Praise and Prayer August 29 2012

Summer is grinding to a halt and the “Rentrée” (pronounced “rawntray”, meaning the return to school) begins this next week with elementary and secondary schools starting classes.  Attendance is picking up again at church as folks return after summer travels.  There were a number of visitors in church on Sunday including a family with 3 children.  It was great to have 8 children in our Junior Church! 

We had our second English Encounter outreach Sunday afternoon.  Although I was hoping for more present we were happy to have 9 present including a lady who had not been present for the first one, besides several children who did not participate.  Everyone was encouraged to invite others to come next time and left with new invitations.

Praise for:

- the way God is blessing the adult Bible study Sunday mornings as Jonathan teaches through the attributes of God. 

- the family with 3 children that was in church Sunday and the return of two other children that have not been coming.  Praise for attentiveness in Junior Church.

- our second English Encounter last Sunday.

- a working landline telephone as of last Thursday!

- the Lord helping us as Adrianna and I met the local Inspector of education last week for him to evaluate our last year of homeschooling.  Other than needing a little help with French vocabulary and fluency, he seemed pleased overall with the curriculum (BJU Press) and with Adrianna’s level.

Pray for:

- those travelling and returning after summer vacation, and for attendance to continue to be good.  Pray that the family and the other two children will return next Sunday.

- good contacts this month concerning the English Encounter and that God will bless and grow this effort for His glory.

- our teammates, the Christys, as Sylvia and Jana return this week from the USA in time for the Rentrée.  Pray for Ed as meetings continue until his scheduled return September 26.

- Mr. and Mrs. C. and for the Lord to bless our time of helping and sharing with them.

- our 10-year residency cards to be approved and granted soon.

Praise and Prayer August 22, 2012

After six months of waiting, we finally have Internet service at the house and the landline telephone should soon be activated.  When we moved here we never imagined it would take this long to get hooked up.  The Lord helped us through this time by providing cell phone service, including limited Internet through which we have been able to keep up with email and this blog. 

Summertime usually brings transition at church, both activity-wise and through arrivals and departures.  We have been blessed to have a number of Hispanic young people attending church during the past year, from Central and South America.  There was a special fellowship dinner on August 12 as a farewell to one of the young ladies who was returning home after a year of working and studying in France.  P. will be missed by all as she had attended and participated in the services faithfully.  Adrianna and Lydia, the pastor’s daughter, are always eager and ready to help serve.  Others are beginning to return after summer trips, and soon students will be arriving for the new school year.  There have been new visitors several times, and some continue to return each week. 

Praise for:

- fairly good attendance continuing through the summer. 

- the good response to the adult class that Jonathan has been teaching Sunday mornings.

- the Lord’s help in preparing a website for the English Encounter.

- the Lord’s help for our elderly friends through a very hot spell and for the opportunities that we have had to visit them and take them grocery shopping.

- the new weekly meeting that Jonathan and Pastor Christian have set up to discuss church matters and to pray, and for the pastors’ prayer meeting that Jonathan took part in for the area pastors (5 of us present).

- that we now have Internet service in our house as of Monday of this week.

Pray for:

- God to continue His work in hearts through the teaching and preaching of His Word, and for the return of visitors, including children and men.

- Jonathan as he helps the church in developing a needed church website as a tool to reach the lost in Bordeaux.

- Cherith as she prepares for the Ladies’ Bible Study beginning this fall and for both of us as we study and prepare for the Adult Bible study and the children’s Sunday school class each week.  Pray as we prepare for our second English encounter this Sunday afternoon, and pray for the group that will gather for it.

- our land-line telephone to be activated and usable.

- our 10-year residency cards to be approved and granted soon.

Praise and Prayer August 7, 2012

Thank you for your prayers for us during these past few weeks.  This update has been on our minds and it is past time that we share with you.  These have been full weeks and we have seen God’s blessings and answers to prayer.  A couple of the highlights have been our first English service on July 29 and the visit of our dear friends, Frank and Joel Leslie, from our home church in Springville, PA.  There were 14 of us at our English service, including at least two that are unsaved.  We were encouraged by the response and ask you to be praying for our next English service on August 26.  The Leslies were with us just a few very full days and we enjoyed introducing them to our ministry as well as to French history and culture.  We enjoyed a bus tour of Bordeaux together that also helped us to further our knowledge of this beautiful city.  Frank taught our adult Sunday School class and shared his testimony in both the morning service and in the English service.  He gave a great challenge regarding obedience to the Master and shared a report of what they had accomplished in Greece as part of Operation Joshua.  It was good to see increased burden for world missions among our folks.

Praise for:

- a good response to our first English service outreach. 

- the Leslies’ visit and the encouragement and impact that they had on us and in our church here.

- that our temporary residency cards have been granted and our request for 10-year cards is now being considered.

- unsaved visitors who continue to come back to church.

- our daughter Adrianna celebrating her 9^th Birthday July 23, and for her growth this year, physically and spiritually.

- Jonathan’s one-month post-op visit with the surgeon on July 27 and for a clean bill of health.

- the installation of our telephone line last Friday nearly 6 months after we requested it.

Pray for:

- God’s work in hearts through the teaching and preaching ministries in church, and for the Lord to bring visitors, including children and men.

- Jonathan as he helps the church in developing a needed church website as a tool to reach the lost in Bordeaux (technology is not one of our strong points).

- the planning and preparation for women’s ministries for this fall.

- Jonathan as he continues to teach the adult class this month.

- us as we try to help and encourage the elderly couple who have had a vision for a work in Merignac for over 20 years, as their health declines.

- our 10-year residency cards to be approved and granted soon.