Stuck

"Onesimus hasn't been much use to you in the past, but now he is useful to both of us." Philemon 1:11

When we were living out in the country the first year after our return from Pakistan, I traveled daily back and forth to work in Winnipeg, an hour from our home. I had the back-roads figured out to save the maximum amount of time. One day I went to work, not realizing how much it had rained and I got royally stuck on a dirt road. I tried and tried but just dug myself deeper into the mud. Ugh. Now what to do? Middle of nowhere!! I walked to the nearest gravel road and hitchhiked into the city! By the evening the road had dried enough for me to drive home!

I'm thinking of my Muslim contacts. There are many success stories. The ones with education often advance rapidly with English acquisition and its not long before they're working full time or more. 

Then there are some who are stuck for one reason or another. Some endured a lot of trauma where they came from and are in shell shock and can't cope so well with normal life. Others who are mid-age have a hard time landing a steady and well paying job. Others have handicaps--injuries or illnesses. I'm thinking of my 20 something year old friend whose kidneys shut down and it messed up his eyesight where now he is visually challenged. 

Typical pattern of those who are stuck--fixated on statellite tv..."never leave their homeland", reverse their sleeping habits, and have a very narrow circle of friends. Mo is a young man who came here as a young teen. His home situation did not nurture him to study and he didn't want to. So he squeaked by in high school and graduated. Mo plays a lot of video games late into the night. He really doesn't display any motivation to work or study. He is stuck. An older gentleman who tried to learn English but got discouraged, gave up and got depressed. I dropped in recently and he was nervous about what I was there for.

A Somali man when I asked what he would do this summer replied--"I have to fast." Unable to function normally. There are quite a few who are soooo afraid of offending God if they don't do their religious duties that it can become all consuming. Many of my Muslim friends are stuck and when I bring up spiritual topics, quickly veer away from any discussion. 

We can't really do much for some of these people. There are many good government programs to help them. As for me, I continue to pray for these friends, visit periodically and share about what God has been teaching me.

Onesimus, the runaway slave came to faith in Christ while Paul was imprisoned. Onesimus' heart was transformed. Paul sends him back to his owner Philemon who also was a believer. Paul makes an appeal to receive Onesimus back for "now he is useful to both of us." I have faith that some of my friends will respond to the truth and become 'useful' for God. 

Dear Heavenly Father, help friends of mine who are stuck--some who are discouraged or depressed and others whose zeal to keep all the tenets of Islam have isolated them from becoming engaged in society and work. Amen. 

Immigrant Issues

"...I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne before the Lamb..." Revelations 7:9

Paul is our guest writer today. He had several decades of overseas ministry experience in a Muslim majority country. Now he writes from the homeland of how to make an impact on newcomers. These kinds of ministry opportunities would apply to other western nations where Muslims are settling. So, listen in on what Paul has to say. 

"According to the 2011 Canadian census there are approximately 1,100,000 Muslims in Canada.  If you live in an urban area of Canada, chances are that you have a Muslim neighbor, work colleague, client, or till operator at your local convenience store.  Maybe you have a desire to reach out to these people with the love of Christ, but do not know quite how to go about it.

 

72% of Muslims in Canada are immigrants (born somewhere other than Canada).  When these immigrants arrive in Canada they are faced with several difficulties.

•        They lack Canadian work experience.
•        They lack credentials for skilled and professional jobs.
•          26% of immigrants do not have enough English language skills to function in Canadian society.

70,000 immigrants enroll in English language classes within the first 6 months of arriving in Canada.

 

What are the implications of these facts for God’s people in Canada?  The Church in Canada needs to see these immigrant “difficulties” as opportunities.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you or your church were the first to offer English classes or instruction on finding jobs to these people!  As you mull over these possibilities you might think that you really are not qualified to help.  There are several ways to feel more comfortable about getting involved.  One is to join an existing program, such as a church English as a Second Language (ESL) program and learn from a mentor.  Another way is to enroll in a training program of which there are many.

I would like to highlight just one.  Vanguard Taylor Language Institute (VTLI) is a 15 college credit program that is offered at Vanguard College and Taylor Seminary in Edmonton.  The credits can either go towards a degree in intercultural studies in either Taylor Seminary or Vanguard College, or it can just be a stand-alone certificate in teaching English accredited with TESL Canada.  The advantage of this program is that it can be finished in just one month - offered during the month of May with four one-week modules back to back with a practicum to follow (http://www.vanguardcollege.com/programs-courses/swd/tesol/ ).  Being TESL Canada approved it will open doors for many teaching opportunities both in Canada and overseas.

Many immigrants have come to Canada at great sacrifice.  They have little resources, are facing an alien culture and language, perplexed by a new school system for their children, not knowing what to do in a medical crisis, etc.  We have the opportunity to be a friend to them as they cope with all the issues of uprooting from the familiar and living amongst the unfamiliar."

Dear Lord, give us willing hearts to help newcomers coming to our nations for refuge or a fresh start in life. Show us the way. Our cry is that the nations would hear about you and that all would seek to become 'permanent residents of heaven'. Amen.  

Mom in their Hearts

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you." Isaiah 49:15

Half a dozen Saudi students came to my Conversation Group. It was the week before Mother's Day. So, the question came up "How will you honor your mother?" One of the men piped up and said "Every day is Mother's Day for us!" "So what do you miss about your mom?" I asked. They expressed various things like delicious meals and other practical things moms typically do for their kids. One of them said "I love to spend time with my mom in the kitchen as she cooks. I'm going to buy her a diamond ring when I return home."

Joy writes about typical sentiments Muslim men have about their moms on her last week's blog post titled "Giving Cards for Mother's Day"  

“Abdul brought out a tattered notebook and started reading some flowery poems he had composed about his mother.  I didn’t hear any poems about his wife; just his mother whom he obviously felt close to. There was no embarrassment as he read his poems to us in his language. I wondered if his beautiful wife hearing the poems wished he would compose some endearing poem about her.

Eastern mothers are unbelievably sacrificial in their love for their children; especially their sons. I've heard many glowing remarks about mothers from Muslim men and women. Islam and the culture esteem motherhood…Mother’s Day is an excellent time to speak into their lives and also to share how God’s heart is like a mother’s, full of unconditional love and tenderness. Verses like Isaiah 49:15 reveal that truth. Such sharing often sounds unfamiliar but attractive to them. It is a time, also, when Muslims and Christians experience a common bond. We each have had a mother and many of us have become mothers. Even if someone has not married or is unable to have children we can be like a mother in a nurturing sense with someone else.”

With our independent lifestyles, western men can learn from the commitment between a Muslim young man and his mother. We can affirm this quality in our Muslim friend's life. I have a Canadian friend who excelled in how he cared for his ageing mother right until the day she passed away. 

Muslim men can benefit from our demonstration of what a loving Christian marriage looks like. While away from the home we show fidelity that comes with love, respect and commitment to our wife. When in the home, we can demonstrate sharing the load of taking care of the house and the family. We are in it together. Probably what speaks loudest is when I serve my wife when we extend hospitality to a Muslim family. That's the least I can do with my limited cooking skills!!

Theodore Roosevelt is reported to have said "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Dear Heavenly Father, we marvel at your unconditional love for us. Please allow us to demonstrate our love and commitment to those closest to us and also extend it to others that you have put us together with. Amen.