Modeling the All Nations' value "We Are Servant Leaders"
For many years now I am fascinated by the way our King walked with His disciples, and still does. It is both beautifully intricate, yet astonishingly simplistic. Intricate, because of the way He knows us and the way He pays attention to detail. Yet so simplistic that the youngest among us can simulate Him. And in all of it, He is driven by the unquenchable love He has for us. Everything He does and all He is, is drenched in this love. As we follow the Lord in giving ourselves to our friends, we are learning what it truly looks like when we teach them by example, and seeing them starting to implement these truths in the simplicity of every day living. We mainly teach the Word at the hand of the situations that arise, as it brings the truth straight from the head to the heart and after that, to the hand.
Starting out loving
As we started our journey in 2015 in preparing to bring His love to the Arab Nations, the two things that the Lord spoke clearly to our hearts, was “Do not be offended by them”, and “mourn with those who mourn.” If only I knew at the time how specific and accurate these words were and how important they would become in keeping as we started walking with our Arab friends.
We came with our children to Hamburg in the end of 2017, after Michael was in Lebanon for 7 months in preparation of this new journey that the Lord had us on. The Lord allowed us to bond right away with our new Arab friends, both ones who already started following our King, and those who were still simply curious about who we are and as to why we have an interest in them.
Loving beyond
We have become truly rich in knowing them and learning from them the beauty of their culture. There were of course also numerous times where the words of the Lord resounded in my heart, “do not be offended by them”. Instead, the Lord started showing us what it really meant to look at others through His eyes. One of our first friends was family of an important leader. He has sometimes made statements that were not easy to process. And over and over, the Lord just reminds us to stay far from taking offense. We ourselves also had to learn how to be sensitive and not to be culturally offensive out of ignorance. Over the past few years, the bond has grown so much between us and him and his family abroad. We would go and mourn with him when he mourned over the loss of many of his close family in the war. And we would go and get him and bring him home when he was falling into depression as a result of the hopeless situation he has found himself in. Many a times he would tell us that if ever someone would try to harm any of us, he would protect us with his life. Although we hope something like this would never need to happen, we are blessed with the thought of real and sincere love. He has introduced us to many of his friends and as a result of his trust in us and the grace for our mistakes, it has opened a door for us to their hearts.
Loving as family
We also love to cook simple meals and take it with us in visiting our friends, as they are lonely and miss the joy and fellowship of their families who always ate together. It is one of the most crucial things they miss - as to them, family dictates their whole existence. They have been robbed of the beauty of family around them, as they now find themselves all on their own in a foreign country. Sometimes one of our children would hear there is a friend who is suffering of depression or sickness, and they would insist to come with us to visit that friend and take something nice to eat to cheer him up.
Our children each has a role to play in the lives of the people who often come to our house. They will pray for, love and show a willingness to be taught by these new friends. It is awesome how our Arab friends, one by one, started assuming their roles in our family structure, and therefore also felt the confidence to teach our children values that have come with them their entire lives. At first, it was not easy for our children to accept correction from adults outside our family circle. But as time drew on, their willingness opened a door to our friends to be who they are among us.
As we lead our lives quite open with them, they see our mistakes or the things we need to grow in. To show this vulnerability, is a key value as it allows them also to have the freedom not to need to hide their own mistakes or difficult circumstances from us. One day one of our friends overheard a conversation we had with one of our sons about a monthly train ticket. We told him to be patient and trust the Lord, and that as soon as it is possible, we will get it for him. The next day another friend calls us, very adamant, that he needs to see us. Shortly afterwards, he comes walking in with all the money he still had left in his bank. He drew it all for us, because he said he never wants to hear that we ever suffer and he could have done something to lighten our load!
Love passed forward
We love the action in applying the Word to our daily living, which causes our Arab friends to then ask questions about why and how we do these things. And this to us is wonderful, because it gives us the chance of sharing the word of the Lord and the stories of our King that teaches these values. We are sometimes amazed how our friends would argue with us over certain matters, just to see how a few months down the line, they stand up for that same truth when one of the new friends starts questioning us.
The Lord is the one who brings divine appointments. One of our new friends needed a safe place for a few days, and we opened our home to him. In that same week, he had such an attack one night by the spirit of fear. This opened the door for him to speak openly to us to what he is suffering from, and allowing us to pray deliverance over him. Since that time, the Lord has blessed us with a beautiful relationship with him and his new wife. When he needed someone to help him with transport in picking up a scooter that he bought online secondhand, he asked Michael to go with him. So, our oldest son and Michael took turns in driving all the way to the south of Germany with him, about a day’s travel, to collect the scooter. In the meantime, he got his own driver’s license, and as Michael needed someone to travel to the south with him, this time to inspect the coffee roaster that he wanted to buy for the project the Lord laid on our hearts, this friend was the first to volunteer to go. As we are sharing God’s truths with him between all the visits and even working together, he has now started sharing this with his family back in his home country. It is not easy and he often gets rejected. But the first member of his family has recently received our Saviour into his life!
Real love is expensive
We open our home for our friends to come and cook here and invite their friends for meals. In this way, we get to meet more friends, and we are thrilled to enjoy more time immersing ourselves in their culture. These times we start building the foundations for friendships that would need to withstand the torrent rains that will come as we take our journey together with them in introducing our King. To our children, these mealtimes together with our Arab friends have not always been easy. They find the food sometimes strange to their palates, yet they try. And for that we are thankful. What has blessed us many times, is how our youngest have been a favorite among many of our friends, as he has a way of showing love, giving hugs, and yet sometimes speaking straight to the point. It makes them roll with laughter, and they always ask about him and how he is doing.
We have had many nights of fun, games, laughter, long talks, listening to Arabic music as we head off to bed, or just getting up. Yet there have been times that the atmosphere was so tense, the moods were not good, fights needed to be broken up, and forgiveness needed to take place. There have been times of intense joy and intense tears.
We have so much to learn still, and so much that the Lord has to do in our own hearts. But daily we learn of His incomprehensible love more and more. We learn how He does not give up, where we think it is the end of the road. We are learning endurance and what true grace means. Even our children have started to learn this. At times when they hear us speak, hearing us struggle though troublesome relationships among our dear Arab friends, we are so astonished how they would speak on that person’s behalf and seeking grace for them.
Reaching out over borders and cultures, to those who are in need of love and a Saviour, changes you. You cannot stay the same. Something breaks inside. First it is your pride, soulish ambitions, and selfishness. And then your heart breaks. It breaks for those who have never tasted the love of our King. Who are on their way to an eternity without Him. Who are themselves broken inside, without the hope of healing. Until they meet the Healer. And they meet Him through us. Through our own broken hands and feet. And as we serve them and love them, He starts healing them in His embrace.
About Adele
Michael and I, together with our 4 children, joined All Nations in 2014 in Cape Town. In this time, a deep love for the Arab Nations was born, that took us on a challenging yet beautiful journey through Kenya, Lebanon and eventually Hamburg. We have the honour of serving our King in forging deep friendships and bringing the love and healing of our Saviour to our dear Arab friends here.
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