Praise and Prayer for August 28, 2009

If you had stopped by our apartment this week, you would have found it in disarray! We have been involved in a long overdo changing of the wallpaper in the children’s room. After putting off changing it these past two years, and watching it deteriorate further, we finally determined that before our new baby comes and fall schedules start up, now was the time to change it. This would give us nearly two years to enjoy the new before we leave the apartment in summer ’11. It’s a good thing we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into before we started or we probably would have put it off even longer. With our trusty home improvement manual at our side, we are nearly finished wading through the sometimes tedious steps to finish the project.


Cherith is feeling some better with the low blood pressure medication. She tires quickly and is trying to adjust to her limitations. We’re thankful for better health this week for Adrianna, though some of the symptoms are still present and she is tired. Jonathan’s Mom had her heart catheterization and is still waiting for adjustment to her medications. The doctors need wisdom to treat her pulmonary hypertension in a way that doesn’t cause harmful interference with her congestive heart failure treatment.

Praise for:
- better health for Cherith and Adrianna.
- contact we’ve had with neighbors this week.
- Central Africans around France desiring to meet to worship the Lord using the Sango language.

Pray for:
- the two women who will be baptized this Sunday.
- the all-church picnic this Sunday.
- health for Cherith and Baby, Adrianna and for Jonathan’s Mom.
- guidance as we make plans for an English outreach.

Praise and Prayer for August 21, 2009

We are so thankful for your prayers and for the Lord’s answers to prayer this week. An incident that occurred on our trip to the States in July almost left us stranded in Dusseldorf, Germany. The Lord intervened and we were thankfully allowed to board our flight to Newark, NJ just in time. This incident, however, caused us to ask relevant questions regarding our kids’ documentation for their French residency when we were in the office last week to pick up our own renewed papers. We were given new information this time, and a list of documents needed for the kids to receive their own papers. So Monday, we deposited the documents and fees applying for these papers for the kids and are now waiting for another summons. We’re thankful for the Lord’s intervention on our trip, and that now we are on the way to getting proper papers for the kids.

We took our turn teaching Sunday school this past Sunday, with eight in our combined class and five primaries in Elva’s class. One project this week was going through and inventorying Sunday school material for the next order. We’re thankful for each one that is helping with teaching and are looking to add a couple more volunteers to the teams this fall. We need wisdom and guidance as we seek to slowly turn over responsibilities for the Sunday school program. We’re also preparing to begin Sango services again, this time with weekly meetings. We received an email telling us of other Central Africans in others large cities in France that have heard of our Sango service and are interested in starting up a Sango service themselves. They were asking how they can get Bibles and hymnals in Sango. We would like to get extras of these on hand to meet those needs as well as our own!

Cherith had her 3rd trimester ultrasound Wednesday and we were so thankful for a good report for the Baby and to be able to schedule the birth (by C-section) for October 12. Cherith was given a medication for hypotension (low blood pressure) which we pray will cure some of the dizziness she is experiencing. We had 8 of Adrianna’s friends from school over yesterday to celebrate Adrianna’s Birthday and had good contact with the parents that stopped to visit. Adrianna came down with something, and passed the night with a fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Jonathan’s Mom had her last laser surgery on her leg on Wednesday and did well. She is now scheduled for a heart catheterization next Tuesday as the doctors seek to balance her treatment for pulmonary hypertension with the medication she is taking for her congestive heart failure. We are thankful for the good care she is getting, and for the opportunity to communicate with her by telephone and Skype.

Praise for:
- advancement in getting the kids their own official residency papers.
- a good group of children in Sunday School and for those helping in this ministry.
- Central Africans around France desiring to meet to worship the Lord using the Sango language.
- good contacts with kids and parents for Adrianna’s Birthday party.

Pray for:
- guidance in turning over responsibilities for the Sunday School program.
- us to be able to get more Sango Bibles and Sango hymnals on hand.
- health for Cherith and Baby, Adrianna and for Jonathan’s Mom.
- guidance as we make plans for an English outreach.

Praise and Prayer for August 12, 2009

We arrived home to Reims last week, exhausted, and have been recovering from the worst case of jet lag we have ever experienced. We are SO thankful for the care and blessings that the Lord provided over this past month. Along with safety in flying, He also provided safety in driving well over 2000 miles during our four weeks spent in the States. We are very grateful to all who helped us in many ways, shared their homes with us and provided us with so many delicious meals. The Lord blessed us with precious times with Jonathan’s Mother as she continues to undergo treatment related to her congestive heart failure. Since we spent some time in PA as well as in IN and MI, we were able to connect with more than 120 members of our extended families and our children were able to enjoy some special times with cousins and second cousins, some of whom they had never met. We were able to report in our two home churches and see a number of our support team. Adrianna and Caleb who had finished memorizing Psalm 1 and Psalm 23 willingly quoted them many times, including for the two churches we spoke in. We learned yesterday that Caleb’s example has been an inspiration for memorizing Scripture to the Cambodian children Cherith’s parents are ministering to! Adrianna and Caleb enjoyed attending English Sunday school and Junior Church and reconnecting with their friends. While we were home we were able to pick up materials for our Sango outreach ministry, Scrapbooking outreach as well as an English outreach.

Cherith is slowly regaining strength after the busy month and tiring trip. We were so thankful for a good progress report on our coming Baby last Friday. Yesterday we received the encouraging notice that our residency permits are in and ready to be picked up. We appreciate your prayers as we take care of administrative and correspondence responsibilities that have fallen behind, as well as prepare for ministries beginning in September (Sango service, English outreach, church choir). We rejoice to discover the Sunday school program that we set up before we left has been well executed and that there have been teachers and children each week.

Praise for:
- the good participation at the Sunday School picnic in July before we left.
- the safety and blessings that God gave us as we travelled to and from the US and had such an encouraging time together with family and friends.
- the renewal of our residency permits.

Pray for:
- Jonathan’s Mom as she undergoes Endovenous Laser Therapy on three veins in her legs this month to help her legs heal and alleviate heart stress.
- guidance and wisdom as we catch up and prepare for Fall ministries.
- the Lord to fill our hearts with His grace, joy and comfort and to make us fruitful in our service for Him.