Missions Around the World
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Dear Pastor Mike,
Greetings to you from Alaska! I hope you are celebrating Mother's Day with family and friends! I'm spending a week in beautiful Alaska with dear friends, Ginger and her husband. Ginger and I are co-workers on staff with e3. Today we conducted an evangelism and discipleship training course for a church in Wasilla. My friend Ginger's grandchildren attended, too! They were enthusiastic students; very attentive and seemed to really love all they learned about sharing with others what it means to have saving faith in Jesus. The youngest, only 12 years old, wants to be a missionary. She was my training buddy for the day. It was wonderful! Together we practiced with each other the things we learned that will help us to know how to share with others what the Bible teaches us about the gospel, the Good News. Jesus who was crucified, died an agonizing death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Three days later He rose again, just like He said He would, conquering sin and death! When we put our faith in Him we are given the free gift of eternal life; forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation with a Holy Creator, God. Now that's a relationship! If your church would like to have this training please let me know! Thank you for joining me. With your support and prayers we serve the Lord together! Blessings and love, Julia Prayer requests:
Hello Father Mike,
I hope you and your loved ones are all well and experiencing the presence of the Lord in your life. You might be asking, "Julia, where in the world are you and who is your wise-looking friend?" I am in Central Asia now. This handsome and very interesting fellow most likely represents a one-time ancient people and culture from this part of the world. It is nearly spring here and a very beautiful day. Only one week ago it was snowing! (That sort of sounds like Ohio weather!) There are many people enjoying the park today. I am prayer-walking and praying God will bring revival here ..... and everywhere! Including our corner of the world! God has opened many doors of opportunity here and has mobilized us with tools to help broken people with painful heart wounds, and bring His hope and healing into their lives. While here we completed 7 Sessions of New Hope Trauma Healing with two groups of women, plus we visited two remote villages with training and visited some new groups that were started in a neighboring country. We were also at a conference in Turkey before coming here. God is opening several doors of opportunity for us to be His ambassadors in many countries across this part of the world. God is really moving in powerful and compassionate ways to show Himself strong for His children. God wants them to embrace the truth that He wants to use them to take His light to those living in spiritual darkness. Community, faith, purpose! One of the women who attended had a very amazing thing happen. It was the miracle breakthrough she had hoped and prayed would happen. She is now ready to say, "What you meant for evil, God has used for good! Not just for me but so many would be saved!" Genesis 50:20 For the safety and security of those we work with in other countries please do not randomly share this newsletter with others. If you know someone who is interested in receiving my newsletter please let me know. I would love to add them to my database. Thank you! Several of you have asked me if e3 Partners is serving the Ukranian refugees. The answer is 'yes'. e3 is actively looking for ways to increase our support and ministry to them. Below you were learn ways you can help and pray for the refugees of Ukraine. Some folks from e3 staff are in Poland and helping the churches to help the dear souls who are fleeing from Ukraine and the war. It is possible I may also go there sometime in the next few months. Please join me to pray for this. Click here to donate to Romanian Ministry to Ukrainian Refugees Click to give to Ukrainian Refugee General Fund More than 4 weeks have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine. You may have seen several heartbreaking reports. These barbaric attacks have left Europe on the cusp of its worst refugee crisis in ages. Over two million people have fled Ukraine; more will follow. I know you are praying for the dear people in Ukraine. It truly is the most powerful, valuable and compassionate thing we can do! They need the Lord! They need His help! The power of His divine deliverance. Thank you for lifting up our hard-pressed Ukrainian brothers & sisters in Christ through the power of prayer. Here are 3 distinct ways to pray for Ukraine: 1) Lift up the five prayer requests below from our church partners in Eastern Europe. 2) View our new, 3-page prayer resource titled "Praying for Ukraine." 3) Join e3's Ukraine Prayer Team to receive more frequent email updates and prayer requests on this particular topic. We continue to stay in touch with our ministry partners in Europe and they have passed along several prayer requests. (Names have been omitted or obscured for security reasons.) 1. Our Ukrainian contacts ask you to pray for their safety from 6 - 8 p.m. CT, which corresponds to 2 - 4 a.m. in Ukraine, when many Russian attacks are taking place. 2. Pray for “E,” who is 39 weeks pregnant and may give birth in a bomb shelter. She is a relative of one of our partners in Irpin. Ask the Lord for a smooth delivery. 3. Ask God to protect 4 Ukrainian men who were on staff at a local church and now must serve as soldiers. Pray for God to comfort their wives and children as well. 4. Pray for the safety of Ukrainian students who are taking shelter in the basement of a seminary as the buildings nearby are being destroyed by missiles. 5. Ask the Lord to protect the Ukrainian men living in Poland who have bravely returned home to join the battle. Pray for comfort as their families are separated. WAYS TO GIVE TO HELP WITH THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE If you or someone you know feel led, here is a link to give funds to help the efforts in helping Ukranian refugees. All contributions are tax deductible. Thank you!!! Dear Father Mike,
