This sticky spacebar is driving me bonkers, and I've pried it off numerous times to "clean" under it, but I can't seem to get to the sticky gunk. It's an IBM R40 ThinkPad, if that helps. Any advice or offers to clean it would be appreciated!

[Edit: I sent an e-mail to the IBM Service Center in Huntington, West Virginia where I had a previous ThinkPad's a/c adapter 'analyzed' back in April 2001. One of the gentlemen at Hourly Computers told me that the laptop is still under warranty, and the part can easily be replaced! Now I just got to get to Huntington <g>. July may not get here soon enough!]

Jasmine's birthday is May 30, and this year's Day of Prayer and fasting falls on that day! Be sure to check out the video about the Day of Prayer and Fasting (May 30, 2004): Loving the Peoples of the Arabian Peninsula which can be ordered online.

Like many of you, I was saddened by the news of the death of Bob Keeshan/Captain Kangaroo as another part of my childhood slips away.

The best site I found this week was www.audioscriptures.org where you can listen to the Scriptures in Arabic, Chinese, English, Hebrew, Spanish, Urdu, and several other languages! I finished my first round of listening to the New Testament yesterday and will have begun again today. Unless I listen to four days' worth of listening, I may not finish the New Testament in another 27 days, but who knows?! It is exciting to exercise : -)

Matthew 24:14

* Be sure to sign up for the Wednesday Weekly.

+ Last week Shirin attended a women's meeting for new believers along with following up on the ladies that attended the Christmas party, so you prayed for the women to understand what it truly means to be saved and for the meeting leader to be led by the Spirit as she helped the women understand why Christ died for them... Thank you for your prayers! The meeting was wonderful. The twelve women that showed up were all at different stages of faith in Christ. They were all eager to watch a video clip about how God can do miracles in lives today. At the end of the meeting a time was set aside for anyone who wanted prayer to ask God to help or heal them, and over half of the ladies took up the offer.

+ While Shirin had this special meeting, I was with Jasmine, and you prayed that she and I would have a special time together... wow, did we ever! We had a great lunch together and then Jasmine danced to the piped in music. After a short ride on a coin operated truck she decided it was time to use the restroom. We had washed our hands after lunch in the men's room, and she wasn't too keen to go back; however, when given the choice of going in the ladies room alone or in the men's room with me, she decided to go with me. She crossed a developmental milestone by doing everything herself and, wow, was she quite proud of herself (as was I)!

We marked the day with a special treat from the candy kiosk and, oh my, did I understand the expression "like a kid in a candy store"! So many choices were before her, but she took her time to settle on a special treat of her choosing. I felt great for the rest of the day :-)

+ You asked God to grant me the patience and discipline to continue preparing for our upcoming Stateside Assignment (STAS)... well, I didn't make the progress I'd hoped to make; however, He did grant me patience and discipline to prepare for the upcoming STAS. This week I'll ask more specifically : -)

+ Jasmine enjoyed her first "Passover performance" last weekend and we asked that she have a memorable experience, one on which we could build... well, it wasn't quite a "Passover performance," but it was a memorable event through a Biblical Resource Garden. She has an angel encased in glass as a souvenir, one that was promptly placed near her olive wood Nativity Set.

+ We also planned a trip to Bethlehem and Jericho with some friends and asked the same for Jasmine... she received her wish to have her picture taken near the Star of Bethlehem, down in the cave. When we were there on Christmas Eve, the throng of people kept us from going inside.

We stopped at the "camel" on the way to Jericho, and Jasmine jumped up on the camel to take her first 'memorable' ride. I had taken her when she was about six months old and again when she was about two.

We were turned away at Jericho for political reasons I will not mention, so we made our way to Bethany where Jasmine made her first visit to the tomb of Lazarus. It had been 18 years since Shirin and I were last there, so it was enjoyable for all of us.

The day's events will, no doubt, give us ample events on which to share the Scriptures. Thank you for praying!

<T H I S  W E E K><

<>< Pray for "Andrew," a Mormon Scott has been sharing with online, to come to know the real Jesus.

<>< Please pray that Shirin's upcoming Arabic class focusing on the Bible will have a clear class outline and that all the students will have the some goal of wanting to share their faith in Arabic.

<>< Join me in asking God that significant progress would be made on the items needed for our upcoming Stateside Assignment (STAS) as well as the next newsletter.

<>< There's a good chance that the money needed to purchase the larger regional tiles may be on its way, so join us in giving thanks in anticipation! The group that may provide those funds has shared the 'larger' need of the construction materials/labor needed to rebuild the walls, and there may be a group interested in helping!

