I remember you!

The thing I both love AND hate the most about Romania is that there are about a gazillion intrinsically different cultures all found within a few miles of each other. The cities are each different from each other, the villages all have their own special dynamics, the country is different from the Suburbs, the Romanians are different from the Hungarians, the Gypsies are different from everyone, and the Gypsies have amongst themselves different tribes which in turn have different customs and cultural anomalies.

In Salaj I speak Hungarian, in Bihor and Cluj I speak Romanian. (Salaj, Bihor and Cluj are the different judets - or counties)

However this time I ended up TRANSLATING, which is good because it means that my brain grew a few more wrinkles and helps broaden thinking and communicating abilities, but on the flip side encourages headaches. ;-)
Anyway all that to say, I'm in Sancrieau right now :-D It has been SOOO nice to see the Hagiu family again, and hear Silvana's stories and Nicu's laugh.

The British Pest and Ramona took me to the train station and saw me on my way, both insisting that I call them when I got to my destination. :-) Yes, mom and dad!

The countryside changed from the outskirts of the Panonian plain into the rolling hills and small mountains of the bigginings of the Carpathian mountain range. I went out of the little room/car that our seats were in (think the train on "Narnia" and that's what I rode on) into the main 'hallway' of our car and opened the window and had a fun time feeling the breeze and watching the landscape zoom by. We passed lots of little villages with shirtless, browned men fishing or working in their fields, old women sitting on benches thinking their thoughts as we whizzed by, little kids looking up in surpise and waving and laughing when I waved back.

At each village the train would stop, and a conductor would walk to the door, watch to see if passengers were getting off or on, and then wave a yellow flag to the train driver (there is a technical word for it but I forget. BAH!) to signal we could keep moving. There were two conductors, and one had a very sour expression and said nothing the whole time. The other one wore a cap and suit and looked at me curiously as I was apparently the only passenger who so appreciated the scenery. Finally he asked in Romanian,
"Miss, why aren't you sitting down?"

Because I'm a hyperactive American who is totally jazzed to go work in a Gypsy village, of course! I thought. But instead said in Romanian,

"I just like to look out the window."

He laughed and said, "Then stay there at the window!" and would smile and shake his head whenever he walked by after that.

Silvana met me at the station and we hugged, and then began a rather nervous ride back to her house as she has only been driving for a few months.

The family was glad to see me but shy, and I was feeling a little shy myself. Nicu, Silvana and I sat at the kitchen table and tried to fit in as many updates as we could in a half an hour, and I emptied my bags of the vitamins, books and facepaints that I've been lugging all over kingdom come. Silvana was so blessed by the Ibiprophin I brought, as here one pill costs about $.75 at the least.

I brought a book on Gypsies by Jan Yoors which is awesome, and Silvana grabbed that right away, and another book on "Making Disciples of Oral learners" which Nicu gave a woot and grabbed as soon as he saw it. "MINE!" he laughed. "You know, I am like those birds on Finding Nemo! MINE MINE MINE!!"

(L2R: Silvana, Nicu, and Razvan, the pastor in Cluj)

I told them about my idea to write songs in the Gypsy style of singing to teach our Gypsies instead of telling them Bible stories. If a Gypsy is told a story, they will tell it again with exaggerations or important details added or forgotten. This is fine unless you are telling a BIBLE STORY. However, when they tell their HISTORIES, I think they SING it, and the tribe learns the song word-for-word, and it is told repeatedly unchanged. "Yeah, thats a good idea, but who is going to do the singing?" Nicu asked. "I'll do it." I said. I showed them the face paints I had brought and told them about my idea to teach the older Gypsy girls to do the face paints with us, and that way 'kill two birds with one stone;' that is, teaching the older girls the basics of holding writing utensils and also giving the kids a fun time.

"That's a great idea. Hey, do you want to take the kids ministry while you're here?" Nicu asked. "Uhhh.... sure?" I said. So... hey guess what. I'm the new kid's minister. lol. So pray for my Romanian language to grow incredibly so I can give the kids a fair telling of the Gospel!!

We heard a car coming and Silvana said it was Fery, our Gypsy brother who is one of the chieftans of the village and year-old, zealous Christian/Pastor-to-be. Quickly we stuffed all the vitamins in a bag and put it in a corner and cleared all the books into a nice pile. We then went to the door and greeted the 6ft 3 inch tall bear of a Gypsy man who bounced out of the red sports car.
"Pace Domnului!" He thundered. (Pace Domnului: It means like Peace of God with you, and yes Ramona I know my spelling and grammer suck. ;-D)
We laughed and returned the greeting. He shook Nicu's hand and gave him a bear hug then caught sight of me.