I pray this finds you doing well! No, I'm not Irish ... but I sincerely enjoy reflecting on the life of St. Patrick. March 17 is the feast day of St. Patrick, a saint who is celebrated widely not just in Ireland but all over the world. It is a day of celebration that is marked by parades, bands, music, costumes, green lights and rivers that are all a feature of the celebrations. Yet behind all these externals, there is a the story of a remarkable man who faced a truly daunting task: proposing the Christian faith to the pagan Irish almost sixteen centuries ago. Yes, St. Patrick was a missionary! So dangerous was the task that many questioned the whole point of going to where even the Romans had refused to invade; such was the uncivilized reputation of the Irish at the time. The outcome was one of the most remarkable success stories of the early Church, one that resulted not only in the Irish being converted to the faith but them becoming missionaries of the faith themselves. Disciples who made disciples! I love that! Now you know why I want to say Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! God Bless You!! Julia Schatz Three other women and I are on our way to Turkey where we will spend five days meeting with others who do ministry in Central Asia. With God's help we will learn from each other about ways we can help each. And we will pray together for the work God is doing in Central Asia through our ministries. After our time in Turkey we will go to another Central Asian country for 12 days, where we will train churches in Trauma Healing and 4 Fields Church Planting. It is an amazing opportunity. We pray God will use us to help the church to minister to hurting people who need love and compassion and bring God's healing and wholeness into their lives. Ephesian 4:12. Thank you so much for your support! I'm grateful to God for you and for our partnership in God's work. I love these prayers. My Bible Study Fellowship Facilitator. Brenda, emailed this to her class. They are so powerful and meaningful. Praise God, we can be completely confident that hears our prayers and He is able! May we be completely summited to His will in our lives!! “Jesus looked to them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” – Matthew 19:26 Adoration: Jesus, I praise You for the “upside-down” values of Your kingdom! You protect the exploited, exalt the humble, and welcome those least honored by this world. Confession: Lord, forgive me, when I, like the rich young man, fail to recognize my idols. Forgive me when I value what the world promotes more than I love what You love. Thanksgiving: Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Jesus. Thank you for the promise of eternal life for all who follow You. No one can imagine the delights You have prepared for those who love You! (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) Supplication: Global: Father, You can do the impossible to redeem lives, hearts, and even marriages. I pray Your Church will be a safe haven for those in painful situations. As believers, help us to trust You to both stand on truth and show compassion to hurting people. Local: Jesus, You said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them …..” (Matthew 19:14) Father, I lift up those in my BSF class/online group and church who are ministering to children – so that even the youngest can accomplish great things for You. I pray they will see the power of the gospel at work as they pour themselves out in this worthy investment. Personal: Lord, no situation falls outside Your promise to work all things together “for the good of those who love You, who have been called according to Your purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Help me to find contentment and fulfillment in my current situation. I want a joy-filled life of radical commitment and complete surrender to You! Write a list of people or things you sometimes place in your life before God. What needs to change in your life to put God before those things? Take your list before the Lord in prayer as you seek to more fully surrender these things to Him.  Dear Pastor Mike,
