Rescue Iraq

Why We Go on Vacation

Well, after 3 weeks of gallivanting around Turkey and simply loving it, we slipped back into Iraq in the dead of night only to be greeted by a dark house -- the electrical breaker went off while we were gone -- but the indoor thermometer was still working reminding us why in the world we would need a little respite from living in Iraq. It read a mere 98 degrees.

After flipping the breaker, light once again poured into our humble abode to reveal things better left in the dark, like exploding molasses jars in the cupboard, a freezer that hadn't been freezing anything for a long, long time, a thick film of dust everywhere, and some fried electrical cable on our water cooler that disallowed any comfort on our first night back. Yea, it's kinda hot in Iraq.

But, it's not just the heat. Friday morning we were greeted with one of the byproducts of living on the edge of the desert - dust storms - and boy, did we have a doozy!

Here are a few pics from our neighborhood. Yes, it's good to take a vacation once in a while.

"Where are you from?"

Well, though you would hardly know it just by asking them, our boys' were all born in a far off land, in the central plateau of Asia Minor, surrounded by mountains in the city of Eskisehir (meaning the 'Old City') in the land of present day Turkey. This was the ancient region of Phrygia for you Biblical scholars.

If you were to ask the boys today where they call home they would still enthusiastically say, "Rockwall, Texas!" though with our recent journey back to Eskisehir, Peter at least, is starting to appreciate his foreign birth.

While we were staying at a hotel in Istanbul, we met some Americans who asked the boys, "And where are you from?" A fairly straight forward question for most little boys, but one that leaves ours a little perplexed.

What would you say if you met a family in Istanbul, and the child answered that seemingly innocuous question something like this, "We're from Rockwall, Texas. We were born in Turkey, but we live in Iraq."

Here are some pics of their 'Hometown', well at least their birthplace. : )

 

How to strengthen your prayer life in just 15 hours

Well, yesterday ranks in the Ray travel itinerary as one of the least productive trips in our lives averaging something like 15 miles per hour (someone help me with my math) over a distance of 250 miles. Praise the Lord we weren't in a car that whole time. No, it was 7 hours of driving and 8 hours of waiting. The above sign couldn't have been more a sight for sore eyes than we've ever seen.

Here's a bit of how it transpired... read on.

He Restores My Soul, Part 2

Well, the trip wasn’t quite over. Friday morning I sped over with a friend to a function put on by ROCK International to hear an inspiring speaker share not only the vision and heart behind reaching street children but how to do it as well. An estimated 2.5 million street children in Egypt have spurred the church to take some action over this epidemic. It was an encouraging but sobering analysis of the plight of the orphan in that land.

After a quick lunch it was off to the airport as I embarked from Africa, to Europe, then to Asia in a span of just 12 hours. 3 continents in 10 hours brought me home at 4:00am Saturday ready to hang my traveling hat up for a time and embrace my family again.

One event though on the return voyage I want to highlight and perhaps bring home the importance of praying a prayer like I prayed above: “Father restore my soul.”

While I was waiting for my plane in Istanbul at about 10:30pm, a man sat down next to me at the airport café and we began talking. He was from Tel Aviv on business. We exchanged pleasantries, then before I knew it he was off to catch his plane.

As I finished my coffee, I thought, “Goodness, I want to talk with that guy again.” I quickly packed my things and set off for my gate wondering if I might see him. Sure enough, he was heading to the same set of gates as I was. We picked up the conversation again, and thanks to a long walk were able to talk a little bit about Yahweh.

Witnessing to God’s chosen people is never an easy sell, but somehow God gave me words that pierced his heart. He turned to me and said, “Well, then, what do you think the truth is?”

The opportunities that God puts in our ways are perhaps more than we could ever begin to dream of. Now and again, we flow with His spirit so closely that His words fall from our lips in ways we would never have imagined. But, without a residing peace and joy in our lives, our testimonies hardly contain convincing power.

Allowing the Father to literally restore our soul each and every day – no matter what kind of day we are facing or have faced in the past – enables us to walk in that abiding peace and joy that makes our testimonys not only something that are convincing but that are something that we actually believe in and want to share.

By asking God to rub the harsh edges off our souls, and woo us to himself again, we are not only allowing Him to bring more joy and refreshing into our lives, but allowing His kingdom to flow through us with ever increasing power and praise.

Why would the world ever want to listen to our words if our lives don’t reflect true joy? What is more real than finding true peace in this life?

Even at the end of a tri-continental business trip God offers us that very thing if we’ll simply ask: “Father restore my soul.” Then, watch out, the doors of heaven may just rush in and sweep you away.

He Restores My Soul, Part 1

On the morning of my last full day in Cairo, day 14 of an adventure beginning in Iraq, taking me close to the Iranian border, abroad to Jordan, all throughout Israel, hopping through Istanbul for a few days, and finally to the pyramids of Egypt, I faced a day on my own in a foreign country – the leaders of WO having left early that morning.

Harkening back to a sermon I shared with a Moldavian fellowship on the previous Sunday, I recalled to mind these words of the Psalmist, “He restores my soul.”

