Please pray for Faruz, an outgoing and bright 17-year-old girl from Afghanistan. She has lived in Iran the last 12 years. She became a follower of Jesus a couple of weeks ago but we haven’t been able to connect for a follow-up because of her schedule. She shares a phone with her two teenage brothers so sometimes she doesn’t get messages. We finally have an appointment to meet her this Wednesday at 10 a.m. at a mall near her housing facility. Pray that Faruz shows up and that her commitment to Jesus will be solidified. She told us she has 30 friends in Iran that she keeps up with almost daily on WhatsApp and they need to know the truth of Jesus. Pray she’ll be bold and share this good news with them.

Bashir of Pakistan: He is a dutiful, German-born son of Pakistani immigrants who came here 30 years ago. He has a good job with a large American company here in Frankfurt. He questioned many things about Islam, taking his questions to his father who, unable to answer the hard questions, told him to stop asking questions and just follow it. His UK education and lifestyle doesn’t allow him to just accept things without questioning, but he no longer asks his father. He asked many questions about Jesus and what we believe, and is now torn between his parents’ faith, which he inwardly questions and his own which does not satisfy his need. Pray for him to come boldly, yet humbly to Jesus with whatever burdens and fears his heart has (there are many), and trust in Jesus for all his life’s hopes.

Rhadiq of Afghanistan: Came to Germany several months ago with a large family group (parents, siblings, cousins, in-laws and small children.) He has and continues to share his newfound faith in Jesus regularly and broadly. His father, sister, one cousin and brother-in-law, as well as a young Iranian friend have since come to Jesus and been baptized. His insistence on living for Jesus has unexpectedly now has him ministering to the earthly needs of many around him. He is able to speak English and help with all kinds of official matters with government and hospitals. Pray for his wisdom to regularly cling to the Lord and have his cup filled so he can continue to give to others.

What is initiative? My friends at FOCUS advocate for it a lot. They also practice it. Initiative can be defined as “an act or strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation.”

So for years, I have been thinking about how best to train others to become better at foresight. Some people seem to embrace it. Others seem to flounder. I do think it can be taught or at least modeled. How do we move from “man, I did it again!” moments to “yes, I finally realize what needs to happen” moments? Less regret. Less wandering aimlessly. More proactive thinking. More effective and efficient work. Seems like a reasonable if not acceptable desire.

I do not have all the answers but I do have one possible method.

The German Washing Machine!

Here is the scenario:
Have someone live on the 4th or 5th floor of an apartment building. No elevator. Washing machine in the basement. Not just a washing machine but a German washing machine. Now ask your teammate (or wife with a toddler by her side) how to work said German washing machine. Walk down to the basement.

Oops forgot the coins. Go back upstairs.

Walk down to the basement again. Yep actually forgot the laundry detergent. Go back upstairs.

Walk down to the basement again. Put in coins. Put in laundry detergent. Load German washing machine. Push the buttons and turn the knob. So easy even a baby could do it.

Nothing happens. Literally nothing.

So try to call teammate (or wife) on cell phone to ask how to get it to work. Wait. I am in the basement and the phone does not work down here. Go back upstairs.

Ask for clarity. Simply just restate what was said earlier. A local has already modeled this process for your teammate (or wife).

Walk down to the basement again. Put in coins. Put in laundry detergent. Load German washing machine. Push the buttons and turn the knob.

Nothing happens again. Literally nothing again. Go back upstairs.

Ask teammate (or wife) again how to work German washing machine. Are you sure that is correct? Only ONE button pushed to get it started. You are assured.

Walk down to the basement again. German washing machine still not working.

Pull out Google translate on iphone. Nothing helps.

Start pushing other buttons. Nothing.

Notice that the other German washing machine has TWO buttons pushed. Try that method.

BAM! WOW! POW! It starts.

After about 4 or 5 trips up and down 4 or 5 flights of stairs and about 30-45 minutes of my life, the German washing machine has started.

Now only 1 hour until back down to the basement for the German dryer.

As my good friend A.I. says, “We talking about practice!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI

We had two apartments fall through before we got to Germany. When the suggestion of studio apartment came up I immediately said, “Pass.” No way that I thought the idea of ONE shared living space with my beloved hubby and toddler would work. No way, never ever.

And here we are. In 12 x 15 feet of family time. All. The. Time.  And it is kicking my tail.

Expectations.

Since we were headed to a major city with modern conveniences abounding and not to the middle of unreached peoples or a place that would be categorized as “tough,” I really didn’t think that living conditions would be a concern. Sure, I thought we would face some challenges.  I thought we’d be walking more. (True.)  I thought it would take some time to adjust to navigating public transportation with a toddler. (Also true.) But I did not think that my biggest challenge to date would be learning to love my family well and have a worshipful heart in a confined space.

Comparison.

