2008-12-27

Yesterday
We ate Re Gan Mian "Hot Dry Noodles" - which we both missed, but found to be more spicy than we remembered. Then again, everything we have eaten here is spicier than we remembered. Beijing food is just not as spicy and we are thankful. My stomach has been a little bothered by all this spice. I look forward to returning to Beijing's food.

We ate lunch at Happy Guy's with Barry, Trip, Trent, Jessica, and Angelyn. Happy Guy remodeled the "Eve" room, moved the door to the inside of the restaurant and blocked off the hole in the wall former covered by a nearly naked lady. It was good to go over to that side of town, talk with our friends, and visit their homes.

Jaime went to the orphanage with Trent & Jessica, and some of her students. Jaime was being kicked and punched by a child. She got the little boy to leave her alone and then as she was helping another child up, the boy threw a block at her head. She got a big bump on the side of her eye, the right eye. Now she has a bruise from a blood vessel bursting on her left eye and this bump and a little bruise on her right eye.

I came back to the school to try to resolve the issue with our things being stolen over the summer. Didn't really get anywhere. We are considering extending our stay another day so we can present the president with a letter of our concerns.

Acts 8-11
After Stephen is stoned, the persecution begins and the Christians go everywhere preaching and teaching about the power of Jesus. First to the Jews only, then to the Greeks and other Gentiles. Peter has his vision and "all" the Christians are welcoming non-Jews into God's family. I say "all" because there continue to be problems with Jews and non-Jews throughout Acts and the other letters Paul wrote.

Power of a Praying Husband - Deliverance
Deliverance from the past, addictions - strong and mild, bad dreams, depression, and all sorts of things. These struggles can truly hinder growing faith. They need to be addressed with prayer so that God can step into the heart and begin the healing process. Stormie describes this healing process as a birthing process that must be allowed to finish the gestation period so that the full deliverance can be accomplished.

Recently, I have been experiencing release from my past. In focusing on God, praying for Jaime and myself more purposefully, reading the Word, and sharing his love, I have now been able to stop bad dreams. In the midst of the dream, I am able to recognize them as terror, temptation, or testing and can take control of the situation and ask for God's forgiveness, blessing, or power to overcome the experience and be freed from the torturous time!

Prayer
God, I pray that you continue to work in our lives to set us free from the sins which keep us from increasing in our faith in you. I pray that you give us the awareness of your blessing, power, and the tools you have placed in our hands to overcome the Devil. Lord, bind Satan and allow your power to reign in our lives so that we may be transformed to transform others. Bless us with deliverance from our past, sin, temptations, addictions (whether strong or mild), and allow us to know you more, to love you more, to serve you more!