Now, if there is a time to receive a restoration of the soul, it is definitely after 2 weeks on the road in 4 different countries on 3 different continents traveling with the likes of Mike, Paul, and Scott. No really, time with them was a blessing, but the road still has it’s bumps and I’d been on it for 2 weeks straight. I was ready for a break.

So, last Thursday morning in my hotel room overlooking the Nile I prayed, “Father, you promised you’d restore my soul. I need it today. Would you restore my soul and refresh me that I might return to my family tomorrow ready to give, not just ready to go on a vacation.”

Can you believe that God answered my prayer? Well, of course He did, even in the heart of the Muslim world. Let me tell you what God had in store for me.

That morning I coasted downstairs for a quick breakfast then back to my room to work on my blogs, the previous 4 which I wrote that day. With a faster connection then I’ve ever had whilst in Iraq, I was able to quickly update everyone on the trip before the trip was even over including uploading many photos that we had taken along the way.

In our line of work, the job never quite feels done until we’ve reported back to folks what’s been going on. So, it was definitely a blessing to get everyone updated on our progress so that I wouldn’t have to be doing it once I returned -- concentrating more fully on getting time with my family and being with them.

A local believer picked me up for lunch and then took me to his house on the outskirts of Cairo. He had some meetings to attend to, so he left me there by myself. I had been hoping to go visit the notorious ‘Garbage City’ that everyone has talked about – and we did drive right by it – but, it was closed due to the swine flu of all things.

In 8 years of marriage, 6 of which have been with children, I could probably count on one hand the days that I’ve spent all alone, and who would have guessed I would have found even one spot of sanctuary in a city of 23 million people, but I did.

The rest of the day was spent in idle bliss. You’d think I was the only one in the neighborhood as quiet as it was. Though he had internet, I wasn’t able to log in somehow so my work had to stop. I was basically forced to just sit and read, watch some t.v., relax, pray, journal, and just be. My friend never did return so I just hit the hay after a small dinner.

The next morning I awoke with a revived spirit, but even more importantly washed and dried clothes. Yes, my friend had a washing machine, so I was able to get all my clothes cleaned at the end of my trip giving Dawn a further break from my dirty laundry.

Wish all my trips could end in such a way. Yes, for sure, “He restores my soul.”

Greatest Need

Two weeks and two continents ago in another lifetime, I was in Iraq meeting with the pastors of the Kurdzman Church discussing with them and 4 representatives from Lake Pointe Church what their greatest need was, and how they might help them.

According to the local pastor the greatest need of the church in Northern Iraq is Christian education for the families -- to simply be educated on how to raise their children rightly, to love their wives and husbands as the Bible teaches, and to function as Godly families in a culture that for too long has taught them just the opposite as many cultures do.

Just a few hours later we were sitting down to tea with a representative from the largest Evangelical Protestant church in the Middle East with a master's degree in Biblical counseling and social work. She and her husband discipled many of the leaders of that church and stand as true pillars in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. She was returning to Egypt that evening. Her name was Kathy.

Kathy explained that she would like to return to Iraq in a few months working with WO to organize a seminar for the social workers in the government run orphanages throughout Kurdistan. Teaching them Biblical principles of counseling that would touch the lives of the workers and the orphans already in their care.

Fast forward to yesterday, where in another quirk of God's timing, Kathy shared her same vision with Paul, Mike and Scott in her home church in Cairo. As we began talking, we realized how we could not only teach and train the social workers but also provide the church with the training that it was longing for.

Ultimately, we would love to see the churches in Northern Iraq begin teaching and counseling the orphans in the government run orphanages as well as those they've 'adopted' into their care. However, in the writing of this, we're dealing with a church made up largely of first generation believers just beginning to create a Christ-like culture in the midst of their hostile surroundings.

Turns out, Kathy's primary specialty is in inner healing, a step we must all go through before we can become the tools that God wants us to be - extending a hand to the hurting around us.

Pray with us as we make plans for a fall seminar for the church, followed closely by a training workshop for the directors and workers in the government orphanages from 5 major cities in Northern Iraq. Our plate here at World Orphans-Iraq is suddenly becoming full. Praise the Lord for all the work He is doing in and through us.

Answers to Prayer (Part 3)

You'll always remember pictures like this as they mark crucial steps in your life and in the life of major endeavors the Lord presents before you.

Perched above the Bosphorus, one of the most beautiful waterways in the world - I'm actually writing this from the 20th story of my hotel room overlooking the Nile River - we listened to Oruc's plans (3 different ones) and settled upon one of them -- his favorite, actually.

After discussing how we would proceed, we took this photo signifying the beginning, we hope, of a wonderful friendship with Oruc, as well as marking the start of Project Soran just 1 week after our ground breaking ceremony in Iraq. And that is a major answer to prayer. Praise God!

We'll be sharing Oruc's plans with you in the coming weeks after we've run a cost analysis to make sure the design we've chosen is affordable and have signed a contract with Oruc. Just to give you an idea of our plans, I took these photos that give you a feel - a reflected image you could say - of that meeting. Thank you so much for your prayers! [for more pics of our time click on the photo album above left].

