Halloween or All Saints?

This is a true story. You can decide which day it suits better: All Hallow's Eve or All Saints' Day.

Lidia* was the oldest "sister" in a Baptist church in Moldova. Like many Romany in her village, she lived in a sort of compound with several houses built around a small yard. Her grown children lived around her and looked after her. However, her grown children did not share Lidia's new-found faith. On the surface, they were Eastern Orthodox. In reality, they followed Romany traditions which focus around gathering baxt (good fortune) and avoiding things that would drive away baxt. Part of this included honoring the dead. Graves are dug twice as deep as normal and first filled with all kinds of luxurious drinks, from cartons of juice to vodka and wine. Then all kinds of fruit is added. Not just common variety garden fruit, but imported fruits like pineapples and kiwis. All that extra space is filled with grave goods, rather like a pharoah's tomb. The funeral is also elaborate with a procession through the village. Family members will have stockpiled gifts like blankets. Periodically the procession pauses to that these can be distributed among the village, ideally to the poorer households. This does not end with the burial. There are well-maintained picnic tables with benches in the graveyard for future times of remembrance. As older church members generally do, Lidia eventually passed away. Her family was distraught with grief, as families generally are. The Baptist pastor was waiting to see what they would do. He knew and the family knew that Lidia had wanted a Christian funeral. The night after Lidia's death, her eldest daughter had a vivid dream. Lidia came to her. Lidia said that she was in a beautiful place. She described how wonderful it was. She said "your father," her husband, was there, too. She hoped that each of her children and grandchildren would join them there some day. And she wanted a Christian funeral. All of her children heard about this message from their deceased mother. Lidia had a Christian funeral. May her children follow her in the choices they make. *Name changed for privacy reasons.

She Had a Dream about Her

Speaking of dreams, Jesus doesn't always have to appear in a dream to speak through a dream. A case in point would be my friend Linda* and Jenny*, a young intern. Linda works with a different mission organization and was mentoring a young couple on the field. This young couple had been serving long enough to request a two-year intern. Jenny answered the call. But once she showed up, she didn't seem to know how to live out that call. She didn't do what the young couple requested. She didn't take initiative to do anything else. Linda offered to have Jenny help with Linda's work. Jenny showed up, but she never showed up prepared. Linda was ready to send her home, but Jenny was not her intern. And the young couple kept saying, "Let's give her a little more time. Jenny can develop. She can grow into the work." Jenny didn't. Finally the young couple also came to the conclusion that Jenny should go home. They asked Linda to be in prayer with them on the day they were going to have to tell her this. Jenny came to the meeting and announced, before the young couple had a chance to say anything, "I believe the Lord intends for me to go home. Linda appeared to me in a dream last night and told me so." Truly, the Lord moves in mysterious ways . . . . *Names changed to protect privacy. **The two-year intern in this photo definitely DID know what to do. Everyone wanted her to stay longer!

She Had A Dream About Him

How does God speak to you?  He spoke to Joseph and to Valentina in dreams. He sent a message to Mary through an angel. He sent Sergio a message through his cousin Vaselita's dream. Here's what happened.

Vaselita with her family

One night Vaselita dreamt that Jesus told her to phone her cousin Sergio who was working in Russia. Jesus told her Sergio was deathly ill and needed to repent. When Vaselita woke up, she thought, "That was one weird dream," and went on about her daily work. 

The next night, Jesus appeared to Vaselita again in a dream. "Why didn't you phone Sergio, like I told you last night? He's deathly ill and needs to repent!" When Vaselita woke up, she phoned her cousin!

Sergio was indeed deathly ill. Some believers from Vaselita and Sergio's village were also working in Russia, near him. They came to visit, had long discussions with Sergio, prayed with him, and Sergio gave his life into Jesus' hands.

His soul was healed. His body also healed. He went back to his village in Moldova and spent the evenings, when people gather around fires in corners of the unpaved streets, telling everyone how God had spoken to him and changed his life. Many hearts were touched through Vasalita's dream.

Sergio with some of the Christian brothers

He Had A Dream

A day after we posted the "She had a dream" blog, we received this reflection from Dr. Dale Meredith. It seemed too "coincidental" to not share in this follow-up blog. 

Joseph was engaged to marry Mary.  He heard that she was pregnant.  He thought about privately breaking the engagement.  “While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife.  For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived (Matthew 1:20).’”  Joseph married Mary.  Jesus was born and after the wise men had left, “an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, ‘… get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave (Matthew 2:13).’”  Joseph, Mary, and the child left during the night for Egypt.  “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go back to the land of Israel (Matthew 1:19-20).’”  So Joseph took Mary and Jesus back to Israel.  When Joseph was afraid to go to Judah, he received more instructions in a dream, so he made his home in a town named Nazareth (Matthew 2:22-23).

An angel is a messenger from God.  Mary learned about and accepted her selection to be the mother of Jesus in a conversation with an angel (Luke 1:26-38).  Joseph heard God speak to him by an angel at critical times in dreams.  Mary had one conversation with an angel.  Joseph received instructions from an angel in multiple dreams.  God speaks to different people in different ways.  Each person hears, learns, and reacts differently.  God communicates to you in ways you can understand.  When God speaks to you it will be consistent with His plans and purposes as shown in the Bible.  That is why it is important to study and memorize scriptures.  It is from the study that you learn what God’s plans and purposes are.  Then when he speaks you will better understand what he wants you to do.  God does not speak to everyone in the same way.  You must be alert, recognize, and listen to God for instructions.

Let us know God’s love for us and love him.  Let us be his witnesses.  Let us listen to the Scriptures and let them guide us in what we do.  Let us listen when God speaks through prophets, family members, friends, nature, angels, or dreams to call us to follow God.  Let us hear God whisper to us and then do what God whispers.  Let us ask for help to understand what some teachings in the Bible mean.  Let us memorize Bible verses so we will follow Jesus and not sin against God.  Let us see what needs to be done and do it with God’s help.  Let us obey God even when it is difficult.  God helps, comforts, and guides us even if it appears dark and we cannot see the future.  I pray that we all: Be smart, be careful, be helpful, be safe, and not be afraid.  God is with us now and forever.​

Dale D. Meredith

Pastor, University Baptist Church, Amherst, New York and

Professor Emeritus, State University of New York at Buffalo

She Had A Dream

God comes to us in ways we will understand. That's the whole message of the Gospel. And that's why Jesus appeared to Valentina in a dream. 

We'd met Valentina's family in Moldova. We got to know them a bit better while they spent some time in the Netherlands. Now they are back home where, last month, Valentina's husband decided to be baptized. Valentina thought long and hard when her husband made that commitment. She hesitated. She decided she was not ready to bury your old life in those baptismal waters and rise up to live a new life in Christ. It's an important step. 

This was all fresh in her mind when Jesus appeared to her in a dream. He called her to him and told her she needed to repent, turn away from her old life, and be baptized. He told her he was calling all people to come to her. We can all become children of God. 

When another baptismal service was organized, Valentina did not hesitate. She and four others were baptized last Sunday. 

Valentina, 2nd from right

God came to her in a way He knew she would understand, in a dream. She shared that dream with all the neighbors and family members who came to the service who came in a way she knew they would understand, in their own Ursari Romani language. 

How does God come to you?