On Saturday nights, we host and lead a hangout for international students from various religious backgrounds. We love this group of young people, and have wanted to host a weekend conference with them for a long time. It’s finally happening! Please be praying for our time together May 6-8 as we continue conversations about identity, and have more time and space to sit together, eat together, laugh together, and share the love of Jesus in whatever ways the Holy Spirit leads. May God open these minds and hearts to Jesus. Thank you for standing with us!

Red eggs–symbolizing the blood of Christ, freshly grown grass, and special, once-a-year cakes are just a few of the beautiful and rich Easter traditions in GM.

Please continue to pray these verses over GM–God is always working!

Even though “Good Friday” isn’t a thing here, it is a great conversation starter and testimony. Most people can’t understand why the day that we observe the crucifixion of Jesus would be called good, and we are thankful for the opportunity to explain the great gift given. Please pray that the seeds planted through these conversations would grow into lives transformed by that very blood–Jesus’ death and then His resurrection.

As we enter spring, some of our friends are experiencing dark days of illness and grief. Please pray for a student, “D”, who was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer. Chemo treatments are causing him to be very ill, and we are praying for full healing for him. We were also very encouraged to hear him share that when someone knows Jesus, they don’t need to be afraid of death.

Another friend, “N”‘s mom died very unexpectedly from multiple aneurisms. As I sat with her at the home visitation, she shared that she can’t believe it has happened. Her deep pain and grief is evident. Please pray for her heart to be protected from bitterness, and that she will experience God’s deep comfort, peace, and grace during this time.

Last week we hosted two Bible studies in our home–one on Wednesday evenings and one on Saturday mornings. As people are searching for answers, we want to offer safe spaces for reading together and asking questions. We had a great mix of believers and non-believers, different religious backgrounds, friends from GM and other countries (international students) join together to read Psalm 19. Please pray for seeds from the living word of God to be planted in these hearts, for the message of Jesus to be clear, and for lives to be changed. We know that God is always working!

Please pray for the people of GM who are feeling the weight of war in our region. As we gathered with friends recently, we heard the same sentiments that we’re hearing almost daily from students.

“I’m angry.”

“We will be next.”

“What can we do?”

“I’m reliving everything from our own war(s).”

“We need to do more to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.”

In fact, the occupier is continuously causing problems here. In the last weeks, one of our own occupied regions was offered dual citizenship by that country. To the south of GM, a contested area of land is once again being fought over. The conflict re-started when an unsubstantiated claim of force was made, and R sent its “peacekeepers” in that region to “help.”

Thousands of people from the country to the north have fled to GM, and rent prices are skyrocketing here along with tensions as many see this as another sort of “invasion.” We are also beginning to see more refugees arriving from Ukraine, and individuals and organizations alike are working to meet needs both here and there.

Please continue to pray for peace, and for open hearts. We see that people are searching for hope and peace, and we want to be ready to respond.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11