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.

Praise and Prayer for July 3, 2009

Caleb is registered for pre-school, a parent teacher meeting has been attended, Adrianna was taken to Birthday parties for friends from school, invitations were given out for a party for Adrianna’s Birthday in August (late, for her friends here in France), special breads were baked and jam made for Adrianna’s teachers – all of these activities have come and gone with the end of the school year. Yesterday, Adrianna completed Grande Section Maternelle (Kindergarten) and is now on vacation and moving up to C.P. (First Grade) in the Fall. We were so pleased to hear all of her teachers express their joy to have had her this year and then relate things about her that could only make us beam. We are thankful for her witness and for the opportunities that we have had to be a witness as well because of her.

The Lord blessed in the services and Sunday school program on Sunday. It was amazing to see the way that He answered prayer for our final Sango service for the season. Not only did the Lord bring out every regular attendee but one (who was home sick), He also brought several who had visited in the past as well as five new people! There were 30 of us pressed into the small meeting room where we’ve been meeting. Included in the number were 10 children, reinforcing the need that has arisen for a Sunday school program for the children at the Sango service. The temperature was very hot that day (and every day this week) but the Lord helped the heat not to cause folks to fall asleep or leave early. After a good service, we enjoyed a time of fellowship and refreshments.

Praise for:
- the finish of a good school year for Adrianna and for all of the opportunities for outreach that the Lord gave through her.
- excellent attendance at the Sango service and for the excitement to start up again in the Fall.
- good progress in preparing for our departure for the USA on July 8.

Pray for:
- good attendance at the Sunday School picnic Sunday and that it will be an encouragement to all.
- our appointment Tuesday with the Sousprefecture’s office to renew our residency permits.
- our travels this month by car and plane and for the time we’ll have with family and with prayer and financial supporters; for Jonathan as he preaches in Grand Rapids on July 19.

Please be aware that we will not be travelling with our computer and that we will not have regular access to email or the Internet. We will, Lord willing, post our next update once we return to France in early August.

Praise and Prayer for June 26, 2009

On Sunday, there were two testimonies of ladies joining the church. The first was from Felicity who told of God’s faithfulness and grace to her over the years. Miriam, 17, gave her salvation testimony and shared how God has helped her to realize that with Him, she is truly “Never alone”. It was a joy to witness Miriam’s baptism. There were fifteen children present in our three SS classes. B., a Central African, was in church with his son on Father’s Day. After a tiring day, on Sunday night Cherith was hit pretty hard with a 24 hour stomach flu. By Tuesday morning, the nausea was gone and each day she has felt stronger.

We are in the process of gathering documents for our residency permit renewal. Adrianna finishes preschool next week and Caleb is now registered to begin it in September. On Wednesday, the Lord made it possible for us to spend several hours with one of Adrianna’s friends from school and her family. We took the kids (our two and their three, all 6 and under) to the U-pick gardens and picked strawberries, raspberries, zucchini, lettuce, etc., then stopped for ice cream at the new KFC on the way home. We thank the Lord for the bridges that He is building to this family and to others around us. We need wisdom to share the Good News with people in a culture that has thrown God out.

Praise for:
- the two ladies who joined the church Sunday and for the presentation of the Gospel through their testimonies.
- Cherith’s restored health after her bout with the flu.
- the time that Jonathan had with J. on Thursday for a piano lesson and encouragement, for deepening relationships with some of those around us.

Pray for:
- good attendance at the Sango service this Sunday and for decisions that need to be made.
- opportunities and wisdom in our witness to those around us.
- preparations for a SS picnic on July 5, and planning the SS program for the summer.
- our appointment for renewing our residency papers on July 7.
- the Lord’s continued provision for financial needs as the dollar declines and gas prices rise.

Praise and Prayer for June 19, 2009

Despite some bugs going around, we are thankful to the Lord for the good health that He has given our family at this time. Although some of our faithful choir members have been sick before and since Sunday, we had a very good turnout for the choir’s final ministry of the school year. It has been encouraging to see the way God blessed this group of people as they have learned to be more committed to this ministry. There were quite a few Central Africans in church Sunday morning, some for the first time, including several we had never met before. Our Sunday school classes were full, and the children were excited as we introduced the two new songs that Jessica Lunde prepared on song cards. Teachers need the Lord’s wisdom in dealing with behavioral problems that can disrupt good listeners.

There were 19 at the Sango service Sunday afternoon, the largest group we’ve had in months. For some it was their first time, though there were at least 7 absent. Six of those present were kids, so as I spoke to the adults, Cherith worked with the children. We are realizing more and more the need to begin a children’s ministry for these children attending our Sango services. With the potential growth we are seeing, it is not hard to imagine needing to move our meeting to the auditorium downstairs when we start up the Sango services next Fall. We have our final Sango service with evangelistic emphasis on June 28 before summer schedules and traveling begins. The Lord continues to impress on us the spiritual needs of Central Africans in France. We are experiencing some of the great but rare benefits that belong to Central Africans with different ethnic backgrounds (in comparison with most other African countries). As they unite in worship and Bible study, they are able to use one African dialect, the Sango language, which functions as the mother tongue for the majority of the people in CAR.

Praise for:
- the good attendance in SS and in the French and Sango services, with several Central Africans that have started attending.
- the fellowship and encouragement for the ladies that attended the Scrapbooking Outreach last Saturday.
- good progress with paper work.

Pray for:
- the ongoing contact that we are having with people through Adrianna’s school.
- visitors to the French and Sango service to return and for God’s Word and His Spirit to convict hearts.
- further opportunities to witness and be a light in this spiritually dark country.
- Shipment for the Sango hymnal as the containers going to CAR are all full.

