We have a new believer!!! A day after I sent out my last email update, my friend Apple joined the family!!! (She is the girl who drew the picture of the princess). She decided to accept God into her heart, but she made us promise to keep it a secret. She wanted to wait until all of our friends got together for Bible Study so that she could share the news! So, last Sunday night, Apple was able to share with all of our friends about how God has changed her life and how He is so faithful in answering her prayers. So many hearts are changing and are turning to Him. I love my job!
To celebrate Thanksgiving with my Asian friends, we all made turkeys using the outlines of our hands. After this, we all painted our turkeys (I could definitely tell that many of my friends have never seen a real turkey before, even so, they all looked lovely). I totally felt like I was a kindergarten teacher, it was great. In all, ten of our Asian friends participated. They all wrote down different things that they were thankful for, ranging from “messy bedrooms, sound sleep, and good appetite” to “creating me, letting me know God, and changing me to be closer to Him”. Some statements were fun, some were deep and profound, but all of them were from a thankful heart.
On Thursday, all the workers in the city joined together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Twenty of us enjoyed time of fellowship, feasting, and fun for the entire day. Each of us brought a dish or two to pass. I don’t think I have ever seen so much food! And it all tasted soooo good, just like if I was at home in the States. After this, I joined in on a game of football, and at night, we watched “Home Alone”. I couldn’t have asked for a better day! I truly love all of these people, they feel like family!
On Friday morning, we all left for vacation to the hot springs, it was quite possibly the most relaxing day and half of my life. I loved it! I got to eat raw sugar cane straight from the stick, I saw a banana tree, and I saw a million orange trees on a mountain. It was absolutely enjoyable and peaceful! At one point, I was with two of my friends walking up a dirt road on the mountain. When we saw the orange trees, I really really wanted to go pick some, but I resisted the urge. Instead, we all prayed that God would provide us with the opportunity pick some. I specifically asked for three, one for each of us that were on the walk. Less than two minutes later, some guys came and asked us if we wanted some and handed us about twelve oranges. It was totally an answer to our prayers! We also prayed for their salvation and I am trusting God that He will be faithful in answering.
In the upcoming weeks, please continue to pray for vision and direction for my future. As the Christmas season is quickly approaching, continue to keep my Asian friends in your thoughts. We all are very expectant to see God work His miracles during this season. Also, ask God for some opportunities for us to share the Christmas story with a large number of the college students, possibly doing something on campus.
Much love,
Amilah