(Fery is the big guy in the plaid shirt reclining on the grass. His son is sitting on the guitar case)

"Hey!" he yelled. "Aren't you that girl from the States who was here last year?" I laughed and nodded. "What! You liked the Gypsies so much you just couldn't stay away, hunh?" he laughed and walked up and the next thing I knew I was envaloped in a huge crushing bear hug. "Welcome back!"
I thanked him and tried not to show that I felt like my ribs had almost been broken. Love hurts I guess. ;-)
His brother had to go to Timisoara that night, and Feri was picking up Nicu so they could drive together on the way back. It was four hours one way, and the would be driving all night.
They left and Silvana and I talked some more before I took my stuff to my room and then came back down for a bath. We went to bed after midnight as we were so busy still catching up that we lost track of the time.

(me on the stairs up to my room, in the loft/attic. The window leads to the kitchen)

Nicu didn't get back until 6:30 AM, slept for two hours, and then we all got up and got ready to go to church at the small Calvary Chapel in Cluj Napoca, which is an hour drive away. The Church was started by a Romanian, an American was sent from the States to help out, and the church grew some, but the American had to go back to the States and now the Church consists of Razvan and his family, another family, a University student, and the Hagiu's go every other week. So... its a teeny tiny church plant. But it was sooo good. I was able to understand the concept of the Sermon and actually helped Razvan out when he was trying to use an example from the movie "Princess Bride" and forgot Wesley's name. Hehehe!!! See! "Princess Bride" is such a classic, they use it in Romania even for SERMON illustrations! Made my day, anyway. I love that movie. Okay back to the mission work... :-D

(a street in Cluj Napoca. It's FILLED with miles of apartment blocks)

It was funny because again when I walked in, Razvan and his wife were like, "HEY! Aren't you that girl who was here last year? Welcome back!"

Razvan said I looked like a girl he met once at the Calvary Chapel Bible college in Hungary, and that both that girl and I were "like queens" in our mannerisms. I think he was trying to say graceful. I've gotten a lot of compliments on how beautiful I am since coming here, which strikes me as funny because I've always considered myself good looking or pretty but not BEAUTIFUL or GORGEOUS or anything. SO pray that I don't get a big head!!!

(To the Right is Anca, Razvan's wife, who said my Romanian was excellent and to not be afraid of talking, even if my grammar was terrible. lol)

After Church we went to the mall or "Cornea Shop" to find a female Parakeet for Naomi (Nicu and Silvana's daughter) and her male parakeet, and ended up looking at a dog show that was there. I liked the Chow's the best. :-) We couldn't find a healthy bird, so Silvana bought us ice cream and then we dragged Naomi and Leo - their son - away and drove the hour back to Sancrieau for a brief lunch of sandwhiches. Naomi and Leo and I played "I spy" in Romanian, which helped me in learning some sentance structuring and different words for colors and things in the car and outside. I learned "Yarba" means grass (not how you spell it) and "Yeo vud" (again, phonetic spelling) means "I spy/I see".

After a quick lunch, Silvana, Nicu and I climbed back into the dilapidating Dacia and made our bumpy way to the Gypsy village in Sacueau.

(some guys relaxing in the shade while we hammered out a conversation with Lemoia's help)

Silvana and I found Lemoia, a woman who became a Christian last year when I was here, sitting in the shade with some guys.

"Do you remember her?" Silvana asked me.

"How could I forget Lemon!!" I asked, calling her by her English name.

"Hey... I remember you!" Lemon said, her eyes lighting up with recognition. "You are that girl... from America, right?" she asked. Silvana went to go find someone but said I could stay and Lemon and the guys insisted I stay with them. So Lemon translated my broken Romanian into better Romanian or Gypsy while the guys asked me where I was from, if I spoke Spanish (most of them have been migrant workers in Spain, and Silvana said all foreign lanugaes are Spanish in their minds) how old I was, if I was married, how much it cost to fly to Romania, how many hours I was in the plane, did I like Romania, etc. I was glad Lemon was there because when they started asking if I was married Lemon gave them a long look and they changed the subject.

"You are so beautiful." Lemon said at one point.

"Thanks, so are you!" I replied. She really is. I don't have a good picture of her yet, but she is a GORGEOUS woman, and very polite and graceful. I think she is only about 23 or 24, but she loves the Lord and became a Christian through her home and her mom being delivered of Demonic Oppression and attacks.

(Me and Bubba)

Silvana called us up the hill for the Church service to start and I saw Bubba and Feri. "Bubba" means Grandmother in Gypsy.

"Do you remember this girl?" Silvana asked Bubba.

"Of course I do! How is it possible to forget her! I remember you, you came to my house and drank my coffee and took some video clips of you playing with the kids."

"Thats right! And I watched that movie a lot when I was in the States and thought of you." I replied.

"Do you want some coffee now?" she asked. I asked if she had any and she handed me her cup of coffee. I prayed for protection against any diseases or anything and drank deeply. You know on Hidalgo when Frank is in the tent of the Bedoin Sheik and downs the coffee, and the sheik asks of its too strong? Frank says, "Back home we toss a horseshoe in the pot, and when it stands up straight, we say it's done." That about describes Gypsy coffee. Toss a horseshoe in the pot along with a bag of sugar. ;-) But it was good, and I told Bubba so.

