potential prayer intercessors, financial supporters, and advocates.  

Much shalom and joy,

the moses family 

> Rest <

Rest/Sabbath is not the same thing as taking a day off. Rest/Sabbath takes planning. It is an act of worship. It is life-giving and powerful. It involves our mind, body, heart, and spirit.

A restful heart is a heart that is coming to the place to believe and embrace the truth that its value, worth, and acceptance with God is based on a free gift and has nothing to do with our performance or striving. ~from The Heart of the Matter

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Genesis 2:2-3

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.” Isaiah 30:15

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

> Vulnerability <
What if Vulnerability is the ultimate display of strength?

Our friend Rob and Steve spoke often about vulnerability and weakness. How could we better model to one another vulnerability and weakness? Little did we, nor anyone, know that 2020 would remove so much of the comfortable, outer layers thus exposing our perceived weaknesses.

One place of vulnerability of us has been Steve’s ongoing health with idiopathic anaphylaxis. It has limited our travel and interactions with others including meals with internationals. It has caused us to pause, cry, wonder, doubt, plead, and lament. However, it is also deepened our empathy and understanding of suffering.

Rob models knowing that in weakness is strength. He boasts in knowing Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:31-2:3). He knows that in quietness and rest comes strength.

We experience the truth that living in holiness is living with nothing hidden. Then I am clean; I am free; I am healing. We are able to give our lives away when we are no longer preoccupied with failure. This is life indeed. What if there was a friend so safe that the worst aspects of us could be known? We would not be loved less but actually loved more by opening up. It is the exact opposite of what we’ve always feared. ~from The Cure

> Collaboration <

Praytell Stories Podcast: Steve and four others began a podcast where anyone can go to learn how to pray and pray with us through the various struggles any disciple of Jesus faces. Check out it: anchor.fm/praytell.

Ongoing partnership with Vision 5:9 – Medina Focus: Our vision is to see reproducing churches of reproducing disciples growing in faith and truth among all Muslim peoples particularly within North America.

Monthly Prayer Call for Unreached Peoples in North America in partnership with the Ethne Prayer Group and has been blessed by the Lausanne North American Diaspora Strategy Group

Integration Team: Steve serves with others from various entities on a “team of teams” to codify how to best care for refugees globally in terms of trauma.

Grief is mourning the loss of someone or something. We are here today to celebrate, mourn, and even lament. We are all on a grief journey. We are not all at the same place on this journey. This is ok. Today is a part of this grief journey. One thing that helps is today. Being with others. Sharing stories. Listening well to one another in the midst of the journey of grief. We will continue to journey in grief even after today. But take hope.

Jesus is not only our sin bearer. He is our pain bearer. He is with us.

Psalm 34:18 – The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Jesus is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). He has gone before with us, He goes with us, we need not be afraid, He will never leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Also, Rob is alive. More alive than ever. To live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We do not grieve as the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, that comfort (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

One thing I love about Rob is his love for children. His kids. All kids. My kids. My son, who is 5 years old, loves Rob. He still even today refers to him as Robbie Pants. My last text from Rob came before he was facilitating a time in California. I told him that I was praying with him. His simple yet beautifully Rob response – Emcee Robbie Pants!

The reason children, and all of us, are drawn to Rob is because he is pure. Pure meaning: genuine, honest, real, sincere, honorable, integrity, willing to stand by his beliefs, pure of heart, does things for joy not merit or status. Does more for others than self, do for others without wanting or expecting anything in return.

He also sought to be present with us.

Rob loved people. One of his tweets said: Love people. Don’t fall in love with your product or service. Don’t obsess with a metric or number. Serve real, living, breathing people and we will change the world.

 Another tweet said: Healthy leaders do not look for recognition from others. Healthy leaders look for others to recognize.  

He would often say, “My best fruit grows on other people’s trees.”

Rob loved to serve others and come along others. He referred to himself as an extension cord. He did that for many of you. He did that for me. Rob Harvey made me a better man of God.

He could love others well because he knew where his power laid.

PRAYER. He taught me much about the power and importance of prayer. He taught by modeling with me. He invited me into prayer gatherings. He asked me to join weekly prayer with Donna. Do this same – model with others!

He often referred to God as Jehovah Sneaky because we could make plans, but He would do more. As he said, it’s rigged.

Rob also understood the power of presence. Presence of being with the Spirit.

