Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  We praise the Lord for His working in 2013 and look forward to all that He will do in 2014.  We celebrated the New Year with the church in Pessac and some of our friends from the Bordeaux center church.  I had been asked to preach so after a time of food, fellowship, games, singing and testimonies, I spoke on reaching the goal that God has for us this year and throughout our lives.  The year closed with a time of prayer and then we all went outside to sing “Thine be the Glory” (A Toi la Goire), accompanied by a trumpet and a trombone.  Neighbors came out of their apartments to hear and call out Happy New Greetings to our group of around 30. 

We will have our first film outreach on the evening of January 31, as we begin a new type of outreach into the community of Saint Medard en Jalles, with showing Christian and Gospel films every two months or so.  This adds another level of work and logistics to our busy schedules, but we pray the Lord will use this tool to bring even more people into the hearing of the Gospel and give us good contacts through it.  Do you know of any good Christian films that would be appropriate for this type of outreach?  We would be grateful for your suggestions!

Praise for:

- the work God is doing in C’s heart, and for F coming to church Sunday for the second time.

- Josiah trusting Christ as his Savior, and for the work God is doing in the hearts of each of our children.

- God’s help as we prepare for the film outreach, producing the flyers, getting the film “Amazing Grace” and securing the permission to use it, and for 300+ people that received a flyer on Saturday as five of us distributed them at the open market. 

- an opening at a nearby nursing home for Mr. and Mrs. Craps, and that they have been accepted.

- some positive steps in the situation in CAR, as the Muslim president was convinced to step down.  Praise for the attention and concern given to the situation there by the UN, the EU and particularly France who has sent 1600 French troops.

Pray for:

- C and for God’s direction and strength as she makes decisions concerning her Christian walk for God’s glory.  Pray that F will keep coming and that his brother will return.  Pray that others who were at our Christmas outreach will return.

- God’s continued work in Josiah’s heart, as well as in the hearts of Adrianna and Caleb.  Pray that God will help them to shine His light around them at school. 

- continued preparation for the film outreach, securing a screen, testing the equipment, distribution of flyers these next two Tuesdays and this Saturday at the open market.  Pray that God will bring just the right number of people on January 31 and that He will use this tool to reach more people with the Gospel.

- peace and  stability to return to the CAR.  Divisions remain between Muslims and the majority of the population, and while disorder continues, the situation in outlying parts of the country continues to deteriorate.  Just today we had word that another of our pastors was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was stopped by Muslim bandits who had each of the men and boys get out and then shot them.