Praise and Prayer for April 26, 2011

We are so thankful for God’s goodness to us over these past couple weeks.  Since our last update, so much has happened to remind us of God’s faithfulness and kindness to us.  There were 9 at our last English Encounter for the film “Facing the Giants” and there were some good discussions.  Several of our friends accepted a small homemade gift and booklet as an expression of love as we prepared to celebrate Resurrection day.  God brought Pastor and Mrs. Roger Rosenau safely to us from northeast Pennsylvania, and blessed their ministry both in our church here (preaching and special music) and in our team Bible conference (preaching, ladies’ workshop, encouragement, music and fellowship).  Our children were blessed to have other children their ages to play with and a special program just for kids, directed by two of the couples.  God protected each one over many miles travelled.  During the time the Rosenaus were with us, God’s grace was evident as I drove nearly 1,500 miles, most of them in a rented van.  Although we returned home exhausted, the conference was a tremendous blessing to us spiritually as well as emotionally. 

There was a good group in church Sunday for the special Resurrection Day service, and the children, the choir and the Sango group were well-represented as they shared verses and songs along with several other groups and individuals.  We were able to keep up with news of my Mom (Betty Teachout) even when we were away from home last week.  She has now begun dialysis treatments for kidney failure, and is home again recuperating after over a week in the hospital.

Praise for:

- the Rosenaus’ ministry and time with us.

- safety in traveling many miles, and for an excellent conference.

- special opportunities to share with others the reason for the hope that is ours because Christ IS risen from the dead!

- a number of visitors in church for the special Resurrection Day brunch and service.

- good health and sufficient strength over the busy tiring days and for beautiful weather every single day!

- our son Caleb who celebrated his fifth Birthday Monday, for his life and spiritual growth.

- God’s provision for our needs despite the beating the American dollar has taken.  The funds we receive continue to shrink as the exchange rate has reached its lowest since September 2009.

Pray for:

- protection and strength for the Rosenaus as they visit family in Holland before flying back home Wednesday to a busy schedule awaiting.

- the busy week before us, including the kids being home for their second week of Spring break.

- Jonathan as he prepares to preach in the French service this Sunday morning.

- the Good News of Easter that has been heard or read to be accepted and that lives would be transformed.

- God’s continued provision for our needs with the currently very poor exchange rate.

Praise and Prayer for April 11, 2011

Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated during these full days. Preparing and planning for our team conference next week is one of our focuses. This includes planning for the song services, preparing our annual report, baking conference goodies, and preparing to welcome and host our special speaker, Pastor and Mrs. Roger Rosenau, as they arrive from northeast PA where they minister in our sending church.

Individuals and groups from church are preparing for their involvement in our Resurrection Day celebration in two weeks. Our involvement is through choir practice before service Sunday morning (left), memory verses and songs with the children, a special number in Sango with our group of Central Africans from our Sango outreach and working with our children to prepare a song in English and French. We were thankful for good attendance in the morning service and in the Sango service, with a record 27 in attendance.

There were four at our English Encounter for the first time this past Thursday. God blessed our time together, and there was some good discussion during the Bible study. Two of the foreign students indicated that this was the first time that they had been able to comprehend the study of the Bible since they arrived in France. One was French and has thus far not been to our church. This Thursday we will be having a special EE with a showing of the film “Facing the Giants”.

With our conference beginning next Monday, we will not be able to update our blog next week. Thank you for praying.

Praise for:

- a good EE with good attendance, and for this opportunity to study the Bible with Christians and others who are interested.

- the good Sango Outreach Sunday evening with 27 present.

- the Lord’s help for Jonathan leading the prayer meeting and preaching Sunday evening.

- S and her family being back in church Sunday and their testimony of God’s sustenance through this difficult time.

- the children’s progress in verse memorization – only four weeks left to quote verses before the contest is over.

- the improvement in Jonathan’s Mom’s kidneys, and that she has not needed to be hospitalized.

Pray for:

- the visitors that have come to services and to the English Encounter.

- the special EE this Thursday, and that God would use this outreach to draw people to Himself.

- preparations for our team conference and for Pastor and Mrs. Rosenau as they begin their trip to France on Thursday. Pray for their ministry Sunday in our church here, then next week in our conference.

- preparations and then for our Resurrection Day celebration and outreach on April 24.

- good health for each of us.

- Jonathan’s mother, that her kidneys would continue to improve.

Praise and Prayer for April 4, 2011

We had the privilege Sunday afternoon (our time) to take part via Skype in the missions conference of a supporting church that has been a part of my family’s ministry since my Dad did an internship there after seminary. It was such an encouragement to see the church family waving and know that we are being prayed for.

The Lord blessed the week of having the Institute students and director with us. They returned to Algrange Friday evening after a full week. We had the director with us (“Tonton” Visser, as the kids call him) and enjoyed the fellowship and insights that he shared with us. The kids enjoyed the time they had with him too, including the walk to school each morning. We thank the Lord for the example of each member of the team, for their testimonies, and for the encouragement that they were to our church. Among the various projects that they got involved in, they made contact with a number of people downtown Reims on Thursday afternoon. A few people indicated that they were interested in receiving a Bible and knowing more about the Lord. We pray they will respond to the invitation to come to church to learn more.

The group had their supper meal with us two of the evenings, Monday and Thursday. We also had meal guests Friday and Saturday evenings, and an overnight guest Saturday night.

So after the blessing and bustle of a week with company every day, life is returning to a little bit slower pace this week. There were some visitors in church Sunday morning, including a foreign student, first-time visitor. He was interested in our English Encounter and a Bible study in English, a language he is more comfortable with then French. In our Sango service Sunday evening, we were 18, including one new person.

On Saturday, we learned that my Mom (Betty Teachout) is experiencing some trouble with her kidneys. Already being treated for congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, her kidneys have been weakened and unless they start functioning well again, she may need to be hospitalized as they try to stabilize her and determine what treatment she would need. We pray that dialysis will not be necessary. We are thankful for the phone contact we are able to have with Mother, and for the knowledge that God is in control. However, being over 4000 miles away (as the crow flies) is not easy.

Praise for:

- the many blessings this week with the Institute students and the director here.

- good attendance this week for prayer meeting Tuesday evening, for Sunday morning and for the Sango service Sunday evening.

- the special ladies meeting held Thursday night with 15 present, led by two of the students from the Institute.

- the contacts that were made in the various outreaches , for those who heard the Good News of salvation through Christ for the first time.

- God’s enablement and blessing through the week with all of the entertaining.

- the encouraging visit with a supporting church over Skype Sunday.

Pray for:

- S and her family after the loss of their baby.

- responses to the outreaches last week, that God would work in hearts.

- the EE on Thursday evening, for good attendance, as well as for guidance and blessing for us as we lead.

- another Sango service this coming Sunday.

- preparations for the Easter service.

- Jonathan’s mother, that her kidneys would begin to function well again.

- plans for our team conference April 18 to 21, and for our conference speaker, Pastor and Mrs. Roger Rosenau (from our sending church), as they prepare for their trip and ministry.