Feri saw me and said hi, and that he had only gotten three hours of sleep like Nicu.

"That's what you do when you are a Medical Student!" I teased. He laughed and agreed and we started church. He had trouble staying awake, and at one point one of the women got up and started hitting his legs with a small stick. He laughed and sat up straight, but later reclined and I saw his eyes closed. He opened them and saw me staring and smiled and sat up.

After the service Nicu was hit with nausea and a headache, so we went back to Sancrieau. As soon as we walked in the door the pipe to the toilet, which had been leaking before, burst. Poor Nicu spent the next hour or two trying to fix it and we had to turn off the water.

"Do you think it is interesting, Rachel, that Nicu feels fine the whole day, but as soon as the service is done he feels sick. And this pipe bursts the moment we walk in the house? Now the only thing missing is for the landlady to come and see her bathroom like this." Silvana told me.We both were thinking the same thing: Spiritual warfare. Praise God the landlady DIDN'T come, but we all went to bed at 10. I ended up praying for a few hours for protection and for some friends. Fear hit me as soon as I left the house and I knew I needed to pray for the Hagiu's and for myself. So prayers for this would be appreciated!!

(The ladies talking after the service)

This morning we prayed for the British Pest as he is going through a rough time and Nicu and Silvana prayed for God to bring him here to Sancrieau so they could meet him and talk with him.
"He sounds like an interesting guy. I would like to meet him and get his perspective on things." Nicu said.

We also prayed for Feri. The car broke on his and Nicu's way back, and now two of his brothers and trying to make some sort of scandal about it.

Feri is one of five brothers, and was the most feared of all of them. Even the rich Gypsies feared making him angry. Now he is a Christian, and it is a huge testimony amongst the Gypsies in this whole area. He is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but God is using him mightily with Feri's childlike faith and deep generosity. Please pray that God will protect and strengthen him through this time and keep him from backsliding. His brothers have cut his electricity and are harrassing him. But no one dares to do anything serious to him, because they know what he was. An example would be a dog irritated him once, so he took a buzz saw and cut the animal in two.

Ok time to get off the computer. Quick recap, Prayer requests are:

~God to continue to use Silvana, Nicu and me amongst the Gypsies. To educate us about the Gypsy ways and His ways, and give us HIS wisdom and discernment. We really need discernment.

~Protection, strength, and blessings on Feri and his immediate family. And that his brothers will come to know the Lord.

~For my friend the British Pest, that God will bring him here. He - my friend - has seen some very very bad examples of Christianity, and I want him to see the Hagiu's and their faith and joy. He needs peace and Joy, and he wants to hear God's voice clearly. So pray that God speaks to him clearly in the next week.

~For me as I take the kid's ministry. For ideas, wisdom while I work with the kids, and please pray for my language. The Grammar is hard in Romanian (not as hard as Hungarian tho!) and I've already had a conflict with Ramona when I was trying to say one thing in Romanian and she thought I was insulting her.

Okay time to get off the computer. God bless!!

~PrincessOuch~

Spiritual Warfare paper

So I'm not sure what the general consensus is about me posting my homework on here, but I personally think it's cool and haven't gotten any complaints so far so am gonna keep doing it. :-)
For spiritual Warfare, we didn't have an "exam" per se, we had a 'take home exam' in the form of a hypothetical mission team situation that was based off of real life situations, and we had to 'diagnose' if they were dealing with personal, worldly, or demonic spiritual warfare. Then we had to give a detailed outline of how we would advise the incoming teams and future teams. We also had to find ways to involve the missions team with the local church. So anyway, here is what I wrote. Hope you enjoy.



