~Meltdown in the Mediterranean

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21 February, 2011

The plane ride home from Tripoli, Libya, to Malta late last June took just thirty three minutes, and covered about two hundred forty miles.

In our four day visit to this Land of Sand and more Sand, with its lovely people, my wife and I were able to meet and witness to Libyan (one with whom we have maintained contact), Dutch, Italian and American people.

During the days, we toured, as tourists, among wonderful cultural, historical, and natural sites that abound in Libya. We took in sights and smells both ancient and modern: all the colors and aromas of the souks, the Roman Ruins of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, and the bleak but beautiful desert that begins the vast Sahara, three hours south of Tripoli.

Early each day and late at night, back in our hotel room, we held our daily devotions, Bible reading and prayer. We sought His Spirit of Intercession; that He would remove the obstacles that prohibit freedom of faith in this tormented country.

Just eight months since our visit, revolution is beginning. The tyrannical dictatorship of Colonel Mohamar Ghaddifi is teetering. Today in Malta, two Libyan jet fighter pilots, flew into the international airport here and surrendered themselves as defectors, claiming they did not wish to fire on civilians.

The Mediterranean Island of Malta, the closest European State to Libya, is moving quickly to evacuate hundreds of its national workers to safety.

We have a lot of questions. Can democracy gain a foot hold in this Arab country? Will freedom to choose faith in Jesus Christ become a reality? Will people be able to come and go freely, with easily obtained visas, and be able to deliver Godʼs life changing message?

The burden is real, and souls hang in the balance. Libya has five and a half million people, Tunisia has ten million; Algeria and Morocco have over thirty million each. Will we weep; will we intercede?
 
 
Names withheld for security reasons - please continue to PRAY for all our missionaries, and in particular those missionaries in the Mediterranean and Middle East Regions.