Praise and Prayer for February 27, 2009

This week has been challenging for us with our health. Adrianna caught the stomach flu on Saturday and though Caleb is pretty much all better, Adrianna is still weak and having some stomach trouble. Jonathan also came down with something that has put him out of commission for the last couple days. Although we had to cancel our trip to Algrange on Wednesday, we were able to send the accompaniment and voice parts on CD so that the students will hopefully still get some good practice in before next Wednesday.

Our teammates, the Farrells, leave for the US tomorrow for a month with their family, including a brand new grandson. Along with the Sango service, Jonathan will also be taking turns with Emmanuel for preaching and leading the French Bible Studies this month. This week we sent the Sango Hymnal back to the printer for final printing. We also sent out a special mailing to those who’ve been at the Sango service.

Praise for:
- the Lord’s help and healing from sickness and that thus far Cherith hasn’t caught the “bug”.
- the Singspiration service which was well-attended and an excellent encouragement to many.
- an opportunity for the Farrells to spend some time with family.

Pray for:
- good health to return to our household.
- Jonathan’s preparation for Bible studies and messages.
- good attendance at the Sango and French services this Sunday and for decisions that need to be made.
- a time of refreshment for the Farrells while they are away this month.
- the Lord’s provision of work for the Fischers.

Praise and Prayer for February 20, 2009

We appreciate so much your prayers. This week we need prayer for good health for each one of us. Yesterday, Caleb came down with some kind of bug and during the night he awoke with a high fever and vomiting. The Bible Institute was off this week, but is back next week. Cherith recorded accompaniment and voice parts for the songs that Institute groups are learning. The corrections to the Sango hymnal blues are finished. Jonathan has a helper for his SS class this Sunday who will be teaching the class for the first time with coaching.

Emmanuel and Sylvie moved to Reims after Emmanuel’s graduation from the Bible Institute, in response to the church inviting him to do a one and a half year pastoral internship here. Along with giving Emmanuel local church ministry experiences, a further goal in having them here for this period is to give them and the church time to determine the Lord’s will concerning calling them as their first national pastor. Pray for a fruitful internship that brings glory to God and for guidance for each step. They are experiencing special needs at this time since Sylvie lost her job in January. Pray that the church would be a help and encouragement to them at this time and that they will see God’s provision for work.

Praise for:
- the progress for the Sango Hymnal.
- the Fischers’ presence and ministry here in Reims.
- Mom Teachout qualifying for a type of oxygen that is breath activated.

Pray for:
- Salvation for P.W. and for several who are attending church who have not made decisions yet.
- Jonathan as he studies and prepares for several French and Sango messages and Bible studies coming up.
- a special Singspiration service that will take place at church on Saturday with participation from several sister churches in northern France.
- healing for Caleb and for the rest of us not to catch this “bug”.

Praise and Prayer for February 13, 2009

Last Friday, we received the “blues” for the Sango hymnal, Bia ti Sepala Nzapa, from the printer in MI. Pray for Jonathan, as he needs time to carefully go through each of these pre-print pages to approve them for the final printing. There are many people in the CAR who are eagerly awaiting this new edition. We put up a wall mural last weekend in Cherith’s SS classroom with the children’s cutout silhouettes and pictures. The children love it! In the SS lesson last week, Adrianna’s class learned that even the wind obeyed Jesus’ word. This week there was a windstorm that affected all of northern France. There was a tree down in the road where we were traveling, and we had to wait for the road crew to remove it. Praise the Lord for His protection of His people and for the reminder of God’s power.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Adrianna and Caleb helped us cut out heart shaped cookies and then decorate them. This morning Adrianna took them to school to share with her teachers and classmates. One neighbor has shared with us of a nephew who is receiving medical care, but whose suffering has caused great concern to his parents and to her. She expressed appreciation for our prayers for each of them. Pray for the continued contact and relationships we build with Adrianna’s teachers, fellow parents, and with neighbors.

Praise for:
- opportunities to share with the people around us here.
- three individuals that have offered to help teach Cherith’s SS class.

Pray for:
- a solution to our drivers license situation. We should be able to receive French licenses, but Jonathan was told Friday that we do not qualify. However, our US licenses are technically valid only one year.
- Sunday’s ministries: choir will be singing, S.S. classes continue and Jonathan will be preaching in the Sango Service in the afternoon.
- Mom Teachout’s health as she continues to undergo tests and is now having complications with nose bleeds.
- Cherith’s piano student who desires prayer for an unspoken request.

Praise and Prayer for February 6, 2009

The Lord directed our conversations this week with P. many times to spiritual matters and she was genuinely interested in learning more about what the Bible teaches about salvation. She attended services on Sunday including our Sunday school class. Attendance was low for choir practice, but we had a productive practice. There were 16 out for the Sango service, including a young man who has not been there in a long time. We watched the first section of “The Hope” together. We had a copy of this film in Chinese which P. accepted with interest. We had a good trip to Algrange for our ministries with the students on Wednesday. Some of the students need to take their studies more seriously.

We were rather shocked last weekend by news from Jonathan’s mother, Betty Teachout, after an appointment Wednesday with a lung specialist. She’d been having trouble with breathing for some time and was finally referred to the specialist. He has prescribed several tests which began this week. Due to the difficulty in breathing, she has been put on continual supplementary oxygen. The doctor indicates that this could be permanent, which could make some pretty drastic lifestyle changes necessary, involving living arrangements and possibly excluding a visit to us in France this year.

Praise for:
- a good visit with P. with many opportunities to share Christ with her.
- two individuals that have offered to help with Cherith’s SS class.
- good attendance Sunday in SS, church and the Sango service.

Pray for:
- Salvation for P. and for others that need to make decisions for Christ.
- Mom Teachout’s health and for direction in decisions to be made. Pray for us too, so far away at this difficult time.
- our students at the Institute to be diligent in their studies and that we professors will have wisdom as we teach and mentor.
- wisdom in prioritizing as we evaluate and plan ministries. We continue to seek guidance for our ministry after this term in France.
- the Lord to bring our support level up from 80%.