Answers to Prayer (Part 2)

You know I've just realized that potentially all my blogs could be entitled "Answers to Prayer". God is so ready to direct our steps if we'll only stop to listen. Our prayers (most of them anyway)are really His prayers prayed through us, to Him, then fulfilled in His Almighty Power and Gracious ways. It's just awesome to be used of the Lord to perform His will on earth. May His guidance continually mark our ways and our lives.

So, as I mentioned in the previous entry I gave Oruc our plans and was tentatively wondering if this was really going to work out. As the day approached for us to fly to Istanbul, I shot him an email asking him about his progress. He said that he was ready to meet with us, but when the day arrived our cell phones wouldn't work.

With a little help from our hotel in Istanbul, we finally got through to Oruc to meet with him at the Dolmabahce Palace that afternoon. Istanbul is such a neat place to do business.

The reason this meeting had such significance for me has to do with the enormity of the project, the funds that we'll need to accomplish our goals, and the fact that I work on the other side of the world, far, far away from HQ in Colorado.

I have been working with WO for just over 16 months now, and "I" have come up with a project that will basically dwarf all other WO projects in projected costs, fulfilling a function that is relatively new in the way WO has traditional functioned, and in a region that they have never worked before.

As you can probably imagine it was quite important for us to make sure that we were all on the same page. And the only way to really do that would be for Paul, Mike, Scott, and Rod to either be in Iraq, or at the very least to meet with the architect that is planning the project. Turns out our day couldn't have been planned any better.

Meeting up with Oruc at the Dolmabahce Palace, he invited us to the hotel terrace of his business partner and engineer. Now, we're talking. Perched above the Bosphorus with a terrace cafe all to ourselves we asked Orcu to show us his plans...

Answers to Prayer (Part 1)

One of our main prayers these days has been for God to show us the people that He wants us to work with on our project in Soran; of crucial importance at this stage have been the architect and engineers.

About a month ago I was driving to work with a long list of things to do running through my head, when I felt the Lord direct me to go visit a friend. We’ve all been there. Struggling to get our ‘duties’ done when God shreds our lists to pieces and says, “Hey, I’ve got a better plan.” After battling with the ‘sanity’ of my mind and trying to dissuade myself from that still small voice, I finally acquiesced.

Walking in to my friend’s business I was greeted heartily as to be expected in our society. Then, he instantly took me upstairs and said, “I’ve got a friend I want you to meet.”

Ten minutes later, his architect shows up and sits down next to me. His name is Oruc. It means ‘fasting’ in Turkish, and being the clever man that I am, I asked him, “Oh, you must have been born during the month of Ramazan.” He said, ‘yes’ and off the conversation went.

Oruc, you see is a Turk. He was leaving that evening to return to Istanbul where he runs an architectural and engineer firm that does a lot of business throughout Iraq. My friend had shown me some of his work earlier, and I had been quite impressed. At this point, I began to realize why the Lord might have directed me to stop by.

I opened up my computer and began to share with Oruc our vision for our project in Soran. I showed him the layout of the land that the government gave to us and our first draft sketches of our community center and homes.

I told him that we were looking for an architect, and if he would like to accept the challenge, then we would consider his drawings along with a couple others. Because I knew that I would be traveling to Istanbul with the leaders of World Orphans 3-4 weeks later, I thought how convenient this encounter just might have been.

Pulling the flash drive out of my computer, I easily transferred all the documents and photos that Oruc would need to begin working on the project. We quickly exchanged phone numbers and before I knew it, our plans were moving forward more swiftly than I could have imagined.

Go God!

Day 4-5: Tour of the Holy Land

Days 4 and 5 of our tour took us up to the Gallilee region where we spent time at the traditional sights of the Sermon on the Mount and Peter's mother's house in Capernaum, finishing up with some time at Caesarea along the Mediterranean coast. I've always enjoyed the Gallilee region far from the hussle and bussle of the streets of Jerusalem, it affords one those times of contempletory thought that makes one go to the Holy Land to begin with.

Still, at this point, the most significant experience I have had took place on Day 3 at Caiaphas' House within walking distance of the temple mount in Jerusalem. They've excavated underneath his house to find several cell blocks where they are almost certain that Peter, John, and even Jesus would have been imprisoned or faced beatings.

To think that the High Priest of Israel would have his own personal jail beneath his house goes to show you just how far away from God's laws the Sanhedrin had wandered. It was only the fact that they wanted Jesus dead that they sought the public trial with Pilate. Otherwise, Caiaphas for sure would have dealt with this up start on his own.

Touching the stones of those cells deep beneath the ground I imagined the apostles contemplating, "We have been found worthy to suffer for Jesus -- in the same cells in which He was held." As you recall, Peter and John left the prison spurned on by joy in the Holy Spirit.

To suffer for the name of Christ, perhaps there can be no greater joy in this world overcoming every adversary, even death itself.

Now, we're off for Istanbul to meet with a partner church from Moldovia that is doing some excellent work rescuing children from the trafficking industry. On Sunday, I'll be preaching to a Moldavian congregation in Istanbul... please pray for God's words to be granted me for the encouragement of the saints there.