What does "Good News" look like?

Let me share two conversations from the red-light district this week.

"I am Buddhist and I go to the temple. I leave money there so the Buddha will help me," one woman explained.

"You know what?" my friend, Janet said. "You don't have to pay God to help you."

The woman looked surprised. "Really?" she asked.

"Really," Janet said.

A second woman told us that she has a Bible in Thai and English that she has been trying to read. She has a hard time praying, though, because her English isn't very good.

"You know what?" Janet said. "You can pray to God in Thai. God speaks Thai."

Again, the woman looked surprised. "Really?" she asked.

"Really," she said.

As we talked further with both, I realized that these two women had never heard this news before. It gave them something to think about. I could see on their faces that this was "Good News."

"Do not let your hearts be troubled," Jesus said. "Trust in God. Trust also in me." In the margin of my Bible, I've written, "Trust is relying on someone else to see what you can't see."

I find myself relying on Janet "to see what I can't see" in our visits, and I'm praying that God will open my eyes as we walk. In the greater sense, I understand that our team is also relying on God "to see what we don't see" in the places we visit.

In Genesis, Hagar, another oppressed woman, recognized God as "the God who sees me" (Genesis 16:13). In Exodus, God told Moses, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and I am concerned about their suffering" (Exodus 3:7).

We don't understand "why" he has called us to the red-light district but we trust that He "sees" the needs there. He has heard their cries and He is concerned about their suffering.

I'm thankful that we are not in this alone.

Blessings!
Ann

"Charlie's Big Adventure" now available in print and on Kindle

Well, I've done it. With the help of a great illustrator, Kathy Thacker, I've written and published my first children's book, "Charlie's Big Adventure." It is available in print from CreateSpace and will be available from Amazon in the next week or so. You can also order a copy for Amazon's Kindle.

This is an exciting journey for me - maybe not quite as exciting as a duck changing his feathers but exciting nonetheless! I'm old enough and maybe wise enough to know, though, that the next book can be better than the last, especially as I listen to those who have supported me along the way. So send me your feedback and your comments. I want to hear from you!

Blessings!

Ann

Pray for Japan!

"And they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped." Exodus 4:31 


Pray that the Japanese will see God's concern and compassion through the efforts of IMB missionaries. 
Pray that they will believe, bow down and worship Him alone.

Pray for Japan!

Like many of you, I've been watching with horror the devastation of the earthquake, tsunami and now nuclear plant explosion wracking Japan over the weekend. In many ways, Tokyo is like a second home for me. I've spent many days there over the past 12 years, and some of my closest friends live there. While all of my friends are safe and accounted for, thousands of others are not. As I read the articles and watch the videos, I feel as if the apocalypse is unfolding before my eyes.

We often wonder what will happen in "the last days" and long for Christ to return and set everything right. The reality is that the end came for hundreds if not thousands of Japanese this weekend. Sadly fewer than 2 out of 100 who lost their lives will join us in Heaven. Most who died entered eternity without Christ.

Our job is far from over. Pray for Japan.