DHAKAN MINISTRY STRATEGY AND TEAM ASSESSMENT
Dhaka, Bangladesh is a place filled with lost people in desperate need of the Good News of Jesus Christ. While Good News International is hard at work trying to meet this need, the organization has experienced some severe challenges and setbacks with its missionaries. While all team members go in with the best intentions and a zeal to reach the lost for Christ, this last team especially has broken apart and over half the members have left hurting and beyond discouraged. Good News International, or GNI as it will hitherto be referred to, is now working to determine why the previous team encountered so much opposition and what can be done to prevent this from happening again. It is also important to determine how to encourage the remaining missionaries who are still working amongst the people of Dhaka.
The city of Dhaka itself is a cesspool of dysfunction, oppression and spiritual strongholds. While the official religion is Islam, most of the population is uneducated and has mixed animistic beliefs with the doctrine of Islam. Superstition rages rampant and effects the daily lives of the people. It is important for GNI to realize that while many of the main issues may have started simply as personal indiscretion and lack of education, it is now very easy for Satanic forces to influence people as they regularly consult witchdoctors and other authority figures deeply involved in cultic practices. Consultation of spirits and petitioning of dead saints is a regular practice. While GNI does not believe in ‘territorial spirits’ or blaming all problems on demons, it is safe to say that through consultation of the dead and petitioning for spiritual manipulations through magical practices or incantations, demons are able to take advantage of the situation. Any mission team must be aware of this spiritual factor and create a plan for proactive spiritual warfare in their mission strategy.
A large Spiritual stronghold in Dhaka is the attack against the family unit. Men are valued far more than the women who are not respected and taken advantage of in several ways. Brothels are common. The rising problem of HIV/AIDS amongst both married and unmarried seems to indicate that marriages are unhealthy and not expected to be a very functional unit of society. The view of children is skewed as well, as it is permissible to abandon or murder a baby daughter. A healthy society must have at its core a healthy family unit. In Dhaka, this family unit is being culturally and spiritually ripped into shreds. A missionary team must take this into account, as it will not only effect their ministry strategy and experiences, but will subconsciously effect any married couples working as missionaries. They must be careful to be proactive in their relationship and not allow these unhealthy ideas to creep into their marriage and cause disunion. In order for a society to be strong, there must be a strong family unit at its heart, as that is where most issues in society arise. Crime is committed by those who do not have good moral or ethical codes. Ethical codes grow out of how one is raised and treated in a family. How a man treats his wife is based on how he saw his father treat his mother and other women as a boy. A woman will expect a man to treat her very similarly to how her father treated her mother and her as a little girl. How adults interact with one another is largely based on how they were raised by their parents to treat others and how they interacted with their siblings as a child. Not to mention how a culture’s social structure works is based around what type of family is found in that culture. The economy is based of families as customers buying items for the home. So many aspects depend on a family. Religion is taught in the home. If Satan is able to bind the family unit in a cesspool of lies, dysfunction and trauma, his job is half done.
The corrupt government, regular natural disasters and high poverty is a worldly stronghold that may overwhelm and discourage any missionaries from America or the Western World. Humanitarian aid may be a viable method of opening doors for the Gospel, but it is important for all missionary teams to remember that their main goal in Dhaka is not to change the world but to present the people of Dhaka with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The people of Dhaka are either incredibly discouraging or outright hostile to minority religions outside of Islam. Persecution occurs sporadically, especially against any converts from Islam to Christianity. This is a demonic issue that has occurred ever since the formation of the church. While it is true that “the blood of the Martyrs watered the seeds of the church” it is frightening and discouraging to local believers. Fear of persecution is natural, yet it must still be addressed with biblical truth. The early church in Acts saw persecution as to be counted worthy of suffering for Christ. In a sense, it was a matter of honor. However, viewing pain and suffering as honor is a matter of spiritual growth and sanctification that the Christians in Dhaka have yet to gain.
The small Christian presence in Dhaka struggles with discouragement and apathy. This is an issue of great concern to any thing GNI may try to do for the city, as a spirit of apathy may undermine a great deal of potential work. The issue is partially due to ignorance on the Church’s part as to how to begin ministry and evangelism. It is partially due to fear and discouragement when persecution repeatedly breaks out in response to evangelistic work in the area. However it is very likely that a good part of it is due to Spiritual oppression that should be addressed both by the Church and by the missions team.
In the previous team, several members appear to have been unprepared for their time in Dhaka. This can be seen in the outcome of one couple’s relationship. The couple’s Muslim neighbor claims their marital problems to be a result of a curse cast on the husband. While a curse may have been cast on the husband, there are too many spiritual factors to take into consideration to blame the issues on only one event. The couple did not appear to be very involved with the mission organization, but were rather isolated. They lived close to another single team member but did not have regular contact with her, and were able to successfully hide their problems from the mission leadership until it was too late. The leadership and the couple were not responsible in their relationship to one another in this case, as it is the job of the leadership to help protect their missionaries from such issues, and it is the job of the missionaries to seek help, accountability and discipleship when such issues arise. The local culture has a very unhealthy view towards the family, towards women and towards a man’s role in the family unit. As has previously been discussed, missionary couples need to be aware of this and proactively take a stand against any demonic influences, temptations, or attacks in the area of family. This is done through prayer and accountability with other believers.
The husband cannot be the only one to blame. While less is known about the wife, it is disappointing to see that instead of going to the leadership or missions team for help and counsel, she chose instead to start secretly taking anti-depressant medication. While there is nothing sinful about taking medication, it is concerning to see that she hid this fact from other members of the team. Deceit did not help the situation at all. The medication may have led to the neglect and malnourishment the children suffered, as psychiatric medication often will effect the patient’s ability to care for others and be aware of the surrounding situations. This family may have suffered from demonic oppression, but it is apparent that they did not understand the situation they were going to, nor did they understand how to utilize the resources available to them. Ignorance, isolation, lack of communication and team work may be the core issues that allowed these spiritual issues to take root and effect the couple. The apostle Paul warns the church to not forsake fellowship with other Christians, and the consequences of this can be seen in the unfortunate events that took place in this family’s life. It is also unfortunate that the leadership of that team allowed the couple to get so isolated and did not seek to check on them regularly, disciple them through adjusting to the local culture or teach them how to become effective missionaries in that area.
The young woman who lived nearby this couple also suffered from isolation and discouragement. However in her case it appears to be more obvious that she did not understand the culture she was working in. A Muslim neighbor reported repeated harassment of the girl by other Muslim men because of her repeated appearances in public “uncovered.” She was also the object of “the evil eye” of a neighbor’s wife. The evil eye was more probably the angry glare of a jealous wife who was unhappy that a single, independent, educated woman took up nearby residence and could become a potential threat to her marriage. It is unknown if the Muslim wife did more than just “cast the evil eye,” but it is probable that this neighbor did not make life easy for the young woman.