Don't worry! .... that's NOT my car! That's not me. I found the image on the internet and it seemed like a good photo to use to help me express what I want you to know in this newsletter and prayer update. I was just out and about picking up a few gifts for those who I will minister God's love and healing to in the Middle East. I'm departing soon, God willing! Yes, we are having a SNOW STORM right now where I live near Cleveland, Ohio. And yes, I did get stuck in the snow today! It wasn't fun. Thank God it wasn't nearly as bad as what you see in this photo! Whew.... I do pray for those who are on the roads now because it doesn't seem like it's getting better anytime soon. My flight for the Middle East was scheduled to leave today but I was notified yesterday that it was cancelled due to the forecasted snow storm. I was rerouted and before the end of the day that flight was also canceled. Now I'm on a 24 hour delay. However, I do anticipate wings up by this time tomorrow, God willing! So what will this picture of a car buried in deep snow help me say to you? I will begin by asking you a question. (I love asking questions because Jesus did that! He was always asking questions when interacting with people.) Did you ever feel like this picture? I mean emotionally. Did you ever feel this way emotionally? Stuck? Not well? I know I have. It's not a good experience. Really, it just feels like a mess! Just not sure what to do, ...... wait? .....fight?.... hide? ..... run? .....give up?........ OR, ask for help!? And trust the presence of the Lord will provide the comfort, hope, strength and rest that is needed for healing. I am going to the Middle East with 5 others and we will be training and facilitating a group of people from the US who are based there. We are training in something called "New Hope". New Hope is 7 Bible Story sessions used for the purpose of Trauma Healing. The help God provides for healing and strength. It is powerfully effective and a beautiful way to deeply know God and press into the heart of God for healing, strength, restoration and purpose. After being equipped they will then share and facilitate the same with those God has in their lives in that corner of the world. And it doesn't end there. The training will help them to know how to share with their family and circle of influence. So multiplication happens! You gotta love how God multiplies, for His glory! More than fish and bread! Does it end there? No! Because when we have healing we are healthy trees that bear fruit! Those who have been together learning and receiving God's love and healing continue to meet together as the Body of Christ and to spur one another on:
Thank you for your support and prayers that make it possible for me to be a light in a dark place in the world; a place where hurting people need the hope that Jesus gives! Please pray God uses us as in Ephesians 4:12 - to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Thank you, friend! Blessings!! Julia I pray you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas!!
I returned to the U.S. after 33 days of ministry overseas. Thank you for your support and prayers! I wish there was a better way that I could express the depth of my gratitude, more than simply saying "Thank you" and sharing about what happened! What a fruitful time of equipping Christ followers for the works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Ephesians 4:12) It is clearly evident that God is fervently working in the lives of His children, His family, for His kingdom purposes. The Bible tells us the Harvest is plentiful but the workers of few! The Lord instructs us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to raise up harvest workers. God is healing the hearts of broken people in His church to bring them to a place of wholeness and abundant life. Their lives will shine with God's love and compassion..... grateful, healthy and strong "harvest workers", for God's glory! We are all talking about this with great expectation and hope of seeing a great harvest of souls in this part of the world. We conducted Trauma Healing sessions and trained trainers for discipleship and church planting. Already the 2022 calendar is filling up with exciting invitations from churches in Central Asia. You are a huge part of this. Thank you! We will go again and again to be ambassadors for the Lord to multiply the hope of healing and wholeness. One of my favorite parts of our time there was meeting with the home based churches. What wonderful places of worship, prayers and spiritual growth. Please continue to pray for this! God is moving in this part of the world. Dear Pastor Mike, Well when I first starting to write this Christmas newsletter I told myself to make it brief. I know you are busy! BUT, it is Christmas! I just really want to talk about Jesus! I recently read a newsletter article I really loved! The writer, who is Jewish, shared how he came to faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. He said it was by discovering the ways Jesus fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. He said that growing up in a Jewish home he would have never imagined the Hebrew Scriptures pointed to Jesus. Christian ministry leader Josh McDowell, Author of many books including Evidence that Demands a Verdict, states: "One reason that Old Testament prophecy is so important to Christians is that over 300 predictions, like the threads of a tapestry, establish the Messianic credentials of Jesus!" Peter Stoner, in his classic book Science Speaks, calculated the chance of any man fulfilling these prophecies, even down to the present time, to be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (10 to the 17th power). How can anyone think that Jesus just “happened” to be in the right place at the right time? Does that speak to your heart and mind? Maybe when reading that your spirit wants to do a dance.... clapping your hands