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Comforting Those Who Mourn
Report F
October 10, 2006
The Word of The Lord is like fire – like a hammer that shatters rock. (Jeremiah 23:29)
If you don't yet own Haley's Bible Dictionary (i think that's the title), i would recommend you get a copy. There's lots of interesting material in it, and it can greatly aid you as you study His Word. And one part of the book, in particular, has been on my heart for quite some time. Towards the very end, he wrote an awesome section on the importance of churches drawing up 'reading through The Bible' plans so that throughout the week, the believers stay in His Word. He also wrote about his belief that churches would greatly benefit from simply reading The Scriptures together when they are assembled – and a much better benefit than people get out of just the sermons and preaching they often hear. Looking at my life, The Lord has indeed used many of His people to help teach and train me – but i can see that the main and most personal way He has taught me has been through my personal reading and study of The Bible. Simply put, i stand 100% convinced that if the church, and non-believers alike, would simply gather and read The Bible together, there would be miraculous results. Please understand, i'm not speaking against teaching or sermons or anything like that. It's just that in my 15 years of walking with Him, i have seen again and again that most problems both inside and outside of the church stem from us not knowing His Word, or not doing what It says.
And this is my vision – that with the help of Yah, He would bless and use me to help inspire people throughout the world to begin reading The Bible together. Perhaps you are thinking that this is a rather obvious thing to try and start... and i agree. But let us now talk about real-life implementation, and not just give our vocal approvement to such a vision. Please think about these things, and pray for His leading in your life as to what He would have you do. Here is what i'm urging you to consider – holding a weekly, one hour block of time simply reading The Bible together with other people. And i think the best place for doing so is in your home. Yes, i know that most all of us are frightfully busy; but i also know that we can make time for what's truly important for us. I mean, just think – what if The Lord stirred your heart to begin such a practice? Let's say that each Thursday evening, from 7 to 8, you hosted a Bible reading hour in your home/apartment and invited your friends, family, and so forth. And maybe afterwards, you ate light refreshments and just hung out together. I believe that The Lord would do glorious things! Take youth for example: i'm sure young believers and unsaved alike would be much more probable to gather themselves and their peers together for such a time than they would to go to a church service. When i was a younger believer, i hated youth group, but truly longed to know more of Him and was really hungry for The Word. I am not saying you need to teach The Word; just gather together and read It! Yes, there are times we need to ask questions... but i stand totally convinced that a group who read 10 chapters from John would get much more out of it than just reading 1 chapter and having someone teach about it. To be sure, there are plenty of church services already, as well as midweek prayer and Bibles studies, cell goups, and so forth. And praise God for such things! (i'm not in any way saying this new time ought to overthrow church services and the like.) It's just that i think we often do things kind of backwards. Take witnessing as an example: i firmly believe that inviting a seeking nonbeliever to such an evening of Bible reading would do far more than inviting them to a church service. And for all our knowledge of Christian music and church history and what have you, how many of us have even read through the Bible one time? I would be willing to guess that if you asked that question in churches across the world, the vast majority would admit to never having done so. This is not a condemnation, but an encouragement... why can't we value His Word more highly in our hearts and lives? In Haley's Bible Dictionary, he mentions George Mueller, whom many of you have probably heard about (he was a man whom The Lord used miraculously to set up and run numerous orphanages based simply upon trusting God for their needs). George wrote that for, i believe it was several years, it was his practice to read carefully though The Bible 4 times a year! And he attributed his happiness in life to having done so. Surely a man in charge of numerous orphanages would be someone we could rightfully call 'busy,' and yet he made the time to read through The Bible 4 times a year. We all want to do great things for God, but how many of us (including myself) are willing to invest the time to be equipped for doing such works?
This is the vision i hope to see come to pass in bsln. And in Pittsburgh, and all through the US. And in Canada, and in Jerusalem and worldwide. I'm not saying that the groups will necessarily be enormous in size – in fact, they may be extremely small. But our Master Jesus spent most of His public ministry with 12 followers, though there were many, many others. And as we know, in time, they affected others, whom affected others, and here we are today - around 2,000 years later. A faithful few are better than an apothetical army. I seriously ask you to pray about this vision, and listen to what God might speak to your heart. Without a doubt, Bible reading groups who gathered simply to hear directly form The Lord would bring great joy to His heart! Anyway, pickup Haley's Bible Dictionary and read what he wrote.
