This is a photo from the roof of the rented home we have settled into over the past week. We love it! It is located in a primarily Catholic and Orthodox community just outside of Amman called Fuheis. It is not the same home owned by the Jordanian Christian family that we requested prayer for in our previous e-newsletter. It is bigger and less expensive! It is also within walking distance of the Arab church we have been attending. Our church has been reaching out to many Iraqi and Syrian refugee families who have come to Jordan over the past year to flee the persecution of ISIS. At our New Year's Eve party, I sat back and watched all of these families enjoying fellowship, even though most of them have not known each other for more than 12 months and many of them are still grieving the loss of their former lives in their home countries. There are many needs. There are many opportunities for us as a family to be involved. Please pray that God would give us wisdom to choose that which will bring Him the most glory. Also, pray that we would have discernment regarding how much Arabic language study each member of our family needs.
We have begun the process of applying for a residence permit through the Jordan Baptist Convention. Please pray for God's will to be done through this process.
Please also pray for my wife and I as we meet Tuesday with a biblical counselor. When she and I conflict, 90% of the time it is related to parenting, probably because 8 children means lots of decisions to be made! Perhaps our most recent struggles are not only the stress of living cross-culturally and being unsettled but also spiritual attack, since we came here to promote biblical parenting in the Arab church. We are asking God to use our time in counseling to build greater unity, consistency, and grace in our marriage and parenting. Would you pray with us?