October Newsletter

DEAR FRIENDS, IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 25 YEARS AGO I WENT TO ISRAEL AS A MISSIONARY. I WAS 21 YEARS OLD and had been serving Jesus for less than three years. I sensed God’s call strongly on my heart to go to the land of Israel to share the Gospel with the Jewish people. THE SIX MONTHS THAT I SPENT IN ISRAEL WERE VERY GOOD TIMES BUT ALSO INCLUDED DIFFICULT TIMES. I remember praying with one of my Jewish friends for salvation, and before I knew it I was ostracized by most of the people where I lived. I ate many meals by myself and was ridiculed openly in front of people because of my faith in Jesus Christ. But the greatest thing that I learned in Israel is that Jesus is my bestfriend. He is with me through any situation I am facing and He loves me unconditionally. This truth has helped me over the past 28 years that I have been a Christian. While on the last trip I met my team in Turkey and spent a few days with them as we sought to share the Gospel with the Turkish people. We also had the privilege of visiting the ruins at Ephesus which is one of my favorite places in the whole world. We met a brother who is working to share the Gospel with the Turkish people and he told us that more Christians died in Turkey than ever died in Rome. One morning we sat near where the Apostle John was buried in Seljuk, Turkey. From this vantage point we could see the ruins at Ephesus and prayed as a team to thank God for the Christians who have gone before us and gave their lives for Jesus Christ. We spent some time worshipping the Lord Jesus in praise and worship. We thank the Lord for giving us a

wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with four guys. It was encouraging to hear that, after sharing the Gospel with them, one, a Jewish man, started reading the Bible for the first time and another, a Mormon, started reading a Christian book. Please pray for an Iranian brother who has put his faith in Jesus Christ. He and his family currently live in Turkey and their lives are in danger from the Iranian religious police as they are seeking to execute him for his Christian witnessing. He has baptized over 300 formerly Moslem Iranians. He has also helped many Iranians who have come to faith in Jesus Christ by providing teaching and training for them so that God can use them in the ministry. His work is vital to the

Church in Iran. God is at work in Iran as many Moslems are repenting of their sins and putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone. Please pray for him and our Turkish contact as well, for he was recently informed by the police that he must close the Church that they are pastoring. This brother has been arrested numerous times for sharing the Gospel with the Moslems and has been physically assaulted as well. After visiting Ephesus, I headed to the central part of Turkey

to visit Cappadocia. In this area there are thousands of caves dug into the limestone in which Christians lived and worshipped during times of intense persecution in Turkish history. We even visited a Church which was part of an underground city; the Church is located four floors below the ground. It’s amazing the price people have paid to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After returning to Istanbul for the night, I flew to Israel for eight days, spending the first night in Tel Aviv which is not unlike most modern cities around the world. The next week I spent in Jerusalem and had some really good times of prayer and fellowship with the Lord Jesus. I told the Lord that I wanted to be obedient to do only what He wanted me to do and go to the places He wanted me to visit. One of my favorite places in Israel is the Garden Tomb where it is believed that Jesus may have been buried. When I sit in the garden overlooking the empty tomb, I’m in awe of my Savior and what He has done for me. When I lived in Israel 25 years ago, I tried to visit several of the religious sites in the Old City and was disappointed to see the attitudes of some of the religious people. This time I sensed God’s authority and went to the Western Wall where the Lord met with me during great times of prayer. I was asking Him to remove the veil over the Jewish people’s hearts and minds.

THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS PUT ON MY HEART AN INCREASED AWARENESS FOR THE NEED TO PRAY MORE AND TO BE MORE FOCUSED. The Lord has been waking me up during

the night to pray as I’m travelling. I believe as we see increased turmoil in the world we will have greater opportunities to pray and minister the truth of Jesus Christ.

I SPENT SEVERAL HOURS ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES OVERLOOKING THE OLD CITY ASKING GOD TO WORK IN THE LIVES OF THE JEWS, MOSLEMS AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS. One day a friend and I went to Bethlehem and prayed at various places asking God to work in the hearts of the Palestinian people to bring them to salvation. We also prayed that God would work in the hearts of the Messianic Jews and Arab Christians to bring reconciliation. We stopped and prayed for a Bible School in Bethlehem that has seen much opposition because of their work for our Savior. One night I sat outside the Christian guesthouse and prayed for the many Orthodox Jews that walked past. My heart aches as I see lost people and I desire that they know Jesus as

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Lord and Savior. While sitting there I met a man from Spain who immediately opened up and I was able to share the hope of Jesus Christ with him and prayed for him. He thanked me and promised that he would start reading the Spanish New Testament that he had just bought in Madrid. It seemed like the whole trip was filled with divine appointments with Moslems, Jews and religious people. The last day before leaving, I went again to the Western Wall and, while praying, I started to quote Isaiah 53. I’m so grateful that the wall between us and God has been broken down through Jesus Christ. I was amazed at how easy it is to pray in Jerusalem. When I was in Jerusalem I felt like I was at home. Truly Jerusalem is different from any other city in the world. God’s presence is very real in this city. Please remember to Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. It is important that Christians stand with Israel and that we support their right to exist. God promised to bless those who bless Israel and He will curse those who curse her. While I was in Israel I saw a t-shirt that said, “Don’t worry America,

Israel is standing with you.” Please pray for us as well here in the ministry. God Bless You! Patrick and Staff

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” Psalms 122:6