Reminder

A little reminder about my new blog. It is at www.projectna.com

I just wrote about a follow up trip we made. Two new believers, Jamal and Mariam. Read their stories at www.projectna.com

New, Easier Blog Address

My good buddy Jeff Andrews has helped me set up a new webpage with the blog built into the front page. Now all you have to type is www.projectna.com to get to my blog. Aren't you thankful that I'm saving you time?

Doctor Update

A week in a half after my procedure in Madrid, my doctors finally got together on the phone yesterday. The original surgeon, Dr. Miller from Dayton, who performed by "Lobectomy and sleeve resection" (lung surgery) passed on my complication from the surgery to Dr. Starnes in Cincinnati who has done three procedures to try to keep my bronchial tube open and my lungs functioning. 

The third surgeon is Dr. Diaz. Other doctors in Spain tell us that he is the best thoracic surgeon in Spain. He did the bronchoscopy (stuck a camera in my lung to have a look) last week. When Starnes talked to Diaz she was pleasantly surprised that my bronchial tube was 6 mm (a normal tube is 12 mm) open four months after the last dilation (stretching of the bronchial tube). She expected that the tube would be completely closed off again by now. Not by scar tissue this time but by stenosis (kinking of the tube). 

Where they disagree is that my surgeon is Spain thinks that I ought to have another surgery where they cut me open and fix that tube. He thinks further dilations won't help. My surgeon in Cincinnati thinks that further dilations will help and that another surgery is unnecessary.  

Where they DO agree is that for right now, if it stays at 6 mm then I am fine. Air is still flowing and the lungs are working. According to both doctor's suggestion I will go back to Spain in four months and then we'll see how open the tube is. If it's still at 6 mm then we can thank God and hope that I never need another procedure again. We'll see and thank God anyway whatever the outcome. 

One right, two rights, three rights

I started this week taking Classical Arabic classes with a new teacher, Barak, who is Muslim but only in name. A few years ago he went to university, read Neitze and other philosophers, and became an practical atheist though it is really hard to get him to admit it. In the Western world to be an atheist is in vogue but here, well, it's a dangerous thing to say. So, pray for him. 

In our class we are going through a national education program for illiterate adults to teach them Classical Arabic. So that's what I am now, an illiterate adult. In the book are portions of the Koran and Hadith (like commentaries).  Today we read one portion that says this:

"You have a neighbor that has one right. You have a neighbor that has two rights. You have a neighbor that has three rights. You non-Muslim neighbor has one right. Your Muslim neighbor has two rights: The right of the neighborhood, the right of Islam. Your Muslim neighbor for your family has three rights: The neighborhood right, the Islam right, and the family right. "

If that seems confusing you should try reading it in Arabic. Anyway, basically it says that you as a Kufar (infidel) have half the rights of a Muslim and one third the rights of a Muslim family member of your neighbor. Pretty comforting for the Muslim but not so much for the Christian surrounded by said Muslims. It really is a good thing that 99% of Muslims don't know or follow the teachings if Islam. I shared with Barak the story of the Good Samaritan as told by Christ. He thought that sounded like a better plan in his pragmatic atheism.

For prayer

Today they did a bronchoscopy in Madrid and found that the bronchial tube is down to 6 mm which is half of it's normal width but more than Dr. Starnes in Cincy expected at this point. The Doc here said that the dilations (widening of my bronchial tube every three months) will not do any good and he recommends either just living with the 6 mm bronchial tube (which he says will hold at that width) or having another invasive surgery to fix the stenosis (pinching of the bronchial tube like a bent garden hose). I am waiting to hear what Dr. Starnes in Cincy thinks of this. She is supposed to be calling the doc in Spain today to talk about his findings. Then she is supposed to call me and tell me her opinion.

I'll let you know when I hear from her. I am not sure if this is good news, bad news, or no news at all. We're drawing no assumptions yet, just waiting on and trusting in our great God of heaven.

Meanwhile I have a wonderful wife back in North Africa who has just learned to drive stick shift and is venturing out all alone with the car for the first time. The roads and traffic in North Africa are nothing like Europe or America. She is doing great. She actually got rear-ended today by a girl about 20 years old. In the traditional Muslim style of handling things the girl went hysterical for about 20 minutes saying it was my wife's fault. Right. It's usually the fault of the person in front of you who isn't moving, right? So a police officer arrived and this girl continued to yell at the police officer. My wife left the scene since minimal damage was done to hear car while the two (along with a considerable crowd) continued to yell. Pretty proud of her. She's a tough lady (and beautiful). I've only been gone 36 hours and look at me falling apart.

Come see the Christian!

We started the Ancient Prophet's study this week and it's already drawing fire, so I guess it working!

Suffian went on Thursday afternoon with a portable DVD player, the Prophet's DVD, and his Bible to the house of two friends. Here tribes are very important. The connection one has with his tribe or those from his village is life long and close to being as strong as an immediate family. So Suffian is from a village of 200 people. Few people stay in Suffian's village (or villages like it) since there is no work there. Once a boy grows up he moves out to find work. The families in these villages often have 10 kids or more. As a result, these mountain villages are like population factories for the cities. Many of them never learn to read well or read at all. Suffian is the exception. So, Suffian held the Bible study with two young men living in our city from his village. They called a couple other and by the end of it, he had shared the story of Adam and the protoevangelium (first promise of the Messiah) with eight. 

This caused no small stir in our city. One of the young men at the Bible study works with Suffian on a construction crew of more than 30 men. Yesterday, Saturday, the word had spread like wild fire that Suffian was a Christian and was trying to convert people. They laughed and said, "Come see the Christian!". All day they blasted Suffian with questions. "Why do you worship the cross? Why do you think Jesus was God's Son? Why don't you believe in the prophet Mohammed? etc) Suffian boss advised him to shutup before some killed him. Suffian informed him that he couldn't be scared shut by threats of death. So, seems like the prophets study is working. 

Morad found an open audience with two young men from the south of our country named Abd Allah (They both have the same name). At least once a week we go out and witness to people in parks. This is how Morad explains to me the normal conversation between him and person x:

M- Pretty day.

X- Yep. 

(Other pleasantries exchanged)

M- So are you a Muslim?

X- Of course! Aren't you?

M- No, I'm a Christian.

X- So you aren't North African?

M- Yes I am.

X- That's impossible. We don't have any Christians here.

M- Sure you do. There's a bunch of us.

X- So your mom and dad were Christians?

M- No. They were Muslims.

X- Why did you become a Christian?

M- I'd love to tell you why...

From there Morad shares the gospel starting with Adam. He has started a few Ancient Prophets Bible studies that way. This is a big prayer request. So many North Africans don't even know there are Christian in their country and neither have the ever heard the gospel. We have much work to do.

3 years and counting fast

Today marks the third anniversary of our second daughter's birth. We sometimes call her Jo, sometimes princess (she sometimes acts like a little queen). She's one of the greatest blessings in my life as a dad. I can't imagine anything that could fill my heart with as much love as a little, sweet daughter. So, she can't read this but Happy Birthday!