Increasingly, Abundantly More Than You Could Ever Ask or Imagine

I am in amazement today. Totally and completely humbled by God.
Truly in awe!

Today was the 1st day the Kids Precept Bible Study was opened to
non-homeschooled children. I expected to have a FEW more children join our study..but was BLOWN AWAY that we had 41 children come!

Only God could do that!

Last night, in our ladies study, we were looking into the life of Abram, at the time that God told him that He would establish His covenant between the two of them.

Abram had hoped for a child. Sarai had hoped for a child. They had prayed. They had waited. They had taken things into their own hands and failed to trust God at His word. They had produced a child through Sarai's handmaid that God said He would not establish His covenant with.

Still, the LORD was faithful, and chose to bless them.

Here are God's words to Abram:

Genesis 17:2-9
"I am God Almighty;
Walk before me and be blameless.
And I will establish My covenenat between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly."
And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
"As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.
No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.
And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations
of you, and kings shall come forth from you.
And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your
descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting
covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.
And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

OH MY GOODNESS! Look at all of the promises that God made to Abram!

Abram wanted a child. An heir. A son.
God told him he'd be the father of nations..of kings...that he'd be exceedingly fruitful!
It's just like we're told in the New Testament. And no doubt why..if God holds all in His hands, then why are we surprised when His plans end up more fruitful than we could have ever thought to ask of Him?
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
untoHim [be] the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
Makes me ask...what do we need in our lives? What's lacking in our walk with God?
Who do we so deeply wish would come to know the LORD?
Let's pray according to Who God is, instead of according to what we can imagine or think...clearly our dreams can't catch up with the greatness of our God! :)
Ask. Trust. Obey. Seek. Pray. Repeat.
What an awesome day this is!
I love those kiddos!
Have a super day,
Jesica

The Dichotomies of Life

I hope you'll all appease me tonight, as I am choosing to process through some things on my heart as I write. This post won't be from Scripture.

The older that I get, the way that I view life changes. In the past few years, as people that I've cared about have passed away, I've become more and more aware of just how true it is that our lives are mere vapors.

There are many dichotomies in my life right now.

One of my dearest friends gave birth to her first daughter on
Mother's Day...being that her own mother died when she was 13, having her first daughter on Mother's Day redeemed the day for her.

By contrast, another friend whom I love dearly was in the hospital on Mother's Day with her 12 year old daughter, fighting like mad to help make sure she'll be strong enough for her upcoming bone marrow transplant.

One friend ushered in new life, one friend is asking God to preserve life.

More dichotomies...several friends of mine are "moving on up"...they're building bigger homes, getting newer cars, etc.

Other friends are losing their homes, wondering where they'll be living in the coming months.

Such dichotomies.

Many of my friends spent Mother's Day with their moms...at the least, they got to speak to their mothers, and grandmothers.

By contrast, my precious grandmother is with the LORD, and I don't have the freedom to call and speak with my mother today.

So, instead, I am keeping a collection of letters that I write to her from time to time. I have no idea if she'll ever read them, for I don't know if she'll ever be a part of my life here on earth again.

I can't speak to her, yet there are countless days that I fall asleep praying for her...asking God to let her know how much I love her and miss her.

I often wonder when I'll be able to do that without the tears pouring from my eyes, and soaking my pillow through.

Dichotomy.

I have a precious friend who would give anything in the world to be married to a Godly man.
I have another who is, yet she treats him like he's of no worth to her.

A terribly heartbreaking dichotomy.

Oh, and then of course..there's the dichotomy of fat. Do you know what that is? ;)

That's when you look at the pictures from 15 years ago, and see how great you looked when you thought you were a cow.
And now, you look in the mirror, many pounds heavier, and think,
"Hey, I don't look so bad!"

That's my dichotomy, and it's sticking to me! :)


Thanks for bearing with me tonight.

Jes

Messianic Judaism, a Brief Look at Jews Who Profess Yeshua as Messiah

I just finished reading a book that I just know will be on my
"Lifetime Top 5" list forever.

