Thank You!

 Answers from December Prayers: 

• Going to Asylum Court to testify on Monday Dec. 7th -> Pray for a strong witness for Christ to be given by the Asylum Seeker. Lord please help him communicate well. Ari… did the very best he could and yet there was more background information that he needed to clear up with the judge. The Holy Spirit moved Ari... to do the right thing. His next Asylum court appointment will be sometime next year. The Spirit led me to give a clear Gospel word to the judge after she asked me, “What can you tell me in connection with the religious attitude of the one in question.” 

• Character Mentor Network meeting on Dec. 14th.  -> Lord help us get the details finished so that all those trained will be motivated to train others. Our meeting was encouraging and inspired. Much growth is taking place. (See Advancements 2020 below)

• May the Lord provide Ahm…. with a place to live and a job in a very timely manner. It seems there is another bureaucratic delay for Ahm…. May the Lord push things through so Ahm…. can get established.

• Three things that need more prayer:

1.Young Leaders in training with their refugee friends from church.

• The young Refugees in training and the discipleship class continues. We invite and teach and shepherd as best we can. The depth of being in the Family of God is a key to all we minister too.

2. Refugee Network:

• The Lord show me some next steps using a co-worker, and now we have an active plan and  for January 2021. 
• Met with a larger National Refugee Network on Friday Dec. 18th that could move things toward better enforced rights and fairness for the refugees in Austria and in Europe in general. Thank You Lord for these steps forward.

3. Character Mentor Network Advancements 2020

(Summary from Dr. D. Morgan):

The Character Mentoring has been developed as a type of community assistance that focuses on personal character strengthening and resilience building. Here are some highlights on our progress

1.    There are now over 20 people who are certified in Character Mentoring or will soon be, representing at least 9 cultures/nationalities and at least 7 languages. 

2.    The Character Mentoring work is now international, with certified Character Mentors and trainees in Costa Rica, Slovakia, and the United States.

3.    The Character Mentor Program website has recently received a refreshed look. 

4.    Our Character Mentor Trainers are actively preparing others to be Character Mentor providers. 

5.    We have established an association for Character Mentors, the Character Mentor Network, with its own recently published website. 

6.    The Character Mentor Network is now on Facebook and Instagram, also helping to increase our visibility.

7.    In this Character Mentor Network, we now have a leadership team, members, and member meetings that are furthering the organization and promotion of Character Mentoring.

8.    More importantly, we are seeing people personally benefiting from the training and, in turn, benefiting others through Character Mentoring. 

Devotional from the Dec. 14th Character Mentor Network meeting:

Of all the gifts we receive at Christmas there is none greater than Christ himself, God in the flesh, the incarnate and present God. As we work with people we are giving them the same gift of God in us, Emmanuel. It is our presence and the presence of Christ in us that we give to another as mentor, trainer or friend. Presence, time, care and compassion. We give out of what we have received.

The last verse of “ O Little Town of Bethlehem”

 O holy Child of Bethlehem,

descend to us, we pray,

cast out our sin, and enter in,

be born in us today!

We hear the Christmas angels

the great glad tidings tell.

O come to us, abide with us,

our Lord Emmanuel.

As God abides in us and in our hearts, we give to others. It is the foundation of all we are and all we do.

Jayne Uhlig-Ferguson

Thank you Father in Heaven for answers to our prayers! 

In Jesus Christ’s name, AMEN.

The Shepherd Goes To Court

     Ahm…was just taking care of his sheep when the police came to take a few of them for themselves.

Ahm… pushed back. The policeman hit the ground. 

The young shepherd didn’t know he had pushed the commander. 

He ran home and told his uncle.

The uncle investigated the matter. 

The last Kurd* who did such a thing disappeared. Ahm…’s mother and uncle quickly sold what they had to get money. Ahm…. had to leave. The journey eventually took him to a friend in the Refugee church, …..

and then to Jesus.

 On Nov. 17th that Kurdish shepherd told the asylum judge of his faith in Jesus. Every question the judge asked was answered from Ahm...'s understanding of the Bible and the refugee church. 

Ahm….reads and studies his Bible. 

The judge was impressed. In just little over an hour asylum was granted. 

On our way home from court Ahm…. said: 

“My friends just need to read the Bible.” 

Ahm… is one of our young leaders and he is learning to shepherd God’s sheep. 

He waited 5 years as a refugee, living under extremely difficult conditions. 

Some go crazy waiting.

That one day in court was crucial for him. He proclaimed Christ. 

Where will God take him next?

