Taher, an Emirati, was sitting next to me at the coffee shop.  He was a really friendly guy.  We enjoyed our coffee as we got to know each other a little.  As our conversation continued, I asked Taher if he knew about Christmas.  He knew about Santa Clause and presents.  He even knew that is about the birth of the Christ, but he did not know why Christ followers make such a big deal about it. 

In the land of desert and shopping malls there is a short winter season, upper 60 degrees Fahrenheit, where parks are filled with residents of the UAE. These small patches of green oasis are scattered about the cities, some cost money to enter, others are free, but what they all provide is a unique space to cultivate relationships.

Late one night in September 1968, three years before the UAE became a nation, a Bedouin woman was giving birth at the Oasis Hospital, a Christian mission hospital in Al Ain. Complications required a C-section delivery, and the mother needed blood. A member of the missions staff who was there recalled personnel “chasing around to all the companies at midnight trying to find a donor with the right blood type.”

Thank you for choosing to pray for the peoples of the UAE. We know God hears and is moving in the hearts of those who live in the UAE. December 2 is National Day here in the UAE. This year marks 50 years since six of the emirates joined together to become a nation. Ras Al Khaimah joined the next year. There will be many celebrations, parties, and fireworks happening in the next few days. Pray for Christ followers to salt and light as they join their friends in the festivities.

Thanksgiving or holidays similar are celebrated in many countries during the autumn months such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Australia to name a few. Tomorrow it is Thanksgiving in the United States. Several believers living in the UAE were asked what they are thankful for.

As she was working, she shared about Jesus with all of her co-workers and the women she lived with. She did not know a single other believer in the city. Her boss was angry that she was speaking about Jesus and changed her schedule to 14 hour days without a single day off.