Monday, 10/02/06 – I went to the photo store next to the bizaar here to have them make photos from my disc, but they can't do that; the woman said to check the shop across from School #6 here, or to go to Vladikavkaz (i've taken lots of photos with kids and people here, and would like to give them actual prints). Went to the church's building; washed clothes; practiced some of the Ossetian songs YHWH blessed me to write; read some from Matthew. Went to teach English to Madina (Tsabolova, who lost her younger brother, Marat, in the school massacre). Little Alana (Madina's sister) hadn't gone to preschool, and so she was home. When she saw me, Alana happily said, 'Jason!', and hugged me. Ate and talked with her, Madina, and Zalina (their mom). Taught Madina – she did well. Went to help Kristina (Varziyeva, a survivor) learn how to use her laptop. Helped some, but it was also strange, 'cos she seemed to know almost nothing about computers. She said she had a computer course last year (she's in university), but that they didn't do very much in it. (The concept of education and it's requirements are vastly different here. Madina has told me how they didn't start their actual English lessons for 2 or 3 weeks 'cos the teacher was waiting for the students to buy the required book! Madina did, and they've already begun. But now, a month after the beginning of their school year, she and other students still haven't bought the book needed for another class – economics or something, so they've done like nothing so far. A month into the school year!) Mairbek and Sima (his grandma) walked me home since it was dark. Read through Jude, Galatians, and Ephesians
Tuesday, 10/03/06 – Went to internet club; after leaving, saw Valya, and went with her to her mom and daughter's apartment (babushka and Zalina). They and their family have been like a second family to me, and have helped me very much. Valya asked how to say “chalk” in English, and then joked, “Chalk Norris!” They (Valya and Zalina) went back and forth numerous times – their relationship with one another is pretty rough; please pray for them. The Lord blessed me to share some about King David's life and his struggles; how Jesus' 12 treated Him; and also what Pastor Morgan once said... that maturing in the faith, we sometimes feel/think that God won't forgive us because now we know better and have no excuse for the sin – but as he accurately said, 'When was the first time you deserved to be forgiven?' Also shared what Paul wrote – that as far as it depends on you, live at peace with people... indicating that there are situations where we might not have peace because the other person doesn't want it. Went and visited the Varziyev family – their two youngest boys (twins), Edik and Erik, were both in the terrorist attack; Erik was killed. Zina (the mom) is walking now (she had a very bad accident at the beginning of the year and severely damaged her spine - she couldn't sit up or walk for several months). She told me about her oldest son's (Igor's) soon-coming wedding, on October 15th, and they invited me. Also talked with Elbrus (the dad)... his back was really bothering him for some reason. They said Edik is still studying in Moscow, and really loves it there. I visited with their son, Kazik, who was my landlord when i rented my apartment the last time i was here. He served tea and some food, and we talked some and watched TV. He liked my CD, and we had a nice visit... seems like The Lord's given me more favor with him, too. We talked about different things, and Kazik told me how he used to play basketball, and their team placed third in some sort of championship. They feel like they would have won, but that the ref was rooting for the other team. Kazik's team only lost by 5 points, but he said anytime they even slightly touched an opponent, the ref called a foul. Some things are the same in every country – good refs as well as bad ones! Afterwards tried to visit Aida Sidakova, a young girl who survived the school massacre. Aida ('97) survived, as did her mom (Larisa) and a man whom i think is her grandfather (Taimuraz). Aida caught world attention on the last day of the terrorist attack (September 3rd, 2004) – after having already escaped from the school, this tiny girl was photographed climbing back into one of the gym's windows to look for her mom. By the grace of God, everything turned out well. Aida is at the sea right now, and won't be back until the 20th. I visited with the grandma, but just for a very short time since she was sick. The Lord blessed me to leave some gifts for Aida – an 'I love Pittsburgh' teddy bear, my CD, some pencils and small games, and so forth; also chocolates for their family. The grandma was very appreciative and said she'd call me after Aida was back, and that i'll definitely have to visit again. She told me that Aida is in 3rd grade now (she was entering 1st on the day that the hostage crisis began), and is 11.
