lies

Being back in Hamburg/Germany I find myself exactly doing the same job I did one year ago. Running the drop-in for homeless people in the center of the red-light district and telling about Jesus during open-airs.

I love it.

The problem is that it feels like nothing has changed. Feels like I haven't been away, like I haven't learned loads about God during my year at the War College.

It's a lie. I know it. But it's hard not to allow Satan to draw you back. Not to go with the crowd and walk in what was totally normal a year ago.

I have higher standards now. I want more now.

extreme poverty

Visiting the Salvation Army in Lithuania I got to do an outreach with them visiting people who live on a huge trash-dump outside the city of Klaipeda. Having lived in the DTES, Canada's poorest postal code I thought I've seen a lot. But seeing people litterally living in hoods made of trash, surrounded by piles of even more trash, and, especially, seeing their tears, hurts.

The Salvation Army has been keeping up visiting them now over a period of four years. This helps people to trust and gives hope for successfully preparing them for the time the trash-dump will be closed and they have to leave.

I know, God cries, too.
Praise him for his heart for the poor!

10/40 window

The 10/40 window currently appears to be the biggest challenge of worldwide evangelism, a belt of countries encompassing the majority of the world's Muslims extending from West Africa to East Asia, from ten degrees north to forty degrees north of the equator.

Pete Greig, leader of the international 24-7 prayer movement, writes in his book "Awakening Cry":

"Europe is becoming the darkest mission field despite its spiritual heritage. If the world wide church growth is to overtake the global birth rate, there will have to be an awakening in Europe. Should such an awakening penetrate the Moslem communities of Europe, it might as well also be the vital key that unlocks the 10/40 window."

I'd like to see it happen.

But it seems to run down to my personal involvement in evangelism among my Muslim neighbours in Germany's cities, which quite challenges me, especially since I know that I'm going to spend at least the next year in a neighbourhood with a high percentage of foreigners, while most of them profess to be Muslim.

Since relationships are the major growth factor of the Christian church, which means, of the Kingdom, it all depends on my relationships with my neighbours from Turkey, Arabia and Marocco, or whereever they come from.

I need God's help. To have a heart full of love. To turn my back on any kind of intolerance. To trust in God to introduce me to them. To rely on him to open their hearts's doors. To ignite a passion in me for their salvation. To give me wisdom and discernment facing Muslim believes and rejection of Jesus.