Changing Homes From the Inside

This past Friday, the 9th annual training for women in ministry was held at the Church of the New Covenant in Shefa-Amr in the Galilee of Israel. Our team member, Rose Obeid, started this annual meeting understanding the importance of women in our society and their potential. In a somewhat conservative community — some villages more so than others — women are able to minister to other women freely without boundaries. Furthermore, being the primary “teacher” (proverbs 1:8), the mother is able to influence her children and possibly their eternal life.

Sometimes the role of the women, or mother, is undermined due to social, traditional, physical or even religious reasons. None of that, however, stopped Deborah (Judges 4,5) from being a deliverer of many and a "mother in Israel.” Pastor Andrew, who spoke at the training, focused on Spiritual Motherhood, its goals and importance. He also sought to restore the role of the woman and the mother to one that reflects how God sees them.

I led worship at the beginning of the event. One thing I can tell you for sure, true to all such meetings, is that it is loud. It comes from a passion deep inside. I could almost hear in their voices the names of the people they are pouring their hearts out for. Such passion can change homes. It might be a bit weird, especially in our culture, but hanging out with these women afterwards and fellowshipping with them is so unique in that I don’t know anything else that makes someone feel so loved!

My wife and I left after the training was done and we headed to Eilabun for the youth meeting. The parents of one of our young people asked us if we could hold the meeting at their place instead of at church in order to encourage him. He had been injured in an accident and is dealing with a long series of surgeries which will be followed by months of recovery and physical therapy. When we walked in with 13 other youth we were warmly welcome. Soon enough we were worshipping together and had such a wonderful time. I was asked to share a little message as an encouragement to this young man and I could only think of the apostle Paul. I talked about how much Paul suffered physical inflictions. I explained that we tend to focus on the painful moments as we go through them and forget that there is a bigger picture that only God can see.

Truly, only God can see the full picture, and it is ever so exciting to have parts of the big picture revealed to us, His people, little by little. Every time we step into a new home it’s a different picture — a different story — but we seek to have one truth at the center of it: Jesus Christ. We pray that as we continue to knock on doors, literally and figuratively, to reach mothers, fathers, young people and children that the Holy Spirit will go before us and prepare the hearts to be receptive to the one true Love.

Rose Obeid welcoming the attendees and sharing a small devotion

The youth of the church of Eilabun meeting in the home of the injured youth