*The Kurdish people don’t have a country of their own and many are living between Iraq and Iran. Iraq drove Ahm… parents, along with many Kurds, out of the country. They settled on the border. Iran will not recognize them as citizens, claiming the Kurds fought against them in the Iran-Iraq war. The only rights the Kurds have is to pay taxes. Ahm… was allowed only up to a 4th grade education. The police can and will take their money and possessions away for no reason, except that they are Kurdish.  

Some Young Leaders in training with their refugee friends from church. We are discussing a chapter of the Gospel of Luke each week.

Refugee Network: Still moving forward. Planning some teaching venues online to expand and help where the needs are (i.e.trauma, evangelism, shepherding, legal help, understanding what it’s like to be a refugee, …)

Character Mentor Network: Our society desperately needs a valid “Christian” solution to personal crises at this time. https://cmentorprogram.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!

The Right Bus Seat?

 

After Refugee discipleship class a couple of the men stay online to talk. One of the young leaders asked me to help his friend.  

I hardly know him. 

He was going to Asylum court in just four days.

 I thought, “ Well because a young leader asked, I’ll make the time.” 

I met Moh.... on my day off and found out he is a gem of a person, truly seeking Jesus, highly skilled and motivated in his field of study,... and he has a deep desire to serve Jesus. 

He went to asylum court and was immediately given asylum (very unusual). It seems the judge could see that his heart and life are sold out for Christ, and it would be life threatening to send him back to his home country. I met Moh..... after discipleship class the next week and showed him how he can get started in a ministry that fits his spiritual and natural gifting. 

My own mentor and greatly respected friend Dr. Dennis Morgan told me,

 “it’s not only important that we get everyone in the bus, but we have

 to get them into the right seat.” 

Main Prayer Request: Lord help us get all those in “Refugee Discipleship”, “Character Mentor Network”, and “Vienna Area Refugee Network” into the right seat on the bus. 

Answered Prayer.  The communication software to all the refugees on my phone crashed and I couldn’t seem to get the problem fixed. I told my wife about it several times all week long and so she asked, “ Can I try?”       

 She pressed one button and it started working again. Praise the Lord !!!!

By the grace of God and in Jesus Christ’s precious name, AMEN

.

Answered Prayer from Aug. 10, 2020

 

Prayer and Wisdom received:

Intervention: A refugee and brother in Christ has a critical heart problem and severe depression with no insurance. Answer:  The Lord has taken care of things. Kyar… now has insurance and is now taking medication for his heart problem. He seems to be overcoming the severity of his depression too.

Mentoring: A brother in Jesus seems to be blocked emotionally and is recently married. Answer:  The block has loosened up some and the marriage seems to be stabilizing more.

Investing:

• Family: Answer:   Our marriage has strengthened over the summer and our daughters are figuring out life within the Lord’s sanctification process.

• Networking: Answer:  The Character Mentor Network and the Refugee and Immigrant Network is still a work in process. Significant steps moving forward have take place since the Covid crisis. Praise the Lord!

• Mentoring Refugee Young Leaders: Answer:   Last Friday (Sept.4, 2020) at the Refugee leaders meeting we received full commitment from them for this years ministry plan. We continue to train them so they can minister without us. 

• Preparation for teaching and presentations:Answer:  So far so good.

Thank you for your prayers!

Russ & Roswitha

Prayer encouragement from a faithful friend on prayer:

Dear friends,

 

I decided I might need a refresher course about prayer the Lord hears and honors. These are just SOME of the verses I found, but enough to convince me that my search for BALANCE was really a search for safety. The only thing off balance …is me. I may be in danger of wanting more to be liked than to be faithful  (Tom Nelson)  and  Spurgeon, speaking of the church :  “Either the wheat chokes the weeds or the weeds choke the wheat”.

 

Thank you for your prayer again, read and reread … and your sound counsel (“If we remain silent what will continue?”) My mindset to “pray without ceasing” is strengthened  and as we continue to ask the Lord to establish the Refugee Discipleship Network, we can be confident it will most certainly be accomplished.  

 

My devotional—“The real victory in service is won in secret beforehand by prayer. Service is gathering up the result” 

 

                                                                                         

Returning ALL praise to Him for the victory on it’s way to you… in the Powerful Name of our Savior 

Thanks again Sherri Smith for this encouraging word: 

“What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”- Mark 11:24(KJV)

 

   Reviewing conditions for believing and receiving (Life App Bible NIV) 

1. You must be a believer   

2. You must not hold a grudge against another person  

3.  You must not ask with selfish motives  

4.  Your request must be good for God’s kingdom.  To pray effectively, you need faith in God, not the object of your request. If you focus only on your request, you will be left with nothing if your request is refused.  