It's called, "Your People Shall Be My People" by Don Finto, former pastor of Belmont Church of Christ in Nashville, TN.

As I was reading his book, there were several times that I just put it down and hit my knees and confessed before God the sins of the generations before me, against the Jewish people.

You see, my family origin is primarily German. Anti-semitic jokes were the norm in my home growing up. It was nothing to say we had
"Jewed someone down" when we got a good deal on something.

I remember too, this attitude that the Jews were just hard-hearted and a lost cause because they had rejected Jesus.

How sad to see that today, with new eyes and a new heart. How sad that those who were teaching me didn't know their history very well.

The first century church was made up of Jewish people! The Jews came to Christ first..then the Gentiles later. Acts 10 shows us that the Jews were actually surprised to find that the Gospel, the Messiah was also for the Gentiles!

It wasn't until some Gentiles were baptized in the Holy Spirit, that the Jews realized it was ok for them to receive water baptism too!

When I was growing up, there was almost an attitude of pity toward the Jews for how blind they were.

Just writing this breaks my heart today!

If the Gospel was first for the Jew and then for the Gentile, why in the world aren't we reaching out to Jewish people in love and introducing them IN LOVE to THEIR Messiah?!

I'm not talking about beating them over the head...the LORD knows that they've had GENERATIONS of persecution in the name of Jesus. ( Tragic, as this was never God's intention..just an example of what happens when man doesn't observe the FULL counsel of God's Word enough to know what GOD'S plans are..and instead man depends upon his own fautly plans.)

I'm talking about in love, showing a Jewish person from Scripture how Yeshua fulfilled all of the prophesies made about the Messiah. To do this, we must know and realize the importance of the Old Testament, and not be blinded into thinking that we are just "New Testament" believers.

Jesus didn't first show up in the New Testament..He first showed up in the Old Testament!

Well, to summarize...reading Don Finto's book truly pierced my heart. I told Shane last weekend that I would move to Israel in a minute and live to love on God's chosen people...and to break bread daily with fellow believers in Yeshua.

This was HUGE for me, because I've never even wanted to go on a tour of Israel!

Then, someone sent me this news footage from an Israeli station today. It's really amazing.

We need to remember to be praying for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, in Israel...and for those whom they will share the good news of Messiah with, to have hearts open to hear and consider what the truth of Scripture really is.

Enjoy the footage. Link is below.

In Him,
Jesica

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6244392868781886952

Did you know that this is what "The Secret" says?!

Did you know that "The Secret" says this:

"You are the master of the Universe. You are the heir to the kingdom. You are the perfection of Life."

Incredible! Wow! PUUUULEASE!

Totally and completely opposed to Scripture.

I was the master of my universe (or so I thought...really, sin was ) when I had a one way ticket to Hell. ( See Romans 5 and 6)

Thankfully, I've now exchanged that with my Covenant partner, Jesus Christ, who paid the price of my sins for me..and in exchange, He is now Master of my universe! ( Romans 5 and 6)

I am an heir to the Kingdom of God, no doubt about that, but it's ALL and ONLY because of Christ, and who He has made me to be in Him.

I assure you, as will my husband and children, and anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes, that I am NOT the perfection of life! In fact, that's just downright laughable!

Perfection rests only in God...in His Son, and in His Holy Spirit.

Wow! Just amazing the way that New Age junk can be repackaged over and over again and people still flock to buy it.

In the 90s, it was Anthony Robbins' stuff. And Landmark Education..and a whole supply of others.

I know, I had them all...I was deeply steeped in the lies of the enemy that come through the New Age movement. All junk!

If only we would realize, as a country, as a people, that "self-help" will let us down every time.

It's the help of Almighty God that we need....His is the only help that will make any lasting difference in our lives.

Psa 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble."

See Jonah chapter 1. Seems the sailors were calling out to the gods of their understanding too...which gained them only higher waves and more calamity.