Over the last several months, Rob and I spoke more and more about vulnerability and weakness. How could we better model to one another vulnerability and weakness?

Mary recently texted me an image from Instagram. What if Vulnerability is the ultimate display of strength? She said thought of Rob, thought of you.

Rob and I are not perfect in this matter. But we strive for it.

Rob knew that in weakness is strength. He boasted in knowing Christ and Him crucified. He knew that in quietness and rest comes strength.

Rob also saw people differently than most. He saw them as the Spirit saw them. Because of his depth of prayer and his understanding of dependence on God is power, he could speak clearly and directly into people’s lives. Your life. My life.

He saw more than potential in people. He saw and could call out God-given destiny in them.

Rob, with many of us, got dirty. He got dirt under his nails with us. He did not just say things but spent time helping make it happen. He would say “you are not going to miss it.” He was a player/coach. This brought great joy to Rob.

Remember: his best fruit grows on others’ trees. Your trees!

All of this is rooted in Rob’s understanding of his freedom and identity in Christ. More recently, Rob would continue to speak of how we are not slaves or servants but we are sons and daughters of The Most High King and Wonderful Father.

Our Father and Friend welcomes honesty and vulnerability and doubt and questions. Even now today.

Rob knew freedom is not free. Freedom is fragile. Freedom is worth fighting for.

He knew whose he is. Another tweet reminds us that Rob understood this freedom and identity: When you are generous, you show you know what you have is God’s.  

Rob knew that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us, His kids, the Kingdom. You see, just as Rob loved children, he knew that he was a child.

He saw how great a love the Father had bestowed on him and us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Oh beloved, now we are children of God! (1 John 3:1-2)

Man, I miss and will always love Robbie Pants!

• Practice that requires high levels of training, experience, discipline, fitness and surface support.
• Control of movements, intentionality
• Timing, rhythm, going slower than usual
• Trust as you navigate the difficulty to see in the unknown or unclear
• More beauty and wonder than you can imagine or see from the surface

We hope this photo will be an encouragement to you as well as a reminder to pray with us in 2020. We know that many will join us on the Deep Dive while others will be our much needed surface support. Either way, you are a part of this Deep Dive with us.
 

Two of my bigger take aways from the gathering:

1. Michael, a South Sudanese brother, said “You can not have church planting without trauma healing.”
2. Ommani, a Kenyan brother, who helped develop the trauma healing materials that I use, said “We were presenting trauma healing incorrectly to churches in Africa. We started communicating trauma healing as discipleship and pastors understood it more.”

I told both of them that we in the West have a lot to learn from them about trauma healing, church planting, and discipleship.

Here are some of the highlights with details below if you desire.

• Frank and Bibles – When praying for the 22 participants before arriving, God continued to put Frank on my mind. I did not know why. I thought I had never met Frank before. I also never thought I would talk to Frank about Bibles. But as Frank said after talking with him, “This is a God thing!” I agreed. So could you help with Bibles to Sudan?
• The Breaststroke – While getting ready Thursday morning and asking what does the Spirit want to show me, swimming came to mind. Then the breaststroke. So I googled “the breaststroke” and watched this video The Lord use this video and Part 3 to show me much about Him.
• Tracey – During a time of praying for one another, Tracey said that she had a vision to share about me. After sharing about a tangerine tree, she said I do not know what all of this means. I told her in that moment that I know exactly what it means.
• Provision for my flight – I was grateful and humbled to be invited to this gathering much less be asked to assist in the planning. Angela and I believed the Lord wanted us to be a part of this gathering even though it “did not fit in our budget”. While praying at the gathering, I asked the Lord to somehow cover the cost for the flight since all my other costs were already covered. Honestly, it was not a long prayer. Just asked for the cost of the flight to be covered. He answered.
• George the Uber Driver – As I arrive back in Nashville, Angela could not pick up due to kids sleeping. Also 3 of my friends who normally could help were unable due to various matters. I rarely to never take an Uber in the US but I needed to this evening. Since I am unfamiliar with the Nashville airport and the Uber pick up, it takes me a minute to navigate the area. By then my Uber app had to reset so now I am waiting a little longer. No worries.

Frank and Bibles – My friend and I are waiting to pick up another man at the airport named Jacob. My friend then says we are also picking up Frank. I tell him that’s interesting because of what I shared above. My friend shows me a picture of Frank and I say that I know him somehow. Frank sees me and says that he knows me. It takes us a minute or two but while riding the shuttle to get our rental car I remember that we met in Lebanon about 3 years ago for trauma healing equipping.