 

“Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh  receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”- Matt 7: 7-8  (KJV)

 

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you shall receive, if you have faith”- Matt 21:22 (ESV)

 

“Whatever you ask in My Name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son”- John 14:13 (ESV)

 

“Until now, you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full”. –John 16:24

 

“And this is the confidence we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we  have asked  of Him”- 1 John 5: 14-15 (ESV)

 

“But let him  ask Him in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must  not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways”- James 1: 6-8 (ESV)

 

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”- John 15:7(ESV)

 

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him”- 1 John 3:22(ESV)

 

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven”- Matt 18:19 (ESV)

 

 “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘ Be taken up and thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him”- Mark 11:23 (ESV) 

 

“Delight yourself in the Lord , and He will give you the desires of your heart”- Ps 37:4(ESV)

 

 

Charles Spurgeon  (from his message “The conditions of power in prayer”)… found on You Tube…this is bare bones, SO much content I just hit the high spots

 

The prerequisites are:  

1. A childlike obedience (we keep His commandments) 

2.  A yielding spirit  (an eye to His pleasure)

3.  A childlike trust (in proportion to our faith in Christ) 

 4. A childlike love (For Him and each other) his quote:  “Love will form the prayer” – selfishness can’t be trusted with unlimited power in prayer… it must bless others.  

 5. childlike ways (dwelling in Him produces Holy desires in line with His will )(Matt 6:33) 

  6. A childlike spirit (a spirit of adoption)—his quote: “when God leads His children to pray, He has already set in motion a wheel that is to produce the result prayed for… 

 7. A childlike confidence (” Beloved, if our hearts condemn us not, THEN we have confidence before God”)—1 John 3:21(KJV)…

 

“Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean”- Ps 51:7

Hi Russ,

Thanks for putting the  zoom meeting together yesterday (my first) --wonderful to see familiar faces and so full of information. Loved being with you all !

Wanted you to have more information  than I could share then, just in case you or any of the group needed it :  If you go to   Cassingram.com  you will find  a detailed description about the product including an offer for a free book –“COVID-19 Remedy”. I may do that myself. But the book  I’ve relied on for years is “The Cure is in the Cupboard” by Dr. Cass Ingram. I paid a few dollars for it  (used) before this virus hit but I notice the price has dramatically risen… the cheapest I saw was on Ebay for about $12

I don’t know if this doc is a believer, but he states that this oregano is the  hyssop of the Bible. There are many brands out there, some not even true oregano, but Spanish marjoram. OREGANOL P 73 by NORTH AMERICAN HERB and SPICE is the gold standard, organically sourced from the Mediterranean region. And potent. It comes in pill form but doesn’t seem to be as effective as the concentrated drop form. If you drop it on your tongue (as I do ) it will make you VERY alert. Might be prudent to mix with water when you aren’t accustomed to the jolt. It is effective against pneumonia, shingles, allergies and many other conditions the medical community can’t touch… but is recognized as safe by the FDA. Don’t use it, however, if you have a blood disorder or are on blood thinners. And use with caution if you are allergic to mint, sage, basil or lavender. I’m using the super strength but the regular is very good, too. I’m not aware of any side effects… other than sleeping better. It is anti viral, anti inflammatory, anti microbial and a cancer suppressor. Even the fumes are healing .

I notice the price gouging is lessening- I see more reasonable prices on Amazon and Ebay if you want to research and can’t find it locally. I can’t recommend it as a sure cure but I’m intrigued at the thought that it MIGHT be. And that this entire plague is easily subdued by a little plant the Lord provided centuries ago for “ such a time as this”… confounding the experts but not the Great Physician.  J I read that hyssop branches were used in spreading blood on the door frames at Passover (!) If I can clarify or help you in any way, please let me know

                                  Hope you never need this information,  S....

Happy Disciples

Another Priscilla and Aquilla couple in the making. Acts 18:26. 

E.... has stayed faithful serving Jesus after his conversion. The Lord has recently rewarded him greatly with a wife who loves and serves Jesus too. 

Praise the Lord !!!

A Multimedia Good Friday Service. 

Used film clips from thehopeproject.com ( great ministry tool)

Praise the Lord for Sa... being the messenger-translator,  and for all those like Par.... and her new sister in Jesus who passed out the Lord’s supper. E....... was invaluable figuring out how to make the sound and the video cable work well for the Service. 

