It's been 5 good weeks here in our North African city, but today was our last. Tomorrow I'm jumping on a 11 hour train ride with half of the group; we're getting our tour of the eastern part of the nation underway. 

If there's one thing I've learned on this trip, it's the power of prayer. We're completely powerless without the work of the Holy Spirit - and that comes by prayer. 

Today 3 of us rented mopeds and cruised around the city to cap off our experience here. It was pretty crazy; Mom - you would've had a heart attack if you had seen me weavin' through the insane traffic. Don't worry, I didn't even crash once. As I went to start up my bike at the end of the day and take it back to the shop, I realized that the key was still turned in the ignition, and the battery was dead. I was way downhill of my destination and the thing wouldn't start. Great. My first thought was..."No, problem. I'll just ask God to take care of this little detail for me and I'll be on my way." Well God chose not to make it start, and for some reason it bothered me. I was thinking, "God, I know you can do this, why won't you just make it start?! Can't you see I need this?" He didn't, and I pushed the thing up the huge hill, getting madder with every step. I let this small, insignificant thing really bother me and in a way shake my faith in prayer. Why wouldn't God just do it? Finally, some random person came up to me and somehow got it started. After that, I barely found the rental shop in time (a miracle, if you know me you know that my sense of direction is about that of a 4-year old's), so that I didn't have to pay any extra. After I dropped it off, I realized how stupid I had been. Instead of just trusting that God had a reason, I decided to get mad and question the sovereign Creator of the universe. If I can lose it over something like that, I have a really long way to go before I encounter some real trials in life. I guess God can use something as small as a moped rental to teach me, and display how much I need to change.  

P.S. - I'm feeling a little sick these days and we're taking the REALLY long train ride tomorrow - if you could pray for that it would be great. 

Peace 

I threw a new video on facebook...for those of you who are friends with me. Check it out if you want. 

Last sunday we visited an underground church in another city; it was a great experience. You won't find more genuine believers or hear more genuine worship. No one comes because they feel pressured too, or because it's the cultural thing to do, or because their family comes. They come in danger because they love Jesus and want to worship Him, no matter what the cost. Awesome. 

Tonight I was wondering around the city as usual, trying to figure out where in the world I was, when I asked a man for directions. He agreed to walk with me to my destination, and it turned out that he spoke English pretty well. This was definitely an intelligent, well educated man. Our conversation quickly turned from basic stuff like family and work, to deeper things like political and social reform in Morocco. I actually felt kind of dumb - this guy was smarter than me for sure. Despite the intelligence gap he agreed to sit at a sidewalk cafe and talk with me for a bit. Now before I go on, you need to know that there's a reason I haven't updated this blog in a while. I'll be honest, things have slowed down for me quite a bit. It's been a while since I've witnessed to anyone. Now, is that because God stopped working and giving me opportunities? No. It's because I allowed myself to get discouraged and quit looking for them. I walked around for a few days without really meeting anyone that speaks English; people didn't fall right into my lap like they did on the first part of the trip. That doesn't give me an excuse to stop praying and stop trying. I talked in church on wednesday night about not being lulled to sleep spiritually like the disciples in the garden of Gethsemane; I was talking to myself more than anyone else. This morning I read the account in Luke (whether you believe it really happened or not, the concept is very real) of the rich man and Lazarus. Now, in his earthly life the rich man had it all, and Lazarus was miserable. But in hell, when this man looked over at Lazarus and begged for just one drop of water on his tongue, I wonder if he wished that someone had told him about Jesus? He definitely begged that someone be sent to his still living brothers to tell them of the Gospel. How many people are in hell right now, wishing that someone would have told them? Now trust me, I'm not discounting God's sovereignty. He hasn't missed anyone and He never will. But somewhere inside that infinite mystery, Romans 10:14 does say this:

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"

The great commission is there for a reason. So to sum all that up, God's really been working on me about telling as many people about Him as possible. Ok, back to the cafe. We went on for a while about the problems in Morocco, and the political condition of the world. I pretended to know what I was talking about. Then we shifted to Islam, and what thats all about. Toward the end of the conversation, I described to him the problem of sin, and the solution of Jesus Christ. When I was done, he looked up at me and said, "Thank you, I've never heard that before and I'm very happy to hear it." He agreed to come to our "bible study" on sunday and hear more about the gospel. Here's the tricky part; He works for some criminal justice branch of the government. So, as you pray, please ask that God would first of all remove the blindness from his eyes and allow him to grasp the gospel and accept Christ, that's what really matters. Also pray that no negative situations occur because of his governmental position. We trust that God is in control. Thanks for praying for me, and for Morocco. For the time being, satan is the god of this world; but Christ Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, forever and ever. 

