The last weekend of September we held an “Encounter with Jesus” retreat for new believers in the church and for anyone who just wants a to receive from the Lord.  It was great weekend has many lives were transformed by the power of the cross.  This event filled weekend is a short course in freedom - freedom from habits, bondages, bitterness, wrong thoughts and past mistakes by encountering the cross of Jesus Christ.  The attendees were of all ages, and came from many backgrounds, but all received a special touch from the Lord.  Lives were transformed through the power of the cross.  One of the young men who participated comes from a Muslim background.  He doesn’t have a good relationship with his father, who lives in another country. However, he learned how much his heavenly Father loves him by sending His ony Son to the cross.  This revelation changed his life.  He was also excited because he came wanting to have the evidence of the baptism of he Holy Spririt by speaking in tongues.  He recieved without anyone praying for him.  Another lady on the encounter testified how she has been very anxious about having a child, but she was finally able give the worry to Jesus and trust that He will take care of everything.  Her and her husband have decided that if they have son, they will name him Samuel when he arrives. 

The Evangelism Meeting in September was really an incredible time as we saw lives changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We had many new believers attending and it is encouraging to see how we are reaching the community around us.  We started the evening with worship, and then the youth performed a drama showing how much God loves us, even when we go astray.  It started with a young girl who loves Jesus, but then gets drawn away by the temptations of this world.  They then illustrated how the devil draws you away and then destroys you, but how Jesus is always there for you and when you are turn back to Him, He is waiting with open arms.  This drama exemplified how unending His mercy is towards us.  After this, on of our sisters in the church shared her testimony of how Jesus has changed her life.  We all laughed as she admitted that the first time she visited the church, she loved it but refused to let her sisters know that she did.

As I write this I am sitting at my dining room table (all plastic for now J ) while there are men putting up cabinets in my kitchen.  When I moved in, all there was were four walls in each room, and two bathrooms that thankfully already had a toilet and sinks (no mirrors, though, for two weeks).  So I have really had to start with the basics, like a refrigerator, washing machine and an electric kettle to heat water for Nescafe (I think this may have been my first purchase, coffee in the morning is a necessity.)  I don’t have a stove yet, but since I don’t really cook and I have the electric kettle to boil water, no stove is not really a big deal for me. 

My roommate moved in last week.  She is from Egpyt, and has also left her family and home because she feels called to serve the Lord in Lebanon.  It is great to have someone else in the home with me, not to mention that she spent last weekend, while I was out of the home, organizing everything.  She’s a great blessing.

My desire for this apartment is that it is not only a place for me, but for the Body of Christ.  It will be a place to hold small group meetings and have fellowship.  Also, a place for you to stay when you come visit Lebanon.  My utmost desire is that it is a place of worship and prayer – prayer for the nations.  This home is not for me, but for the Kingdom.