<>< Jasmine's monthly celebration of her birth takes place on Friday (4 yrs, 8 mos), so pray for her growing understanding of the second birth. Pray, too, that her "Burger King" day will be special.

<>< I could use intercession as I work on the end-of-month financial/accountability statements. I *enjoy* such tasks but can always use the prayer.

<>< As my time/attention turns to things administrative, pray that my eyes and ears would be open to those "asking" about the main thing.

>< Pray for the Siwa of Egypt. >

CALENDAR UPDATES

<If you're not receiving our bimonthly snail-mail newsletter, let us know so we can send it to you!><

21, Hanni’s salvation

* Jasmine played with his children today, but there was no immediate news of his salvation : -(

22, US families to fall in love with Jesus

* Continue to pray :-)

23, Arabic language progress

* Although I didn't see any signs of progress today, I did sense it yesterday when I called a friend to wish him a happy birthday.

24, Jasmine’s ongoing safety

* Your ongoing intercession makes a difference! Thanks!

25, A worshipful experience

* A day trip through Bethlehem, the areas around Jericho, and Bethany provided an unexpected time of worship.

26, Jasmine’s schoolwork

* She stayed home today (due to an extra wet and icy driveway) and worked with her mom. Jasmine experienced the ability to 'understand' addition but (so far) only with 'Arabic' numbers; incidentally, what we would call 'English' numbers are actually Arabic. What we would think of as 'Arabic' numerals are known as Hindi. (Feel free to use that in "Jeopardy!")

27, Shirin’s mom to become His follower

* This didn't happen today, so we'll continue to pray!

From Bob Burg at www.burg.com

* Think of Someone You Would Like to Inspire

by Jim Cathcart (Guest Contributor)

What do you want to inspire them to do, specifically? Years ago my son, Jim Junior, asked me to teach him to play the guitar. (This was before I understood the Eight T's of Empowerment: Target, Tools, Training, Time, Truth, Tracking, Touch and Trust.) My response was predictable, at least for a motivational speaker.

I created an elaborate three year plan. I gave him my spare guitar, a book of chords, outlined a series of daily exercises, and booked him for several sessions with a local guitar instructor. It was as if he had requested a drink of water and I replied with a blast from a fire hose! He promptly lost interest in playing the guitar.

Years later when he was off at college, a friend asked if he was interested in learning guitar. After assuring that I was nowhere around, Jim Jr. responded, "sure!" His friend then asked, "What is your favorite song?" Then he taught Jim Jr. how to play that song. With this clear motive to learn how to play, Jimmy practiced consistently until he had mastered the song. Then he learned another, and another.

He ultimately went to a guitar instructor on his own and has spent hundreds of hours in disciplined study of music. Today, many years later, Jim Jr. is an accomplished guitarist and a pretty good songwriter. He can even sit in front of the radio and accurately play along with the recordings. And to cap it off, when he comes home for holiday visits, he teaches me guitar techniques! The student has become the master.

My primitive attempt to teach him guitar may have worked for some but certainly not for him, even though he had requested the instruction. His friend's more enlightened approach to teaching used the Eight T's more effectively. He clarified the Target, learning a favorite song. He assured Jim Jr. had the Tools, a guitar on which to practice and a book of chords, and musical instruction. He supervised and coached the practice, the Training. He allowed plenty of Time for the learning to take place.

There was an atmosphere of Truth conducive to learning. There was no father to impress or grades to be earned. The Tracking was automatic. Jim Jr. knew when he did not achieve the desired result by listening to his own playing and watching the reactions of his instructor. He Trusted Jim Jr. to make his own decisions since the risk was virtually nonexistent if he made a mistake. Finally, his friend provided the human Touch. He applauded the successes and corrected the failures. Then as Jim Jr. progressed, even others gave him feedback (more Tracking) and support.

Think of a skill that you have developed. Aren't there many parallels between the foregoing example and your own learning experience? The principles that helped you grow and allowed me to advance in my chosen field are the same principles that apply to sports, competition, education, and art. Techniques may vary from one situation to the next, but principles never change. Learn the principles and you can devise your own techniques.

You and I are provided daily with opportunities to help others grow. We see their potentials more clearly than they do. We sense opportunities which escape their notice. With these simple principles you can make a major impact on the advancement of others. You can inspire them to win.... and in doing so will, no doubt, also inspire yourself.