Praise and Prayer June 12, 2012

God is at work in France!  We are also aware of the evil one’s desire to keep people from Christ and are reminded of the vital importance of God’s people praying for this work.  The Musical Missions Team from BJU was a great blessing as they ministered in various ways, including full concerts in two sister churches here in Bordeaux, impromptu mini-concerts at tramway stops and handing out Gospel tracts and invitations to the concerts in downtown Bordeaux.  

Our family enjoyed having three of the team members stay with us, a special delight to our children.  One of our neighbors had told us that they planned to attend one of the concerts and we prayed that there would be no obstacles.  However, as we drove toward the concert on Saturday afternoon, we hit nearly stopped traffic along Bordeaux’s outer highway ring.  The traffic filed down to one lane over the huge bridge over the Aquitaine River where we saw the accident that caused the backup.  The cell phone rang as we pulled up to the church.  Our neighbors en route with their 5-year-old granddaughter were several miles back in the stopped traffic and had decided to turn around.  While disappointed that they were unable to attend, we were encouraged to know that our God is in control, and that even this accident did not take Him by surprise.  We could see that our neighbors were certainly willing to attend and would have if it were possible.  Other neighbors and our landlord also indicated interest though they already had other plans.  We continue to pray for other opportunities.  The Team’s ministry did bear fruit and we know of at least one decision for salvation that was made at one of the concerts. 

The Lord has sent us special help and encouragement this past week through this year’s FOFer, Esther S.  FOF stands for Focus On France, and is a program that has been set up for College students (and others perhaps too) to come and experience missions first-hand as they spend time with various servants in this country.  She is with us for several days now before she leaves on the TGV train Wednesday for Algrange to visit the Bible Institute ministry there.  Her servant’s heart has been a blessing to our family, as she gets involved in various areas of our life and ministry.  Last week she helped us organize several boxes of Sunday school resources at the church, sort and classify flannelgraph, prepare several songs on poster board for Sunday School (all of our others in Reims were left for the church there and its Sunday School program).  On Saturday, Esther helped Cherith prepare some desserts for our Sunday picnic with the Corenthin family and the family of a visiting pastor.  

Between prayer meeting Friday evening and the Sunday services, she met and encouraged many of our people.  She shared her testimony in church Sunday morning and helped Cherith with Children’s church.  She has been a huge help with the children and they have enjoyed every minute she has had to spend with them.  Yesterday, Cherith and I were able to make a couple trips to the local government office regarding our residency papers, while Esther watched the kids at home.  Last night we took her up on her offer to babysit the children so we could go out on a long overdue date, the first one in six months!  What a special blessing that was to us. 

Praise for:

- God’s blessings of the Musical Missions Team’s ministry in Bordeaux and for all of those who heard the Gospel clearly through their ministry.  Praise for at least one man’s salvation!

- God’s help for our full weekends of preaching and teaching in the absence of Pastor Christian, and for his ministry in Algrange for graduation and in a church nearby that Sunday morning.

- a visitor in church Sunday morning who had attended the church’s children’s program as a child years ago.

- the opportunity to attend the monthly English service at the church in Pessac, another suburb of Bordeaux, and to fellowship with other believers.  We were all challenged by the message on forgiveness that was shared by a Pastor from the USA who is here visiting a family whom their church helps to support.

- the help and encouragement that Esther has been to us and to many others in France this month.

- our celebrating eleven adventurous years of marriage with God’s marvelous blessings and faithful care.

Pray for:

- the visitor last Sunday to return this next Sunday and that God will work in his life.  Pray too for the mother and 6-year-old child that came for several weeks to come back to church this Sunday.

- the spiritual growth of the man who accepted Christ at the concert by the BJU Team.  Pray for the Musical Missions Team as they continue their very full travel/concert schedule around France, Switzerland, Germany, and Czech Republic.

- Esther’s train trip to and from Algrange and for her ministry there.

- continued opportunities to reach out to our neighbors.

- the renewal of our residency papers and for the installation of a telephone line.

- Jonathan’s hernia surgery June 22.