i later stopped by the Bsln Mother's Committee and visited with some of the moms/grandmas there. Saw Azamat Khutsistov's (who was killed) mom, and his daughter (who will be 6 soon – now an orphan.) - i gave her an 'I love Pittsburgh' coin purse. Afterwards tried to visit Khetag and his family, but no one was home. (Khetag was blessed to be able to flee the playground when the terrorists first began their attack, but his younger brother/only sibling, Timur, was killed in the massacre.) After leaving their building, i walked past the new school on Lenina St., and saw Khetag and some of his friends. They had just finished playing soccer, and i talked a little with Khetag. Said i'd visit another day, and gave him a bag of syemachki (sunflower seeds – people eat them here like there's no tomorrow!). Heading home, before i got to the old school, Zaurbyek Gutiyev popped into my mind. He's an elderly man who survived the terrorist attack, and i'd read some about him. As i passed his house, he was sitting outside. I greeted him, and he responded, and i then went over to talk with him. I had never met him before, and he said, 'I don't remember you - what's your last name?' i just responded by saying in Ossetian, 'I'm an American.' He asked if i was a journalist, and i told him i was helping as a teacher. Zaurbyek bent down and began to gather a few nuts that had fallen from his tree that was right next to us and handed them to me. I asked how his health was, and he told me that his hearing is really bad now – he told me that the massacre severely damaged his ears, and he motioned to his side and said '3'... perhaps he was also shot three times, or broke three ribs – i couldn't understand exactly. Some Italian doctor had helped him some (i'm guessing through surgery) but Zaurbyek said, 'not that well.' Coming closer to my house, i saw Madina (Totiyeva), and briefly chatted with her. (Madina is a young believer, about 15, and she and her four siblings were all together in the gym during the terrorist attack; she is the only one who survived. Please continue praying for her, as well as for her parents, Taimuraz and Raya. Taimuraz is a Baptist pastor, and I believe he's head of all the Baptist churches here in North Ossetia.) Madina was heading to her music school – she's learning to play the piano. Wanted to visit with Stas (a young believer who lost his only sister in the massacre) and some of the other brothers at the Baptist church across the street from the house i live in, but no one was there.
Wednesday, 10/04/06 – Attended the Baptist fellowship this morning – good service. Tamik, an adult newer believer, told me about his goal of trying to open a horse-riding program to help the victims from the terrorist attack as well as other interested people. He plans to start each session by the teaching the kids some from God's Word... may The Lord bring this to be for His glory! Asked me to help spread the info to those i know (he'll give me the info), said i would – said he'd also tell people about me. Gave Gocha (a brother in The Lord) my CD. Madina (Tsibirova) came later, and i taught her English. Atsa and Azam (terrorist attack survivors) stopped by, and Atsa told me about a CD he had received to help him study English. Told him i'd like to stop by to listen, and so we agreed to meet tomorrow at 5. Stopped at the store close by; The Lord opened the door to talk with the lady working there. She, Karina, has a 10-year-old son, Tamik, and she'd like him to study English. Gave her my schedule, and also a copy of my CD. She told me she reads The Bible, and sometimes goes to fellowships. Went to the Mother's Committee, and visited with them. Rita (Dudiyeva) recalled how her only daughter/child (Alla, who was killed in the massacre) used to love ajeeka (a sort of tomato sauce). When she ate macaroni, the macaroni would be swimming in the ajeeka! Zina (Tsarakhova), who lost her little boy, Elbrus, in the attack, said, 'Remember how happy we were, and never...' (tears filled her eyes, and her voice became much quieter), and i think the rest of her thought was, 'will be again.' Pray for Zina – for Jesus to heal her broken heart. She herself said tonight, 'I don't believe in God, or hell, or Allah – I'm a pagan.'