Praise and Prayer for June 12, 2009

This week has been an especially busy, yet an encouraging week for us as we have had some good opportunities to witness for Christ. On Saturday afternoon, Cherith took the kids to a third year birthday party for a S.S. classmate of Caleb’s. The family is Central African, and on her arrival, Cherith happily discovered that all of the other guests were also Central African, most of whom she had never met. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet quite a few other Central Africans living in Reims, and to be able to share our desire to see them join us for our Sango service. They were surprised but happy to find Cherith was fluent in their language and she and our children were welcomed as part of the “family”. During her time there, however, the great spiritual needs and struggles of many of them became clearer. Alcoholism is one of the largest barriers to an intimate relationship with the Lord. Pray the Lord will give us wisdom as we share the Gospel and build further relationships with these Central Africans whom He is bringing across our path.

Adrianna’s school is having a special carnival this afternoon to raise money for the school. All year, the children look forward to this event, and each class prepares for the special program that is held, highlighting each class at the end of the carnival. The interaction that we are able to have with the parents and teachers is invaluable, as it is one of the only times in the year that we have this much time to interact together. This coming week Adrianna has been invited to a birthday party of a girlfriend from school. Pray that this further contact with parents and children from school will strengthen current relationships and allow us to build new ones, and that the Lord will bring some of these people to Himself.

Praise for:
- continued healing for Jonathan’s wrist.
- the many who came for the Church Banquet last Saturday evening including two unsaved visitors, and for the Gospel that was clearly presented.
- our S.S. children who sang for Mother’s Day in France, on Sunday.
- opportunities Jonathan has had to witness to his physical therapist.

Pray for:
- the church choir as they sing one last time tomorrow before summer break.
- the Scrapbooking outreach scheduled for tomorrow, June 13th.
- further opportunities to witness and be a light in this spiritually dark country.
- Shipment for the Sango hymnal as the containers going to CAR are all full.

Praise and Prayer for June 5, 2009

It has been great to have Jessica Lunde here in Reims for these two weeks as she has helped out in a variety of ministries. Along with creating several song flashcards for our work with the children at church, she has also filed Institute choir music, helped Cherith and one of our church ladies prepare a typical English meal (Jessica was raised in England), attended gatherings for several of the groups in our church, helped the Farrells with several projects, and even spent an afternoon with one of the families in our church. Pray for her this Sunday as she teaches the Bible story in Adrianna’s Sunday school class (4 to 6 year olds). These ministries and many people have been touched by Jessica’s presence and willing spirit to serve the Lord in France this summer. She even willingly watched our children one evening so that we could go out on a special date for our 8th wedding anniversary. Our prayer is that the Lord will continue to use the time and effort that Jessica has given here for His eternal glory and that He will continue to prepare her for her future ministry. Pray that the Lord will lead others do the same, to come and help here and around the world through summer ministry programs, short or long term missions.

The Lord blessed last Sunday’s ministries, and gave the extra strength needed for the trip to Algrange in the afternoon for the Bible Institute graduation program. It was a blessing that Jonathan left arm was cast-free as he lead the worship service at our church here in the morning and the Institute choir and ensemble as they sang for the graduation. Cherith did all of the driving, then played piano for the graduation ceremony and special numbers, including the prelude and offertory. This Saturday night the men of the church are putting on a special banquet in honor of the ladies. Sunday is Mother’s day in France. We look forward to the special ministry of Roger and Jean Reisacher at the banquet and on Sunday morning.

Praise for:
- continued healing for Jonathan’s wrist.
- the graduation ceremony Sunday, and the testimonies of the four graduates.
- Jessica Lunde’s visit and all of her help.
- the progress on the church official documents made at the Church Council meeting on Thursday.

Pray for:
- the Church Banquet Saturday night.
- the Scrapbooking outreach scheduled for June 13th.
- Shipment for the Sango hymnal as the containers going to CAR are all full.
- Jonathan’s Mom’s health, as she is experiencing complications with her congestive heart failure and tires very quickly.

Praise and Prayer for May 29, 2009

This Wednesday we drove the 260-mile round trip to Algrange for our final day of classes and lessons for the year. This Sunday afternoon we will go back one last time for the graduation ceremony. The Institute choir will be singing three songs, and Cherith will be accompanying the congregational singing. Four students will be graduating after completing the requirements of the three-year Bible program. Pray for these graduates as they begin a new chapter in their lives, and use what they have learned in either full-time service, or in their local churches. Although it is a small school, the Bible Institute in Algrange has students from many places, including countries in Africa and the French West Indies. Praise God for the ministries we have here in France which will impact and influence ministries around the world.

Jessica Lunde, a senior from Faith Baptist Bible College participating in the FOF (Focus on France) program, arrived on Monday to help our co-workers, the Farrells, and us for two weeks. We have been thrilled to have the extra help and encouragement she brings. Today she is working on creating S.S. song flashcards for us to use. She is attending the small group studies that are held in homes or at the church throughout the week, and she is also helping with many other projects. If you or someone you know would be interested in spending a few weeks in France helping out, we would love to hear from you!

Praise for:
- healing for Jonathan’s wrist. The cast was removed this Thursday!
- good classes and interaction with students on Wednesday at the Institute.
- the four graduates who have completed their studies at the Institute.
- interaction from volunteers willing to help with S.S. ministries.

Pray for:
- the graduation ceremony on Sunday at the Bible Institute.
- the graduates who will be moving on to the next chapter in their lives.
- new recruits for the coming school year at the Bible Institute.
- Jessica Lunde, as she visits and helps in the work here in Reims this next week.
- continued healing of Jonathan’s wrist. It is stiff and somewhat painful.