Praise and Prayer May 24, 2012

We are thankful for the Lord’s help as the weeks are full and seem to go by so quickly.  His provision of health and strength to meet opportunities of service and challenges of life are evident and we are thankful to Him and to you who pray for us.  I will try to summarize (never my strong point!) here some of what we have been involved in here and how God is working.

A couple Sundays ago, Cherith, Adrianna and I all shared our testimonies to join the church for the time the Lord has for us here.  Several other visitors have come through the church doors and a few have even returned several times.  Among them is a young lady of Central African origin who has come with her six-year-old son several times.  She has many questions and is hungry for spiritual truth.  Her son along with another 2-year-old child, have been a welcome addition in Junior Church.  As the attendance of children between 2 and 11 grows, our request that the Lord will provide more help for Junior Church becomes more urgent.  As the only teachers at this time, we take turns teaching unless I am involved in teaching or preaching downstairs with the adults.  In those cases, Cherith takes my turn upstairs. 

We are enjoying serving the Lord alongside Pastor Christian and his wife in the downtown church.  This weekend their family will be attending an annual retreat a couple hours away, so I will lead the Bible study and preach in the service.  The following week, Christian will be travelling by train to Algrange for the graduation ceremonies at the Bible Institute there.  He will be speaking at graduation.  Although we would love to be there for graduation this year (it will be the first one we will miss since we arrived in France five years ago), it is crucial that Christian be there to speak, especially as one of the graduates is from the church here.  Our presence here makes it possible for him to be there. 

Praise for:

- the visitors that have returned and for new children in Sunday School.

- opportunities to serve God in the church here as well as in the Merignac Bible study.

- the arrival this weekend of the Musical Mission Team from Bob Jones University for the European concert tour, and for the two concerts that they will be giving in two of our Bordeaux churches. 

- God’s provision of a small minivan with 7 seats.  We were able to purchase the vehicle outright with funds we had set aside from the sale of our last furlough vehicle in 2006 and funds that we have been setting aside over the past five years.

- the safe arrival in Cambodia of Cherith’s parents and Aunt Sue.

- the good progress the children have made in school, and for grace to keep up with the demanding school schedule along with ministry.

Pray for:

- the two concerts this weekend and that the Lord will bring out a good number of the folks that have been invited, including some of our neighbors.

- our family to be a blessing to the three of the BJU group that we will be hosting this weekend.  They are our first overnight guests in our new home.

- our full ministry these next two weekends as Pastor Christian will be away, for guidance, for adequate prep time despite an active, energetic household and for receptive hearts to the Word of God.

- God’s help for Adrianna and Caleb as it has been particularly hard for them to be far from their friends in Reims and family. 

- Jonathan as he will be having hernia surgery June 22.

Praise and Prayer May 1, 2012

God has sent sunshine to Bordeaux for which we are very thankful after more than three weeks of daily showers.  Spring flowers are everywhere and in our yard, grass planted in February lengthens and thickens needing a lawn mower before it gets permanently out of control. 

The Lord answered prayer in a very special way concerning our France field conference.  On Sunday before conference, Cherith felt like she was coming down with something.  By that afternoon and night, she was having full-blown flu symptoms with fever and aches over every inch of her body.  Monday morning she still felt weak, but felt like we could make the six hour trip that afternoon.  About half way there, her achiness was bad enough that I began to wonder if we weren’t going to have to turn around and head home.  In the meantime, teammates who knew, and Facebook friends were praying.  By the time we pulled into the conference center in Le Puy en Velay around 9:30 p.m., Cherith was feeling very noticeably better.  Her strength was increasing and the ache was gone!  She was able to participate and enjoy the conference through the end, and all we missed was the first evening supper and service.