Today we traveled to another city on the coast to check it out/do some ministry, and I loved it. I can't say the name or give details about it...but let's just say I wouldn't mind staying there permanently one of these days. We'll see. 

This whole trip we've been in constant prayer asking God to bring english speaking people across our path, and tonight was like an explosion. As Jon and I walked home, I heard someone yell "Hey what's up" from across the street. I've been walking the streets looking for people and finding hardly anyone, but this was a group of about eight teens that all speak English. They seem real excited about hanging out with us, and we're playing ball with them later this week. If that wasn't enough, a few minutes later we saw 2 huge African guys walking down the street and starting talking to them. I haven't felt that small in a long time...I mean these guys are big. They turned out to play for the pro-team here, and we're playing ball with them tomorrow and getting introduced to their friends. How cool is that? God's definitely is work in North Africa...you guys can pray that we can get to know these people and share the gospel with them. Thank you for praying. 

Although the country we're in is made up largely of one nationality, there are people from other places here as well. There is a decent sized group from another African country, trying to find better jobs and escape major political problems in their home lands. Today we spent the afternoon with them playing soccer, eating together and eventually sharing the gospel with them. Most of them profess to be Christians, and we'll definitely be spending more time with them, trying to disciple them help them grow. Before they left the office today, someone asked them to sing. I really didn't expect much, but they really belted out this native praise song that they all knew. It was a really cool experience...just sitting with at least a few believers and listing to them sing to the Lord as only Africans can do. 

Lately God's been showing me a lot in my time with Him; I'll pass along one quick thing. I was reading about the temptations of Christ, specifically when satan shows Christ all the kingdoms of the earth and says, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish." This really got me thinking, and I followed the notes back to Daniel. It describes a scene in which the angel Gabriel appears to Daniel and gives him a vision from the Lord. When Gabriel arrived, he explained that he had been delayed due to a battle with "the prince of Persia". This was not a physical prince, this was a demonic prince. Gabriel went on to say that "Behold, the prince of Greece is coming." He planned on battling them both with the help of the Angel Michael. The point of all this is that spiritual warfare is as real as anything that you can see and touch, and that satan has his hand in the kingdoms of the world that we live in. Application for Cole: How in the world do I expect to do anything against that type of power by myself? The only way the the gospel can go forward is if God chooses to do battle for us, and works in hearts to remove the blindness of the people, caused by the god of this world.  (See II Cor. 4) So, the most important thing I could ever do for this country is pray. Not scream on the street-corners and get kicked out of the country, not even tell every person about Jesus. It's to pray and beg that God does the work and uses me, because I can do nothing. Paul didn't say I can do all things, he said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It's all about Him, anything good that happens is a result of God's greatness, not mine. 

I'll be honest, the last couple days have been a little frustrating. I've let the language barrier really discourage me, and just haven't been doing so hot spiritually. You would think that its easier to walk with God when you're on a foreign field...right? I'm finding the opposite. Its like satan doesn't want me here and is throwing all kinds of distractions my way. It just exposes to me how spiritually immature I am..and how far I have to go. Luckily God doesn't let us down, even when we let Him down. I got the chance to talk to one of my good friends last night...and it was really encouraging. (Thank you) I finally realized that OF COURSE its not going to be easy to walk with God, it takes real effort...just like anywhere! I hadn't even been in His word the last two days...why would I expect to grow? Here I am in North Africa...doing what I've been dreaming about for a long time now...and I'm failing. Last night I really asked God to help me focus on Him and to let me be used...despite how pathetic I am. Today He really helped me to get back on track, and revealed some really relevant truth through the book of Mark. I was reading about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and finding His disciples asleep. When He discovered them asleep instead of praying...He rebuked them with this.  Mark 14:38 "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

This verse meant everything to me today; I'm under spiritual attack and I've been relying on yesterday's success for today! I definitely have a willing spirit, and definitely have weak flesh. I've got to wake up every single day and start the war against myself all over again; I've got to dig into His word and beg Him to help me die to myself and live for him. It's the only way to avoid falling...It's the only way to keep from falling asleep. Thank you for praying for me...and please keep it up because tomorrow is a brand new day. 

