Praise and Prayer for October 2, 2009

Last Sunday afternoon, the Church met for the conclusion of its business meeting to go over the remaining the church document (the Confession of Faith) with the members. It took all afternoon, but the congregation accepted the documents, and there were more than 30 charter members that signed them. Monday morning the documents were submitted to the proper government office and the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste de Reims was officially born. Praise the Lord for allowing us to make this step in becoming recognized as an officially chartered church and for the members who have diligently worked alongside to complete the necessary documents. We are so privileged to have been able to take part in this exciting process.

We received an email this week from a Christian organization that is willing to help us ship the Sango hymnals to CAR this month. It is great to have this answer to prayer after more than six months of waiting and praying. After numerous emails between the one in charge of shipping and the printer, where the hymnals are being stored, we are encouraged that all of the details for shipping have been worked through and we were able to give the go ahead to the printer to ship the hymnbooks from Ann Arbor, MI to Hanover, PA. The hymnbooks are finally on their way to the CAR where they have been long awaited.

Praise for:
- the members’ review and acceptance of the Church Constitution, the Statutes and the Confession of Faith proposed at the Church business meeting this past Sunday afternoon, and for the official birth of the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste de Reims.
- provision of a way to ship the Sango hymnals to the CAR.
- the return of Elva Farrell after a month in the USA helping her Dad.
- God’s protection when Adrianna fell while ice-skating and hit her head, resulting in a trip to the ER and a few hours of concern.

Pray for:
- Jonathan as he preaches both Sunday and Tuesday nights this week.
- the deacons meeting on Thursday and the decisions to be made.
- final details and safety in shipment as the Sango hymnals are shipped to CAR.
- our final preparations as we anticipate ten more days until Baby is born.

Praise and Prayer for September 25, 2009

Last weekend sort of came and went in a flurry, making it difficult to update our blog. Thank you for checking back for updates! Our first Sango service on September 13 went well with 12 in attendance. The grape vintage had already begun for some who were unable to attend. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Charlie and Gai Jewell as they spent several days with us on their way from Bangui, CAR to the States for a six-month furlough. They shared with us of some of the victories and challenges in the ongoing work in the CAR. They gave greetings in our Sunday morning French service and had opportunities to visit with several of the folks. It was a treat for us to be able to introduce them to some of the Central Africans that are part of our ministry here in Reims. Charlie’s message Sunday night in our Sango service brought a good challenge and was well received. We were sorry that the attendance was so low, but we knew that it might be. The grape harvest was in full swing and many were absent from church as they were involved in the 10 day full-time vintage of the grapes. Praise God for the 3 adults and one child that were present. Pray that God will work to bring about decisions that need to be made.


We had more than the quorum for the Church business meeting last Sunday, though we missed some key people due to the vintage. We went over two of the church documents with the members Sunday afternoon. After three hours of review, discussion and a few changes in wording, it was decided to continue the meeting this coming Sunday (27). Once the congregation has accepted the documents, they will be signed and submitted and the church will be officially chartered.

The Lord is giving us opportunities to build friendships with parents from Adrianna’s school. Adrianna went to two of her friends Birthday parties this past week. She has also started ice skating on Wednesdays which gives us even more interaction with some of the parents.

Praise for:
- those present for our first two Sango services.
- the visit of our CAR friends and colleagues Charlie and Gai Jewell.
- the Church business meeting and the progress toward chartering the church.

Pray for:
- Charlie and Gai Jewell as they travel to the States. Pray for refreshment and blessing as they begin a time of home ministry.
- our outreach to Central Africans in Reims and for the Lord to bless our Sango service.
- the members review and acceptance of the remaining documents at the Church business meeting this Sunday afternoon, and for the church to move forward with the charter.
- preparations for an English outreach.

Praise and Prayer for September 11, 2009

Fall is on its way and the brisk, cool mornings remind us that summer is behind us. Students are in school and routines are falling into place. Living in the heart of Champagne County, people are preparing for the vintage that will begin on Monday and last for about two weeks. The vineyards covering the countryside around Reims are bursting with ripe grapes waiting to be harvested. Many people will be involved in the process of picking the grapes, a very hard, tedious, yet well-paid job. Please pray with us that we would be just as motivated to work in the spiritual harvest fields that God has placed around us.

This Sunday we will be resuming the Sango services at church. We will be meeting each week at 6 pm and are praying that the Lord will bring us into contact with those whom He would have us reach. Jonathan has spent a lot of time this week working on preparations for this ministry this fall. We met together with one of the fellow Central Africans who is helping us lead this group and were able to work through some logistics in planning as well as brainstorm of various strategies to reach Central Africans in the Reims area. Jonathan has been preparing messages again and we are working on finding material to use for the children during the time of the message. September 18th, Charlie and Gai Jewell will be coming through France on their way from CAR to Pennsylvania. Charlie will be sharing in our Sango service on the 20th. We look forward to their visit and know they will be an encouragement to the Central Africans here. Please pray with us that the Lord would continue to use us for His glory as we minister to Central Africans in France.

Praise for:
- returning health for our family.
- various work that we have been able to accomplish this week.
- the progress made at the Pastors and deacon meeting which met this week to finalize official church documents for the church charter.

Pray for:
- a good number of Central Africans to come to the Sango service this Sunday.
- Charlie and Gai Jewell as they wrap things up in Bangui and travel, arriving in Reims on the 18th.
- the annual business meetings on September 20 and 27 as the church votes on the official church documents for the church charter.
- those responsible at our CAR Ippy Hospital and for God’s intervention in dealing with some major conflicts that have arisen.

Praise and Prayer for September 4, 2009

Sunday was a special day as we watched two women follow the Lord in believer’s baptism. Their salvation testimonies were clear and the joy of the Lord was evident to all, including several visitors, some who are searching for God. Pray for these women as they continue deepening their relationship with God and become more involved in the church. Sunday afternoon was the all-church picnic at a local park. The weather was beautiful and there was good fellowship among the forty plus who were able to be there.

This week we have been preparing for our next quarter in Sunday School: scheduling teachers, preparing lessons, making up new attendance charts and decorating the rooms. Jonathan has also been able to lay more groundwork on preparing for the English outreach we anticipate beginning this fall.

Good health has been something that has been a bit rare around our house this week. Jonathan fell sick with some bug earlier this week and Caleb in turn developed complications with his asthma due to the same virus. Though the doctor was concerned it may have turned into pneumonia in Caleb’s case, we are thankful that medication seems to be working and Caleb is doing much better. What a disappointment for him to have to miss his second day of school already because of being sick! Cherith is now taking her turn with the bug and we are praying Adrianna stays healthy and manages to avoid this all together.

Praise for:
- the two women who were baptized this past Sunday and the well attended church picnic.
- work that we have been able to accomplish this week despite our illnesses.
- the positive start Adrianna and Caleb had on Thursday: their first day of school for the year.

Pray for:
- continued health and strength for our family.
- time and strength to get some office work (correspondence, receipts entered, expense reports) done this week.
- our coworker, Elva Farrell, who has returned to Michigan for a month to help her Father as he recovers from surgery.
- the Pastors and deacon meeting that will be held this Monday evening.

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.