We had a surprise phone call from the pastor’s wife at our church in downtown Bordeaux.  Pastor Christian had thought that he was going to be well enough to be in church for the Bible study and preaching Sunday morning, but was forced back to bed with a bad migraine and weakness.  The deacon would cover for Sunday school but would I be able to fill in for the message?  I had just enough time to pull the notes for a message I had preached before and skim through them before we left for church.  Seeing a few visitors in the service, we learned that two of them were university students who were doing research for a class assignment as they studied different religions.  As they took careful notes of every detail of the service in this “Evangelical Baptist” church, I prayed for help in preaching.  After the service, I had an opportunity to talk with several there, including the two students who posed a number of questions both on the message as well as on a number of doctrines that churches like ours teach.  It was a joy to share with them from the Bible, in response to their own questions, though their main motivation had been research for a class.  They were welcomed warmly, invited to return, and given our contact information.  May the Lord work in their hearts as they work through the things they heard.

Praise for:

- the university students in church Sunday as well as a friend of one of the members who came with her to church for the first time.

- good health the Lord gave to be able to attend the France field conference, and for very good meetings and fellowship with our team mates and with our speaker and his wife.  The children enjoyed their sessions with their teacher and the two other children their age, as well as seeing their friends from across France.

- God’s goodness and work in Caleb’s life as he celebrated 6 years on April 25, also the anniversary of our arrival in France for ministry in 2007. 

- the opportunity to see one of the families that were in the church in Reims for our first couple of years there, as they were in Bordeaux visiting family and were able to come over for a visit Monday afternoon.

Pray for:

- God to work in the hearts of the visitors who heard the Gospel clearly on Sunday.

- health and strength for each of us.

- wisdom and guidance as we seek to organize and implement the Sunday school/Junior church program at church, and that the Lord would provide helpers to disciple.

- our telephone landline to be connected soon.

- God’s provision for our regular support needs, as well as one time expenses like a lawn mower which we are now needing for the first time.  We are also praying for a table and chairs for the patio where we could entertain guests once the weather warms up.

- our residency cards to be delivered soon.

- Cherith’s Mom and her Aunt Sue Meerman as they travel to Cambodia, visiting a couple of Cherith’s siblings along the way.

Praise and Prayer for April 16, 2012

God blessed the Resurrection Day celebration at church as a good group of people gathered for the services and the fellowship dinner.  There were seven children in junior church and at least 35 that stayed for the dinner and afternoon service.  I had been asked to speak in the afternoon service, but as the time went by I began to be concerned that if we didn’t start the service, people would begin to leave.  However, it seemed as though everyone was content to be with their family in Christ and I didn’t see anyone leave before we began the afternoon service.  For our family too, so far from our own families and friends back home (in MI, PA and Reims), the Lord surrounded us with a loving church family with which to celebrate this special day.  I shared some of the facts that are true for us today because Christ is risen from the dead.

As a family of five with three children, doing laundry is a regular part of most days around here.  Last week the washing machine that we had bought used from a friend in 2007 died in the middle of a cycle.  After researching washing machines for a replacement, we purchased a new machine that should be delivered this Friday.  The growing pile of laundry has necessitated two trips to the Laundromat thus far, reminding us through the time and money spent why a washing machine is such a blessing and help to us.  On one of those trips, Adrianna came along and we were able to do her Science lesson while we waited for the laundry.

Praise for:

- God’s blessings for our Easter celebration at church, including a lovely presentation by our small group as they shared the message of Easter through song.  We were encouraged by testimonies last Sunday of how God had blessed others through the Easter services.

- the good opportunity that Cherith had to visit with one of our neighbors as they went to the town market on Saturday morning together.

- healing for several of us who have fought a bug, especially Caleb who has had a fever and an infection in his eye. 

- a time of fellowship and encouragement with our teammates on Easter Monday as we shared a meal together at the Bixbys’ house.

Pray for:

- several visitors to the church downtown to return, and that the church would see growth.

- guidance in our involvement at the church and as we work with the Sunday school program.

- a sister committed not to work on the Lord’s day who is now (after several years with the same employment) being threatened with the loss of her job if she will not work Sundays.

- Cherith’s Grandma Hovingh who was hospitalized Friday evening in Grand Rapids, MI for stroke-like symptoms.  Pray too for Cherith’s Dad (Hubert Broeckert) as he leaves Wednesday for Cambodia and for her Mom as she follows April 25.