Thursday, 10/05/06 – Used the net this morning. Prayed that God would help me get all done that i wanted to today, for i remembered seeing Soslan (Dzarasov) earlier in the week, and telling him i'd try to visit today since he asked when i would. Worried that i wouldn't be able to do everything, but God heard, and worked it all out – praise be to Him! Went to teach Madina (Tsabolova), and ate a late lunch with her, her mom, and her grandma. (Madina's 10 year old brother, Marat, was killed in the school massacre.) Her mom (Zalina) and i talked about the Amish school attack that recently happened. Madina later showed me their video camera, and we talked about family films. I shared about some of my family's, and how in one, it was so funny 'cos i couldn't say my “R”s right when i was little – i would say, “W.” Madina told me how Marat also had the same problem. Taught her English after, and she did well. Hung out for some time afterwards with her and her baby brother, Alan, who was born after the terrorist attack. (Her parents and little sister, Alana, left to go to the cemetery, so i wanted to spend a little more time visiting with Madina.) She told me that her spirits had been down earlier today, but that my being there changed that. )Glory to God – very often His presence in His people touches people in ways we don't know... remember that as you go about your week and do even seemingly everyday things – you still touch lives!) We played with Alan, and Madina said, 'It's good that he was born, huh?' i agreed, and shared how The Bible says that children are a reward from The Lord. Called Atsa, but he wasn't home, so i went and visited with Soslan (he survived the tragedy, along with his brother, Aslan). We had tea and visited and talked together. His computer was broken, but i couldn't help fix it. After spending some time with him, Atsa called and said he was home. As i was leaving a little bit later, Soslan asked me, 'When are coming again?' Said i'd try to visit next week. Walked to Atsa'a apartment; entering the apartment's yard, i saw several women i know, and so sat and talked a little with them. One of the ladies was Aksana. Then-pregnant Aksana was in the gym with her husband, young son, and little girl. Her husband, Aslan, was one of the men instantly killed by the terrorists. Their baby, a boy, was born after the terrorist attack will never know his father – at least this side of eternity.) Went and visited Atsa (Ktsoyev) and his family (Atsa and his younger sister, Madina, were both in the massacre... Madina was killed. Atsa is about 16, and is a boy that though in trouble from time to time, seems like a good and thoughtful kid. I think he's usually in trouble 'cos of the influence of one of his older friends, but Atsa strikes me as being different. Please pray for him; he is the third of four children, and his sister – who was killed – was the fourth. Atsa doesn't do the greatest in school, and i fear he may have heard about his sister having done much better while she was alive. He jokes a lot but also can be quiet, and as i said, stands out from his friend in seeming genuinely caring inside. I'm not saying his friend is some kind of monster or anything... just that Atsa seems to be more of the follower rather than the instigator.) Told his parents that there are many people who pray for them, send greetings and love them, and haven't forgotten what happened here. Had a nice visit with Atsa's family, and i gave Toma (his mom) a copy of my CD, as well as some chocolates. Atsa and his older sister, Marina, drove me home.
