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"Rahma"
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Rahma(34) was born, baptized and raised in a Christian home in Ethiopia. Rahma's strict Muslim father divorced her Christian mother when she was still in the womb. He married a Muslim woman, divorced her and came to live in the U.S. Twenty five years later, he married another Muslim woman and had 5 children. He divorced again and married for the 4th time. One year ago, he invited his first daughter Rahma and her 5 year daughter to come live and stay with him the U.S. He promised Rahma and her daughter many things before they came to the U.S. Rahma was promised to have and enjoy her own freedom; to be able to finish her engineering degree in Physics; and take care of her only daughter's needs with the hope that her husband will join them someday so that together they will live as a happy family. Rahma was very thankful to her father for bringing her to the U.S. and for helping her break free from a world that was falling apart because of the religious war between Ethiopian Muslims in the South and the Eritrean Christians in the North.
Rahma always dreamed of coming to America, joining a church and worshiping with her daughter without fear or intimidation. Rahma was certain that the God, who helped her break away from the bondage of fear and slavery, would bring to completion what he has started in her and her daughter's lives. Rahma wanted to grow in the Grace and the knowledge of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), in whose name Rahma and her daughter were baptized. (Gal 3:27-28)
As soon as Rahma arrived in Dallas, her Muslim father insisted she go to worship at the Mosque and he literally forced her to make a public profession of the Muslim faith (Shahadah). In other words, Rahma was forced, against her will, to make a public confession that "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah". Rahma was forced to pray five times a day and take her 5 year old daughter to the Islamic school (Madressa). Rahma was told she had to fast during the month of Ramadan, cover her head, and look like a devout Muslim mother. Rahma cried out for mercy every night as she held her daughter in her arms. But help never came. For six  months Rahma continued to pray for mercy that God would set her free from her second prison and find her a place to live. Though desperate for a way out, Rahma and her little child never forgot whose they are as baptized children of God in Christ Jesus even when they were forced against their own will to go to the Mosque five times a day. After many long nights of tears, pain and prayers, Rahma woke up one morning and told her father that she refused to go to the Mosque anymore. Her father threatened to put her out of the house. He made certain to keep her 5 year old daughter with him to take her to the Mosque to memorize the Quran. Rahma was helpless and feared losing her daughter. Rahma did not have a safe place to go. She refused to leave her daughter behind with a merciless father and grandfather who took her to the Mosque to worship Allah whose name is depicted in the Quran as the most merciful and most compassionate One" 114 times - at the beginning of each chapter.
Our Lord heard Rahma's cry for mercy and remembered the promises He made for her and her daughter in their baptism. The true Father of Compassion and the God of Mercy heard their  prayers and sent one of his faithful Women of the Way (WOW which is a ministry of Disciples of the Way Ministry/DOW) workers to reach out to Rahma and her daughter with the love and compassion of Christ and bring them back home, to their original family of faith. Within a week, DOW placed them in a two bedroom apartment near the church, filling it with furniture and food so they can live, without fear, surrounded by their Christian neighbors. Thanks to her Christian neighbor from Eritrea who also received help and support in the past from DOW's ministry, Rahma found a full time job and learned to drive her own car to work 5 days a week. Rahma has become a hard-working, faithful mother who wishes to join our new confirmation class at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Dallas in September. Rahma and her daughter have been coming to Sunday School regularly and joyfully receive God's gifts of forgiveness that he offers freely in Jesus Christ, the Savior of All Nations. Within a week after she moved in, Rahma opened her home for Bible study and offered one of her bedrooms to DOW to teach Computer classes to her friends and refugee neighbors. Due to lack of space in our church, Disciples of the Way ministry has opened two new apartments within the last three months and turned them into a safe haven for ethnic women to come learn how to sew, and meet their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the language of their own hearts.
You see, Rahmah is the Arabic word for Compassion, the Hebrew (Riham, from "rehem", the mother, womb), "to pity" or "to show mercy" in view of the sufferer's helplessness, hence "to forgive" ( Habak 3:2); ( Ex 6:2) ( Deut.30:3); ( Isaiah 49:13). In the Old Testament, God is the Compassionate and is invoked as the Father of Compassion. The English noun compassion, means to suffer together with, it comes from Latin. (Greek verb = paskhein, to suffer)
In Christianity, mercy became a person. Jesus is the very essence of compassion, because he not only taught us to reach out to Rahma and her daughter, but even more to her merciless father. Notice how many times the word Rahma is repeated. We can never show too much mercy, compassion and love to our neighbors. Our Lord Jesus is still in the ministry of showing mercy to those whose dead lives touch ours so we can bring them healing and snatch them out of the fire of eternal hell, one father, one mother, one child, one family and home at a time. And just as He commended Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted Christians, the people of the Way (Acts 9:2), and showed them no mercy, He is still commanding us today to extend mercy and compassion to all, yes even to the extent of loving our enemies " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Mathew 5:7
This is a true story, but the names have been changed for confidentially protection.