and shouting AMEN, AMEN! That's my Savior, my Lord, Jesus! or.... maybe you want to run and put your hands over your ears and sing, La, la, la, la.... I don't hear you!.... you just will not be convinced no matter how compelling the evidence. That's ok. It just means, not yet! God is still working on your heart. But don't wait too long. I'm currently reading, People are asking, Is This the End," by Pastor David Jeremiah. Signs of God's Providence in a Disturbing New World. Here is the part that made me want to do the AMEN dance, while sporting goose bumps! Talking about the necessity of an intelligent source of creation: You are probably reading this book sitting down. Sitting still. BUT actually we are moving through space. Our galaxy is rotating at almost 140 miles a second and moving through the universe at 190 miles per second. In the time you read the last paragraph you have traveled thousands of miles! That's not to even mention how quickly we are turning, AND we are orbiting the sun at 66,000 miles per hour! Well all of those things above are the highlighter-underliner- exclamation point on my happy face. But, this is what it was and is for me. There was a time in my life when I was depressed, alone, and fearful. I was headed for a life crash and going at high speed. I was anxious and afraid about everything. Then God sent someone into my life who spoke to me about God's love letter to me in the Bible, His love for me and how Jesus, God's Son, who was without sin, died a terrible shameful death to pay the penalty for the sins I committed that separated me from a Holy God, who loved me and wants me to know Him. I learned that it wasn't just knowing about this - it is more. When I trusted that God did that for ME and I put my faith in Jesus, His atoning death, burial and resurrection, God, in a moment in time, would give me the gift of eternal life! A forgiven, forever child of God. I said yes! I believe! He changed me! He is still changing me and giving me wholeness and healing. Now I have hope because I trust that God has a plan for my life. Instead of fear I have excitement and joy about be fellowship and walking with the one who saved me! Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ! Now I have peace because I know the Prince of Peace. Is life always "peaches and cream easy"? No! And, certainly not for the Christ followers I know in other parts of the world who suffer from persecution and many other very hard things. But I, we, have the Good Shepherd who lead, guides, provides, protects and treasures us. We trust that only God is able to take the hard things we go through and use them for good. What was it..... is it for you? What is the thing that stirs in your heart about you and our Jesus this Christmas? Please email me and tell me. I would love learning that about you. Also let me know if you have any prayer needs, ok!? Maranatha, Merry Christmas! Fondly with love and gratitude! Julia Schatz Dear Pastor Mike,
Shalom and Happy Thanksgiving! I'm currently at an airport in the Middle East on a layover and waiting to board for a country in North Africa. I'm thinking of you and those who partner with me in this work as I pray and praise God for all the amazing things He is doing through us, in the hearts of men, women and children in this part of the world. Thank you for sending me! To simply say I am thankful to you for our friendship and our partnership in God's purposes really doesn't adequately express the measure of gratitude I have. Where we are now has been a time for meetings to equip and encourage one another. We came here after 2 weeks of ministry in Central Asia. Truly I can't remember ever feeling this degree of wonder and anticipation. God is powerfully and compassionately in the process of healing the hearts of many people who have been traumatized in this broken world. Through the wonderful power of God's word, the stories in the Bible, God is touching the hearts of His beloved children who have been deeply hurt, so they can begin to heal and to trust that He can use these hard things for their good ..... for our good, and His purposes. And the healing multiplies to those around us who also need comfort and healing! 2 Corinthians 1:3- 5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ~ Julia Schatz Dear Pastor Mike,
Greetings! First, I want you to know I am recently back from 3 weeks of ministry in Central Asia! Praise God it was a productive time for God's purposes. Thank you for praying for me and sending me! Everyday I thank God for you and for our partnership. We do this together! God raised up a compassionate and caring team: Someone fitting eye glasses, a children's ministry leader and medical professionals who touched the lives of 800 patients in 6 days of clinic. Also, we made great connections with community leaders and believers who are asking for more of the same as well as being equipped in Trauma Healing. You may wonder about my role. No, I am not a medical professional. I am an administrator and an organizer ..... although I can check blood pressure and count pills! But really my job is making the connections and arrangements with believers we come alongside in the villages and communities where the clinics are held. I arrange travel details and reservations, order supplies and conduct team trainings for ministry and the manage the logistics to get all of our "ducks in a row" so we are ready to touch lives with God's grace and mercy. Also, in recent months, since the onslaught of the Pandemic, God has made it possible for me and others I serve with to be equipped with something called"New Hope". New Hope is Trauma Healing training. I'm so grateful for this! I love it! 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. While I was away when possible I would check out the news on the internet. You probably agree with me when I say the longer I live in this broken world with all its broken and hurting, dear souls, it is all the more important to spend the time God gives us with His purposes! Dear Pastor Mike,
