Friday, February 22, 2013

Praise and Prayer February 22, 2013


Your prayers have been so appreciated and so needed recently.  This past couple of weeks have been particularly difficult as we learned of the serious illness Cherith’s cousin Bob was facing, and as his status worsened till the Lord called him Home to Heaven this past Sunday.  The pain of the loss and the distance separating us from Bob’s family at this time, has been hard, especially on Cherith, as this family has taken her in as a daughter and sister when her own parents were on the field.  Bob is missed by all, including Angela, his wife of 22 years and his children Patrick (19) and Katie (16).

God is at work in our church ministries.  We are encouraged by the addition of a Sunday school teacher to each of our classes, giving us someone to share the responsibilities with.  Cherith held the Ladies’ Bible study on February 12 and was grateful for the healthy discussion and for the way the study is impacting lives.  She was encouraged to have one of the young single ladies attend for the first time.  The Adult Bible studies on the Christian walk continue to see God’s blessing.  After the fellowship dinner last Sunday, Adrianna participated in the “Parole Vivante” or Living Bible as two more chapters of Exodus had been memorized and were quoted from memory (in French).  Lydia C. (the pastor’s daughter) and Adrianna split Exodus 10 and Adrianna quoted vs. 16-29 flawlessly.  Lydia and the young man who quoted Exodus 9 in its entirety also did an excellent job.  Cherith is preparing to quote Exodus 11 at the next fellowship dinner.

Praise for:
- the healing that God gives in sorrow and for the comfort that we receive knowing that Cherith’s cousin is with Him in Glory.
- opportunities that God has given to witness to those around us.
- God’s continued direction in our search for a house as He has closed another door that seemed to be open.
- the attendance and participation in our Bible studies and services of those who need the Lord.
- Mr. C. being able to return home, and for the help at home that he is now receiving from aids and nurses who visit each day.
- God’s  protection and healing for two of the ladies in my sports club who were injured last week when they collided and ended up in the emergency room.
- the good progress in preparing for the Easter Cantata with weekly Saturday practices.  Adrianna is memorizing to take part as one of the main characters.

Pray for:
- God’s continued working in hearts at church through His Word and His Holy Spirit.  Pray that God will give encouragement where it is needed and help each one to focus on what God IS doing and not on what is not happening!
- the Lord to send children to church that can learn about Him and study His Word with us.
- God’s healing and comfort for cousin Bob’s family, for Cherith and her family that are separated by great distances from most of the family in MI.  Pray that God will continue to use Bob’s testimony to bring others to Himself.
- the Lord to provide direction and a long-term solution for Mr. and Mrs. C.
- direction and provision in our search for a house in the place where God wants us to live, with our low budget in a very expensive area.  Houses that meet our needs and our budget are available within 20 miles of our target area, but the distance would have many negative effects on our ministry.
- Cantata practice Saturday evening, services Sunday morning and the English Encounter outreach Sunday afternoon.
- the Word of God to dwell in us richly.

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