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.

Praise and Prayer for March 29, 2011

This has been another eventful week for the church here. I picked up a Chinese couple at the train station on Friday who were here to speak to the GBC (Chinese outreach) that evening. Although we were not present, we were encouraged by the report of the meeting, for those who attended and had an excellent opportunity to ask questions and hear answers from the Bible in their own language. One young lady prayed to receive Christ. The team from the Baptist Bible Institute of Algrange arrived on Saturday for the week, and has been busy every day. Included are the director and 5 students. They met with the youth group on Saturday, and then on Sunday led and preached in the morning service, followed by the fellowship dinner. Yesterday, they began stripping and re-painting the doors and doorways in the church (there are quite a number of those) and presented the Institute in the evening, along with a special course sample. I helped out some in the afternoon before hurrying home to help Cherith with the kids and with getting supper on for the whole group by 5:30. This morning, they continued the work at the church and this afternoon canvassed one of the villages outside Reims. They will lead the mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study this evening, and their program continues through Friday.

Yesterday, we learned the devastating news that S lost the baby that we have been asking prayer for during her fragile pregnancy. Please keep this family in your prayers as they face the days ahead, that the Lord would provide His comfort and that we as a church would surround them with love.

Praise for:

- a special GBC outreach with the guest speaker, and for the young lady who prayed to accept Christ.

- the good attention of the seven children in Jonathan’s Sunday School class as they learned that we need to trust God in both the good times and the tough times.

- the safe arrival of the team from Algrange, for their hard work and the encouragement to the church here.

Pray for:

- S and her family.

- the team from the Bible Institute with us this week, for the blessing they are to the church, and that the church would be a blessing to them.

- those who received brochures today in the village that was canvassed to read them and that there would be eternal fruit.

- hearts to be willing to respond to God’s call for His service and for deepening their knowledge of His Word in Bible School.

- our residency permits to be renewed as we submitted our applications last Thursday. Pray especially that our request for 10-year cards would be granted and that we would have the cards in hand before our trip this summer.

- a scheduled visit over Skype with a supporting church this Sunday as part of the church’s first missions conference in a number of years.

Praise and Prayer for March 23, 2011

Spring has arrived in Reims and we are enjoying the many evidences of God’s love through the warm sunshine and beautiful flowers. We appreciate your continued prayers for us. The Lord helped me prepare and preach for the Bible Study Tuesday and for the morning service Sunday. After many hours of research and study for my message Sunday, I began to wonder if I’d not bitten off more than I could handle. I had felt led to speak on a subject that is a bit of a touchy theme in any culture: money and church giving. The Lord answered prayer in guiding my preparation. He also provided extra strength for Cherith as she too had extra work with the house and with the children to make it possible for me to study in as secluded and quiet an environment as we could come up with (our dining room).

We had a special guest here for supper on Thursday. At the invitation of the GBC (Chinese Bible Study outreach), several of us from the English Encounter participants attended a special meeting Friday evening with a Gospel message in English. Cherith visited one of the business associates, of a lady from church, on Saturday in the hospital after recent surgery. She isn’t really interested in spiritual things but did accept a booklet that Cherith gave her. She told her friend from church that she has read nearly half of the booklet.

Sunday afternoon we were given a rare treat of meeting with our church family at Springville Baptist Church in Pennsylvania, over Skype. It helps the miles that separate us not seem so far.

Praise for:

- Springtime and the signs of new life all around.

- God’s help to Jonathan in preparation and in preaching Tuesday and Sunday.

- the group present at the GBC meeting Friday, and the good discussion after the message.

- God’s healing for Josiah after a bout with a virus over the weekend (with high fevers).

- that M is reading the booklet Cherith gave her.

- for a good visit with S when we took a meal to her Tuesday, as she is on bed rest and faces complications with her pregnancy.

- for the safe return of our pastor and his wife after a refreshing week away.

Pray for:

- God’s Word to work in hearts and lead to greater commitment among believers.

- a safe pregnancy for S, and for strength as she cares for a 3 year old as well (with Dad gone to work every day).

- the English Encounter Thursday evening.

