A Joyful Noise

This past Sunday I joined the Fellowship of Christian refugees for their worship service, which was an experience I won't easily forget. Their enthusiastic worship and hunger for God reminded me of the precious hope that we all can have in Christ. Despite their circumstances- almost all of the Christian refugees are Nigerians faced with near-hopeless asylum cases in a hostile country- they know that "God is good, all the time." We so quickly forget that the Gospel really has little to do with our physical provision, comfort or even safety. The Lord promises to take our burdens from us, but we are often called to suffer for the Cross. Our hope is in knowing that Christ has conquered sin and death, as I was reminded on Easter weekend as I watched the film "The Passion of the Christ" with this same group. Please pray that other refugees would experience the same hunger for truth in their longing for hope, and that they find their way to the Oasis. Much of what we do here is simply showing love and hospitality to sow seeds in the hearts of these people who have been falsely accused, cheated and neglected. Please also pray for me this Thursday as I travel to a nearby town with Christiana, a long-term team member, to spend time with some Chechan refugee women who were recently transferred from the camp in Traiskirchen, and as I begin helping Ami, a Chechan lady who is still in the camp, learn German. Thank you so much for your prayers- the Lord is working in so many ways and I'll hopefully get to tell you about them soon!