In man-centered cultures like the one in Dhaka, it is important for American women to understand that their missions experience will be completely different than their male co-workers, and that their ministry will be effected by how they engage the culture. While it may not be necessary for them to adopt local dress and ‘covering’ traditions completely, it is usually a good idea to show an attempt at respecting the local view of modesty. It is also often a good idea for single women to make it clear that they are connected to a man’s household, that they are women of good report and have the approval of the “head” of “their” household. This head may be the leader of the missions team, an older married man on the team, or a local Christian who is willing to “adopt” the single woman into his household. This will help keep the lady from being too isolated as well as better enable her to engage the local culture in an appropriate way, while still retaining her own cultural, personal, and spiritual identity. If men continue to harass her she can defer them to her “household head,” although it is doubtful that this will be an issue if the locals see these cultural issues addressed.
The single man on the team appears to have been grossly effected by the sexual immorality that permeates almost every aspect of life in Dhaka. Again, however, the young man’s issues lie rooted in lack of Christian fellowship. It is commendable that he was able to make friends amongst the local Muslim young men, however his fellowship should not have been exclusive to the unbelievers of the area. This led to conformity and sin on his part, and allowing demonic influences take root in his life. Proverbs 12:26 says that a righteous man will choose his friends carefully. Even righteous people can be led astray if the friends they choose to socialize with wish to lead them astray.
The remaining team members consist of a couple with two teenaged children and another single young woman. None seem to suffer from any overwhelming Spiritual issues such as the previous five members did. However, the daughter of the married couple is struggling with self-abusive issues and the single woman is struggling with anxiety and apprehension.
The teenage daughter is currently enrolled in a private school with several affluent, wealthy Bangladeshi colleagues. Several of them struggle with cutting themselves on the arms and legs, and the daughter is also currently practicing this self-mutilation. She could be struggling with the constant pressures of being a foreigner and a Christian in a climate hostile to non-Islamic religions, as well as not having the material affluence and flexibility her classmates have. It is advisable for the parents to take time with their daughter to explore what the underlying issues are. They might even strongly consider taking her out of that school for a while and home schooling her to help her heal physically, emotionally and spiritually, as well as equip her, before putting her back in that situation.
The remaining young woman on the team is struggling with fear that she may be the next ‘victim’ of the Spiritual battle that has effected her co workers so profoundly. Her fears are completely understandable, yet if she is reminded of who she is in Christ and understands why things turned out the way they did with her co-workers, her fears should soon be alleviated. There is no need for her to worry, she is actively involved with the Christian community, has fellowship and accountability and is developing a dynamic ministry amongst the poor Muslim women of the slums. She does not appear to be culturally naïve, but is finding a good balance between acculturation and maintaining personal identity. As long as she continues proactively staying strong in Christ, she will be a strong asset to the missions team. “Anxiety in the heart of a man causes depression. But a good word makes it glad.” (proverbs 12:25) The young women will find this verse to be especially true in her case.
Future team members in this ministry should be made aware of the issues struggled with by the previous team members. Not, of course, in a way that spreads gossip or will hurt the previous team members, but in anonymity. The incoming members should be made aware of the seriousness of the situations they may be dealing with and how important fellowship and standing firm in the Spirit is.
The future team members should also be engaged in regular prayer, fellowship, Bible study, and accountability with one another. They are all in a strange place with a common goal, and there is no reason why they should not be involved in each other’s lives. It will help them encourage one another to have their concerns, struggles, fears and frustrations validated, as well as to hear each other’s successes and joys on the field. “We have no witness when we are living in the flesh.” It is also important to remember that Satan is a predator trying to kill the mission team’s witness. How does a predator hunt? By isolating it’s prey. It is when the hunted remains in packs that the hunter leaves them alone. Only the stragglers, the foolish who run off independently are the ones the predator targets to kill. This is an important lesson for Christians who believe they should “run off and do their own thing.”
There are many Spiritual strongholds in Dhaka that need addressed, but cannot be acted upon all at once. However, prayer walking around Dhaka as a group may be a way to keep the team from feeling overwhelmed with their inability to do more, and will also begin addressing needs on a spiritual level that they do not have the physical time or energy to do more about. This is also a very basic activity that the local church could begin to engage in.
Regular check-ups, follow ups, and discipleship meetings should be implemented with the team members. If a team member begins missing meetings or not coming to fellowship gatherings, this should be cause for concern. Isolation is unacceptable. Missionaries should be encouraged strongly to fellowship with their neighbors, make friends amongst the locals and unbelievers, and try to reach the community in as many ways as they can; but not to the extent that they or the team suffers.
Fellowship with the local church should begin more proactively as well. The foreign missionaries need local encouragement and the local church can benefit greatly from the many resources and fresh zeal the foreign Christian brothers and sisters can bring. “Two are better than one… though one may be overpowered by another, two can with stand him.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
The Bangladeshi church and the missions team should partner together to fight the fear, apathy and ignorance found in the church. This can be done through community prayer and Bible study, discipleship, fellowship, and teaching programs. The church needs to have a healthy understanding of the Great Commission and why it is important for the individuals of the church to step up and answer the call. They must take ownership for the evangelism of their people. If the mission team and the church work in opposition or in indifference to one another, it will complicate matters when they go out into non-believing circles. Not only is it silly for the two entities to have the same goal working in the same city yet work apart, but it will raise questions amongst the non-believers. In a Muslim world, a Christian convert is leaving a tight-knit community. While Dhaka seems to only have gleaned the dysfunctional aspects of this close-knit community, it will still be important for converts to know they are entering into a close Christian community and family of believers. They should not be any more alone than the missionaries. While the missionaries can help and disciple the Bangledashi converts, it would be ideal if the church could step up and begin to take over the discipleship. They are far better equipped linguistically and culturally to address issues that will come up that the Western team simply will not understand or be able to handle as effectively as the local church.
The church and team should also begin addressing the grossly unhealthy way that the family is viewed and treated. The population is severely uneducated. Programs may be started addressing basic education and health, but the focus should be to open doors for the Gospel and addressing these morality issues, not merely making life more comfortable or decent. Comfort, health, education, and a decent living standard are good things, but not the reason why the team is in Dhaka.
Abortion alternatives should be explored, although beginning a ministry such as an adoption and women’s center may be met by strong opposition from the government and abortion clinics. However, it still is an option that could be explored. The local Bangladeshi church should be as involved in this investigation as much as possible.
The team and church should begin equipping themselves for all of this primarily through prayer. Prayer is essential for effective ministry and has been proven time and again to have remarkable effects. The team should also be sure to enlist a very strong prayer network from their home churches and Christian communities.
In-depth Bible studies need to take place on a regular basis, and team members should take turns in leading the study and sharing how the lesson has challenged them and what they are going to change in their ministry because of it.
GNI has targeted an extremely challenging part of the world to do ministry. However, few places could need a mission team more than the city of Dhaka! Satan has had his way far too long in this city, and it is time that the Spiritual strongholds are knocked down with the Gospel Truth. Missionaries interested in partnering with GNI and working in Dhaka must understand the challenges, trials, and possible tribulations they may encounter while in the city. Potential missionaries must understand thoroughly who they are in Christ. They must not be afraid of Spiritual encounters or opposition, as they will experience much of this in Dhaka. However, it is sure that if they are sincere in their desire to share the Gospel in this difficult field, they will find themselves standing before the Lord and hear Him say one day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Spiritual Warfare on the Mission Field

