Dear Ones:
Yesterday morning we went to the home of an older Iranian couple to have fellowship, prayer and lunch with them. They became Christians 4 years ago and are faithful members of the All Nations Church. It was an unusual day…only the Lord could have orchestrated it…for, as you all know, the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, was in the USA speaking at Columbia University…at the very same time we were in the home of this couple! Please allow me to share some specific prayer requests that they shared with us:
1. That they will be granted visas to stay in Canada. They have been trying for 10 years to get legal status in this country! They live under great stress every day that they will be deported back to Iran where they could lose their lives because they are Christians.
2. The physical health of the husband…he has some medical issues that have been treated recently and more that need treatment.
3. Their family members…the couple are the only Christians in their entire family. The rest claim to be Muslim but do not practice at all. Their daughter and grandchildren are estranged from them (also live here) because she is married to an extreme Muslim. The wife’s sister and mother, who is 84, lives on the second floor of the same house…neither are Christians.
4. The brother of the husband who is in Iran has cancer.
5. For a strong Christian witness to the Iranians who live in Vancouver (2 evangelical Iranian churches here).
6. A Muslim couple, who have lost their business and have problems in the home; friends of the couple.
7. Some other friends of the couple asked for prayer (non-Christians).
Our time with these two precious saints was so encouraging to us! Such abiding faith expressed in very difficult circumstances!
Our next stop of the day was to visit a Pakistani Sunni mosque. We arrived around 2:15 p.m. and were greeted by 2 leaders of the mosque. After a presentation of the history of the beginning of Islam and the 5 pillars of faith of Islam, we went into the prayer room. There was a separate prayer room for the ladies in the upstairs of the building but all of us were allowed to enter the one downstairs where the men gather for prayers. Both of the men were very gracious and answered all of our questions. I spent my time sitting on the floor of the prayer room praying for these Muslims as well as those around the world. How significant to be present in a Muslim mosque praying for them during Ramadan!!!
This mosque also has a school for children from grades one to seven. The enrollment is about 250 students. Pray with us in regard to all the children who are being taught the way of Islam!
After our visit to the mosque, we drove to the highest point in the city of Vancouver…quite a long drive from where we were! Since it was at the end of the working day, it took us over 2 hours to get to the point because of heavy traffic. However, when we arrived, we immediately agreed that the long drive was worth it! Although it was overcast, cold and rainy, the view from this mountain was breathtaking. We took time to pray for the city of Vancouver…that the Lord would reveal Himself in a mighty way to the over 3 million people who reside here…the majority of whom do not know the Lord.
Today we will be visiting the Vedic Cultural Center (Hindu) and a Sikh temple. We will have a debriefing/share time in the Bread Gardens after these two visits. This evening we will join the members of the All Nations Church in their mid-week prayer meeting.
Blessings to all!
Barbara Springer for the Vancouver team
