Dearest Friends,
Please read this before you share it with your children.
Afghani Refugees
Yesterday made me smile and laugh, but when I was alone, I cried. The first part of the day was spent with an Afghani family. Their little girl is mentally handicapped and her older sister loves to draw. We took art supplies, took off our shoes at the door, and sat down to cups of cinnamon tea. The oldest daughter gave her Mom a gift for Mother’s Day. None of us are sure if yesterday was really Mother’s Day, but everyone was happy!
The artist showed me a picture of a house. She told me it was not where she lived, but the home she dreamed to have! It was perfect with nice flowers out front. Her reality is very different. She lives in a small apartment up a dark stairwell. There are no flowers. Her mother makes glass mosaics to sell to shop owners in the bazar. The mother’s fingers are always cut .Her father does not work. There is no school for the children since they do not speak the country’s language. This is true for all the refugee children.
I told them the story of Samuel and his mother. Then , I told them about my Mom and how she told me about Jesus as a little girl. Then, I told them what she told me! It was a sweet and sad time. These children are suffering … It is really all they have ever known. Please hold this family in your prayers. I was not able to visit with the little boys family that I asked you to pray for yesterday, but you can keep praying for that family.
Our second visit was with a lovely young woman who could not stop crying. Her 14 year old son is still in Afghanistan. He is in an area where the Taliban kidnaps boys and forces them to fight. If they refuse, the Taliban cuts off the head of one boy and then they fight. She is terrified. Soon the UN will probably resettle them to another country and they will be further away. She was hopeless. My Iranian friend calmed her down and then asked me to
share with her God’s hope for Jesus to rescue her and her family. Please pray for Mansure’s family.
Syrian Refugees
In the afternoon, I told the story of Joseph to a group of Kurdish Syrian children. They loved it! They smiled and laughed and listened! Their mothers also listened and asked questions. My heart is ver full! These children also have no school . They come with terrible stories and need Jesus so very much! Please pray for them!
Just For Fun
This is a place of many nations. For lunch yesterday , I ate food from Turkmenistan. It was a bowl of homemade noodles served cold with strips of spicy intestines. I walked through a vegetable and clothes market. A great big man was standing in the middle of 4 tables selling ladies underwear. I laughed! There was also a kitchen section. Most ladies wore long robes and had their heads covered. I am far from home! Please keep praying!
In Jesus, linda