Snippets
1 minute 45 seconds read
On Easter Sunday we had the privilege of gathering with our local brothers and sisters. For some this was their first Easter. Two of the men from the team and three locals shared from Scripture. This was done in a combination of the local dialect, Modern Standard Arabic and English. One of the locals did an incredible job of switching between all three seamlessly, translating for himself.
It was a joy and such an encouragement to hear my teammates speak and read Scripture in the local dialect. They’ve been working hard on their spiritual language so it was a beautifully honouring thing to see them be able to do it, whilst also encouraging the local believers. It was great to meet some of the sisters, though most just spoke Arabic. However, some of the younger ones did have English and so I hope to be able to meet up with them in the future for fellowship.
Yesterday, a Sri Lankan cleaner (with limited English) asked me three times, “Madam, are you Christine?” – looking completely confused. No one has ever asked me that before, so I was thinking… Christine? That’s random!
Eventually, I said, “My name?”
She replied, “No, Christine....the Bible, the Church!”
Then it clicked… “Ohhh, Christian! Yes, yes, yes.....I am Christine!”
Since I last wrote to you, there continue to be many nights when I struggle to get enough sleep. This of course significantly impacts daily life. While I would love to go back to sleeping through each night, I trust that God has a purpose in this trial and battle with sleeplessness. Without doubt the Enemy wants to use it against me, but God can use for my good what the Enemy means for evil. He can use my weariness to lean on him as the all-wise and all-powerful God. May I fully rest in him and his sovereignty. Whether sleep comes or not, would I meditate on my loving Father’s precious promises to care for me. He gives me strength in my weakness and provides me with his all-sufficient grace. And what a comfort to know that the Lord Jesus himself can sympathise with my sleeplessness!
May God use these sleepless nights to draw me closer to himself, growing me in dependence on him each moment of the day. May I trust him with the gift of sleep, or lack thereof.
