I face the fact that my dream of going to the "jungle"  as a young man didn´t happen, and that very fact led to many painful frustrations.

So instead precious Iranian people "invade" in our house.  There´s a family with two children, 9 and 4.  I remember from my early youth in the U.S. how a children´s worker in New York City admonished us never to go anywhere without thinking of the children.  That I remember as I try to give myself to the kids, singing Jesus-choruses with them, explaining  gospel words while their smiling parents are more or less spectators.

Or there´s a young couple, not married yet, to whom I hope be just a "channel" for the love of Christ.  Her dad is visiting them these days, and he has become precious to us too.  Please don´t feel impressed, for "except the Lord build the house they labor in vain..." (Ps. 127:1), and my need for the Spirit´s help is akin to what the apostle says in Eph. 6:19.

This coming Saturday we, my wife and I, will find ourselves among abt. 40 Iranians in a rented hall in this town.  The occasion is the celebration of the 9 years old boy´s birthday.  Think of that!  The majority of that party will be Moslems.  It´s my impression that they are not more Moslems than formal Christians are Christians in our Lutheran state church.

By the way I don´t know if I like the word "church" anymore.  At least not in the modern, established sense of the word.  I meet little understanding or response among "good" churchgoers when it comes to practical "fellowship in the gospel" (Phil. 1:5), i.e in trying to win others for that saving gospel.  However, I´m not better than anybody else.  It´s really only the love of Christ that can melt our hearts for others, isn´t it?

So your prayers are coveted, I myself being the least of the saints.

Dec. 12, 2015 -jn