Jonah 1:5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten {it} for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.
Jonah 1:6
So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps {your} god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish."
Jonah 1:7
Each man said to his mate, "Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity {has struck} us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
Jonah 1:8
Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account {has} this calamity {struck} us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?"
Jonah 1:9
He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land."
Jonah 1:10
Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah 1:11
So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?"--for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.
Jonah 1:12
He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm {has come} upon you."
Jonah 1:13
However, the men rowed {desperately} to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming {even} stormier against them.
Jonah 1:14
Then they called on the LORD and said, "We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased."
Jonah 1:15
So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.
Jonah 1:16
Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.
Jonah 1:17
And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

See the progression?

The sailors start out calling on their false gods.

Then they realize that Jonah is a Hebrew, and knows Jehovah Elohim. ( LORD God )

Then they STILL try to solve the problem on their own.

Then the storms grow stronger.

THEN what happens? Finally, they call on the LORD, the one TRUE God, and they pray to Him for help. ( GONE are their calls to their false gods...no more "self-help". They're toally begging God Almighty for help..as they recognize, FINALLY Who is really in control.)

Then God delivers them from the storm.

And...they serve God. They praise Him. They worship Him. They make vows to Him and sacrifice to Him.

See..that's what happens when people are set free from the lies of false gods, even if that false god was themself. What happens when we realize the Truth and Power of Almighty God is that we can't HELP but worship Him. We can't HELP but want to give Him our lives.

Having been saved from the depth of the pit of sin and self, and having been given the GIFT of my Savior, my Master, my Messiah...I am overwhelmed with a love and depth of appreciation for all that He is to me.

The Secret would have me believe that it's all in my hands.

What better way to teach people how to attempt to steal the glory of God then by telling them that it's all of their own doing.

Ugh! I can't wait to get to Heaven...

Prayer Request Update for Kayleigh

This is Kayleigh. Isn't she beautiful!

Thank you So much to all of you who have been praying for Kayleigh.

Here are the specific ways that you can pray right now:



1. That one of her brothers is a bone marrow match...BOTH would be great too!

2. That she and her family will all stay well until the transplant.

3. That the insurance company will work WITH them.

4. That for the 20 days AFTER the transplant, everyone will stay well, and that Kayleigh's body will accept the new bone marrow.

5. For the PEACE that passes all comprehension, for everyone in the family, as they go through this.


It's interesting that her mom and all of the women of the Precept class have been studying covenant, because there are some pretty cool parallels here.



Check this out: In the Covenant study, we've been learning that when we enter into covenant with God, through Christ, that we are laying down our lives, and instead are putting on Christ's.


It a picture of dying to self, to live for Christ.


This reminds us of the words of Paul, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30


Well, when someone goes through a bone marrow transplant, the first thing that happens is that they undergo radiation or chemotherapy in order that all of their "bad" bone marrow is destroyed.


"I must decrease."


Then, when the other person's bone marrow is put into the recipient's body, the receipient's blood type actually CHANGES to that of the donor's blood type!


WOW! Talk about an amazing parallel to what is supposed to happen in our lives as we recognize that the OLD man has been crucified with Christ, and that the NEW MAN is ours only THROUGH and BECAUSE of Christ!


"He must increase".


Isn't that cool? From now on, when I think of how I am to "put on" Christ, I will remember this example. What a great way to live, thinking of "me" totally being destroyed, so that Christ can be poured into me, and I take on Him.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to help them out. We gave them 2 Visa gift cards today, from all of your generous donations.

If you'd like to give Kayleigh some words of encouragement, please send me a comment and request her Caring Bridge i.d., and I'll send it to you.

She'd LOVE to hear from you!

Have a great day! I'm off to my favorite Precept class...the one with the kiddos! :)

Jesica

Our Christian Brothers from Turkey - Murdered for Believing in Jesus Christ

Ugur Yuksel


Tilmann Geske


Necati Aydin



I ask you to read the story included in the link below. It will be hard to read, but it just may help you refocus on why you are here, and what your purpose in this life is...that is, if you belong to Jesus Christ.

