Dear fellow pastors and brethren,
I bring you greetings from Dubai and Abu Dhabi! Temperatures range from 36-40 degrees during the day. Although still a bit tired from the trip last June 23, I write today with great excitement as I Iook forward to see our brethren here during this few days vist. This is another wonderful time to just celebrate God’s faithfulness and work in this place. This past few months, we have seen close to 10 people who were baptized in this region.
Dubai is still as impressive as the first time I have been to this place two years ago. The signs of high living and fancy real estate developments are still obvious here. Just outside my window and not far from where I stay, I could see the glistening, almost finished Burj Dubai Building, which is the tallest building in the world. But the global recession still stings. It has not spared this place from the economic slowdown leading so some projects postponed, which led to retrenchment of employees, reduced influx of guest workers.
Nevertheless, in my flight yesterday, I was still thankful and glad that so many Filipino first time workers to Dubai refused to give up their dreams to provide better for their families. Analyn and Fannie were two of them. Analyn happened to sit next to me so we had some time to strike a conversation about this trip and about the journey of life. Being a first timer to this place, she shared candidly the excitement and the loneliness of going through this experience—the prospect of sending some support to her family, missing home, but also the excitement of traveling to another place. Recognizing the numerous risks and the challenges ahead, she admits that she needs God to help and protect her. She represents the thousands of Filipinos who come to other shores daily. We commend them for their willingness to sacrifice for their families. But we also share their burdens.
This situation is the same for scores of our brothers and sisters here. The challenges and temptations to live according to our faith are strong. The economic and political pressures in this Islamic area are great. But the stakes and the opportunities are equally exciting. The loneliness of being away from loved ones, the pressures of being in a foreign land highlights a real need for relationship that only God can and wants to fill. There are so many people here who need to hear the good news of God’s overwhelming love and desire to see them live out their purpose. That takes more than preaching but listening, being sensitive and responding to how God is at work and is speaking in their longings. It takes being intentional in showing that we care.
Let us pray for our brethren here in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other Middle East countries that they will see their needs supplied according the glorious riches of our Lord. We sing with praise to God for their faithfulness in keeping and sharing their faith in many ways. But we also join them in prayer as they go through the lonely, sometimes overwhelming issues they face. We pray for their families as well, that by God’s grace, they stand strong, and remain faithful in participating in His work.
We also pray for the multitudes of people who come here from other nations. In an advertisement I saw in the airport yesterday, VISA claims that even if there are about 7000 languages spoken worldwide, it can speak ours. We pray that similarly, in this small, dry patch of Earth, the vision lives in our hearts that God is known, loved and glorified by a thousand tongues. And for a special reason. God is their father too, and they are also His children.
I end with the words of Paul in 2nd Corinthians 13:13 - “The grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Whether in the Philippines, NorthEast Asia, the United Arab Emirates or in any place in the world, may we all grow in our experience of His grace, His love and fellowship!
May His blessings follow us wherever we go. Always! – Ka Eugene
