Living with uncertainty

It was 2016, Joe and Dawn had decided to move into northern Iraq when, over the car radio, came the news that ISIS had brutally murdered Christians near where they were going to live.

What would they do? Ten years before, Dawn had faced the risk of serving in Iraq, but she was single at the time. Now she and Joe were married with two young children. They determined, ‘We were not going to walk away from the call to make Jesus known. He is worth it all.’

The Kurdish region of northern Iraq was a haven for Kurds, Syrians, Iranians, and Afghans fleeing regional wars. Many were coming to know Christ. In their eight years there, Joe and Dawn were able to get the gospel out, identify leaders among the new disciples and train them to multiply disciples and churches among their people.

Life was uncertain. Missiles dropped near their home. The disciples were persecuted, even to the point of death. Dawn got used to living with uncertainty. ‘Things can be out of control. And I can know that God is still on his throne.’

This is what Jesus predicted. In the time between his first and second comings, he said the world would be torn by wars, famine and natural disasters. It would be a time when his disciples were hated and persecuted. A world of false prophets and deception. A world of evil where the love of most will grow cold.

Then, surprisingly, Jesus announced that the gospel would be proclaimed throughout the same world to every people group, and then the end would come.

That’s why Joe and Dawn took their family into northern Iraq.

Podcast: 356-Joe’s Story (2)