- the 5 students and Rich Visser of the Algrange Baptist Bible Institute as they arrive Saturday for a week of ministry with our church here. We look forward to having Rich with us for the week while the students will be staying with other families.

- the students’ testimonies and time here to encourage others to commit to preparing for ministry in Bible School. “The harvest truly is great but the laborers are few.”

- that many around the world would turn to Christ in these days of uncertainty and danger in Japan.

Praise and Prayer for March 14, 2011

The chairs at church were nearly all occupied yesterday morning with both regulars and a few visitors. The man who led us in the worship service shared a few passages of scripture reminding us of the uncertainty of life. With the political upheaval and natural disasters filling the news it is so good to know that God is sovereign and lovingly extends His hand to all who suffer and yearn for peace. May the events of recent days cause many to seek God and accept His offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life through simple faith in Jesus Christ.

School started back for the kids, including four round trips (walks) each day to get them to and from school each morning and afternoon. Cherith worked with another Sunday School teacher to replace the wall mural in the beginner class room at church last Tuesday. We made progress in planning meetings for home ministry and studying. Since we had the English Encounter on Thursday evening, we had that to prepare for as well (the house, refreshments and Bible study).

Praise for:

- God’s sovereignty and the salvation that He offers to all.

- the 7 that were at English Encounter this week and for a profitable time together.

- good attendance Sunday, and for the Lord’s help as we taught Sunday school classes on Sunday.

- the example and legacy of faith of Jonathan’s Dad whose Birthday would have been Saturday.

- the progress in scheduling meetings for home ministry.

Pray for:

- us to see and use the opportunities that God gives us this week to share His love and His Word with others.

- Jonathan as he prepares for and leads the Bible study Tuesday evening and preaches in both the French and Sango services this Sunday.

- for Cherith as she prepares and co-teaches Sunday School this Sunday as she works with training a new teacher.

- our pastor and his wife as they are away visiting family on a long-awaited vacation.

- God’s blessing and direction as we continue to set up meetings with our supporting churches for home ministry.

- all of the hurting families in Japan and that many would turn to Christ in this tumultuous time.

- preparations for the week that the students from the Algrange Baptist Bible Institute will spend with our church at the end of this month.

Praise and Prayer for March 7, 2011

The Lord gave beautiful weather this past week which we fully appreciated as the children were on winter vacation. We took a couple of days to do some special things with them, including riding their bikes and playing in a nearby park, eating at a restaurant, and taking a short train ride to visit a quaint little medieval town with a 900 year old cathedral and other ancient buildings at the top of a hill overlooking the valley below. I think the kids’ favorite part of the trip was the ride on the Poma 2000, a cable driven people mover that takes people from the train station below to the old city above every 2.5 minutes.

This week we began scheduling our first meetings for our home ministry that begins in July. On Saturday, the lead pastor, Emmanuel, held a seminar on Methods of Bible Study with nearly 30 people in attendance, representing three area churches. Along with helping people with individual Bible study, the seminar also sought to give tools to those who desire to or already do lead Bible studies. Attendance was good on Tuesday and Sunday, despite a number of folks being away on vacation.

We all appreciated a weekend visit from our family from Nancy, though their return to Nancy Sunday evening was very difficult, especially for Adrianna, who, along with Caleb had enjoyed every minute with their cousin Lea.

Praise for:

- sunny weather, some special times with the kids, and time with our family from Nancy.

- a good opportunity Cherith had this week to witness to a lady at the grocery store.

- the good attendance at the seminar on Saturday.

- the meetings we have been able to line up for home ministry this year.

- good health and strength for our family.

- God’s work in lives (ours and others’) through the daily reading of His Word.

Pray for:

- us to see and use the opportunities that God gives us this week to share His love and His Word with others.

- Jonathan as he prepares messages in French and Sango.

- both Jonathan and Cherith as they prepare and teach Sunday School this Sunday, for Cherith as she works with training a new teacher.

- our English Encounter Thursday evening, for good attendance and that God will minister to hearts through His Word.

- God’s blessing and direction as we continue to set up meetings with our supporting churches for home ministry.

- the church counsel as it meets this Saturday evening.

- preparations for the week that the students from the Algrange Baptist Bible Institute will spend with our church at the end of this month.