In my very young days I dreamed of a career in the far East for my Eastern orientated company.  It never happened, but instead the far East is coming to me in different ways in the providence of God. A real blessing!

I once exchanged a few words with a young man, a Buddhist, from Sri Lanka at a train journey in Norway.  He was very proud, scorned my gospel testimony saying that "I believe you are your own god and your own devil!"  I thought, are all the Oriental people so proud?

Oh no. It pleased the Lord to send us to Iranian friends.  Here´s a couple with no religion, no Moslem belief, no Christianity, and yet this may be fertile ground for the gospel.

No Oriental pride is there, but rather a certain sensitivity to my  self-experienced testimony of a risen Savior who is by far no religious person.  In fact it was religious people that were His most malicious opponents.

I smiled as I this morning read these words (true, out of its context), "There was water, flowing under the threshold of the temple toward the east..."  (Ezek. 47:1).  I sensed here a refreshing cheerfulness realizing that even if I shall never see any countries of sunrise, I may still, by God´s grace, be a channel for the gospel´s living water "toward the east", or as the Danish Bible puts it, "In the direction of the east".  What a challenge!

Last Saturday we saw another Iranian family with two little kids.  A boy (8) was in between my translator.  He felt honored and was also excited about a couple of Jesus-choruses (with a lot of motions, mind you!) we sang together. His parents rejoiced.  As his disabled dad told me of police torture, prison, gunshot wounds, broken limbs, etc. I felt very small and yet I feel that my entrusted gospel charter also has an Eastern direction.

I told a Lutheran vicar, a friend, the story.  He graciously offered his roomy facilities in his big parsonage, should we need more space.  Praise the Lord for a gospel love that transcends denominational borders.  Time is short, and it´s still the gospel that is at stake as it has always been.

November 24, 2015 - jn