Please pray for our team as we interact with communities of faith and read through the Gospel of John together.  These little books have both English and local language scripture on each page and it is so fascinating to read with students and hear their thoughts.  Ultimately, these pages contain a life changing message and we long to see people understand the truth of the Gospel.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” – Proverbs 18:10

Towers and fortresses are a common sight in this country, both in urban and rural areas. They are reminders of kingdoms that have risen and fallen over the years. The history is interesting; however, as history is wont to do, it repeats itself. Each tower that has been built is no longer in its prime and strong state. Each has experienced some measure of destruction. The Lord’s name, however, is a tower that will not be destroyed and it is our prayer that the people of this country will experience the power and safety of that name.

Above is a picture of trucks lined up for miles. Why? Because the single road from our country to a neighboring one is closed due to heavy snowfall. In this day and age, we are used to the idea that there are multiple routes to get from one place to another. In this situation, there is only one road. Therefore, the truck drivers park for an indefinite amount of time to wait until the snow is cleared. 

We believe that the children on this team are as much a part of Team Green as the adults. We have seen how God uses each of them as they grow up in this country. Having Rowan, we’ve seen it in little ways (walking down the street and watching people’s faces transform into big grins at the sight of the “little bear”) and in slightly bigger ways (Rowan getting passed from person to person in stores, restaurants, and salons like the one above). Our prayer is that having Rowan will not only start conversations, but also will open doors to new friendships. Join us in praying for the Team Green children and their ministry here — who knows what God will do through them, from the biggest to the littlest?

On Sunday evenings a group of guys from the Center gets together to play soccer (everyone here calls it football).  This has been a great way to connect with these men in a healthy activity and several of the guys have brought their brothers and/or friends to be part of the group.  It has typically been most difficult to build good relationships with men in this culture and we are rejoicing to be growing in community with these guys.  We wear bright orange and green colors to tell the teams apart — so there’s been some extra laundry in the past weeks on the drying rack at our place!

Our city has seen a noticeable increase of visiting tourists in recent years.  This increase has led to explosive growth in the tour guiding “industry” and many of our students are interested in learning English as a means to connect with foreign visitors.  In the picture above, one of our students is leading a tour of a large local cathedral for a group of four visitors from the United States that recently spent time with our team.  She did a great job teaching them about the local majority religion and helping them understand some of the important elements of the culture.

Each Wednesday morning a group of ladies gathers at the Center and spends time together crafting and creating.  They have worked on various projects ranging from baking cookies to making Christmas ornaments.  It’s been a great way to build community and the time has become very special.  Please pray that this community will continue to grow deeper and that those in attendance would engage in further conversations about faith.

Khinkali is a local food that is very popular here. There is a certain way to eat it: take a small bite on the side, sip the broth out, eat the rest of the dumpling with the exception of the nub on top – no fork involved! It can be a bit messy at times, and even moreso with a baby in one’s lap!

“My dream is to become a successful economist and to help people with their finances.”

Father God, replace the spirit of poverty with your abundance and break the chains of debt