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"A Call to Action"
Dear fellow brothers and sisters in faith in Christ,
The following letter is an enthusiastic and urgent response to Pastor Baidaoui's and Sabir Bashir's messages regarding Disciples of the Way (DOW), formerly known as the People of the Book Lutheran Outreach-POBLO-TX, and Eden's (Eritrean woman Volunteer for
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CLC member getting to know
new students
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the ESL program) example of humble servant hood. Both Pastor Hiner and they spoke of an opportunity for CLC to forge a union with DOW. This union will be involving each person in our whole congregation in a cooperative work for God's Kingdom with Disciples of the Way, and utilizing the CLC building. This letter is
enthusiastic because this opportunity is most welcome. The believers of Christ Lutheran Church are equipped and ready for this. (1.) We are each equipped with spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit. (2.) A series of Adult Christian Education lessons were given on the basics of The Christian's Response to Islam. (3.) All who regularly attend worship services and Adult Christian Education at CLC are firmly established in the truth through the faithful teaching and preaching of the Holy Word of God, the Bible. This letter is urgent because the people "of all the nations" are living within blocks of Christ Lutheran Church, needing to hear God's Word. (Matt. 28:18-20) And, partnering with DOW will be a blessing of hope and life to both CLC and the people "of all the nations" who are now waiting just outside our doors.
Called In to Be Sent Out
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"Pastors Eric Hiner and Karim Baidaoui"
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As soon as Christ calls us in, He sends us out. We see this in a key chapter, Isaiah 6, when the prophet Isaiah was granted a vision of the holiness of God, the only thing he could do was heed God's call to take God's Word to people who needed to hear it. God's call is for all who have trusted in Christ, for we are His church and thus tasked with making disciples of all the nations (Acts 1:7-8). Jesus tells us to "lift up (our) eyes, and see that the fields are ripe for harvest" (John 4:35). The church is commissioned and commanded to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. God, in His sovereignty, has brought some representatives of the nations to our door step, and He stands with them, knocking at our door.
The Lord is raising up a new generation who are established in the truth of Christ as Lord and Savior of the universe, graciously endowed with faith by God, possessing a zeal from the Holy Spirit to reach the world for Christ with a deep knowledge of God and His Word.
There is nothing easy about this battle for the souls of men, women, and children. Our sword is nothing less than the inspired, infallible, all-sufficient-for-salvation Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21). The church needs solid teaching so that we are equipped for every good work, and so that our zeal does not falter. All agree, it is hoped, that by God's grace, Christ Lutheran Church is seeking to preach the gospel and provide deep biblical and theological resources to its people. Nothing but the preaching of the whole counsel of God equips His people for life and ministry. Nothing but His gospel saves souls and makes visible the invisible kingdom.
A Suggested Response
Let us pray to be hopeful and tireless in our labors of love, and to keep our work effective and efficient, accomplishing more with less. Let us each choose a fellow prayer partner within the church to pray with weekly for God's will to be done in our lives and in our church.
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"Christ LC and DOW teams meet."
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The ministry opportunities this summer and beyond at CLC are many. Only finances and the lack of availability and willingness to serve limit our possibilities for ministry. Our prayers, tithes, gifts, and availability and willingness to serve, sustain, and grow impact of CLC, and more... DOW, for example. In His sovereignty, the Lord enables, equips, and empowers each one of us to expand and spread His Kingdom. He uses us all. Preachers, grandparents, college students, homeschooling moms, factory workers, teachers, butchers, bakers and candlestick makers, and others---we are all in this together. No one who professes Christ as his or her Savior is useless in His Kingdom. He uses our spiritual gifts, prayers, and finances to reach His world. He even uses the widow's mite to further His gospel. May we be loyal and faithful to the end, and each finish well. |
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"One Baby Too Many"
I am asking everyone in this short article to pray for Abbas and his Muslim
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Pastor Baidaoui and Baby Fatima
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family from Iraq. After a family devotion, Abbas' wife, Sundus, told me yesterday that the apartment manager asked them to move out by September 18 and look for a two bedroom apartment because of their new arrival, Baby Fatima (2 weeks old). I guess too many children in a one bedroom apartment ( Abbas, Sundus, Hossain 7, and Mohamed 14 and baby Fatima). More children for us to snatch out of the mouth of the devil and bring to Jesus, even more children in the community for the churches to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, we also realize and must teach our neighbors how to be good citizens and respect the laws and regulations of Apartment Occupancy in Texas. But I can not imagine that this little baby is taking anymore more extra space in that apartment. Baby Fatima is one more baby for Satan to try to keep away from Jesus and he is right this time according to the law of the land. After her illness baby Fatima lost so much weight from being jaundiced. She could barely eat and sleep and occupy her own baby crib, but spiritually speaking she is worth every ounce of weight to Jesus who gave up His life for her and her family. I was told the apartment manager has been leasing one bedroom apartments to families of five and even more in the past at their discretion under the rules of HUD. I will go and take the little baby Fatima and he
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Home coming for Sundus, baby Fatima with Pastor Baidaoui
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r father with me to ask them to have Mercy on this growing - in Christ- family. Currently there are no 2 bedroom apartments available at this complex. I hope we can work out some type of arrangement until a 2 bedroom is open. Please keep baby Fatima and her family in your prayers. This is just one example of the many refugee families that Satan is trying to keep away from the light because he tries to keep these lost parents and their children in their own world of darkness. But we will persevere in hope and continue to tell them about Jesus even if they move further away.
"...I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:18
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BACK TO SCHOOL
 Children's Activity Program (CAP) recently celebrated it's 4th year in providing refugee children with back packs filled with back-to-school supplies and was another successful event. See the beautiful smiling faces!
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Merciful Hands
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Disciples of the Way 2013 Matching
Gift Challenge!
To inspire and encourage these exciting times of harvest and growth, one of DOW's faithful and generous supporters has offered to match your gift of $250.00 or more during this entire year.
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Disciples of the Way Ministries at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
7611 Park Lane
Dallas, TX 75225
214-368-1371 ext 241 / [email protected]
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