A Kurdish man who joined our family in 2020, with his wife.
We thought it was a death-bed conversion. A Muslim man, suffering for several years with bone cancer, listened to our sharing about Jesus and the promise of eternal life near the end of Mission: Ararat 2020. He surrendered his heart and his agony to the One who overcame death, sorrow, crying, and pain.
This man, who was still with us physically in 2021, will live on into eternity.
During the third of five scheduled follow-ups to Mission: Ararat 2020, our Kingdom worker visited the man. The man asked our co-worker if he had become a Christian too late. We told him:
“It’s never too late to become a Christian. When Jesus was being crucified on the cross, two thieves were being crucified next to Him. From the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23, verses 39-43:
39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
“As soon as you believe in Jesus in your heart and say with your mouth that Jesus is your Savior and Lord, you become part of the family of Christ and your name is written in the Book of Life. This means, you will be with Jesus in Paradise (heaven) – FOREVER!”
Our friend, who became our brother in Christ on July 28, 2020, was not too late in coming to faith in Jesus. He will be with our Redeemer. If we don’t see him during Mission: Ararat 2021, we will see him in heaven.
When Climbing For Christ first arrived in eastern Turkey to climb the HIStoric Mount Ararat, there were no believers in the area. Our family has grown – and will continue to grow. Thanks be to God!
Yildiz Lake in the Aladaglar Mountains.
MISSION: 2021. This is two trips in one. First, we are returning to the Aladaglar Mountains in the central Taurus Mountain range in south-central Turkey. We trekked there in 2019, when Mount Ararat was still closed. We will follow a different route this year, visiting semi-nomadic families who bring their livestock to the Aladaglar. Second, we will return to Ararat, which is open to us for the first time since 2014. We will again spend time with Kurdish friends and family on and around Turkey’s highest mountain. This will be Climbing For Christ’s seventh expedition to Turkey and our ninth visit since 2010.
Email info@ClimbingForChrist.org for details and a mission application. Applicants must be members of Climbing For Christ. CLICK HERE to join.