- the Lord’s provision for our support needs, and for unexpected expenses like a new washing machine this week.
- traveling mercies for us and each of the others attending our France field conference this next week (April 23-26), and for the Lord to bless in the Bible-hour sessions with our speaker as well as in the business meetings.

Praise and Prayer for April 4, 2012

The dust is beginning to settle around here as we adjust to our new surroundings and get more involved in the ministries.  There are quite a number of boxes of books to unpack and there has not been time to organize the office yet, but we are enjoying the organization that has come to other areas in our house and lives.  We were very surprised when our new sofa arrived at the house in umpteen pieces waiting for us to put it together (thanks to IKEA’s we make it, you assemble it furniture!).

The Lord has continued to give us good contacts with neighbors.  Last Friday, one neighbor took me to meet another couple down the street who had honey to sell.  They kindly invited us in for a visit and were interested in what we are doing here.  The children who have been working hard on school enjoyed an annual Carnaval parade in downtown Saint Medard en Jalles where we saw many other families taking part in the festivities.  On Saturday, our family worked together to plant flowers in window boxes and in the back yard. 

God is blessing the work at the church downtown.  On Friday evening, there was a special speaker for prayer meeting.  Audrey, a senior at the Bible Institute in Algrange who is from this church, shared her heart as she presented the mission work in Congo (DRC) that she and her soon-to-be husband will be involved in.  

Our family took the bus and tramway to get to church to avoid driving in traffic and it still took 2.5 hours total to get to and from church.  Sunday, I preached in the morning service on the errors Pilate made in his response to Jesus.  There were two visitors in attendance.  This Sunday there will be a special Easter service followed by a fellowship dinner.   

 
Praise for:

- continued progress in settling in to our new home and ministries.

- the opportunity to have our teammates over for dinner (our first guests) and a time of prayer.

- the opportunity I had to lead the Bible study in Merignac this evening and for the 8 people present. 

- God’s help as we learn the best ways of transportation to get around this large, busy city.  Praise for God’s protection.

- the Easter cards we sent out today to a number of our friends.

Pray for:

- the Easter program and fellowship dinner this Sunday.  Pray for a small group of us that have been practicing a special number to share.

- hearts to be touched with the message of Easter.

- continued contacts and the building of relationships that the Lord can use.

- the preparations for our France team conference (April 23-26) and for our speaker coming from Germany this year.

Praise and Prayer for March 15, 2012

Several weeks have passed since our last update and we need to share with you how God has been working and answering prayer.  We are so thankful for your prayers for us and know that God has been responding to those prayers!  As we continue to settle into our new home and ministry, we trust that more frequent updates will again be possible.

Our trips in February from Reims to Bordeaux, and also to Malta for the enrichment conference, were fairly smooth and without complication.  Even as we experienced some sickness, we could see the Lord’s hand.  As the stomach flu went around in both cities, we fretted about time we couldn’t afford to lose if we caught it as we raced to care for details and packing related to our move.  When I did catch it, it was after we had been given the keys to our new house while we were waiting at the Christys to leave for Malta a couple of days later.  With nothing to pack, I was able to recuperate restfully and was ready to go by the time our flight left.  

The Lord blessed our time at the conference as we enjoyed the messages and the sessions with the special speakers and the fellowship of many others ministering around Europe.  The ministry of four young women who volunteered to come and work with the children was a special blessing to our children.  All three of our kids also enjoyed their new friends from all across Europe.

Saying goodbye to our church family and friends in the neighborhood was difficult and there were tears.  Several members of the church family came by to help with cleaning and moving things and we enjoyed the precious fellowship of these brothers and sisters in Christ.  A few neighbors also came by to say goodbye and express sorrow at our departure.  We pray we will be able to maintain contact and continue to share God’s love with them and that they will respond to it.  Although leaving Reims was hard, the Lord has given us a warm welcome into our new neighborhood and ministry.  A city of nearly 28,000, Saint Medard en Jalles is a fairly calm town just a few minutes west of the bustling city of Bordeaux.  We have had a warm welcome by neighbors on all sides.  Administratively, we have been working through the myriad of details necessitated by a change in residency in France.  Among other things, we are still waiting for a telephone line to be installed to the house.  For now, email and Internet connection is at the local golden arches and through the cell phone hotspot.  The containers and cartons are beginning to clear out as things are unpacked and organized into our new though small house.  The Lord provided through our landlord a little shed in our yard that has proved to be exactly the size we needed to store the things as we work our way through them.  We continue to be amazed with God’s attention to details.

