Arab Richness

This weekend was a rich weekend.

Friday was spent celebrating Natalie for her Bachelorette, and then Saturday we had a very dear friend that we met in the Middle East come stay with us. He's originally from Arkansas, but spent some time in Egypt and Lebanon going to school and learning Arabic. 

Russ is one of those people that radiates the love of God with every word he speaks. And not only is he a man who truly dwells in the presence of God, but he always has his finger on the pulse of the nations. Re-connecting with him means hearing testimonies from all over the Arab world. Hearing about prayer movements, gatherings of Believers, and trends in revelation and visions.

Patrick and I could have listened to him for hours. He makes us feel like family, even though we’ve only spent a few weeks with him over the last 3 years. Russ has spent endless hours with Muslims learning their hearts, learning who God is to them, and learning how to love them well. He’s studied their history, the Qu’ran, their languages and dialects. He’s visited their camps and their homes and spent holidays with them. So he is intimately connected to every part of the Arab culture. Patrick and I felt like we had read hundreds of books by the time our time with Russ was over. And hearing stories from someone like him who has lived among them daily, helped put news stories and our own textbooks into a more real and personal perspective.

The only downside to the weekend was the short bout of food poisoning I had on Saturday night. Which was absolutely terrible, but allowed me to rest all day Sunday and catch up on Harry Potter. Which I think it is way better to read a hundred pages at a time so you can keep all the details straight.