Summertime Quarantine
What does your summer vacation look like? Perhaps you can relate to the photos above in the header. Cassia (left) receiving her certificate for completing Kindergarten at a social distance; Miah (right) jumping on a trampoline with her friend, Belle, at a social distance; all while wearing masks.
Or how about a squirt gun battle, like Cassia and her friend, Eduardo, from opposite sides of the driveway?
Send us your creative ideas! We’d love to see some interesting ways you and your family are making the most of the time.
What is Hope?
“Knowing that I have a God whose love for me is constant.” That’s how Joke (pronounced Joe-Kay) answers the question, “What gives you hope?” in a video she published on YouTube. You may remember how Joke, a student from Nigera, was in Naomi’s group at Vision Conference. We have been so encouraged by her outspoken faith!
“Be strong, take courage, don’t be intimidated, because God is striding ahead of you, he’s right there with you, he won’t let you down, he won’t leave you,” she explains from a passage in Deuteronomy 31.
God really flipped a switch in Joke’s heart during the Vision Conference, and that change has been lasting. She just wants to glorify Jesus and point others to Him.
She started her own YouTube Channel, and puts together videos to encourage people in this difficult COVID season. She wants to show non-Christians where Christians find hope. Her video contains testimonies from several other international students. For example, Emmanuel talks about the importance of having “confident trust” in God in order to have hope.
COVID Hits Home
Last week, we had an extremely difficult week. I (Naomi) was sick with headaches, body aches, and fatigue, and I am still recovering. We had an agonizing 6 days of waiting, praying, worrying, social distancing, masking in our own home, trusting the Lord, and worrying some more before my COVID test finally came back negative. Praise God!
Please pray for Austin (and other cities in Texas). Things are really bad. Our mayor said, “We frankly don’t have enough testing capability and the tests are not coming back quickly enough.” Hospitals are near capacity.
Zack and I got a taste of the agony that families affected by COVID are feeling, being separated from their loved ones. Pray that Jesus would reach down into the pain and worry of the families being affected by this terrible disease.
Upcoming
Our training video, for a tool called Conversation Art Cards, will be published soon. This tool is a pack of 25 cards featuring great works of art from around the world. Each piece of art is matched with topics for a discussion along with stories from the Bible. The cards are built to promote thoughtful discussion, spiritual reflection and friendships across all cultures.
Praise Reports
- Naomi tested negative for COVID, and the rest of our family stayed healthy.
- Joke and many other students from Africa are being bold in sharing their faith online.
Prayer Requests
- Healing for Naomi, from whatever she is sick with.
- Joke’s gospel preaching would reach students who feel hopeless in this season.
- Texans would make wise decisions to protect each other.
- Conversation Art Cards would spark cross-cultural gospel conversations.