Our lives here are so short..the Bible says they are but a vapor.

These men used their vapors to share the love of Christ with the lost in Turkey.

It cost them their lives.

Christ gave His life that we might have life eternal.

He also rose that we might walk in newness of life.

That newness of life is to be lived for the glory of the Father, through Jesus.

What are you doing with what you've been given?

Are you living to glorify yourself, or are you living that He may be glorified through you?

Let the story of these men sharpen you...for truly, they were iron.

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

In Jesus,
Jesica

A letter to the Global Church from the Protestant Church of Smyrna

Dear friends,

This past week has been filled with much sorrow. Many of you have heard by now of our devastating loss here in an event that took place in Malatya, a Turkish province 300 miles northeast of Antioch, the city where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).

On Wednesday morning, April 18, 2007, 46 year old German missionary and father of three Tilmann Geske prepared to go to his office, kissing his wife goodbye taking a moment to hug his son and give him the priceless memory, “Goodbye, son. I love you.”

Tilmann rented an office space from Zirve Publishing where he was preparing notes for the new Turkish Study Bible. Zirve was also the location of the Malatya Evangelist Church office. A ministry of the church, Zirve prints and distributes Christian literature to Malatya and nearby cities in Eastern Turkey. In another area of town, 35 year old Pastor Necati Aydin, father of two, said goodbye to his wife, leaving for the office as well. They had a morning Bible Study and prayer meeting that some other believers in town would also be attending. Ugur Yuksel likewise made his way to the Bible study.

None of these three men knew that what awaited them at the Bible study was the ultimate testing and application of their faith, which would conclude with their entrance into glory to receive their crown of righteousness from Christ and honor from all the saints awaiting them in the Lord’s presence.

On the other side of town, ten young men all under 20 years old put into place final arrangements for their ultimate act of faith, living out their love for Allah and hatred of infidels who they felt undermined Islam.

On Resurrection Sunday, five of these men had been to a by-invitation-only evangelistic service that Pastor Necati and his men had arranged at a hotel conference room in the city. The men were known to the believers as “seekers.” No one knows what happened in the hearts of those men as they listened to the gospel. Were they touched by the Holy Spirit? Were they convicted of sin? Did they hear the gospel in their heart of hearts? Today we only have the beginning of their story.

These young men, one of whom is the son of a mayor in the Province of Malatya, are part of a tarikat, or a group of “faithful believers” in Islam. Tarikat membership is highly respected here; it’s like a fraternity membership. In fact, it is said that no one can get into public office without membership in a tarikat. These young men all lived in the same dorm, all preparing for university entrance exams.

The young men got guns, breadknives, ropes and towels ready for their final act of service to Allah. They knew there would be a lot of blood. They arrived in time for the Bible Study, around 10 o’clock.

They arrived, and apparently the Bible Study began. Reportedly, after Necati read a chapter from the Bible the assault began. The boys tied Ugur, Necati, and Tilmann’s hands and feet to chairs and as they videoed their work on their cellphones, they tortured our brothers for almost three hours*

They were brutally tortured for 3 hours.

Neighbors in workplaces near the printhouse said later they had heard yelling, but assumed the owners were having a domestic argument so they did not respond.

Meanwhile, another believer Gokhan and his wife had a leisurely morning. He slept in till 10, ate a long breakfast and finally around 12:30 he and his wife arrived at the office. The door was locked from the inside, and his key would not work. He phoned and though it had connection on his end he did not hear the phone ringing inside. He called cell phones of his brothers and finally Ugur answered his phone. “We are not at the office. Go to the hotel meeting. We are there. We will come there,” he said cryptically. As Ugur spoke Gokhan heard in the telephone’s background weeping and a strange snarling sound.

