DREAMS ALIVE: THE ARAB-AMERICAN ALLIANCE
Praise the Lord!
We’ve hosted our very 1st Medical Missions Team!
 | This past October Dreams Alive opened a medical & dental clinic with friends at the Evangelical Philadelphia Church of the Nazarene, in Marka, a borough of Amman Jordan. We’ve posted pictures in previous newsletters showing our dental chairs and examination rooms. Medical teams have been invited from around the world to provide free health care to the refugees from Syria & Iraq. You may have heard |
that 1 in every 3 people in Jordan are refugees & more than 60,000 of them live in Marka. While theexodus from Iraq & Syria has slowed down, refugees are still coming to Jordan. They are victims of the hate of radical Muslims and they are frightened, desperate to protect their families and live in peace. Our hope is to counter the hate of the Islamic State with the love of Christ. Providing medical & dental care is one of the many ways we do that. The first team sponsored by Dreams Alive came for a week in April. In the above picture I’m in the front row sitting next to Pastor Haythem surrounded by our medical team and our beloved interpreters. Everyone worked long hours bringing healing and the love of Christ to more than 70 people each day. Our friend Dr. Laurel Downs (back row, 2nd from the left) gathered a team of nurses, a dentist and a physical therapist associated with three churches: Calvary Chapel Oldbridge, Calvary Chapel Gloucester County, and Saar Fellowship. I was extremely happy that my eldest daughter Kate also joined us on the team! It’s wonderful to see the Lord using her nursing skills on the mission field! We are also grateful for the assistance from Johanna Green of Mayfair Travel. Johanna has been a partner with Dreams Alive since our inception and she arranged all the flights, hotels and in-country transportation. We will continue to send short-term medical teams to Jordan. We’re also hoping to send VBS teams and education assistants to our new primary school for refugee children. If you’d like to send a team or join Dr. Laurel on future mission trips, or serve at the school, please write to me.
Pray for an upcoming trip to Iraq: | I’ll be returning to Iraq the 1st week of June to explore new ministry opportunities among the people living |
east of Mosul. Working with friends in “The Dove Creek Project” we are hoping to provide clean water to 4 destitute Christian refugee areas. Other projects will also be discussed which I’ll write about after the trip. Please pray for the Lord’s wisdom and for safety, for cooperation, funding, and opportunities to share His word. As the Lord said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. …and whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I WILL DO IT. JN 14:12-14
Dreams Alive at Bahrain Book Fair
For more than 2 years we have been praying with our friends at the Bahrain Bible Society, urging them to participate in the Biennial National Book Fair. This year we stepped out in faith and applied for a booth at the fair. Glory to God our application was accepted!!! This is historic! Dreams Alive provided major funding, the British Bible Society sponsored our entry, and the Gulf Bible Society manned the event! My Armenian friend Dr. Hrayr Jebejian, General Secretary of The Bible Society in the Gulf, was responsible for much of the coordinated effort!
Around 317 publishers & bookshops from 20 different countries participated. The Bible Society was the only Christian presence. It is the first time that the Bible Society in the Gulf was given permission to participate in the Book Fair, and it has really been a great opportunity. What was really striking was the friendly and welcoming attitude of those visiting our stand. We could actually see people's eagerness to know more about the Bible & we sold many!! The Bahrain Book Fair is predominantly for Arab audiences, so we made sure to display different titles in Arabic. Many of those approaching our stand were visitors from the neighboring Saudi Arabia. A man named Ali, from Saudi Arabia bought a Bible & said, “It’s a good opportunity for me to have a Bible. I was looking for one for a long time & finally got it!” Saoud, an Imam at a mosque: “I was surprised and astonished to see a corner full of Bibles in different languages in Bahrain! I am so happy I finally have a Bible in Arabic to find answers to my questions about the Christian faith. God be with you! I hope to see you at the next exhibition. Muhammad, a Kuwaiti visiting Bahrain bought a Bible in Arabic and said, “I’m so glad to visit your corner & see such a big variety of Bibles. It is a great step by the Bahraini government. I hope to see you at such an event in Kuwait!” (We pray about being in Kuwait and in every Arab country! Oh that the Lord would continue opening doors!) Mona, a Bahraini, said something so sweet: “It is a very good surprise to see you here. I have many Christian friends from different nationalities. They are very honest, loving, and joyful people. I was looking for their book to know the secret of their peace, joy, and honesty. Thank you for beinghere.” She bought a copy of a NKJV Bible. May all those that bought a Bible read it and may it burn deep into their hearts!
Around 317 publishers & bookshops from 20 different countries participated. The Bible Society was the only Christian presence. It is the first time that the Bible Society in the Gulf was given permission to participate in the Book Fair, and it has really been a great opportunity. What was really striking was the friendly and welcoming attitude of those visiting our stand. We could actually see people's eagerness to know more about the Bible & we sold many!! The Bahrain Book Fair is predominantly for Arab audiences, so we made sure to display different titles in Arabic. Many of those approaching our stand were visitors from the neighboring Saudi Arabia. A man named Ali, from Saudi Arabia bought a Bible & said, “It’s a good opportunity for me to have a Bible. I was looking for one for a long time & finally got it!” Saoud, an Imam at a mosque: “I was surprised and astonished to see a corner full of Bibles in different languages in Bahrain! I am so happy I finally have a Bible in Arabic to find answers to my questions about the Christian faith. God be with you! I hope to see you at the next exhibition. Muhammad, a Kuwaiti visiting Bahrain bought a Bible in Arabic and said, “I’m so glad to visit your corner & see such a big variety of Bibles. It is a great step by the Bahraini government. I hope to see you at such an event in Kuwait!” (We pray about being in Kuwait and in every Arab country! Oh that the Lord would continue opening doors!) Mona, a Bahraini, said something so sweet: “It is a very good surprise to see you here. I have many Christian friends from different nationalities. They are very honest, loving, and joyful people. I was looking for their book to know the secret of their peace, joy, and honesty. Thank you for beinghere.” She bought a copy of a NKJV Bible. May all those that bought a Bible read it and may it burn deep into their hearts!
 | THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE TEAM!!! Thank you for your enduring friendship & prayers.Sue & I continue to be so thankful to our Heavenly Father for the privilege of serving here in these exciting days in the Middle East. There are so many opportunities to bless people through friendships, the church, & all of our relief work. It couldn't happen without you, our friends and support team. We thank you & look forward to seeing you soon! |
RSS Feed