Friday, 10/06/06 – My 'shabbat' day; rested. (So no one misunderstands, i don't view, or teach, keeping the sabbath as a legalistic requirement for believers. I do, however, strongly believe that it is a very wise blessing that God sets forth for us. I've found that, in spite of how busy life can be, taking a day to rest is such a breath of fresh air. And i believe that rest, as properly defined, does not mean 'do all the things on this day that i don't have time to do during the week.' As Jesus Himself taught: the sabbath was made for man – it's a blessing that God sets forth for you. I'm not saying that i always observe it, but i do try to. Perhaps, if you're like me, when you rest, you start to feel anxious because you're not 'doing' or 'accomplishing' anything. But that's the whole point: you're not supposed to! And then there are times where evil forces may try to sideline us by chastising us for 'being so lazy when there's so much Kindgom work to be done.' Let us not be fooled! God Is The One Who instructed His people to take a day off. Now who are we to listen to, God, or His enemies? I am not teaching legalism – just this simple truth: YHWH designed the sabbath to be a day for you to rest. He Himself rested, and thought it important to tell us to do the same. You can choose to work non-stop, round-the-clock, 24-7 and so forth. But wisdom, which God possesses in exceeding abundance, will tell you that all you will become is more stressed, burned-out, and less productive when you are working. We can take our pick. There is no such person who is so absolutely busy all year round that they cannot find one day a week to rest. Perhaps we need to shift our priorities around, and perhaps we need to cut out or postpone some things. I leave you with one final illustration which i think beautifully illustrates this. My first overseas mission trip was to northwest Africa – Senegal and Mauritania. Time is quite a relative thing in their culture, and things can appear extremely 'unproductive' ... at least by western standards. I think several of us felt discouraged because we weren't 'doing' as much as we knew we could – it seemed like so much time was spent (or even 'wasted') on things such as drinking tea together with the African youth numerous times, having 1-2 hour lunches with them as we ate, talked, and had tea, and so forth. One of the full-time missionaries there explained something quite amazing to us. He said something like, 'You may feel like you're not accomplishing much, but their way of thinking is completely different. They value relationships much more than work. That's why it's perfectly acceptable here for a man on his way to work to run into a friend, sit down and have tea with him, and arrive late for work. They would rather spend time on developing their relationships. In their thinking, the work will be here tomorrow, the person might not be.' Wow. And i went there to teach them! Why not use the sabbath as a day to rest, and get to know Jesus better as you spend more time with Him? He, of course, will still be there tomorrow, as will today's unfinished work. But you may not be. If a man can so esteem his friend so that he pushes aside his work in order to spend extra time with him, can we not at least view The Lord as Worthy of our time and have a heart-to-heart with Him?)
Saturday, 10/07/06 – Went and visited Alina (Naldikoyeva); watched TV with her and we chatted some. (Alina was in the gym for all three days during the school tragedy. She has since but on weight, and now hates school.) There was a program on TV about facial plastic surgery, and one of the people featured was Larisa Kudziyeva, a mother who survived the school massacre here with her son. I though Alina might not want to watch anything related to what she lived through, and so i mentioned she could change the channel if she wanted to – but she seemed fine, and wanted to watch it. In addition to Larisa's story, they also featured a little boy who lives in a nightmarish reality. (This is graphic.) If i understood the Russian on the program correctly, when he was younger, his parents went out somewhere. Their family had some sort of dog like a pit bull, and the mom had recent;y given birth to several puppies. The puppies were in a baby's playpen, and the little boy (and other siblings may have been there to) wanted to play with and hold the puppies. He did, but their mom came running into the house and attacked the boy. By God's grace, he survived, but the dog ripped off all of his face – nose, and everything. The boy's been through lots of surgery, and for much of the time has had to wear a mask (and possibly to this present day, i'm not sure). It's such a horrible story, but also to see the mask – it looks kind of like a boy doll's face – is also awful, because all it can show is one expression. This little boy could not (and perhaps to this very day cannot) smile at friends, or make any other sort of noticeable facial expressions. I don't know his name, but please pray for him. I cannot imagine anyone in my family or i myself going through something like that. Pray that The Lord continually shows that little boy and his family how much He loves them. And it was one of those stories that The Lord used to put me back in perspective – things aren't perfect in my life, but i have nothing so tragic as what that little boy has to live with. In short: jason, shut up, and be thankful for all that you have.