He phoned the police, and the nearest officer arrived in about five minutes. He pounded on the door, “Police, open up!” Initially the officer thought it was a domestic disturbance. At that point they heard another snarl and a gurgling moan. The police understood that sound as human suffering, prepared the clip in his gun and tried over and over again to burst through the door. One of the frightened assailants unlocked the door for the policeman, who entered to find a grisly scene.

Tilmann and Necati had been slaughtered. Ugur’s throat was slit and he was barely alive.

Three assailants in front of the policeman dropped their weapons.

Meanwhile Gokhan heard a sound of yelling in the street. Someone had fallen from their third story office. Running down, he found a man on the ground, whom he later recognized, named Emre Gunaydin. He had massive head trauma and, strangely, was snarling. He had tried to climb down the drainpipe to escape, and losing his balance had plummeted to the ground. It seems that he was the main leader of the attackers. Another assailant was found hiding on a lower balcony.

To untangle the web we need to back up six years. In April 2001, the National Security Council of Turkey (Milli Guvenlik Kurulu) began to consider evangelical Christians as a threat to national security, on equal footing as Al Quaida and PKK terrorism. Statements made in the press by political leaders, columnists and commentators have fueled a hatred against missionaries who they claim bribe young people to change their religion.

After that decision in 2001, attacks and threats on churches, pastors and Christians began. Bombings, physical attacks, verbal and written abuse are only some of the ways Christians are being targetted. Most significant is the use of media propaganda.

From December 2005, after having a long meeting regarding the Christian threat, the wife of Former Prime Minister Ecevit, historian Ilber Ortayli, Professor Hasan Unsal, Politician Ahmet Tan and writer/propogandist Aytunc Altindal, each in their own profession began a campaign to bring the public’s attention to the looming threat of Christians who sought to “buy their children’s souls”. Hidden cameras in churches have taken church service footage and used it sensationally to promote fear and antagonism toward Christianity.

In an official televised response from Ankara, the Interior Minister of Turkey smirked as he spoke of the attacks on our brothers. Amid public outrage and protests against the event and in favor of freedom of religion and freedom of thought, media and official comments ring with the same message, “We hope you have learned your lesson. We do not want Christians here.”

It appears that this was an organized attack initiated by an unknown adult tarikat leader. As in the Hrant Dink murder in January 2007, and a Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in February 2006, minors are being used to commit religious murders because public sympathy for youth is strong and they face lower penalties than an adult convicted of the same crime. Even the parents of these children are in favor of the acts. The mother of the 16 year old boy who killed the Catholic priest Andrea Santoro looked at the cameras as her son was going to prison and said, “he will serve time for Allah.”

The young men involved in the killing are currently in custody. Today news reported that they would be tried as terrorists, so their age would not affect the strict penalty. Assailant Emre Gunaydin is still in intensive care. The investigation centers around him and his contacts and they say will fall apart if he does not recover.

The Church in Turkey responded in a way that honored God as hundreds of believers and dozens of pastors flew in as fast as they could to stand by the small church of Malatya and encourage the believers, take care of legal issues, and represent Christians to the media.

When Susanne Geske expressed her wish to bury her husband in Malatya, the Governor tried to stop it, and when he realized he could not stop it, a rumor was spread that “it is a sin to dig a grave for a Christian.” In the end, in an undertaking that should be remembered in Christian history forever, the men from the church in Adana (near Tarsus), grabbed shovels and dug a grave for their slain brother in an un-tended hundred year old Armenian graveyard.

Ugur was buried by his family in an Alevi Muslim ceremony in his hometown of Elazig, his believing fiance watching from the shadows as his family and friends refused to accept in death the faith Ugur had so long professed and died for.

Necati’s funeral took place in his hometown of Izmir, the city where he came to faith. The darkness does not understand the light. Though the churches expressed their forgiveness for the event, Christians were not to be trusted. Before they would load the coffin onto the plane from Malatya, it went through two separate xray exams to make sure it was not loaded with explosives. This is not a usual procedure for Muslim coffins.