It has been a joy to begin to work with our new teammates in both the work in Merignac as well as the work in downtown Bordeaux.  We are thankful for the quality people that God has given us to work with, and for the people that He has sent us to minister to.  There is much to do and workers are greatly needed.

 

  Praise for:

- God’s protection in travelling and in our move, and for His help as we settle into our new home and ministry.

- the refreshment and blessing we enjoyed (and needed) in the middle of our move as we attended the conference in Malta.

- good contacts as we left Reims as well as in our new neighborhood. 

- opportunities God is giving us to minister in Merignac and Bordeaux.

- the good progress in taking care of administrative details relating to our move.

- the health and strength that God has given.  Praise that the tests Cherith underwent this past weekend in an ER in Bordeaux showed her heart to be very healthy (symptoms were likely caused by a pulled muscle and stress).

- an increase in our support level bringing our support level to around 86%.  Praise for our home church and for two individuals who have begun to support us.

Pray for:

- the building of good relationships with our neighbors and with those we are ministering to.

- the Bible study and outreach in Merignac, held every two weeks.  Pray for wisdom for our outreach and that those who have received tracts will read them and allow God to work in their hearts.

- the church in downtown Bordeaux where we are also helping out in several areas.  Pray for some families with children to start to attend.

- the remaining details for our settling in, including a phone line to be installed and the transfer of our residency permit file from Reims to Bordeaux.

Praise and Prayer for February 8, 2012

Praise the Lord for leading us to a house in Saint Medard en Jalles, a small town outside the busy city of Bordeaux located just a few minutes from Merignac.  After visiting several more houses, we called the owner of this house to let him know that we were interested.  We knew very well that he could also turn us down so were relieved to learn Thursday that he was happy to rent to us.  Later we learned that he had called our current landlord in Reims and been given a very positive overview of our nearly 5 years as tenants here in Reims.  We are so thankful to the Lord for opening this door and pray our presence in the new neighborhood will bring glory to Him.

We drove home Friday after signing the contract with the new landlord.  The Lord gave us a good trip with beautiful weather for travel – all the way up until we entered Reims at about 8 p.m. under falling snow and slippery roads.  There are many details to care for this week before we return to Bordeaux Friday.  We are trying to arrange our move for around February 23.  We appreciate your prayers as we work under pressure these days and try not to forget important details.  These include getting estimates from moving companies, making arrangements with consignment shops here in Reims to take large furniture that we won’t be moving, ordering a telephone line at the new house, contacting utility and insurance companies to stop service in our current apartment and begin service at the new house, disconnecting and packing all light fixtures, etc.  On Friday, we return to Bordeaux and on Saturday we will go through the new house and receive the keys.  In the middle of the move, we will be attending the EEC (European Enrichment Conference) with our mission in Malta February 13 to 17.  We trust the Lord will minister to each of our hearts through the messages and seminars as well as the fellowship that we will enjoy.

Praise for:

- the small house that the Lord has given us near Merignac.

- safety in traveling, for dry roads, and for a warm apartment with the freezing temperatures outside (between 15 and 25F).

- well-attended services on Sunday here in Reims, including 20 at the Sango service.

- our car starting again after a scare this weekend.  The motor was immobilized Sunday night after I dropped off a family and I had to walk home.  After replacing the battery in the remote control key, the motor was unlocked.

- continued contacts and opportunities to witness here in Reims.

Pray for:

- wisdom and guidance through all of these moving details.

- for continued health and strength for these challenging days, for Adrianna and Caleb as they do school.

- God’s protection with all of this travel (by car and by air).

- for the enrichment conference in Malta next week.

- God to use the time we spend with church members here in Reims before our move.

- God’s provision for our needs.  We have a number of exceptional expenses related to our move.