"I do not always understand why God does things the way that He does. However, usually at a later time, God reveals the answer. I am thankful that we serve a God who does answer prayer, and I am thankful that "...in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 NIV).
On yet another occasion, Paulo and I were hosting a conference for FEBC radio listeners in Battambang city (in Cambodia). Church leaders from Battambang, Bateay Meanchey, and Siem Reap provinces attended. After the conference concluded, one of the leaders asked us to go to a home of a young woman who had been ill for some time to pray for her. The leader believed an evil spirit possessed the woman.
Six of us went. As we sat in a circle in the front room of the home, family members described for us the young woman's behavior. From the descriptions, it was obvious the woman had some serious problems. I asked the elder sister where the woman was.
"She is upstairs asleep," the sister said. "This is the first time in four days that she has slept. She has kept us up each night with her screaming and babbling." As the elder sister finished speaking, the young woman stuck her head over the railing of the second-floor balcony and looked directly into my eyes. Why she chose me, I do not know. A sudden feeling of fear came over me. Her eyes had a deep, penetrating look, and she obviously was disturbed about something.
I greeted the young woman in Khmer and asked her what her name was.
"My name is Sopheap," she said.
Iasked the elder sister whether that truly was the woman's name, and she affirmed that it was. I called Sopheap to come down. She immediately got up and came downstairs. She then grabbed a chair, placed it in front of me, sat down, and again looked directly at me. Again, I asked her what her name was.
"I am the Son of God," Sopheap said with a strange laugh.
"Are you really the Son of God?" I asked. She just stared at me and laughed some more. I could feel the tingling move up and down my body as I watched and listened to this young woman.
I do not know what prompted me to ask the next question, but it had to have been the Holy Spirit, because I was too afraid to think of it on my own.
"Is anyone else in there with you?" I asked. The young woman calmly looked at me and answered,
"Yes, there is."
I responded, "Who?"
The young woman called out several names in Cambodian, but I did not know to whom she referred. I looked at the elder sister for exmplanation, but she dais that she did not know the names either. None of the people in the room had ever heard the names.
At that point, I called the groupt o gather around Sopheap.
"We need to pray for her," I said. We all joined hands. I held Sopheap's right hand, and a Cambodian friend held her left hand. As we started to pray, it sounded as if Sopheap was praying with us. Then I realized that she was only babbling nonsense.
Our prayers intensified. After about five minutes, I felt Sopheap grip my hand firmly with increasing strength. My arm hurt. She was beginning to scream. We kept praying. Then suddenly Sopheap went limp and fell on the floor. She quickly opened her eyes, and I could see a difference in her appearance.
Sopheap spoke gently and calmly to us, telling us that she felt much better. We all sat down in our chairs. I looked at Sopheap and asked, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Have you asked Jesus Christ into your life?"
Sopheap replied, "Yes, I believe."
Then, God helped me to recall a passage of Scripture in Matthew that says:
"Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, "I will return to my house, from which I came"; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
(Matthew 12:43-45a)