I’ve been trying to pinpoint why this has been so hard for me. I’ve lived in tougher conditions. I’ve shared a twin bed with a teammate for a month, even shared a one-person, mummy sleeping bag with another for a few nights. I’ve had to warm water over a fire for a sponge bath and navigate going to the “toilet”  (AKA hole in the ground) with a headlamp and TP in hand. But I’m quite sure God is way less concerned about how I navigated situations six years ago, then how I am navigating what he has given me in the here and now.

In all those examples the glaring pronoun is “I.” What “I” can personally handle is one thing . . . but I am now part of a “we.” It hurts my wife-and-mama heart to see that our space is not a quiet, clean place for my introverted husband to recharge or a home where my overtired toddler can find peace and rest. I see the effects of our space and want to fix it. I’m carrying the burdens of my family and God keeps not-so-gently reminding me that I’m not the fixer.  He is The Fixer and Perfect Provider.

Perspective.

I’ve woken up several mornings to read over Numbers 21: 4-9. It’s a passage we’ve studied at church and often utilize when we help train students to go overseas.

Look at verses 4 and 5. “And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”

Oh they had food. Just like we have shelter. But they had gown impatient and then the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them! Say what?!?!? Oh this passage gets me. I’m so grateful that we don’t have snakes slithering around this apartment because I’m certainly looking more like those complaining Israelites than I care to admit.

What is so beautiful and challenging about this passage is that God provides a way to be cured. Those who were bitten by the snakes simply had to look up at the pole with the bronze snake on it. The snakes were not removed and they certainly weren’t transformed into harmless animals . . . but if they had faith to take their eyes off the current circumstances and gaze upon The One Way Out, complete, transforming healing awaited.

Thankfulness.

The best weapon I know to use when Satan starts telling me lies that everything would be better if we just had a different space is G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E. (If you haven’t read 1,000 Gifts, click here and order it now. Seriously.) Every night as I’m putting Samuel to bed, I list everything I’m thankful for during the day. And, miraculously, when I am intentional about counting gifts as I see them, I’ve found that I can list numerous things about this little studio that I’m genuinely grateful for.

Purpose.

If we hadn’t taken the chance to leave our familiar, I would have missed this time of learning more about my tendencies towards control, selfishness and sinfulness and my desperate need of Christ’s forgiveness, power and strength. This has been a gift. A challenging, gritty, tear-filled gift that I will be forever grateful for. I pray that you, too, will be able to learn to be thankful and worship our Creator in all of your circumstances.

“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” Psalm 34:1-3

Praise.

As I was finishing up this post, we got confirmation for a one-bedroom apartment and will be able to move in a week from today and stay the whole summer. Praise the Lord! Pray we worship well in our final week in the studio!

What exactly is a Person of Peace or as some call them POP? You read in Matthew 10 and Luke 9 & 10 about looking for such a person or household.

According to my friend Carol: A person of peace is someone that has been supernaturally prepared by God before you get there to hear and respond to you, the messenger, the message and the mission of God.

Jo Saxton says a person of peace will be one who
1.    welcomes you
2.    receives you
3.    is open to you
4.    will be open to what you have to say about Jesus
5.    is open to the life you live because of Jesus
6.    serves you

Others include a POP as one who operates as a gatekeeper, opening relational doorways into their network of relationships.

Examples in the Bible include Cornelius, Lydia, Philippian Jailer, and Woman at the Well.
So when I say that God brought 3 POP to us in back-to-back-to-back days, you start to understand how amazing this was for our team.

Think about this for one second. On Monday, through a volunteer and one of our teammates, they meet a man from Iran. Tuesday with a different volunteer and same teammate, they meet a man from Eritrea. Wednesday with another volunteer yet still the same teammate, they meet a man from Ethiopia.

All of them speak English.  All of them opened up doors to their friends and family. All of them know Christ or are interested in Him. You cannot make this stuff up. God is way too cool.

Keep praying for more POP and laborers!

Last Tuesday I attended the Christian Community Development Conference near Stuttgart. Matthew Soerens was speaking on the topic of the Church and Refugees.

I got on a train at 6:30AM to head to the conference. The train was full and people rushing every which way. As I sat down, I opened my journal and kept my head down for most of the trip. I did notice the guy sitting across from me. Businessman, talking on two phones, nice leather briefcase, suit, looked Middle Eastern. He was busy and it was too early for anyone to talk.

As I got to my stop, I called Angela because my directions on my iphone did not download properly. I was scrambling and rushed. I finally found the right ticket booth but I did not have the right bills to pay. The train is leaving in 15 minutes. I hurry to buy a water to get change for the ticket.

I get the ticket but it does not say where to go to board the train. I have to choose between 16 different platforms. In utter despair, I looked at the guy next to me and say, “Do you speak English?” He does. Thank you Jesus. I make the train with 2 minutes to spare.

