Praise and Prayer for June 12, 2009

This week has been an especially busy, yet an encouraging week for us as we have had some good opportunities to witness for Christ. On Saturday afternoon, Cherith took the kids to a third year birthday party for a S.S. classmate of Caleb’s. The family is Central African, and on her arrival, Cherith happily discovered that all of the other guests were also Central African, most of whom she had never met. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet quite a few other Central Africans living in Reims, and to be able to share our desire to see them join us for our Sango service. They were surprised but happy to find Cherith was fluent in their language and she and our children were welcomed as part of the “family”. During her time there, however, the great spiritual needs and struggles of many of them became clearer. Alcoholism is one of the largest barriers to an intimate relationship with the Lord. Pray the Lord will give us wisdom as we share the Gospel and build further relationships with these Central Africans whom He is bringing across our path.

Adrianna’s school is having a special carnival this afternoon to raise money for the school. All year, the children look forward to this event, and each class prepares for the special program that is held, highlighting each class at the end of the carnival. The interaction that we are able to have with the parents and teachers is invaluable, as it is one of the only times in the year that we have this much time to interact together. This coming week Adrianna has been invited to a birthday party of a girlfriend from school. Pray that this further contact with parents and children from school will strengthen current relationships and allow us to build new ones, and that the Lord will bring some of these people to Himself.

Praise for:
- continued healing for Jonathan’s wrist.
- the many who came for the Church Banquet last Saturday evening including two unsaved visitors, and for the Gospel that was clearly presented.
- our S.S. children who sang for Mother’s Day in France, on Sunday.
- opportunities Jonathan has had to witness to his physical therapist.

Pray for:
- the church choir as they sing one last time tomorrow before summer break.
- the Scrapbooking outreach scheduled for tomorrow, June 13th.
- further opportunities to witness and be a light in this spiritually dark country.
- Shipment for the Sango hymnal as the containers going to CAR are all full.

Praise and Prayer for June 5, 2009

It has been great to have Jessica Lunde here in Reims for these two weeks as she has helped out in a variety of ministries. Along with creating several song flashcards for our work with the children at church, she has also filed Institute choir music, helped Cherith and one of our church ladies prepare a typical English meal (Jessica was raised in England), attended gatherings for several of the groups in our church, helped the Farrells with several projects, and even spent an afternoon with one of the families in our church. Pray for her this Sunday as she teaches the Bible story in Adrianna’s Sunday school class (4 to 6 year olds). These ministries and many people have been touched by Jessica’s presence and willing spirit to serve the Lord in France this summer. She even willingly watched our children one evening so that we could go out on a special date for our 8th wedding anniversary. Our prayer is that the Lord will continue to use the time and effort that Jessica has given here for His eternal glory and that He will continue to prepare her for her future ministry. Pray that the Lord will lead others do the same, to come and help here and around the world through summer ministry programs, short or long term missions.

The Lord blessed last Sunday’s ministries, and gave the extra strength needed for the trip to Algrange in the afternoon for the Bible Institute graduation program. It was a blessing that Jonathan left arm was cast-free as he lead the worship service at our church here in the morning and the Institute choir and ensemble as they sang for the graduation. Cherith did all of the driving, then played piano for the graduation ceremony and special numbers, including the prelude and offertory. This Saturday night the men of the church are putting on a special banquet in honor of the ladies. Sunday is Mother’s day in France. We look forward to the special ministry of Roger and Jean Reisacher at the banquet and on Sunday morning.

Praise for:
- continued healing for Jonathan’s wrist.
- the graduation ceremony Sunday, and the testimonies of the four graduates.
- Jessica Lunde’s visit and all of her help.
- the progress on the church official documents made at the Church Council meeting on Thursday.

Pray for:
- the Church Banquet Saturday night.
- the Scrapbooking outreach scheduled for June 13th.
- Shipment for the Sango hymnal as the containers going to CAR are all full.
- Jonathan’s Mom’s health, as she is experiencing complications with her congestive heart failure and tires very quickly.