I explained the passage to Sopheap and her family. Although none of us saw an evil spirit with our eyes, that day, we were all confident that an evil spirit had departed from Sopheap. Before we left, we rpayed with Sopheap once more. She asked the Holy Spirit to fill her life and fill where the evil spirit once resided.
Whenever I returned to Battambang after that experience, I was sure to ask how Sopheap was. Each report was that she was doing well. She had returned to her husband, was attending church regularly, and had not experienced any more problems with evil spirits.

Some people claim that these kinds of power encounters are normative in the Christian experience. I have a dear friend who, every time he meets me, will ask, "What sings and wonders are you seeing?" He takes the position that a ministry without signs and wonders is not valid.
I believe miraculous healings and deliverances from evil spirits are valid in Christian witness and ministry. God, at times, will perform miraculous deeds to bring people to proclaim Him as Savior and Lord. However, I am not convinced that signs, wonders, and power encounters are requisite for ministry. I see danger in that we easily can fall into performing Christian magic in an attempt to show the people that our "magic" is greater than theirs is.
Signs and wonders are not always needed for people to believe in Jesus. We cannot put God into human-made boxes and expect Him to work according to our designs and plans. Some people build a box and say that signs and wonders are no longer necessary, negating the miraculous work of God in their lives and in the lives of others. Others build a box and say that signs and wonders are necessary, often falling into the trap of becoming Christian magicians. I prefer rather to be attuned to the work of the Holy Spirit and rejoice in all that He does. To me, every heart that is turned from darkness to light by the power of the Holy Spirit is a miracle!
Svay Rieng