I get to the next stop to find a bus. Yes, I do not speak or read German. I call Angela again. Help me with the next step. She gives me the name of the bus stop. I walk around until I find a stop that looks like it could be mine. I look at two guys and say, “Do you speak English?” They do and they are going to the same conference.

Conference is great. More on that another time.

I can only stay for the day. So I reluctantly take this oh-so-crazy path back to my family. I go to the first bus stop and wait. And wait. And wait. Then a car pulls up and says get in. It is a woman that I met at the conference along with a new German friend. The new friend is taking the same route back as me. When we get to the train station, he tells me that our train is cancelled. Not postponed, cancelled. I would have never noticed or known since it was all in German. Thanks Roy!

As I get to my final train, after 2 hours of delay, I call Angela to tell her my delay but I will see her soon. In the middle of the conversation, I notice a guy walk up to sit down next to me. We are the only two people in the part of the train. I look at him and he looks at me. I realize that this is the same exact man as from 6:30AM. It is now 10:00PM. I say, “We were on the same train together this morning.” I tell Angela this info then the phone cuts off. I am out of minutes and cannot talk to her now.

I overhear the busy businessman on the phone. He is talking Arabic and apologizing to someone. After his call, he realized that my phone call was cut short and offered his phone to connect with Angela. I mentioned that he was speaking Arabic and asked where he was from. Iraq he says but lived in Germany for 20 years.

We proceed to talk about his delay and my delay. How he was only in Germany that day due to business. Morocco the day before and Turkey the next day. How I was just traveling that day. We both agreed it was weird, strange, and quite possibly God-oriented.

I asked him if he thinks that God brought us together for a purpose. He said maybe. I said I definitely think He did and here is why. After a long day and desiring much sleep, I asked God to give me wisdom and strength to share my story and more importantly THE story with Adam.

We talked for nearly 2 hours. It was Adam’s birthday. 56 years old. I shared many stories from the Word including the need to be re-born as Nicodemus. I was timely. I even asked Adam what is keeping him from accepting forgiveness and making Jesus King of his life.

Adam let me pray with him. We hope to see each other later this month to meet his wife and kids. Adam is still far from God but at least, I believe, a little closer than the day before.

Will you pray for Adam? He wants to see Jesus. I told him to expect to see Jesus in a dream oh so soon. May it be tonight King Jesus.

You have more in common with the world than you think. And this video tells a powerful story.

We arrived about 10 hours ago in Germany. We are tired. We are hungry. Time to go explore for some food with my family.

As we walk from our hotel room to the main bus station, we are greeted by a couple. Literally 2 minutes out the door and someone is engaging us. Wait they are not talking to me or to Angela. They are staring and talking to Samuel.

The couple is from India on vacation. Pray for the 1.2b Indians and the 180m Indian Muslims.

Though the interaction was short, it was oh so sweet. God reminding us that he brought us, the Moses family, to Germany. It is only day 1.

Back in the Fall, we were asking and seeking God about next steps in our life. I, along with Angela, believed that God was going to show us something on January 4th. So Monday, January 4th came like any other day. First day back to work after the Christmas break. Busy. I was not really thinking much about it being January 4th.

On my way to the bank, I received a call from a friend that I have known for 10+ years who lives in Germany but was in the States for a few days. We talked and caught up for a minute or two. He then tells me more about the work among refugees there and how God is working. He proceeded to tell me about a need for a couple to oversee the summer internship as well as help with volunteers. Long story short, I asked him if he knew what today was. He said, “yeah, it is January 4th”. I said oh no my friend, “it is JANUARY 4th!”. In that moment, I was overcome with emotion and reminded of God’s promise back in the Fall. Immediately I called Angela and told her. Without hesitation, she said “This is it. We are suppose to go”. So . . . we are heading to Germany on May 23rd until August 4th.

I am taking a 10-week unpaid leave-of-absence as Director of World Relief Memphis. I am leaving the Memphis team in good hands and with great confidence.

In December while in the Middle East, we recognized that now is the time and Europe is the place. See why here.

How can you partner with us?

1. Join us for a week or two. Seriously. Get the details here about what we are doing. Come see what God is doing in Europe. I took this trip 2 years ago with one of my best friends. Honestly, one of the best short term trips ever.

2. Commit to pray with us. We will send out weekly emails. Sign up here. We will also connect via social media. We desire to share the amazing stories of refugees as much as possible.

3. Give online here or send a check made payable to Christ Community Church and mail to 2499 Hollins Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112. We are asking God to provide $7500.

Either of us would be honored to sit down with you over a meal or coffee to share more about what God is doing. I was reminded this past week that we are called to live out of faith not in fear, not in the flesh, and not in the familiar.

Thanks for your love, support, and prayers! To God be the Glory!

Steve, Angela and Samuel