This afternoon as I went out, I asked God to allow me to find someone that spoke English and to allow me to witness to him/her. I promise that my plan for finding people is this simple: see how close to the beach I can get before someone grabs me and starts yapping away. They always do...the problem is its not usually in English. My first encounter of the day was some guys that dragged me into a cafe with them to "watch soccer". Yeah right...once the English speaker found out that I wasn't interested in an apartment, weed, or some "nice girls for a short time", they left in a hurry. I almost thought I blew it but kept going...and finally a local drug dealer that had tried to hit me up before stopped me. He was getting the gospel, whether he liked it or not! After he finally stopped describing his "small business" that involves moving pot and who knows what else across borders, paying off cops to set up shop on the main drag, and selling to kids in the area, I asked him some questions. "What does Allah think about your drug/sex habits?" "Are you sure that you're going to heaven someday?" He tried to justify his life by stating that he planned on switching to the straight and narrow muslim path in a few years, but just wanted to enjoy what the world has to offer for awhile longer. To sum it up from there I was able to talk to him about the problem of sin, and the solution of Jesus Christ. He argued what most muslims will..." Allah is one and could not have had a son." When I explained that Jesus wasn't the result of a sexual relationship but rather of the Holy Spirit placing him in Mary, the man's eyes lit up. It really seemed to click and he gladly accepted and promised to read the Arabic John/Romans translation I gave Him. Who knows what's going to happen in his life? I'm just glad that God allowed me to share the gospel with him, and I hope you'll join me in praying for Him. His name is Nadier and I'll probably get to see him quite a bit, seeing as his business isn't switching locations anytime soon. 

Thank you again for praying...its working. 

This morning I attended my first underground sunday morning church service. Pretty cool...except for the fact that the preaching was in Arabic and I couldn't understand a word of it. Oh well. 

One thing that I've been struck with is the unity in Christ believers have with each other, even across linguistic and cultural barriers. There's just something that connects you with another Christian, even if you can't say a word to him. 

Earlier today I went for a walk around the city, hoping to find someone that speaks english. I got a little lost so I asked a kid walking down the street for directions to the beach. He spoke only spoke French and Arabic...so I ended up following him through some heavily packed marketplaces and alleys for about half an hour. We really tried to communicate...I was drawing pictures in the sand and everything but never really got anywhere. The language barrier is so frustrating; If I could speak Arabic I probably could have witnessed to a lot of people by now. I'm just trying to keep it in perspective and trust that God has me in this place for a reason, even if I can't talk to most of the people. 

Speaking of languages, I start teaching English and taking Arabic tomorrow. It should be pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to meeting some kids that speak at least a little English...hopefully that turns into some chances to share the gospel. 

Today we all woke up and jumped on different buses, mostly so we could observe the culture and hopefully talk to some people. My bus headed south out of the city, to a somewhat remote village in the hills. It was really hot in that bus...but still a good experience. The country-dwelling people seemed to be less approachable the the city-folk, definitely a switch from American culture. Today was the first time I've encountered someone that really did not want to talk to me; one man in a seat next to me turned away from my question and grabbed another seat as soon as it was available. As a whole though these people are very friendly and approachable. After that we ate some good old Mcdonalds...right here in North Africa. The menu was pretty much the same, except for the McArabia. We all had a good laugh at that...definitely didn't order that one.

One of the most effective ways to reach people is through sports ministry, and we're going to use it as much as possible. This evening as we walked around the city I bounced a basketball along with me, and within 15 minutes Jon and I were walking to the local gym with about 10 new friends. It was closed, but we're planning on heading out there tomorrow and trying to meet as many people as possible. The goal is to build relationships to the point of sharing the gospel with them...however long that may take. Pray that we are able to get to know some of the local kids as well as possible, and that we get/take chances to talk with them about Jesus.

That's all for tonight.

If you can access my facebook, then check out the short movie I've posted. It's a real small taste of what we're up too...

The rest of our group showed up this morning, and they are definitely tired. We'll spend this weekend getting rid of jet lag and preparing for the week ahead of us; monday we start teaching english and turning up the witnessing efforts. 