"The road id sudsty, the weather hot, and I never want to travel to this place again," I thought as I pulled into the town of Romeas Hek for the first time.
"Who would ever want to live in this barren land? The soil is no good. There are no trees, and all day long all you have to eat is dust, and more dust."
Saru was standing in front of the stone house when our now red clay-colored vehicle pulled up. Saru and several of the believers who met in this house regularly for worship greeted us as we stepped out of the car. It was mid-afternoon on a Saturday.
Saru is a short man even by Cambodian standards. I often remark that God called me to Asia because there I can look most people in the eye while talking with them. I am 5 feet 6 inches tall, the average hight of most Cambodians. I needed some time to talk with Saru, so he and I took a stroll toward the market place.
As we walked, I asked Saru what he had learned from the teaching on spiritual warfare that was presented in the most recent two-week training session of the Rural Leaders' Training Program. I also asked him whether he had a chance, upon returning to his home area, to use any of the principles he had learned. I specifically asked Saru this question because it was at his request that we had added this course of study to the program. As Saru shared with me that afternoon, I felt satisfied that he had understood the basic principles that had been taught. I also was pleased to hear that he had begun implementing those principles in his personal life and ministry.
As we approached the market, I asked Saru, "Do you want to share the gospel?" He nodded his head yes. "Let's go inside the market," I said. Now the Khmers in this small market had seen the westerners the United Nations stationed there to oversee elections or at least westerners on video. HOwever, none of those westerners spoke Khmer! As you might imagine, a large crowd soon was following me. I quickly began to feel like the pied piper in Robert Browning's poem, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin."
I stopped at a small stall where a woman was selling some kind of "num," or bread. I never had seen this type of bread, and I asked her what it was. It was made from rice flower and then deep-fried. I asked the price. It was inexpensive. "Let's see," I said to myself, "if I buy 10 of these huge pieces and then break them off for the children, I can probably feed about 50 kids. Do it!" I bought 10 pieces and began distributing them among the children. Soon about 50 children thronged around me. I became an even more popular fellow at that moment.
I asked the children, "Do you liket his bread? After you have eaten this bread, will you ever become hungry again? Have you ever heard about the Bread of LIfe?" Then I began to tell the children about how Jesus fed a large crowd of people. AFter Jesus fed them the bread, He told them a story about the Bread of LIfe, I said. Then I explained the meaning of the Bread of LIfe.
After I had talked with the children for about 10 minutes, I called Saru over and said, "Now it is your turn. Tell them more." The children listened attentively to Saru tell them about Jesus' love for them. I looked at the crowd and thougth again about hwo I stood outl ike a sore thumb. I was sure that within an hour everyone in the area would know that a westerner, who spoke Khmer, had come to town. Sata also was aware of our presence in the market, a reality I was soon to discover.
That evening we lodged in the home of an elder from the local Buddhist temple. The elder asked me to tell him and his wife about Jesus. FOr several hours, sitting on the front porch, Saru and I showed the elder the truth of God's Word from our Bibles. What a wonderful privilege it is to share Jesus!
Sunday morning came early, as to most mornings in Cambodia. Saru wanted me to visit every group in the district. I asked him how many groups he had started. "Only seven." he replied.
"Seven! You want me to visit seven places in one day?" I asked.
"Sure," he said. "If you just go to some of them the others will get upset that you did not go and visit them, so we either have to go to all of them or none of them." I sighed and said, "Okay let's get going." Once we started on our day's journey, it was not so bad. The groups were not that far apart, at least by car. By the time we reached the third group, I really was enjoying the day.
About 2 p.m., the heat sweltering, we pulled into the village of the sixth congregation. At least 50 people were waiting for us in the undersized room. As was the custom, we kicked off our shoes and sat on the floor. The signing was beautiful, more beautiful than we had heard from the previous groups. After a few songs, another young Khmner man traveling with me was asked to share his testimony.
As he began to talk, I noticed that others in the rom also began to talk. The louder he became,t he louder they became. In Cambodia, people often disrupt a speaker and others around them by talking back and forth, but I never had experienced anything like this. Finally, I was invited to speak. I shared the same story I had shared in the previous five groups. It was easier to do it this way! As I spoke, the people listened quietly. Then when I had finished, they began to ask questions, many of which I could not understand. I looked at Saru for help, but he said he had no idea what they were saying. Suddenly, this room of about 50 people became a place of confusion. I was shocked.
"What is going on here?" I asked Saru.
I leaned back against the wall. The young Khmer man who had shared his testimony also did. Simultaneously we both raised our eyes and looked toward the ceiling. When we saw it, our eyes darted to meet. Instantly, we knew what was wrong. A solid red flag hung at the top of the house. I forget the Khmer term for the flag, but I will never forget its meaning. It represents the spirit that has been invited to reside in the home and look after the family. Obviously, this spirit was angry that we were there sharing about Jesus. After all, our message could lead to the end of his reign within that home.
I stopped the meeting, went outside, and talked with the owner of the home. I described for him what had occurred inside. He responded,
"That flag means nothing now, because I believe in Jesus."
I asked him, "You invited that spirit into your house years ago, but after you became a believer did you ever, in the name of Jesus, tell that spirit to leave?"
He said he had not.
"In the name of Jesus, we need to command the spirit to leave," I told him. So, we all prayed that day. I told the owner to take down the red flag so that everyone would know that the spirit was no longer welcome in his house. Only the Holy Spirit of the living God was welcome.
Satan is the author of confusion and the father of all lies. What Satan had in mind as we shared the gospel that day was obvious. Cambodian people are spiritually attuned. They understand the spirit world because they keep in constant contact with spirits. Unfortunately, these are spirits of darkness, ambassadors of the Evil One.
Satan wants the Khmers to remain on his team. Those of us who have served among the Cambodian people know that; we understand that we must confront Satan's army of evil spirits. It is a spiritual battle we face daily, but how comforting it is to know that Christ already has won the war. The decision of each battle already has been decided in our favor if we will stand firm and claim the promises that are ours in Jesus. Even the father of lies dares not challenge the Holy Spirit directly. That is why he tries to confuse and decieve man instead. However, whenw e call upon the Holy Spirit, we call upon theg reatest power in the world, and Satan cannot stand.
Finding myself in a mass of confused people that sultry afternoon reminded me of Paul's words to the Corinthians.
"For thought we walk in the flesh, we do not war according tot he flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of GOd, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete."
(2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
That afternoon speculations and a lofty spirit raised up against the knowledge of God was destroyed. Today a church that is growing numerically and spiritually continues to gather in that home.
.... "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the roolers, against th e authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
(Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
Know your enemy, prepare for the battle, stand firm, and pray pray pray!
I still find myself at times forgetting the important lessons God taught me through these experiances, but one thing I try to remind myself each day ist hat the real enemy is Satan. He uses people through deceit and trickery. So often, it is difficult to spearate, but, if we truly want to have spiritual victory in our lives, we must learn who the real enemy is and remember that the victory already is secured."
From a chapter from the book Amazing Grace
Published by Mission Educational Books of Chennai, India
Written by R. Bruce Carlton Copyright 2000