Dear LK10 Community,

Just two days ago I received the following email from Kevin S. who is a LK10 member and who is coaching church planters in "south Asia"  (We are being intentionally vague for security reasons.  It's likely that when we open up LK10, Kevin will be inviting some of his friends from his part of the world to join us.)  Kevin's email below combines our value for listening prayer with the importance of finding "a house of peace".   Stories like this highlight the unexpected ways that God works!

Here's Kevin's email (shared with his permission) which he initially send to Mickey , Ken  and myself...

I miss our conference calls. But I think the LK10 website is going to work well.

Since I cannot tell you this story on the phone, I'm writing it. It is pretty AMAZING. Be encouraged with me with what happens when we listen to Jesus and do what He says!

Laura and I arrived in (a country in south Asia) last week.  We are staying at the home of some co-workers here in (a particular city).  They had already done some searching for a rental for us.  The best lead was a 2 bedroom flat (apartment) owned by a Punjabi Christian family. This was encouraging since there are VERY FEW believers in this city of Hindus and Sikhs.  We went to see it yesterday and had a wonderful visit with (this couple) and their family.  The flat was pretty rustic and old. It was quite dusty and needs a lot of cleaning and some other work.

That night Laura stayed awake for a jet-lagged couple hours, trying to decide if it is the right place--weighing the advantages and disadvantages. When I got up in the morning I had my usual prayer time. I asked the Lord to speak to me. I told Him that my goal for the month is to find and furnish a home for ourselves. I asked Him, "Is that presumption or is it reasonable and a goal to pursue in faith?" He said, "Pursue it in faith. Watch as I lead--watch for a 'house of peace.'"  

After Laura got up, she told me her thoughts and I told her mine and then we prayed. Although we had a newspaper with a list of available flats in (this city), we decided I should go talk to (the husband) again about their flat.

After (the husband) and I talked it all through, it really seamed like it was going to work out. He mentioned that his name, (not shown here), is a Hindi name and it means "very peaceful". I then mentioned that we sensed peace from him and his family the previous evening. Then I decided to tell him that I believed the Lord told me earlier in the morning to watch for a "house of peace."

(The husband) looked at me in the eyes and said, "When God speaks to you, He really speaks! Come with me." He took me outside and through the entry gate. He closed the gate and told me to look at it. "My father had this house built 50 years ago. See what is written on the gate? 'Shant Nivas' which is Hindi for 'House of Peace.'" We both stood amazed.

Is God awesome or what?

After the 5-minute walk back to our friends place I told Laura about Shant Nivas. She was sufficiently awe-struck too. So we will move into the House of Peace in about a week.

We fell so comforted and excited as we see God leading us in these amazing ways!

I've talked to several Hindu people already and told them this story. They get big smiles as they hear what happened!

God's blessings,

Kevin

As I listened to Papa about Kevin's email, here's what I heard:  "Do not think of LK10 merely as a website.  Rather, it is a "story telling community".  Each of you, to do what I have called you to do, will need faith.  One of the important ways your faith will grow is as you hear the stories of what I am doing in and through your brothers and sisters.  You need each other."So, what thoughts/feelings does Kevin's email provoke in you?  About listening to God? about "houses of peace"? about faith? about God's provision? about the nature of our community?  I want to ask you to explore a new part of our website as you answer the questions above.  Under the Main Menu, click on "The Learning Blog".  Click on "read more" you will be able to see this entire email.  (Notice the great job I did on formatting!  Ben is still working with me on this.)  At the end of my email you will see a section that says "Write Comment" , where you can give your response.  Then, for the next few days, keep going back to this spot to read what the others have written and post more responses if you would like.  (Note:  The difference between The Learning Blog and the Discussion Forum is that the public can read The Learning Blog and only members can read the Discussion Forum.  We'll talk more later about why this is important.)Thanks for your help and patience in this process!John