Hello! I hope you are well. Tomorrow I'm boarding a plane and taking a Medical Team to Central Asia! God raised up caring and compassionate medical professional to take God's love to hurting people in remote villages in the mountains. Please pray for us. The team prayer calendar is attached in the link below. We were never meant to do life alone. We need the love and care of others, as much as we are needed by others in the same ways. God is using us to reach out to dear men, women and children, He loves, who living in places where medical care is not easy to find. Thank you! With your prayers and financial support we do this together. Simply saying "THANK YOU" doesn't seem like enough. Please know I am deeply and sincerely grateful. Your sister in Christ and Missionary to the Middle East! Julia Hello Father Mike,
Greetings! Spring has been beautiful! Summer is right around the corner! I thought about you while I was out taking a walk in the metro parks. It is rare when we see each other face to face so I took a selfie to include in this newsletter so I can send you a smile. I think the greatest challenge I have when writing my newsletter is to adequately express my gratitude for you. Our partnership in doing the ministry in the Middle East and Central Asia is always on my mind and in my heart. With God's help and your financial support and prayers, we do this together! God uses your gifts to touch lives with His love! Thank you! My schedule in 2021 has been full! Thank God! You heard from me after I returned from Kurdistan. Recently I returned from Lebanon. The doors for more outreach are opening up as the year unfolds! Please pray! PRAYER NEEDS LISTED BELOW! Lebanon I was blessed to return to Lebanon with a team recently. Again, God used us to give help to hurting people using the powerful ministry called New Hope Trauma Healing. We are trained to use the stories from the word of God. We met with families in their homes. First we listen as they tell us their story, then we pray and share with them stories from the Bible: The deeply profound story of Job. The beautiful and impactful story of Joseph, a son of Jacob. The happy story of creation. The sad story of the fall and God's mercies and promises in the midst of heartache, and more. God speaks into their lives to give them Hope. Hope that has a reason! The reason for our Hope is Jesus. Many people in Lebanon have been deeply hurt by the explosion that happened less than a year ago and now, by the current situation. The government has collapsed and the economy is in shambles. Common people are trying to survive day to day. They desperately need our prayers! We hope to mobilize another team to possibly go to Lebanon in September. Prayers for Healing Ten months ago a massive explosion happened in Lebanon. 207 deaths, 7,500 injuries, and 15 billion US$ in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. God has opened hearts and Houses of Peace using Trauma Healing. Dear Pastor Mike,
Greetings! I'm so happy to be reporting to you about the the ministry in Middle East! Thank you so much for praying for us! God heard your prayers and He showed Himself strong! So strong and beautiful! Thank you, Lord! It was amazing and wonderful. BUT, it wasn't easy. There was never a dull moment! The photo of the sheep and the shepherd was taken adjacent to the refugee camp where we held the medical clinic. I love this photo because it makes me think of a verse from the book of Matthew 9:35-38 . The words of Jesus: 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Please pray for the people living in these dwellings. This is only a a very small section of an enormous tent city. A significant number of the people are virtually paralyzed by trauma from war and terror. Lord we thank you that you tell us you are preparing an eternal home for those who put their faith in you! A wonderful place where we will be with you! A home of no more suffering and no more tears from the brokenness of this world. The smile in her eyes really captured my heart. She and the other children loved the special attention they received from the team. Two team members were completely focused on the children with unique and creative games and stories and lots of fun, love and attention. God had a plan. The schools were on temporary lockdown due to an increase in covid cases only a couple of days before we arrived. The clinic areas were full of children who were blessed to learn about our Lord's love for them. By now you are probably asking.... what happened? Why did you say it wasn't easy? My co-leader and dear friend Steffoni wrote this devotion. I asked if I could share excerpts of it with you. Then I will share with you the many "BUT God" moments that happened after Steffoni shared this devotion. -----------------------------------------------"As