Necati’s funeral was a beautiful event. Like a glimpse of heaven, about 800 Turkish Christians and missionaries came to show their love for Christ, and their honor for this man chosen to die for Christ. Necati’s wife Shemsa told the world, “His death was full of meaning, because he died for Christ and he lived for Christ… Necati was a gift from God. I feel honored that he was in my life, I feel crowned with honor. I want to be worthy of that honor.”

Boldly the believers took their stand at Necati’s funeral, facing the risks of being seen publicly and likewise becoming targets. As expected, the anti-terror police attended and videotaped everyone attending the funeral for their future use. The service took place outside at Buca Baptist church, and he was buried in a small Christian graveyard in the outskirts of Izmir.

Two assistant Governors of Izmir were there solemnly watching the event from the front row. Dozens of news agencies were there documenting the events with live news and photographs. Who knows the impact the funeral had on those watching? This is the beginning of their story as well. Pray for them.

In an act that hit front pages in the largest newspapers in Turkey, Susanne Tilman in a television interview expressed her forgiveness. She did not want revenge, she told reporters. “Oh God, forgive them for they know not what they do,” she said, wholeheartedly agreeing with the words of Christ on Calvary (Luke 23:34).

In a country where blood-for-blood revenge is as normal as breathing, many many reports have come to the attention of the church of how this comment of Susanne Geske has changed lives. One columnist wrote of her comment, “She said in one sentence what 1000 missionaries in 1000 years could never do.”

The missionaries in Malatya will most likely move out, as their families and children have become publicly identified as targets to the hostile city. The remaining 10 believers are in hiding. What will happen to this church, this light in the darkness? Most likely it will go underground. Pray for wisdom, that Turkish brothers from other cities will go to lead the leaderless church. Should we not be concerned for that great city of Malatya, a city that does not know what it is doing? (Jonah 4:11)

When our Pastor Fikret Bocek went with a brother to give a statement to the Security Directorate on Monday they were ushered into the Anti-Terror Department. On the wall was a huge chart covering the whole wall listing all the terrorist cells in Izmir, categorized. In one prominent column were listed all the evangelical churches in Izmir. The darkness does not understand the light. “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.” (Acts 17:6)

Please pray for the Church in Turkey. “Don’t pray against persecution, pray for perseverence,” urges Pastor Fikret Bocek.

The Church is better having lost our brothers; the fruit in our lives, the renewed faith, the burning desire to spread the gospel to quench more darkness in Malatya …all these are not to be regretted. Pray that we stand strong against external opposition and especially pray that we stand strong against internal struggles with sin, our true debilitating weakness.

This we know. Christ Jesus was there when our brothers were giving their lives for Him. He was there, like He was when Stephen was being stoned in the sight of Saul of Tarsus.

Someday the video of the deaths of our brothers may reveal more to us about the strength that we know Christ gave them to endure their last cross, about the peace the Spirit of God endowed them with to suffer for their beloved Savior. But we know He did not leave their side. We know their minds were full of Scripture strengthening them to endure, as darkness tried to subdue the unsubduable Light of the Gospel. We know, in whatever way they were able, with a look or a word, they encouraged one another to stand strong. We know they knew they would soon be with Christ.

We don’t know the details. We don’t know the kind of justice that will or will not be served on this earth.

But we pray-- and urge you to pray-- that someday at least one of those five boys will come to faith because of the testimony in death of Tilmann Geske, who gave his life as a missionary to his beloved Turks, and the testimonies in death of Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel, the first martyrs for Christ out of the Turkish Church.

Reported by Darlene N. Bocek (24 April 2007)

May 1st: As a wonderful follow-up, we know for a fact that three people in the last week have committed their hearts to Christ in response to the sufferings our friends went through: John 12: 24-25 "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds. The man who loves His life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." - Darlene N. Bocek

-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Please please please pass this on to as many praying Christians as you can, in as many countries as you can. Please always keep the heading as “From the Protestant Church of Smyrna” with this contact information:

izmirprotestan@gmail.com http://www.izmirprotestan.org