One funny moment: Yesterday as we ate dinner at a local restaurant, one of our missionaries ordered something that looked about as gross as anything I've ever seen. He doesn't speak much english, so when I asked him what he was about to eat, all he could say was "moo...moo". It was a cow's knee...cartilage and tendons still intact. Sounds good huh? 

That's all for now...continued thanks for your prayers. 

It took planes, trains and automobiles, (literally) but I've finally arrived. While we checked our bags in Atlanta monday afternoon, our group told me that I would probably miss my flight in Paris...but it turns out that the rest of our group missed their connection. So, I took the train from my arrival city to my current city with a teammates wife and child, and here I am. The rest of the team is still sitting in JFK, hopefully they don't go airport crazy. The circumstances that caused their delay made zero sense but we know that God had His hand in it, and He displayed that on my train ride. I sat by a 20 year old girl from one of the local cities during our 6 hour trip, and she was very friendly. She asked a lot of questions about my life and what the purpose for the trip was, and I hesitated about witnessing to her. Obviously that's what I'm here to do, but I was still trying to get a feel for how bold I could be. After some covert communication with my teammate, I decided to go for it. I began to pray that God would allow me the chance within the conversation to witness to her, and almost immediately it happened. She started to describe the emptiness of her life and how she used to have dreams, but is now living for "nothing". It was a perfect opportunity to share with her what gives me purpose in life, and I ended up sharing the gospel with her. She really seemed to think hard about what I was saying and the question of her eternal destiny. My teammate exchanged info with her and they plan on spending some time together in the next 6 weeks. Her name is Wiam and I ask that you guys would pray for her. As you read this, please don't get the idea that I'm something special or accomplishing things with my own strength, because I'm not and I can't. It was obviously the Holy Spirit working through me (somehow) back in that train car, and it's going to take the Holy Spirit working in her if she's going to know Jesus. I left her with a arabic copy of John and Romans; please pray that she reads it and considers what Jesus did for us on the cross.  

I know that God's really going to work down here, and it's already started. Thanks for your prayers. 

When I showed up in Atlanta this week, I really had no idea what to expect. My week ended up being a student missions camp, and it's been an interesting, yet encouraging time. The people here really have a passion for missions; its the whole focus on their ministry. 

Today our whole group (about 40 people) visited a mosque, and it was a incredible experience. Friday is their holy day, and the place was packed. Recently I've studied up on Islam and tried to familiarize myself with it as much as possible, but head knowledge is nothing compared to observing their "worship".  As the hundreds of men began to recite the Qur'an and chant in unison, it completely overwhelmed me. These people are not running from God, they think that Allah is God! Satan has completely deceived them. While my ears were filled with the eerie sounds of false worship, my heart was filled with grief and I broke down. I'm sure the Muslim men thought that my tears were out of reverence for their worship. If only they knew why my heart was broken, if only they knew Jesus! I'm not just writing this because it sounds good, or because its what I'm supposed to write. God's really working on me and motivating me for not only this trip, but for my life. These people are going to hell. Someone has got to tell them. 

Today also involved my first ever Arabic lesson, and its definitely going to be a challenge. 

My flight for the final destination leaves monday afternoon. I would ask that you pray for our travels, our effort to pick up Arabic, and for opportunities to share the gospel. 

Grace and Peace!

God is truly faithful. An email informed today me that I have enough funds to make the trip. I haven't even left yet, and yet God is providing in ways that I never would have expected. A huge thanks goes out to those of you who allowed God to use you in that way! He's really revealing Himself to me and assuring me that He's in this trip...it's awesome. Praise Him!

Hey guys. If your eyes fall on these words, then you know their purpose. I'm writing to keep you who are praying for me informed about my trip - hopefully it will be encouraging to you. If your eyes fall on these words, then you also know my name and where I am. Those details are a little sensitive - there are many who are very opposed to light of the Gospel within their borders - so I won't be using my name or disclosing my specific location and I would ask that you don't either. Thanks.

What is the Gospel? Many things come to mind, but I've chosen to focus on one aspect...light. It's the opposite of darkness, and its the only thing with the power to illuminate darkness. Our universe was once dark, but our Father in heaven shone light into it. If you're a believer, then your heart was once darkness and you walked in it, but our precious Savior shone His light into your life. Africa is dark. The only hope for this continent is the Light of the World - Jesus Christ. Please pray not for my safety, but that His glorious Gospel goes forward.

Romans 15:20
And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: “ To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.”