The Feel of Christmas in Far Away Countries.

A stable in a Middle East village.

Lights. Music. Trees. Family. Presents. When one thinks of Christmas these are often some thoughts associated with it. In many parts of the world, particularly Muslim countries, there aren’t any Christmas lights and no Christmas music. In many cultures, people still travel on donkeys down dusty roads. Though far away from Bethlehem one can imagine that the way of life for many people on the earth resembles that of the daily life in Jesus’ time. While cities are more advanced and the influence of technology is everywhere, there’s still a simple aspect to life in many third world countries. People aren’t rushing around to get everything done, they always seem to have time to stop and spend time with friends. They do things by hand as opposed to having machines do the work for them. They work hard and for long hours when possible because they must to survive. Many of them have not traveled away from their home cities very often and only a few have made it to another country. Life seems to be somewhat predictable and the general population lives fairly predictable lives. This si probably what Bethlehem must have been like at the time of Jesus birth.

When Jesus was born not many people seemed to be expecting him. If they had known that he was the Messiah then they probably would have made room for him in a house. Most of the people around the world do not know Jesus as the Messiah either. They’ve heard of him, of his virgin birth and his miracles. Some believe that He’s the one coming on judgment day, but they believe that He was only a prophet.

Traveling during the Christmas holidays to a country that doesn't celebrate Christmas can actually feel like you are stepping back in time to the era of Christ's birth. Mary may have been riding a donkey into Bethlehem with the dust being kicked up. Life, outside of the registration, was probably carrying on as it had for years or centuries. There were no lights but the stars and no music but the sound of the animals. Only a few were there to celebrate at the birth of the single most important person in history. However, in a few short years this little baby would change Israel and eventually, the world. What a joy it will be when the nations discover the truth of that baby, Jesus, (Emmanuel - 'God with us') and worship Him.

Christian Missionaries in Morocco Working to Share Truth of Jesus.

Meeting up with a family that lived in the country of Morocco in North Africa for many years, they said  it was an enlightening experience.  The majority of the people in Morocco are Muslims and the religion of Islam gives them a different mentality and a different way of looking at the world around them.  When they first arrived in N. Africa, they needed to learn the language.  So they enrolled in language classes.  They then needed to practice what they had been learning, so they lived with Muslim families.  They also spent a lot of time with the local people in the outdoor market places.  They were happy to teach me their language - Arabic.  It was hard though.  It took a lot of work.  The family made a lot of friends this way.  They also ate the food that they ate and tried to follow some of their customs.

Christmas in Morocco was always interesting. It provided an opportunity to tell the real story of Jesus' birth. "Papa Noel" (Santa Claus) was beginning to show up as inflatable toys in the mid 1990's. And New Year's eve provided an opportunity to give Bibles to people as gifts. All accepted with appreciation. 

Their purpose for leaving their home country and living in Morocco as a family was to tell the people the truth about Jesus Christ as written in the Gospel. When presenting the gospel, they learned that they had to be careful.  First, they had to earn the right to be heard.  They first had to listen to them and let  Muslims tell  what they believe.  After, they were able to tell their Muslim friends what they believe.  The best way to witness to a Muslim is by giving your personal testimony and tell them what Jesus has done for you.  So, that is what they did.  Sometimes the Muslims would want to argue. Most of the time the discussions were spirited. Muslims have some BIG misunderstandings about the Bible. They think that...

1.  The Bible has been changed.  It's not the original word of God.
2.  How can we say Jesus is the "Son of God" if God does not have a wife.
3.  Jesus was just a good prophet.
4.  Jesus didn't die on the cross, it was someone who looked like him.
5.  Muslims also think that if they convert, Christians will give them money, a wife, a visa to the west, etc. This is obviously not true. 

We do have some things about Jesus that we agree on.
1.  Jesus was born of a virgin - Mary.
2.  Jesus ascended into heaven.
3.  Jesus is coming back someday.

Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God or that he died for their sins.  They do not understand the term "Son of God". They think this is a physical relationship that the Bible is talking about, but it is not. It is a spiritual relationship between God and Jesus.  So it is very difficult to witness to a Muslim, but we know that the Holy Spirit will convince them, not us.  We just try to be faithful in what we do.

The majority of Muslims have never seen a Bible or held one in their hands.  One of the objectives of the family was to give Muslims Bibles.  Unfortunately Bibles are forbidden in most Muslim countries.  Bibles are not available in book stores.  The governments keep all Bibles out of their countries.  So, the Bibles have to be smuggled in and distributed discretely. The family believes that if Muslims read the word of God,  their hearts will be pierced with the truth that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and they can have assurance of eternal life in heaven.

The family did attend some of the rituals of their host country in order to minister and develop relationships with Muslims.  Some of the rituals they don't enjoy, but they did it to strengthen relationships.  Muslims typically are not open to the Gospel, but they are more likely to listen if they know and trust the missionary.  Only the Holy Spirit can draw a person to Jesus, so that is what the family prayed for.  Most Muslims are very friendly and very hospitable.  The family didn't feel like they were in any danger when they were living in a Morocco. The Christian family is sure that some day, millions of Muslims will know Jesus as their personal Savior.  In the mean time, they seek to be faithful in their work and continue to pray for Muslims. 

Sharing Truth of Christ With Children in Mexico.

Around the end of October and the beginning of November, Mexico is under the spell of Halloween and the Catholic tradition of the Day of the Dead. Images of skulls and skeletons are for sale on all the street corners. Many kids, dressed up with their faces painted white, go door to door to ask for candy.

In the midst of this tradition this past year, an outreach was held by evangelical Christians to share the love of Christ. Together with members of a local church, the Christians presented a children's program in a poor area of the Xochimilco neighborhood in Mexico City. When the Christians arrived at the place where the program was going to take place, many children came to listen to the story about Jesus.

One of them was a little girl of about four years old. She came dressed in her Halloween costume. As she was listening to the presentation about Jesus’ love for her, the expression on her face changed. She started to take off her Halloween clothing and tried to get the white paint off her face.

At the end of the program, she had taken off her costume. It was clear that she understood the message very well. Both she and her mother accepted Jesus into their hearts. It was the greatest gift she could have received for Halloween. Praise God for this little girl, and pray that many kids in Mexico will hear more about Jesus and His love for them.

Libya Receives International Visitors Via Floating Bookstore.

Libyan dancers welcome Logos Hope.

A floating book store on board the ship Logos Hope brought help, hope and knowledge to Libya. The vessel's inaugural tour of the Arab world has so far been warmly welcomed. Logos Hope called at the three ports of Tripoli, Misurata and Benghazi. During the five-week visit, some 134,468 people climbed the gangways to enjoy a cultural and educational experience on board. Among these, over 7,300 children came on board to experience an interactive program, put together especially for them.

Logos Hope's International Cafe gave visitors a chance to sit down after browsing the book fair. Good and positive interaction took place between the crew members from around the world and the local Libyan people. In discussion with crew members about different life experiences, it became obvious that the inquisitive Libyans wanted to know why Logos Hope staff were so different from the picture they had in their minds of people from Western nations. The values, standards and morals of the crew were noticed to be positively different and left a lasting impression on many locals.

The importance and value of such a visit was made clear by the many expressions of admiration left in the Captain's Log electronic guest book by visitors to the ship. One read, "Your visit has caused a lot of commotion in Libya. There is a very nice atmosphere here. It is very different and nice. I haven't found this anywhere else."

Local and national authorities, as well as many thousands of individuals in Libya, look forward to the next visit of one of our ships to their nation.