As we talk more, he tells me about his work with Sudanese and an immediate need to get Bibles in a particular language. I tell him that he needs to talk to my friend Mike. I text Mike at that moment to talk to Frank. This is when Frank says – “this is a God thing”. Long story short, they talk and in Frank’s words – “We are now committed to raising $120K before June in order to provide a container of Nuer Bibles to South Sudanese refugees.”

The Breaststroke – Did you watch that two minute video? If so this will make more sense. If not then it might still make sense. The breaststroke is one of the most complex and different of the strokes. It is about timing and movement (or position). The pull is short and quick. No point to continue the pull because little leverage, create drag and lose time. It is about creating as little drag as possible at every single stage. Time to get your hands together and push forward as fast as you can. Part 3 is about the glide and not going to fast or slow or working too little or too much but swimmer who master the breaststroke glide appropriately. Both of those videos spoke to me about God’s timing in my and Angela’s current situation. Timing as the wisdom of the snake and knowing when to strike. Rest, relax, alignment, swim fast, enjoy the glide, know when to let go.

Tracey – In November many of you prayed for my time in Louisville at GMHC. At the end of that gathering, my friend Carol texted me to tell him that she was at the conference. She and I sat together for the last session and spoke briefly afterwards. In that conversation, we discussed my upcoming time in Dallas. She immediately said that I need to invite her friend Tracey to this gathering. Since I know and trust Carol, I invited Tracey.

Provision for my flight – The next evening, I get in a car to go to dinner with supposedly 3 other people but 2 others rode with someone else. While driving to the restaurant, my friend says to me, seemingly out of the blue to me, “I would like to cover the cost of your flight.” I am stunned and even say that he does not have to do that. He says that he wants to do it. I do not tell him my prayer but thank Jesus for his generosity and being the answer to my prayer.

George the Uber driver – I see his name and face and literally think, “this is who God wants me to ride with tonight.” I get into the Uber and George immediately says, “I have excellent, great and good news to share with you”. What?? Who says that? Even more, when was the last time an Uber driver said that to you? He shares his stories which were excellent, great and good. A few minutes later I tell him that I have some good news to share with him. I tell him the above story and that I asked Jesus to cover my costs and He did. I then say, “thats pretty cool”. He says. “no that is not cool. That is awesome. We need to hear more stories like this. Thanks for sharing. This was encouraging to me”.

Through conversation, I tell him that I follow the Way of Jesus and learn that George does as well. Still more to the story . . .

George says that he was getting gas while watching “the surge” on Uber so he gets paid more. He drives around waiting but the surge never changes as he hoped. He then decided that he will go ahead and pick me up. He even says, “as God as my witness, I thought this is the ride that I should take”. We both were able to encourage one another.

Side note, George just happened to be in Nashville from Florida this past week helping his daughter.

The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb ~ Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel

The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb is an excellent read about the power in weakness for love and suffering along the way. The interviews conducted with sages provide much needed insight for us, the church, today. One particular quote – “Groups are loosely held together by a common vision but real Christian community is bound in love.”

The Cure: What if God isn’t who you think He is and neither are you ~ Lynch, McNicol, & Thrall

Team of Teams ~ General Stanley McChrystal
Furious Longing of God ~ Brennan Manning
The Dip ~ Seth Godin
The Valley of Vision
Whiter Than Snow  ~ Paul David Tripp
Seven Practices for the Church on Mission ~ David Fitch
The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home ~ Russell Moore
Is God anti-gay? ~ Sam Allberry
Liturgy of the Ordinary  ~ Tish Harrison Warren
How People Change ~ Timothy Lane
Gay Girl, Good God ~ Jackie Hill Perry
The Gospel Comes with a House Key ~ Roseria Butterfield
The Common Rule ~ Justin Whitmel Earley
Evangelism as Exiles ~ Elliot Clark
A Million Little Ways ~ Emily P. Freeman
Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family ~ Tripp
Dare to Lead ~ Brene Brown
Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter ~ Liz Wiseman

Next on list:
Prodigal Prophet ~ Tim Keller
Spirit Walk ~ Steve Smith
Canoeing the Mountains ~ Tod Bolsinger
Suffering and the Heart of God ~ Diane Langberg
Together for the City ~ Powell & James
Talking to Strangers ~ Gladwell
How We Love ~ Yerkovich