Recently received the Mentor Training Certificate from Dr. Dennis Morgan. 

Dennis has been my mentor for many years ( since summer 2014) and he has been invaluable in coaching me to mentor others. Thank you Dennis !!!!

Thank you for your prayers and support!

The Judge Questions the Conversion

Fahim’s testimony was too detailed and unclear. He was not answering the Judges question: When did your conversion to Christianity begin?

Fahim told his story to the judge: 

At the age of 6..... I was beaten for not understanding the Koran. I learned over time how to read Arabic with the other boys and yet the meaning was not explained. The K…. school was during the week, and the tests on the weekends. As I grew older I began to question why the Mula’s (K…… teachers) were so strong on getting young boys into the Holy War? 

One day I told my best friend about this. He gave me a book and said, this book is very dangerous,…. it can cost you your life. 

I took it home and began to read in it for two days, but didn’t understand many things. Why does God have a son? The Mula’s told me God has no family. I have no one to explain this book to me. I decided to go to the Mula to get understanding. The Mula saw the book and heard my question about God having a son. He began to beat me. He threw me out. I went home. About two hours later the police came, questioned me and the family. My mother and brothers and sisters didn’t know about the book. They arrested me, questioned and beat me extensively. When a friend of the family saw me, he asked for the family doctor. The doctor told the police that if I had internal bleeding I would probably die. They took me to the hospital. The doctor requested that my hands be freed. I woke up in the middle of the night, used the bed covers, and made an escaped through the window. 

My understanding in the court room:

Fahim’s lawyer looks at me and I realized that Fahim was not answering the Judges question. I realized I could not leave Fahim and the court room to make my next appointment. I wrote my mentor trainer, and close friend, to please excuse me and to pray for the situation.

The judge asked: I still would like to know when the conversion to Christianity began?  

Fahim continued. Thru the beatings I realized the book I had read was Christian. This began my long journey. With the help of my uncle I was able to get to Europe. At certain times I reflected on the fact that God said he had a son. At one point I decided to go to a church (catholic), but didn’t understand because the service was in German. 

I stayed with my sister in Vienna, and one day a friend of the family came over. I felt I could trust him. I asked him if he knew of a Christian church in Persian. He told me he knows a Persian Christian. I should call him. 

That man invited me to a church. I felt so welcomed and accepted there so I began to come every Sunday. I also attended some Bible studies. I got a Bible in my language and began to read it again. After about a year I understood enough to be baptized. 

My observations: Fahim told the judge and everyone in the court room that he often reflected on God having a son, and gave that son to die for our sins.

The judge ask Fahim, if you are sent back to Afghanistan what will you do?

Fahim replied, Jesus said we should not hide our light under a plate. The Judge and Fahim’s lawyer look puzzled, and then look at me. I told them that Luther translated that phrase” don’t hide your light under a bushel”. They understood. 

Fahim continued. Jesus said if you deny me, I will deny you before the Father.

The judge asks Fahim to continue with his story. 

Fahim continued. One day I found out my mother was very sick. I asked for prayer and some at the church prayed for my mother. I called my mother and one of the relatives told me she is no longer ill. 

Russ observers: I could feel the Spirit in me tingling in my body as Fahim told the court this. I prayed that all those in the court room would also feel God’s presence.

Fahim mentioned several times that Jesus had died for our sins and rose again.

The judge asked the asylum police if they had any further questions. Their questions were easily answered. Then the judge had another question: Was it the same Mula that beat you consistently as a child because you did not understand the Koran, the same one that beat you for having a Bible? Fahim replied, yes. Then why would you go to him to ask him about a book that your friend told you, could cost you your life?

Fahim replied, we were taught that the Mula had answers to questions like this. My father had died the year before, so I had no one to ask about God having a son. I didn’t know the book I was reading was christian.

The judge questioned further: What does your mother think? Does she know you have converted? Yes I told her, and she got very angry with me and didn’t talk to me for a month and a half. When my uncle, who helped me get out of Afghanistan, found out he screamed at me. Since then my mother has been spit in the face by the neighbors several times because of what I did. Now my mother says, I can choose whatever religion I want, but she is not going to change. 

Will you continue going to church if you get asylum?

Fahim replies, God sent his Son to die for my sins. He has saved me and of course I will continue to go to church.

The judge told the lawyer there is no longer any need for a verifying witness from the church. He is convinced Fahim’s conversion is real.

Praise the Lord, who reveals Himself and causes spiritual growth!

Thank you for your prayers and support.