Praise and Prayer for May 23, 2011

We are so thankful for God’s help and answers to prayer this past week.  Twenty came out for Bible study and prayer meeting Tuesday evening, and I was encouraged by the good participation.  One lady that was in church for the first time the Sunday before with family visiting from out of town was there paying very close attention.  She told me afterward that she knew that God had the answers to life’s difficulties and she needed this opportunity to study the Bible again after more than 20 years.  There were 12 present for the final English Encounter on Thursday, including one first time visitor.  We were especially moved by the special gifts for our family and the verbal expressions of appreciation from the English Encounter, and what it has meant to each one.  The Bible study focused on God’s solution for our sin problem and how we can receive His Gift of eternal life.  The time of warm fellowship lasted until 11 p.m.  I don’t think any of us were eager to see the EE end, and some said they were praying that the Lord would make it possible for them to continue it after we are gone somehow.  It’s definitely something to pray about.

On Friday evening, I missed family night at home to attend the Chinese outreach at church especially to encourage some of the Chinese students.  The outreach is led by two of the couples in the church and combines an opportunity to learn French language/culture with Bible study.  The pastoral/deacon counsel met Saturday at 6 p.m. for a profitable time of discussing church activities and issues facing the church.

This Thursday, Cherith and I celebrate 10 years since we said our vows before God and our friends and family to love, cherish and be true to one another until death do us part.  How we praise God for His wisdom and leading, and for the joy of serving Him together these past 10 years.

Praise for:

- grace and strength through a very busy week as our involvement in several ministries is brought to a close.

- the way God blessed prayer meeting and the final English Encounter, and for the new people that came to each.

- the first Gospel film outreach of the church on Saturday evening (Pilgrim’s Progress) with more than 30 in attendance.

- for God’s direction of the church leadership, including dealing with difficult issues they have not faced before.

- God’s blessings in the special service Sunday morning as the children quoted their verses in front of the congregation and 10 children received the Bibles they had earned through Scripture memory.

- God’s help for Jonathan’s mother this week as she spent most of Wednesday in the hospital with complications (draining 3+ liters fluid from her abdomen, having CAT scans which revealed an enlarged liver, and having her portacath dialysis access point replaced).  Praise that Jonathan’s brother Don and his wife, were able to be with her throughout the day.

Pray for:

- the children who received Bibles, that they would develop the habit of reading them daily and applying the truths they read to their hearts and lives.

- busy, busy, busy days ahead of us, for wisdom and strength and that no important details would be neglected.  The to-do list we work through keeps getting longer rather than shorter.

- the family of Mr. Gerard Dagon, a French author, pastor, Bible College professor, mentor, expert on cults, etc. who was promoted to Glory Sunday morning. 

- the graduation program at the Bible Institute in Algrange this Saturday, and for us and others traveling to attend.

- Jonathan’s Mom, for healing and that she might not have more complications.

Praise and Prayer for May 16, 2011

We made a dent in the sorting and packing project this week, though the dent seems ever so small.  It was good to see that attendance at prayer meeting Tuesday evening was back up.  The English Encounter went well Thursday, and there was excellent participation and fellowship with the 8 who attended.  God blessed the precious time that we spent with the church family on Saturday and also gave us good weather and safety in our traveling. 

On Sunday morning, it looked like attendance was going to be low.  However, during the first part of the service the church filled right up and we ended up with good groups in both of the Sunday school classes as well.  Several of the kids completed their verse packets and have now earned their own Bible which we will be presenting to them in a special program that we are preparing for this coming Sunday.  Although there were a few who were absent and have not completed their packets, we thank God for the 2 children in the beginners class (4 to 6 year olds) and the 8 children in group 2 (7 to 12 year olds) who have completed their packets.  One boy in group 2 actually completed the packet for group 3 as well which included Psalm 103 in its entirety (22 verses!).  We are thrilled with the response to this challenge and the eagerness of these children to learn God’s Word and to receive their very own Bibles.  We pray they will continue to hide God’s Word in their hearts and that it will be a light unto their paths in the days and years to come.

Praise for:

- the progress made in sorting and packing.

- good attendance in prayer meeting, at the English Encounter and in church on Sunday morning.

- the special time we had in the home of one of the church families and for the good fellowship among the church family here.

- the way the Lord has helped the children who have applied themselves to learn the verses in their packets.

- the Church picnic on Sunday, complete with a lively game of French football (soccer in the USA).  What a joy to see the church family along with visitors enjoying this time together unhindered by age, race or status.  This is what being a part of God’s family is all about!

