"Someone died this week who didn't have the opportunity to hear about Jesus" was a thought that entered my mind as I recalled the news of the young man on a suicide mission. May each of us walk in the light we've received from God so that we will be His witnesses of how He changed our lives.

I had every reason not to go for my morning exercise walk last Wednesday: my walking/shoulder-riding companion didn't want to go, the scales showed a 100 gram increase even after several consecutive days of half-hour walks, and I was still tired from waking up at 330 the day before to wait in line at the visa office for two hours before it opened (I was far from alone in that escapade); however, I made a commitment, and I needed to stand by it; otherwise, what are commitments for?

A few days earlier in the week I had enjoyed a "healthy serving" of local Arab sweets. Shirin offered words of consolation after I shared the weight loss frustration, "Imagine how much weight you would have gained had you *not* taken Jasmine for walks."

On the positive side, I've dropped 30 of the 64 pounds I hope to shed by summer 2004 - almost halfway there!

Last week... 

* You have been praying for our opportunity to return to Gaza for farewells. This link will tell you about a car explosion along the route we walk to get in/out of Gaza. your prayers make a *big* difference! (* You may need to cut/paste each line to get it to fit in your browser)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=2&cid=578&u=/nm/20021127/ts_nm/mideast_dc

(1) You prayed for the children being lured to the latest Harry Potter movie to be kept safe from any of the enemy's schemes at making his witchcraft seem simple and innocent. I invited you to visit http://www.theharrypottervideo.com/ for clarification. This video was available on DVD last Sunday - how timely!

(2) As the world's attention turns to our neighbors to the east, you prayed for the man whose integrity is in question by asking God to convict his heart of sin and to bring this world leader to salvation. God's people will make the difference through intercession, not UN weapons inspectors... I can tell that your intercession is making a difference : -)

(3) Hanukkah began Saturday, and you prayed that a host of Jews would find salvation in Jesus alone... as Jasmine and I walk from our neighborhood down the hill to the outlying settlements, we think of the impact of your intercession this week.

(4) Jasmine turned 3.5 on Saturday, 30-Nov while Shirin saw her 19th year of walking with Jesus begin the following day (we both met Jesus in *84*). You joined me in thanking God for a delightful family and that Jasmine would one day have a sister, er, sibling :*-)...

(5) I had a major glitch with the laptop's DVD-ROM and believed that only prayer will fix it. As Corrie ten Boom once asked, "Is prayer your steering wheel or spare tire?"... amen, prayer did fix the glitch as a dear friend 'on a hunch' offered a suggestion. Wow : -)

This week...

(1) Join me in giving thanks over the avoidance of a possible electrical fire due to your intercession. Many of you have prayed for us and our home, some of you on site. Those prayers of protection kept an electrical short from burning down the entire building. For about two or three days I had smelled a burning smell coming from the building's main fuse box and thought that others had smelled it as well. Since nothing was being done by the owners, I figured all was well. One owner apparently was fed up and called an electrician who said he had been called just in time. Thank you for praying : -)

(2) I took Dan to start the process for *his* visa renewal yesterday, and he made it out in record time!  Pray the same for our situation.

(3) Pray for Shirin and me as we begin separate Arabic classes. We want to be shining lights to those who are in darkness.

(4) Pray that new relations built over "oil changes" will blossom into eternal fruit.

(5) Many Muslims begin a three-day celebration of the end of Ramadan. Pray that they would see Jesus and be invited to *His* eternal celebration of the end of suffering and misery.

From a recent Global Pray Digest:

"Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?" 1 Sam. 23:3

Good question! But God had clearly commanded David and his troops to go, and He had promised them victory if they obeyed, so they went...and inflicted "heavy losses" on the Philistine forces. We might likewise ask: Why leave home, where we are not always successful against Satan's forces, to go to some other land where Satan is even more firmly entrenched?

The answer: because God has commanded us to go, and because He promises victory if we obey. Jesus told His followers to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18), and promised to be with them, and us, to the end of the age.

O Lord, may those in difficult ministries be especially aware of Your presence today. How glad we are that You are with them-and with us!

To subscribe to GPD, e-mail to: hub@xc.org and in the body of the letter put:

subscribe brigada-pubs-globalprayerdiges

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May God find us listening more attentively to His voice this week as I am,

Yours because His,

Scott

< scoterry31684@bigfoot.com ><

http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/utmost/today/

"Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you...," 1 Samuel 12:23

* CALENDAR UPDATES *

27, Omar’s salvation

* It didn't happen today, but I believe it will soon : -)

28, Shirin’s mom to become His follower

* It didn't happen today, but I believe it will soon : -)

29, Jasmine’s ongoing safety

* She loves to try riding her scooter, so we bought a bicycle-type helmet for her; however, it will be your intercession that will truly keep her safe.

30, Jasmine is 42 months today

* Thank you for praying for our new 3.5 year-old : -)

1, Happy 18th Birthday, Shirin!

* She had a good day of celebrating with Jasmine as she had a surprise half-birthday party.

2, good working relationships

* Things went so smooth(ly) today with some great co-workers. Thank you for praying!

3, more workers