D1 Team Day 1

Last night we rolled into the Arab-American Festival, which annually pulls in a crowd of around 300,000 people from the area. Ethnic music, delicious shish tamook sandwiches, segregated dancing, and countless vendors lined the street and we got a little bit of the cross-cultural experience we had hoped to encounter. We were intrigued by the contrast of head scarves and tank tops, of belly dancing outfits and burkas. Our team was trying to blend in, but there were also Christian groups very open and outgoing throughout the festival. Some team members embraced the culture, buying hijabs, henna and incredible food. In the crowd the Lebanese-American people stood out because of their strong sense of nationalism, some wore flags around their shoulders, and others had shirts pointing to their pride.

As we arrived to unload our vehicles, we heard the call to prayer sounding from across the street; a chant both intriguing and eerie. The call sounds periodically, even as we draft this, so that it seems to pervade into every setting. Turning to a prayer more familiar, we’ve made ourselves quite at home at the local church. This morning’s sermon uncannily corresponded with our team’s daily devotion. (Who else but God!) The pastor spoke on John 6:53 “So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.” He emphasized our dire need for Jesus and our incapability to have a purposeful life apart from Christ. He is solely the thing we live for and the only one who can meet our needs, nothing and no one else.

As we returned from church we had the most incredible Yemeni chicken and rice, so good! Since it’s a Sunday we had no direct outreach tasks and we were able to watch two very interesting, informative documentaries exploring Islam and their relationship to the western world. The first, “Sacrificed Survivors: the Untold Story of the Ground Zero Mega-Mosque” was discussing the mosque plans a few blocks away from ground zero, interviews with 9-11 survivors and families of victims were the main focus of this video. The second film “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against The West” was discussing the jihad—“holy struggle”—this is the duty of Muslims to expand Islam, at any cost. This film showed our team the lies and strongholds Satan has placed among Muslim countries and even right here in the States.

Please continue to pray that our team will develop a deep love for the Muslims we encounter. That the Holy Spirit will be moving in incredible ways in and through us. That we will have discerning spirits while in conversations with the people we come across.
We’re so thankful for the incredible support system God has placed back home! Can’t wait to share more with you all!