I laid awake thinking about the day and started going over all of the IF’s AND’s or BUT’s. I came to realize, there is Only 1 BUT! ..... BUT GOD.... Yes, team member Lauri fell and injured her ankle. BUT God made sure she was surrounded by the best team of nationals, doctors, nurses, friends and loved ones to support her through this crisis. Yes, Lauri had to go to a sketchy govt hospital, BUT God used her to shine His light in that chaotic dark place. She remained calm, smiling, joking, singing about God’s goodness, and expressed much gratitude to the staff. It was evident that she was filled with the joy of the Lord Yes, Lauri’s ankle is broken and will need surgery. BUT God has kept the swelling and the pain down allowing her to rest and to take the time needed to make informed and measured decisions about next steps. Yes, many things need to fall into place for Lauri to get back home for surgery. BUT God, is in control, His fingerprints are all over this. Matthew 19:26 “Jesus looked on them and said, “with man this is impossible, BUT WITH GOD all things are possible” Yes, Lauri missed out on ministry that she was really looking forward to. BUT God, will redeem this for Lauri’s good and for HIS glory. The phrase "BUT GOD" appears in the Bible over 30 times! Psalms 73:26. “My flesh and my heart may fail, BUT God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” BUT GOD is at the very heart of the Gospel message! Romans 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. BUT GOD demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. In Ephesian 2:3-5 we find the greatest BUT GOD of all: “all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace that you have been saved. " ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the part I filled in after Steffoni and Lauri departed so Lauri could return to have surgery on her ankle. On the fifth day, before we went to the clinic, the team was getting their COVID test in order to fly home. The van broke down - actually just out of gas. The gas gage was broken. While waiting for the van to be up and running again we got a call from the manager of the Camp. We were not permitted to open the clinic on the 5th day. Someone who had come to the clinic the previous day went to the camp manager and lied to him saying we were requiring people to become Christians before we would help them. Of course that was not true. We helped and cared for everyone we could possibly help. More than 500 people in 4 days. There were a handful of people who needed surgery which was unfortunately not possible for us to do in a makeshift clinic without specialists in the field that was needed. We offered to pray for them. The camp manager said he was not against us. He said he was handling his responsibilities. He said he would not allow "religion" to harm those in the camp. He had lost many family members because of ISIS. This is a young man with huge responsibility for the people in this camp. But, God...... Now, I'm glad I can ask you to pray for this young man. BUT, God! God did amazing and beautiful things and touched lives with His care and compassion. I had meetings with the psychotherapist at the camp, The person the phycologist on the team who had broken her ankle would have been with to help treat people who had terrible trauma from ISIS. BUT, God...... they wanted someone from the team to spend time with them to see what they were doing to help people and to give feedback. I clearly explained I was not a psychologist and was only trained in Biblical Trauma Healing but was very willing to spend time with them. We talked and I learned all about what they were doing to help people. Then I sat in on 4 appointments she had with women in the camp who had trauma, lost loved, etc, etc. It was overwhelming. This dear counselor suffers from secondary Trauma hearing these stories every day from the women she counsels. She shed a good amount of tears as we visited. Hopefully God will keep that door open for more interaction there. ONLY God knows how they will allow us to help them with the healing only Jesus is able and wants to give them. Then all but two team members on the team left to return home. The team was very happy and encouraged about all that God did in and through them. A Physicians Assistant and her husband stayed an extra day because of flight issues. She tested positive for COVID. She was not sick and she had the vaccine and booster. Her husband tested negative. She was sure it was a false positive so she took the test again the next day and was negative but that delayed their flight a day. Not a huge problem, thank God! Then there were two more. Me and Linda. We stayed on for extra days. We were training three people for Trauma Healing who had just moved there from Columbia! The night we were scheduled to fly out at 4:20 a.m. a rocket from Iran militia targeted the airport, just a little more than a mile from the guest house where we were staying! Never a dull moment! We heard the loud boom! Naturally our flight was postponed. Thankfully the rocket hit only a cargo station and no one was hurt or killed. I hope you are encouraged to know that God acted on behalf of all of us....and that includes you! I do what I do in ministry in partnership with you. Thank you! God showed Himself strong, for His Glory and His renown! ~Julia Schatz |
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