Lydia Is Empowered To Serve

Lydia (name is changed to protect her and her family) and her husband, serve in the Ashty Evangelical Church in Kurdistan/Iraq. They are Kurdish believers and have attended the Time of Refreshing conferences from the beginning.

Two years ago, Lydia was inspired to be bolder to share her faith with her neighbors. We prayed for her, and the Lord answered.

Last year, the Spirit told her to go to a UN refugee camp and share the Gospel with the people. UN camp environments are not safe. Though administered by the UN, refugee camps are crime-ridden and filled with violence, and a strict Islamic community rules this camp.

Lydia, as a Christian woman sharing the Gospel of Jesus with not yet believers, knew she was entering an environment where she could be injured or even killed.

Lydia was unsure what to do on her first few visits, so she walked through the camp in prayer, having casual conversations with a few women.

One day, she was invited into the tent of a woman, I'll call Miriam, from an unreached tribe in Iraq. They talked and drank tea and began a beautiful friendship. This gave Lydia the open door to share her faith in Jesus.

As Lydia continued visiting, more women gathered in Miriam’s tent to hear her share about Jesus. While some listened and welcomed Lydia, others threatened her and warned her not to return to the camp. Despite these threats, she continued visiting the ladies in the camp, knowing the Lord called her there and He would protect her.

Over time, Miriam and others in her tent accepted Jesus into their lives. Even Miriam’s husband, who would listen in, became a believer. Interestingly, one of Lydia's most aggressive critics became a believer and is now one of her strongest supporters.

Today, Lydia secretly meets with 13 people weekly in Miriam’s tent, evangelizing and making disciples using evangelism and discipleship materials we translated into the Kurdish Sorani language. And the numbers will continue to grow.

However, she and those who meet with her are in danger. Converts to Christianity can be beaten, lose their families, and be killed.

For better safety and a secure location, we are raising funds to rent a house outside the camp so they have a safe place to meet and start a church plant. The house would be overseen by Ashty Evangelical Church (which is a Kurdish-led church.

The house will cost 6000$/yr for rent + 3000$ initial investment for carpet, appliances, and furnishings to host meetings. Lydia has continued to grow in her faith and knowledge of the Word, studying and using evangelism and discipleship materials we have translated into the Kurdish language.

At this year's A Time of Refreshing conference in Kurdistan-Iraq, Lydia stepped forward, led the women's breakouts, and spoke in the main session, telling us how the Lord is working in the camp. This was an answer to prayer. 

God bless you!

Michael Parks, President

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