Praise and Prayer for May 29, 2009

This Wednesday we drove the 260-mile round trip to Algrange for our final day of classes and lessons for the year. This Sunday afternoon we will go back one last time for the graduation ceremony. The Institute choir will be singing three songs, and Cherith will be accompanying the congregational singing. Four students will be graduating after completing the requirements of the three-year Bible program. Pray for these graduates as they begin a new chapter in their lives, and use what they have learned in either full-time service, or in their local churches. Although it is a small school, the Bible Institute in Algrange has students from many places, including countries in Africa and the French West Indies. Praise God for the ministries we have here in France which will impact and influence ministries around the world.

Jessica Lunde, a senior from Faith Baptist Bible College participating in the FOF (Focus on France) program, arrived on Monday to help our co-workers, the Farrells, and us for two weeks. We have been thrilled to have the extra help and encouragement she brings. Today she is working on creating S.S. song flashcards for us to use. She is attending the small group studies that are held in homes or at the church throughout the week, and she is also helping with many other projects. If you or someone you know would be interested in spending a few weeks in France helping out, we would love to hear from you!

Praise for:
- healing for Jonathan’s wrist. The cast was removed this Thursday!
- good classes and interaction with students on Wednesday at the Institute.
- the four graduates who have completed their studies at the Institute.
- interaction from volunteers willing to help with S.S. ministries.

Pray for:
- the graduation ceremony on Sunday at the Bible Institute.
- the graduates who will be moving on to the next chapter in their lives.
- new recruits for the coming school year at the Bible Institute.
- Jessica Lunde, as she visits and helps in the work here in Reims this next week.
- continued healing of Jonathan’s wrist. It is stiff and somewhat painful.

Praise and Prayer for May 22, 2009

The Lord blessed the Sunday services. There were a good number of children in Sunday school, though a few regulars were out. Church attendance was also pretty good, with a few visitors. We had choir practice with those that stayed for it. We’d made contact with every family in our Sango group last week regarding Sunday’s Sango service. There were 14 that came, including J.F. who we had met once before while we were visiting one of the families. This was his first time to attend, and it was obvious that he struggles with alcohol addiction. Another who has come quite often and also struggles with alcohol was also there, and very with it. How desperately many of them need God’s hand in their lives. We covet your prayers for grace and wisdom.

Pray especially for Jonathan’s Mom (Betty Teachout) back home in PA. She has had further health complications and continues to undergo testing. This week she had an ultrasound to check out a possible growth in her stomach. We have decided to make a trip to the States in July to spend some time with her. The Lord has provided us with tickets for an excellent price and funds to cover them through Jonathan’s Aunt Ellie’s legacy.

Praise for:
- healing for Jonathan’s wrist. The cast is due to come off this Thursday.
- good services on Sunday.
- the visit of Adrianna and Caleb’s cousin Lea this weekend.
- God’s provision for us to make a trip to the States this summer to visit family.

Pray for:
- our final classes at Algrange Wednesday and for graduation Sunday.
- the renewal of our French residency cards.
- Jessica Lundy, FOFer, as she visits and helps in the work here in Reims this next week.

Praise and Prayer for May 15, 2009

God continues to accomplish His purposes, due in part to the faithfulness and prayer support of His people. Thank YOU for having an important part in our lives and ministry! We have experienced God’s help this week as we faced each of our regular responsibilities with my (Jonathan’s) left arm still in a cast. While the pain is now mostly gone and I’ve learned to do many things one-handed (though more slowly, for sure!), there is much more for Cherith to do. She now does ALL of our driving, including our roundtrip to Algrange. To each added task, she gives attention with love and care and God is giving her strength for the extra load. God has truly blessed our children with a wonderful Mother, for whom we are very grateful. Also, this week we honor our own Mothers who have loved us, sacrificed for us and shown us what a life consecrated to God and their family looks like. Thank God for Mothers!

There were 15 kids present for Sunday school on Sunday, five in each class! We are encouraged by the kids’ good attention and some have asked some very good questions. We were missing some of our students at the Institute this week, though God gave us profitable classes. Only two more weeks before the choir sings for the Graduation ceremony. Last evening, I was picked up and taken to the Council meeting at church. This Sunday we will have our Sango Service and share a segment of “The Hope”.

Praise for:
- the healing to Jonathan’s wrist, the decrease in swelling, and for the strength He is giving to Cherith.
- good progress made with projects and reports.
- steps forward in finding shipment for the Sango Hymnal
- Mothers!

Pray for:
- a good end to the school year at the Institute, for the ensembles as they prepare for graduation.
- the renewal of our French residency cards.
- God’s working in hearts through the Sango service and the Sunday School.
- the Ladies’ Scrapbooking Outreach this Saturday, May 16th.

Praise and Prayer for May 8, 2009

This week has been very interesting, to say the least. On Friday afternoon, Jonathan fell on his wrist, resulting in a visit to the emergency room and a cast for at least four weeks. It never occurred to us how very much we use two hands to function throughout the day! God’s grace is evident in that it was the left wrist (Jonathan’s right handed) and it was after our busy two weeks of conference preparation, conference and hosting of our pastor and his wife. Jonathan did still manage to teach his Sunday School class and preach on Sunday, then direct choir and teach his theory and piano classes on Wednesday.

Please continue to pray for the Reims Baptist Church. There are some spiritual battles being fought but we know God can overrule. The need for a larger building is still crucial. Pray for wisdom as we encourage the church to call their first French pastor this coming January.

Praise for:
- the healing God is giving to Jonathan’s broken wrist.
- the profitable ministry God has given to Emmanuel and Sylvie Fischer during their Pastoral internship here in the Reims Baptist Church.
- the good attendance in S.S., despite the holiday weekend.
- the opportunities to point others to Christ as a result of Jonathan’s wrist.

Pray for:
- wisdom in prioritizing as we finish some projects and reports.
- complete healing in Jonathan’s wrist and for the swelling to diminish.
- strength and energy needed and learning to sleep well with a cast.
- the shipping of the Sango hymnal to CAR.
- the Ladies’ Scrapbooking Outreach on May 16th.

Praise and Prayer for May 1, 2009

We didn’t get an update posted last week with everything going on. Thank you for praying, nonetheless! God richly blessed the Youngs’ visit and ministry in our midst here in Reims and then at our Team France conference in St. Albain. There was good attendance at both the French and Sango services on April 19. Pastor Young’s messages were well-received and he and Rose had some good opportunities to visit with people before and after the services. We had a good number of children in SS as well.

The Lord strengthened Elva Farrell so that their family was able to make the trip to the conference. The theme of the conference was God’s faithfulness, and throughout the conference we heard testimonies of several of the missionaries, some retired, who served in France during some of the earlier years. We all enjoyed good messages and good music. Pastor and Rose also shared in music ministry at each of the services, and spent some special times with the teens at the conference. The Lord blessed them with health and strength, and even helped them to quickly get over jetlag. On Friday after the conference, we showed them some of the historical sites around Reims, some dating to the Roman era. They helped us and some friends celebrate Caleb’s third Birthday on Saturday, the 25th.

Praise for:
- good attendance in the Sunday services and in Sunday school
- God’s blessings of the Youngs’ ministry in Reims, at our conference, and for safety in all of the traveling.
- the spiritual refreshment and good fellowship that we had at conference.

Pray for:
- Jonathan as he broke his left wrist today and will be in a cast for at least four weeks.
- wisdom in prioritizing as we finish some projects and reports.
- the Institute students as we present some songs at a conference on May 8.
- comfort for D., a Central African whose sister died last week in Bangui.
- the shipping of the Sango hymnal to CAR – so far there is no shipping container space available!