ON A MISSION

Bonjour! Tonight I am writing from an internet cafe in Liege, Belgium. I am on a mission trip with other church orchestra musicians from the Atlanta area. We are here with Global Missions Project. This is an organization that takes music groups to areas of the world to perform and aid other missionaries. This summer they have brought several groups to Belgium. (By the way, did you know that European keyboards are just slightly different to the point that they are completely annoying?!) Belgium is a spiritual desert; a wasteland. One missionary couple was here five years without one convert. Then something amazing happened. They and others discovered the many refugee centers in Belgium filled with people from places like Kosovo and Chechnya and Guinea and the Sudan; and places that are restricted from missions work. Here are people who are hopeless who are resonsive to the gospel. The missionaries began to visit these centers and invite the people to their homes. Because these are Red Cross Centers they have certain rules about what you can and cannot discuss - the gospel is one of the things you cannot discuss so they develop relationships and then invite these refugees to their homes where they can tell them about Christ. This week we have been going to these centers and doing activities with them. They are completely bored since all they are doing is waiting months and even years to see if they receive asylum. Only about 1% do. Many have terrible, sad stories. There are children we are playing with. The men love Bingo and Jenga. I have been playing with the children and they are precious and yet very resilient. In the evenings we are playing, or trying to play concerts in the city of Liege. It has rained though every day. It is very much a metaphor for the spiritual condition here. And yet the country is beautiful and the cathedrals are stunning. They are only museums now though. Very sad. His mercies are definitely everlasting. More later.....