Religious Freedom in UAE...

the first time i flew here to dubai, i thought the bible was not allowed. i brought it nevertheless. you see, UAE is known as an islamic country. but praise God, worship is not restricted here unlike in other countries such as saudi arabia. my churchmates in the philippines used to think that it was an underground thing. but no, we were blessed to be able to move freely as christians. i even pray in food courts before my meals... UAE (dubai in paticular) has become an open city, and christians are growing in numbers, even though churches are located only on 'church zones'.

but the sad thing is, when we experience this freedom week after week, our enthusiam for it usually goes to a lesser degree. and last friday, i had the rare moment of re-savoring this great privilege when we had a visitor in the church from maldives. maldives is known as the place which comes close to being called the paradise- idyllic island, blue seas, rich corals and marine life, friendly all year-round weather, and untouched nature! but to the christians, it is a terror place! christianity is banned. period.

so we can understand why our visitor was full of the spirit as he shared with us the joy he felt for being with a church for the first time, singing hymns and songs without worrying that somebody out there might hear us! his joy was even contagious! he enjoyed fellowshipping together, reading the bible, listening to the preaching and worshiping Him freely, undistractedly.

we are praying together that in time, they will be able to do the same in maldives... i covet your prayers for this... Matt 19:6 says "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible".