Praise and Prayer for December 13, 2010

Warm wishes to your house from ours for a blessed Christmas and New Year. Thank you for your prayers for us. The Lord blessed the Bible study on Tuesday. We thank the Lord for safety as Reims (and much of France) was hit with a snowstorm Wednesday and Thursday, the worst they have seen in many, many years. One of the high school seniors in our church who lives out of town spent Wednesday night and Thursday with us as her train home (and all public transportation) was out of circulation. Her parents were happy that the roads allowed them to get into town Thursday afternoon to pick her up. Cherith surprised me with a surprise 40th Birthday party on Friday evening and we were joined by a number of friends from church.

In Sunday School we had 22 children present (including babies) for a special program with a film (L’enfant de la Mansarde/The child from the Attic). Some of the children had not been in Sunday School at all this school year. We were surprised and encouraged at how well the children sat and listened carefully and did well answering questions afterward. The Christmas program was Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. with a very full church. The Lord blessed in so many ways as many people took part. There were several first-time visitors present who heard the Gospel clearly presented in a variety of ways. The choir did a great job with the two songs they had prepared. Adrianna and Caleb did very well with their duet. It was the first time for me to speak for the Christmas program here, and I was so thankful for the Lord’s help. Several comments afterward encouraged me that the message was clear and appreciated. We pray that there will be eternal fruit.

Lord willing, we will be flying out of Paris tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. heading to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The trip will take more than 27 hours from our front door until we are met by Cherith’s parents at the PP airport. We are all looking forward to celebrating our first Christmas together with Grandma and Grandpa Broeckert since 2006! Thank you for praying for our health and safety, and that the Lord will use us to encourage and bless those we will be with. We look forward to the opportunities that we will have to minister: Cherith teaching a ladies’ SS class, me preaching, giving some help with music, etc. We plan to return to Reims December 29 and will try to get an update written soon after that. May God bless your Christmas season as you celebrate the greatest Gift of all, Jesus Christ, the Savior.

Praise for:
- God’s help for Jonathan as he led the Bible study Tuesday and spoke for the Christmas program. Praise for good attendance.
- the help and strength God gave us with all of our responsibilities for Sunday’s program in the morning and afternoon.
- God’s blessings so evident throughout the Christmas program and for the visitors that were present.
- safety throughout the snowstorm that hit Reims.

Pray for:
- those who have heard or will hear the Gospel this Christmas season to open their hearts to receive God’s gift of salvation.
- many around us whose hearts are cold to the Gospel.
- our trip to Cambodia and our time there with Cherith’s parents and the people they are working with. Pray for the ministry that we will have there.
- the family of Mr. Earl Dannenberg (formerly in the CAR and missions professor at FBBC) who was promoted to Heaven on December 9. Son John and his wife are currently serving in the CAR.

Praise and Prayer for December 6, 2010

The Holiday season is here with all the color, the glitter and the lights shining above the streets, in the stores and from the windows and porches of homes and apartments across the city of Reims. Reminders of the Reason for the Season can be seen everywhere if people have heard and take time to remember. Angels and stars help us remember the announcements God gave to Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wise men of old when “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. How many people in Reims will see these symbols of the God’s Gift to a lost world and miss the meaning because they have never given a second thought to the greatest Gift of all. Our prayer is that here and around the world, hearts would be opened to hearing and receiving this Gift, and that believers would be faithful to share the news this Christmas season and in whatever time that remains before our Lord’s return.

Since we moved to Reims in the Spring of 2007, the winters have seen very little snow. This past week has given us our fill of snow and slippery roads, and we were happy to see the last of the snow disappear today. The Lord has given safety on the roads. There were six at our English Encounter on Thursday evening. The church counsel met Saturday evening and had a profitable time working together and planning. On Sunday, the choir met early for practice and presented one of the songs they have been working on in the morning service. There was a good group out for Sunday school, though there was a bit of distraction from kids whose attendance has been very irregular. The GBS (Sango group) met Sunday evening for a special Christmas Bible study and celebration. Cherith had prepared quiche and goodies to pass that everyone enjoyed. There were 12 of us present including children. The church has its Christmas program this Sunday (December 12) and many will be participating through song, skit and Scripture. I have the special privilege and challenge of giving the message this time. We are praying that there will be visitors who will come with open hearts. I will also be speaking at prayer meeting tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

Praise for:
- the Reason for the Season and the blessing of celebrating CHRISTmas.
- God’s protection over slippery roads this past week.
- the meetings and outreaches that we were involved in last week.
- the good health the Lord has given us, though Josiah has a runny nose.

Pray for:
- extra opportunities this Christmas season to share the Good News with those around us.
- the Christmas program at church this Sunday afternoon, for each one participating and for the visitors.
- me as I lead the Bible Study Tuesday evening and speak for the Christmas program Sunday.
- preparations for our trip to Cambodia to visit Cherith’s parents (Hubert and Dr. Mary Broeckert) December 14-28. We are excited about some of the opportunities we will have to minister to the church there as Cherith will be teaching the ladies’ Sunday school class and I will be preaching on one of the two Sundays we are there.

Praise and Prayer for November 29, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving (belated)! Although Thanksgiving is not a French holiday, we were determined to celebrate it as a family and to share its meaning with those around us.We were encouraged to have 24 present for Tuesday night Bible study where we considered the response God expects from us for His blessings even in our times of difficulty. It’s amazing how when you begin to “count your blessings” it does “surprise you what the Lord hath done!” Among the blessings God has given us is a host of family and friends who pray for us and give to our ministry to make it possible for us to be here where God has called us serving Him as He guides and provides. We thank Him and we thank YOU for your part in our lives and in our ministry.

Along with unexpected joys and trials each week, each day even, come opportunities. There were several opportunities this past week to pray and offer counsel to those with special needs. How we need God’s wisdom and grace to give the right words at the right times to those in need of hearing them! Thank you for praying for the A.E.E. (Child Evangelism Fellowship in France) seminar on Saturday. Two A.E.E. volunteers came and were with us the whole day to offer teaching and counsel for working with children in ministry. There were 16 participants, including one from a sister church. The seminar given was excellent and our people came away motivated, excited about the opportunities to work with children. On Sunday, one lady shared that she was eager for her turn to teach again and could hardly wait to minister to them again and put into practice the things she had learned. We marvel at God’s leading and how He is raising up willing workers within the church who are ably taking responsibility in this ministry.

On Sunday, five of our Sunday School kids from 4 years old to 11 had a special part in the worship service as they quoted the books of the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi in front of the congregation. It was an encouragement to those listening to follow the example of these children and learn the books of the Bible. The Lord’s leading was evident as the Pastor’s message continued with the theme of the importance of children in the Bible. On Sunday afternoon, we had seven adults from church over for our Thanksgiving dinner. Each of them has family in the USA so they had a previous connection to this celebration. Although we missed our own families, the Lord gave us a precious time of fellowship with our family in Christ. Yes, we did feast on a very American Thanksgiving dinner with all of its trimmings, thanks to the many hours Cherith spent in the kitchen on Saturday while I was at the seminar.

Praise for:
- our Savior, our family, our friends, our home and our food.
- for the good group out and God’s blessing in leading the Tuesday Bible study.
- the ways God blessed the A.E.E. seminar on Saturday and the good participation.
- the five kids who got up Sunday and said the books of the O.T.

Pray for:
- continued growth of new believers.
- the good attendance in our services to continue.
- for those who took the A.E.E. seminar to be able to apply the things that they learned, and that God will bless the children’s ministries at our church.
- the Lord’s direction as we prepare for opportunities to speak in December.

Praise and Prayer for November 22, 2010

As the days seem to fly by, we are reminded that the coming of our Lord draws nearer and that the time we have to give to Him is limited. We recognize our own limitations and that we couldn’t handle more hours in a day (He knew best), but sometimes we just wish time wasn’t so fleeting. Thank you for praying for us this past week. Good progress was made on our reports and we’ve mostly recovered from the time we lost when we were sick. There are ongoing preparations for upcoming ministry opportunities, including Bible studies, the Christmas program, and speaking opportunities for both Cherith and me to minister in Cambodia when we are there over Christmas.

On Wednesday, we were invited to the home of one of the young ladies in our church. She had invited another young lady that is here as a student, and we enjoyed the good fellowship as well as a delicious genuine Japanese dinner – fill and wrap your own sushi with a dozen options for fillings. I accompanied Adrianna’s class to their gym session (the gym is at another school down the street) Thursday afternoon. That evening we had our second English Encounter. Attendance doubled and there were 8 present this time. One lady even brought a colleague from work who seemed to be attentive to the Bible study and indicated that she would be back next time. Cherith worked hard to prepare two beautiful picture collages to hang up at church, one on the Jesus Film outreach and one on the Ladies Outreach. On Sunday, we were happy to see that they were well-received and bringing encouragement to several people.

Praise for:
- good progress on reports this week, as well as the preparation of the picture collages for church.
- good attendance in church (both prayer meeting and Sunday service) and for a good choir practice.
- three more kids saying the books of the Old Testament this Sunday (including four year old Caleb).
- the opportunity the kids and I had to spoil Cherith as we celebrated her Birthday Saturday. I praise God for such a wonderful help meet in life and in ministry.

Pray for:
- me as I lead the Bible study Tuesday evening (on Thankfulness).
- the A.E.E. (Child Evangelism Fellowship) seminar all day Saturday with those who have signed up.
- the Lord’s direction as we prepare for opportunities to speak in December.

Praise and Prayer for November 15, 2010

Last week we asked for prayer as Cherith and I were beginning to feel ill. Little did we know at what force that bug would hit us! I was in bed with a fever, out of commission, from Tuesday morning through Friday and Cherith was down for two days. Praise the Lord for His strength as when Cherith could no longer work with the kids, I had enough strength to take over until she was back up again. Josiah began coughing this week and when we took him in, both Josiah and I were diagnosed with bronchitis, complicated with asthma. Our family doctor was happy to solve the mystery of where the boys’ asthmatic tendencies come from! Cherith is nearly over her bronchitis. Caleb showed signs of not hearing well and when we visited the doctor, he found an ear infection. One of the benefits of being out of commission is extra time to read. I was delighted to read a gem of a book that I’d brought back from CAR, nearly a century old: “In the Twinkle of an Eye”. You have probably already guessed that it has to do with the Lord’s return for His own. It was a thrilling way for me to spend the time when I could do little else. Now this week is catch-up week as we try to scrunch two weeks worth of work into one.

Even with bronchitis, Cherith was still able to put in a number of hours last week working on recording a CD with the choir songs we are working on for Christmas. She sang each voice part and recorded accompaniment. It is a big job, and I am so proud of the good job the Lord enabled her to do, despite her cough, etc! The CDs will be a useful tool for the members of the choir who do not read music to help in learning their voice parts at home.

Sunday was an exciting day as we watched another young woman follow the Lord in baptism. She is a university student from Chad, Africa.

After the service we enjoyed a fellowship dinner together with a number of people who were able to stay. That evening we had the Sango meeting with twelve of us in attendance. We spent some precious time together in prayer, which was an encouragement.

Praise for:
- the Lord’s enabling this week as well as His healing.
- strength the Lord gave Cherith to be able to accomplish the project of recording the voice parts for choir.
- the young woman who was baptized this past Sunday.
- those who came out for the Sango service.

Pray for:
- the second English Encounter we will be having on Nov. 18.
- preparations for the A.E.E. (Child Evangelism Fellowship) seminar on November 27 with special training for those in our Sunday School program.
- good progress this week on reports.
- Chuck Frost, an 89-year-old prayer warrior and faithful servant of God in OH who lost his wife and home in a house fire this week. He himself was very badly burned and remains in critical condition. After retirement, the Frosts invested their lives and their home for the mission work in the CAR.

Praise and Prayer for November 8, 2010

Choir practice Sunday morning


Sunday morning service

Thank you for praying for our very hectic weekend! The Lord answered prayer in so many ways for which we are thankful. Cherith and C. (one of the ladies from church) worked hard Saturday morning baking goodies for the Ladies Tea. Cherith continued working at the house while Adrianna, Caleb and I went to pick up to Aunt Margaret (Stauffacher) in the afternoon. Her visit, though short, was such a blessing to our whole family and we are so thankful the Lord enabled her to come. It was like having a visit from our own family in the USA. We made it home in time to get in on part of a surprise 25th Birthday party for a friend.

Decorating for the Ladies' Tea

Games


Sunday began early and by the time we fell into bed at the end of the day, we could only praise God for His guidance and for His provision of strength throughout the day. Choir practice went well with a good turnout a whole hour earlier than people are used to getting to church! The auditorium was nearly full for the morning service, and it was good to see some faces that haven’t been there in a while. I was very thankful for God’s help in preaching Sunday morning and for a good response from several people present. After the service, several of the men began helping the ladies who were working on transforming the auditorium into a beautifully decorated place to hold a Ladies Tea. Cherith was thankful for all the good help she had, and for the good spirit of joy in serving the Lord that was evident in the setup and in putting the auditorium back in order. There were 34 ladies and girls present for the meeting, including at least one lady that hadn’t been to church in many months. The theme was encouragement and Aunt Margaret’s challenge from God’s Word very apropos, warmly shared and sprinkled with personal experience. The craft that the ladies did was creating an encouragement card to take home to share with someone. Aunt Margaret, Cherith and Adrianna arrived home in the rain a little after 6 p.m, where Aunt Margaret’s daughter Jeanne and her family picked her up to take her home.

Praise for:
- strength and the Lord’s enabling this weekend for us and for Aunt Margaret Stauffacher.
- God’s blessing as Cherith coordinated the Ladies Tea and for all of the good help from other women and a few men too.
- the people that came out for Choir practice Sunday morning, and for the Lord’s help for me as I preached.


Pray for:
- good health for our family as some bug is working on Cherith and me.
- continued fruit from the Ladies’ Tea Sunday.
- the Lord to bless the baptism service Sunday and the testimony of a university student from Tchad, Africa.
- good progress this week on reports.

Praise and Prayer for November 5, 2010

This update has been pulling on us since Monday when something came up that kept me from getting it written. It has been a busy time and we have felt like we are clinging desperately to the protection bar on a roller coaster trying not to let go as it swoops and swerves around each turn. There is much going on this weekend for which we need prayer, so we do want to get this out, even if it is late. We met with a couple of the lead Sunday School teachers last Wednesday to begin handing over some of the responsibilities for scheduling. Cherith also met with the pastor’s wife and the wife of one of the deacons to plan out the details for the Ladies Tea coming up this Sunday. On Thursday we travelled four hours to Bergen Op Zoom, Holland where we enjoyed some good fellowship with John and Anna Kay Haskell (serving with BMM) and did some desperately needed clothing and shoe shopping for the kids.

Our Christmas choir began preparing on Sunday with a good number of people, though the man to women ratio was greatly in the women’s favor. On Tuesday we visited a good size (for here) Bible bookstore in Paris to check out their selection of Bibles for children and to visit with newlywed Mrs. Jennifer Dusseaucy (whose wedding we attended in Caen in September) at her place of work. The kids went back to school Wednesday after nearly a week and a half of vacation. That day, Cherith and another lady from church worked on gathering materials for the Ladies Tea. Last evening, we held our first English Encounter with four in attendance. Our next one is scheduled for November 18.

Tomorrow, I will be driving to Chauny to pick up Mrs. Margaret Stauffacher and bring her back to Reims where she will spend the night with us. She is the keynote speaker for the Ladies Tea Sunday afternoon. We are looking forward to a blessed time with “Aunt” Margaret. Pray that she will have the health and strength necessary to be able to come and minister to the ladies. There are nearly 40 that have signed up to come, mostly from our church and a few from the sister church in Laon. The choir will be practicing before the service this Sunday (and each week), so we hope that everyone will be able to make it to practice. Cherith has been working hard to record voice parts in some of her not so spare time! I will be preaching Sunday morning so would appreciate special prayer for clarity of thought and speech and that the Lord will use me to clearly present His Word. Cherith is responsible for many of the aspects for the Ladies meeting so is also in need of your prayers.

Praise for:
- good health and strength and for the Lord’s help with each of our responsibilities.
- the willingness and desire of several in the church to serve the Lord in new capacities, for the good number willing to sing in our Christmas choir.
- safe and profitable travelling to Holland and Paris.
- a good first English Encounter.
- God’s help for both Cherith and myself as we have prepared for ministries this Sunday.

Pray for:
- me as I preach on the Apostle Peter’s “Three keys to a successful Christian life” this Sunday morning.
- Mrs. Stauffacher, Cherith, and many others as they work together to honor the Lord and ENCOURAGE one another at the Ladies’ Tea.
- good attendance Sunday for choir practice, the church service and the Ladies’ Tea.