As Christmas quickly approaches I am encouraged by glimpses of God at work. A week and a half ago a guy named Matias, from Austria, prayed to receive Christ after attending church with a missionary kid named Dave who is involved in our ministry. I introduced the two of them before classes began because I was the first American Matias met when he arrived at the Airport in August. Dave speaks German as well and I suggested they hang out. Matias only came for one semester and leaves UK this week to return to Austria. Only now on his return trip he is bringing a relationship with God back with him!
My friend Binita is from Nepal. She has been studying for her doctorate in Nuclear physics at UK. She told me Saturday that God has been pursuing her and inviting her to come find Him. She has had dreams where "Christ" is spelled out in the stars and scripture ("Be Still and know that I am God") running through her mind for several months. She was raised in a Hindu family and has never called herself religious. Now she is searching desperately to know who God is and what his plan is for her life. We had the best conversation about Christ over tea at my house on Saturday night. I gave her a Bible and she called me on Sunday morning to say she had been up for hours "studying" the Bible and writing down a flood of thoughts coming to her mind. She plans to attend church with me this Sunday!
Several of the freshmen girls I work with are coming to the winter conference we host in Greensboro, NC over New Year's Eve every year. Sunday I had the privilege of talking to girls about coming to Senegal with me next summer while we cooked and ate dinner at my house. I even met a man from Senegal at the Verizon store in town a couple weeks ago. He is Muslim and graduated from the University we will be working at while in Dakar. Moment's like me help me love Lexington, it can actually be a "diverse" city.
This week I am planning for the Art expression room at Encounter, the conference held over New Year's, planning for the summer in Senegal already, and tomorrow morning I leave for Chicago with two girls on my team. We are celebrating the completion of several years of training. As of last March, I am now "Senior Staff" and my co-worker Laura completed her training in October. We will stay with a family who used to work with us at UK, but are now reaching international students in Chicago. I am looking forward to the fun!
In other news, Lexington has decided to trade places with New York this year. We have had snow at least 4 times already this month. The last two remaining on the ground for days because the highs have been in the teens. Brrr! I celebrated by buying a coat even my friends in Russia would be jealous of. My roommate and I bundled up, grabbed thermoses of hot apple cider and went for an hour long walk in the snow on Sunday night. It was so fun to laugh together and sing Christmas carols while our neighbors waved and told us we were crazy. Such fun! Leah continues to be a tremendous answer to many of your prayers in the spring. Thank you!
Praying y'all have a Merry Christmas!
Abigail
"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth..." ~ Hebrews 11:13
Thanks for keeping us updating on your ministry. God is doing great things with the measure of faithfulness that you have accepted from Him.
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