- T&B Born's Journey
- Posts
- Feb-March 2020
Feb-March 2020
He said, "It's truly been life-changing."
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Well hello! Things have been hopping around here and we are so excited to share with you how God has been working in the lives of specific students.
But first, here's an update on our precious boy! He is growing bigger every day. Our anticipation is rapidly growing to welcome him into the world and introduce him to our church family and friends in Dubai in a month and a half (due date is May 27). Plus, we are excited that Brittany's parents will be joining us in Dubai during the time of the birth!
- AT A GLANCE -
Celebrating Todd's birthday with church family after church was quite the party!
Brittany's dear friend Bethany visited us for a week in February! We were so encouraged by her time here.
Enjoying an amazing Pakistani meal with brothers from church
A socially distant baptism celebration for Anna at church
In the transition from winter to summer, there are typically very heavily foggy mornings. Seeing skyscrapers peeking out of the fog is quite a sight to behold!
- PAXTON -
Paxton has been hanging out at the Christian student meetings off and on for a couple years now, but has kept some distance. Since January, I (Todd) have been able to get to know him more and teach him how to play pool...but I think he already knew how, he beat me 3 times in a row. Paxton is a very genuine and inquisitive guy, asking really good questions and wanting to understand the Christian faith more fully. I gave him The Cross Centered Life, which he read. When I asked him what he thought of the book, he said "It's truly been life-changing," later describing how it helped him understand the gospel and what it means to be a Christian. He grew up in a nominally Catholic home in Kenya and would say that he has just now come to a saving faith in Christ (and we're praising God for that!). Since then, he has asked for more life changing books and has continued to ask really good questions leading us to dig into the scriptures for deep discussion. But now he is struggling with what it means to be a member of a church, social anxieties, and past experiences of manipulation in the church. Recently, he has distanced himself lately and it burdens my heart. Please pray for Paxton.
- ANNA -
"If someone places their trust in Christ...and then sins and dies—will they go to heaven?"
This question was posed to me (Brittany) by my new Tanzanian friend, Anna. She placed her faith in Christ a number of years ago, leaving a Roman Catholic background and facing much abuse from her family, but she is still learning much about the sweet truths of the gospel. In our weekly conversations around life and reading
, we drift from topics like false guilt to what Jesus suffered on the cross. Her face lights up every time she grasps a new aspect of truth. It's amazing to witness!
In January, she was baptized and joined our church. She's already engaging in the community and seeking discipleship from women in the church. She also has a sincere desire to serve pregnant women (studying early childhood development in university), so she's been quite a practical gift to me in my last months of pregnancy!
- IVAN -
The growth in Ivan's life the past couple months has been incredibly encouraging to me (Todd). The other night, as we drove him home from church he mentioned that he got to share his testimony of how he recently became a Christian, repenting and trusting in Christ Jesus, with another Filipino woman (currently Catholic) who was visiting our local church.Through the scriptures and biblical resources he's also understanding more and more the importance of gathering with the local church and being active in the church body throughout the week. Other members have been so faithful to bring him into their lives and meet up with him. Praise God for His work in Ivan's life!
- ALIA -
Sometimes the spiritual growth God brings about in a Christian is spectacular and quick, and sometimes it is slow and quiet. I (Brittany) have been meeting with Alia, a student from South Africa, since last summer. As we've studied the book of Ephesians and have explored how these truths affect our day-to-day life, I've been so encouraged to see Alia grow from quiet and hesitant, to open and honest. She's seeing new areas of sin and how the gospel frees her from guilt. It's been a joy to witness!
- NEW FRIENDS -
Recently, we've had the opportunity to pursue friendships with some students from "Joy's" university – B (an Orthodox Christian from Ethiopia) and DJ (a Muslim from North Africa) in particular have become sweet gifts to us. They've come over for dinner and movie nights, game nights, and we've even gathered for a hot wing eating contest (pictured here) that has caused me (Todd) to recoil inside every time I think of buffalo wings. Joy has been able to have multiple conversations with them about religion and the gospel. DJ is very open to talking, but B is not, which then causes DJ to also be closed. There are 3 male students who usually follow these girls around, that I'm seeking to build rapport with but they have not yet responded. Pray for God to soften their hearts to the gospel!
- Pray with Us -
An opportunity has arisen for Brittany to pursue a friendship with a Muslim woman from Central Asia who lives in our area. She is currently interested in Christianity but there is a lot of spiritual warfare, with her family in particular. Pray that Brittany would be able to meet up with her and connect her with others in the church.
Pray for fruitfulness with the students we're pursuing at Joy's University
Pray for the students at Heriot-Watt to end this semester well.
Pray for Paxton, who recently professed faith in Christ, that he would see the beauty of the church body and gathering.
Pray for Anna to grow in her understanding of the gospel and her relationships with people in the church.
Pray for the health of Brittany and our baby, and for his birth to come at just the right time!
"And they came to Bethlehem, at the beginning of barley harvest."Ruth 1:22
The present's full of hope
When it's gazed on as the past;
There's treasure here unknown,
A harvest plentiful and vast.
Naomi didn't see
The glowing fields of wheat,
The worthy man of peace,
The coming line of kings.
Don't let your heart grow cold
From the chill of what you've lost;
The present's full of hope
In the shadow of the cross.
- By Brittany Hope, 02.23.21 -