Charis Around the World

Tidbits from Ebony
Elizabeth Carmichael

Stories about men

Greetings Charis Family around the world!

I am excited to report that, after months of searching, my roommate and I have found a house to move into. This will be the first time I have had a chance to settle in and unpack my belongings in two years. I am very grateful for the Father's provision, but also a little hesitant about facing the end of the "nomadism" I've grown accustomed to. We are doing some repairs on the house and putting in a Western toilet (what a treat!), but we hope to move in soon.

My stories about men may not be as exciting as some of you would have wanted, but they are still precious thoughts and prayer points to me:

GUARDS--Along with our new house come two new guards, ZANE and MO. These guys are poverty stricken men, desperate for work. One of them is very, very quiet and the other seems quite eager to please. They both seem very sweet and able to handle the job of being "the men in our lives." We need our guards to watch our house and garden day and night, to answer the door and screen visitors, to go out to the bazaars and procure items we are not able to get for ourselves, and a number of other odd jobs around the house. Please lift up Zane and Mo, their safety, their families, and their hearts to be open to Truth.

MR. EWOK--Our driver is doing very well! We are growing more and more fond of him. He is such a good resource for language practice, cultural information and insight as well as a buffer against the many other, curious men on the street. Just today, in the bazaar, I told him, "That man is staring at me!" Mr. Ewok stared that dude down until he turned around and left! We had the chance to visit Mr. Ewok's family recently and hope to go back on a regular basis.

MR SOBEIT--Mr. Sobeit is our office manager. Recently, during the orientation for our new guards, he went into a big speech about his former employment. My roommate and I were composing our own lesson to him about "no bragging" to other people. But, by the end of the conversation, it was clear that he was actually going in a different direction. He blessed our hearts by saying to the new guards: "I've never worked for people like this. They make me want to work! They make my heart so happy that I don't want to stop working. You want to work until after dark! They make my heart beat!" Wow! We are so humbled and touched at the Light that Mr. Sobeit sees in us!! Please pray for his family and his own heart to readily receive with the Word that is shared with him.

SAM--Sam is a young man from Ebony who lives and works in another country. Recently, a short term team came through and got to know him, sharing the love of Christ with him. I was able to go by his place of work one day and pray for him and his fiancé. This is a text he wrote me later that night:

"MY SWEET SISTER! WHEN YOU COME TO MY SHOP. THAT TIME I FORGET MY ALL TALKS. I FORGET MY SALAM (HELLO) TO MY DEAREST BROTHERS. SO SAY SALAM TO ALL MY BROTHERS. THANKS FOR UR LOVE MY SISTER. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING MORE FOR U. BUT! MY PRAYERS ALWAYS WITH YOU. ALLAH HAFIZ (IN GOD'S HANDS/GOODBYE)."

Pray for Sam to know the hope and the love that are in Jesus! Pray for fruit to be born from all the seeds sown by the short term team!

Sam is seeking Truth big time and has a very tender heart! He recently made a trip back to the country where his family has refugee status and where he grew up. He moved them, without the United Nations assistance that was promised to them, back to Ebony along a very, very long and perilous journey. On his way through the city of Glory Land, he stopped by my office just long enough to shower me with presents from his family (a fancy scarf and FOUR pairs of earrings), drink a cup of tea and head on his way. I have become good friends with his fiancée who sends me text messages on a daily basis. I am so, so grateful that Sam and his family concluded their journey safely without encountering oppressive men or bandits. I yearn for Sam and his family, and his  fiancée, to come to know our Father! Please lift him up and ask for this time of transition to lead him to Truth.

MORE TO COME--There may be men in my life now, but there are also men I'd like to see come into my life. The community development project we are looking at starting will focus on educating families about pregnancy, childbirth and infant care. Sound like something you are into?? Unfortunately, in this part of the world there is a huge discrepancy between the knowledge of women's health made available to women and the passing on of that knowledge to the men of the family, who are the decision makers and financial directors of the family and communities. Men in this land NEED this information and a vision for women and child health care as much as the women need it. For that reason, my partner and I really hope to enlist a male project supervisor and trainer who will be able to meet with community social and religious leaders on behalf of the project. Our ultimate goal is for the men of each family to participate in the childbirth education. We hope they will become decision makers who are empowered with knowledge and wisdom and also the confidence to empower their wives and skilled birth attendants to participate in decisions about their own health care. Please pray with us for the men who will soon become a part of this great work we are called to!

Love in Him from Glory Land,

Elizabeth Carmichael