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The Darker the Darkness...
Great victories are often followed by seasons of testing, and this trip has been no exception. Kirk VanMaanen and the film crew left Israel first, then lost their luggage and missed their connection to Kuala Lumpur while in Istanbul. They arrived a day later from Amsterdam and waited an additional two days for their luggage. They suffered patiently, and we are truly blessed by their reliable enthusiasm for this mission.We left a day later, after a very good meeting with Samuel Smadja, a local church pastor in Jerusalem who also runs the tour groups we bring to Israel. He is a wonderful man and has become a dear friend to me and an enthusiastic advocate for Walk in the Word TV.
Our flight out of Jerusalem was also delayed, and though we ran at top speed through the Istanbul airport at 1:30 a.m., we too missed the connection to Kuala Lumpur. The airline was gracious after Jacob worked with them, and in the end they put us up at no cost in an Istanbul hotel. We finally got to bed at 5:00 a.m. By noon, Jeff, Jacob, and I were exploring the new city and visited the Grand Bazaar, a series of 5000 shops. Actually, it was five shops: jewelry shops, woman’s accessory shops, shoe shops, carpet shops and small decorative china shops—1000 of each kind. We felt only a little successful to walk by them all and not spend a single cent.
Across from where we ate dinner we saw one of the largest mosques in the world.
Originally it was a Christian church, taken by force during an Ottoman invasion of the 1500’s. The oppressive nature of Islam is readily apparent in the listless eyes of the women behind their head coverings and the perplexed look on manly faces when you ask them if they love God. The music blaring multiple times daily through speakers across the dark landscape, demanding people stop on the clock and pray according to their ritual, is tangibly oppressive.
We saw a sweet-hearted people who do not know that mercy and forgiveness is theirs for the asking from Jesus Christ the Lord. A brief conversation with a young man who used broken English revealed this reality, as he confessed to following Allah out of duty and fear but not from his heart. The loving, merciful, ever-present, saving Christ towers above this “under the earth” man-made religion. The darker the darkness, the brighter His light shines.
Twenty-four hours later we were on the next flight to Kuala Lumpur, arriving safely, not late, and believing God’s sovereign hand was guiding this timing. I have been getting quite sick with bronchitis and know your faithful prayers have provoked His most tender watch care over all of us.
Don’t miss church this weekend. I believe you will be incredibly blessed to join us in seeing God at work in powerful ways here. We are truly excited for you to be on this journey with us, at the work of Christ through Harvest Bible Chapel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Truly, Christ is Risen for the Nations.
For the whole team, much love to you and yours,
-Pastor James