Alina's brother, Azamat (who also survived the massacre), wanted to arm wrestle me... guess who won? i'll give you a hint: it wasn't me. (I am such a scrawny little weakling!) Azamat told me he stopped wrestling, and is now studying jui-jitsu. He also told me that Khasan Rubayev, who was killed in the attack, had been his classmate. Went and visited Mairbek and his family. (Mairbek is the little boy who was in the gym with his mom, Anzhela. He found a small coin in his pocket and asked one terrorist to let us mom go if he'd give him the money; the terrorist refused the offer. Mairbek's mom didn't make it out alive.) Helped Vova (Mairbek's uncle) some with his laptop, and Kristina with her German; i tried to get out of doing that, since i don't know almost anything in German, and repeatedly told Kristina the same. That didn't seem to matter to her! So, i helped her look up some words in her dictionary. Also played some with Mairbek and his little brother, Murat. Told Mairbek that two friends (Jean Ann and Peggy) said hello – he said to give a huge, huge greeting and thank you to them. He then became insistent upon calling my family. I tried to say how expensive it would be and so forth, but he wouldn't let up. So, we called and got my family's answering machine. i left a short message, and then Mairbek said in English something like, 'Hello, my name is Mairbek,' and also talked some in Russian, and i translated. He also wanted to give me a few small things as presents, and he gave me a birthday card, a miniature soccer shoe (because 'i can run fast'), and a little dolphin figurine. We ate dinner together, and it was good soup. (One thing though, admittedly, that is very difficult for me here is that people think that eating meat with lots of fat is good. I'm not complaining, just stating the fact and my problem about getting used to it. Some dishes here are so great – others are more difficult to get through.) Mairbek told me about his dream of me after i left Bsln back in May. He dreamed i was eating while on an airplane, and he said in his sleep something like, 'Jason, give me some of that to eat.' Sima (his grandma) woke him and said, 'Mairbek, what're you talking about? Jason's already there!' Later this night, his family drove me home. Woke up around 12:30 with heart pains. (Looking back on it, it might have been because of how i was laying while i was reading and falling asleep). When i woke up in the morning, i was planning on going to the Baptist church's fellowship, but my heart still hurt, so i slept in more.
Sunday, 10/08/06 – Went to the other church's building around noon. Stas drove me there (pray for his mom, whose hemoglobin is less than what it ought to be); we made tentative plans to visit his mom together in the hospital tomorrow. (Stas is a young believer who lost his younger/only sister, Ilona, in the school massacre.) Madina (Tsibirova) came to the building early, and we hung out some; shared and discussed Scriptures, and it was a good time. Jambul's car broke down and he wasn't here yet, so we started the fellowship. The Lord blessed us to open up and sing some, and then i invited whomever wanted to, to read Scripture. Vova read John 5 and talked a little about it. Great stuff in that Chapter! I asked them to open to Hebrews 4, and Madina read it for us (my Russian is so far from perfect!). God blessed me to share about how we must have faith, and what great encouragement we have as the end of that Chapter says: we are to come to Him and receive the grace and mercy that's available. Toma gave a praise report that her husband found some work, and i shared about how we're to give glory to God even for our typical days, relating the story about that boy and the dog. Prayer requests: Zipha's kids are due to start pre-school Tuesday; the relationship between Valya and Zalina; Toma and a blessing for her family (finances for a place to live and so on); and for my three brothers to accept Jesus. We ended early, and then some of us hung out a bit. i taught Madina some guitar. Also taught her English, and there were two new girls who came today (Sima and Alla). They're in School #4, and both enjoy listening to music; Yah blessed me to give them my CD.
Please pray for:
- God to give more opportunities to speak of Jesus;
- Valya and Zalina, that The Lord will heal the relationship between this mother and daughter;
- My health. Overall i'm fine, but have to admit the heart pains were pretty scarey. Zalina, Madina's mom, is a nurse and told me it may just have been 'cos of the weather, or because of having been in a crossdraft;
- The people suffering from the attack at the Amish school in PA. From what I know, a 32-year-old man held 10 young girls hostage in a small school, intending to sexually molest them. When the police came, he seemed to become disoriented, and shot all 10 of the girls, and then killed himself. Five of the girls died, two of whom were from one family. Pray for their families, as well as for the health of the girls who survived. Please pray also for the killer's family – his wife is a believer.
May The Lord richly bless all of you who continue to share in the work here – your prayers mean the world to me, and i appreciate all the support and encouragement as well. Glory be to our Amazing God!
Reminding you that Jesus never fails,
jason
jalazone7@yahoo.com
His Word – like fire... like a rock-shattering hammer
(Jeremiah 23:29)
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