“The past few months have been some of the most exciting of my time in the Middle East and North Africa Union Mission [MENAUM]. Why?
“First, I was able tomeet the first-ever Seventh-day Adventists in two of our hardest-to-reach nations. The way God works is so amazing! I was able to see the work of the Holy Spirit bring new witnesses into the kingdom.
“I also witnessed the first Seventh-day Adventist seminary launch in Arabic! I was able to teach the first class of our brand-new Arabic Theological Seminary with 20 native Arabic speakers who are working for the Lord or who would like to be trained to be pastors.
“Another highlight: I met important national and international leaders. Another colleague and I attended a meeting with government, religious, and business leaders from around the world. During this meeting we were able to interact with leaders and gatekeepers in the Gulf Region. While these contacts do not create immediate impact, over time they will provide opportunities for our church.
“We continue the process of conversations about reentering Libya after 50 years. I was invited to and attended the annual convention of the National Council on U.S.-Libya Relations to understand the situation in Libya better. We are currently planning our second trip to explore reestablishing Adventist medical work there.
“Another one of my activities involves receiving and meeting new workers from all over the world. They have been sent as part of the Mission Refocus initiative from various divisions of the world church. Mission Refocus is a plan to intentionally move funds and human resources to areas where they are most needed.
“We are celebrating new outreach in Beirut. Over the past month we have had John Bradshaw, speaker/director of It Is Written, for a short series of meetings in Beirut, but also we had a musical portrayal of the last week of Christ’s life with the program, Bow the Knee. Both programs were held at the newly renovated Arise Beirut Center. Hundreds of visitors attended these programs, and now there are pastors, Bible workers, and Global Mission pioneers following up with people who want to study the Bible. The war in Lebanon paused some of the progress of the gospel efforts, but we see the work of the Holy Spirit continuing to develop new members in our churches in Lebanon.
“I am happy to report positive growth in the Adventist Church in Egypt. Last year almost 100 people were baptized in that country. This is a miracle, and we praise God for the good year.
“At the same time, we face serious challenges, especially with some of our workers being blocked from entering their countries of service. Please pray that governments will recognize our church and allow our workers to reside and share in all the nations of the Middle East and North Africa.
“Thank you for your partnership and prayer!”