Pray for:

- Jonathan as he leads the prayer meeting and Bible study Tuesday evening.

- the final English Encounter this Thursday evening.

- our preparation of the special program this Sunday as we present the Bibles to children who have earned them with their memory work, for Jonathan as he leads the worship service.

- the Sango outreach as it meets this Sunday evening, without us leading.

- God’s help this week as we continue packing and sorting, for the special maintenance projects that we need to do to prepare the apartment for our move (painting the kitchen, tile in the shower floor).

- continued improvement for Jonathan’s Mom, and for wisdom for the doctors to know how to keep the fluid from increasing in her lungs and abdomen.

- God’s continued provision for our needs and for continued improvement in the exchange rate.

Praise and Prayer for May 9, 2011

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers who read this post!  Each one of us expressed our gratitude to the Lord for the mother that He has given us and for the impact they have had in our lives.  Mothers have a huge responsibility and a hard job, which is all the more reason for me to give God glory as I think of the Mother He has given me, the Mother-in-law that He gave me when I married Cherith, and the Mother He has given my children, each one who has brought so much blessing into my life and the life of my family.  May He continue to bless each mother with grace and strength to walk with Him each day while facing the great challenges of motherhood and of life with confidence in Him.

Jessica Leslie arrived safely on Wednesday with a suitcase full of presents for all of us (!) and has been a big help and blessing each day since.  The kids have really enjoyed having “Aunt Jess” back.  On Sunday morning, we traveled to Chalons (about 40 minutes away) for the morning service for the special pulpit exchange with the pastor there who came to Reims and spoke in our service here.  I had been asked to preach on Music and spoke about the life of worship that God desires us to live.  Being with a sister church in the region, and enjoying the fellowship of other Christians was a blessing that is rare.  For lunch we enjoyed a special Mother’s Day meal in a restaurant there before heading home.

This Sunday is the last Sunday of our Memory Verse Challenge.  Some children have already completed their verse packets, and others should be able to finish up this Sunday.  We contacted each of the families this week to encourage parents to help their children finish up and earn the Bible that we promised.  Our prayer is that the Word of God would work in hearts and become a part of these young lives, and that children and parents alike would learn the possibility and reward of hiding God’s Word in our hearts.  We are preparing a special presentation with the kids participating for Sunday May 22.

Praise for:

- Mothers!

- Jessica’s safe trip and for her ministry with us for the next two months.

- safety on the road and blessing in our ministry to the church in Chalons on Sunday.

- Bible study and discipleship opportunities Cherith has been able to have with some of the women in the church.

- a slight improvement in the dollar/euro exchange rate this week.

- God’s help for Jonathan’s mother in dealing with oxygen issues and pain resulting from the four hour dialysis sessions.

Pray for:

- the children learning verses and their families, that many would be able to complete their packets this Sunday and receive Bibles the following week.

- the English Encounter this Thursday evening, for good participation and that Bernard and Helene would be there again.

- God’s guidance for us as we try to communicate the Truth clearly.

- our time with a church family in their home out of town this Saturday.

- God’s continued protection for Jonathan’s mother, and that she would gain some weight.

- God’s continued provision for our needs and for continued improvement in the exchange rate.

Praise and Prayer for May 2, 2011

God answered prayer in taking the Rosenaus safely home to northeast Pennsylvania last week, although due to mechanical problems they ended up with an unexpected overnight in Detroit, MI on their way home.  Jessica Leslie will be flying this week to Paris to help us for the next two months.  Her grandfather went home to heaven last Tuesday, and Pastor and Mrs. Rosenau arrived in time to be with the family for the funeral.

The children were home for their second week of vacation, and helped to keep things hopping around here.  I took Adrianna to meet with the pastor on Thursday, where she expressed her desire to follow the Lord in baptism.  He had a number of questions for her and then began a series of Bible studies with her in preparation for baptism.  Our family was invited to have dinner with one of the church families on Thursday evening.  There were other family members present, including an unsaved husband and a grandmother who is unable to get to church anymore due to poor health.  Our kids, especially Josiah, enjoyed the chicks.  There were a number of folks absent from church Sunday.  One of the foreign students spoke to me about two of his friends who have been coming to church and even came to our English Encounter.  Bernard, who had shown great interest, now, says he sees the Christian faith as something only for westerners.

Praise for:

- the safe return home for the Rosenaus.

- God’s help for Jonathan in preparing and preaching on Sunday, despite a very full week.

- at least 14 who have accepted a booklet explaining God’s Gift to mankind.

- the evidence Sunday of God’s working in the church when the new Sunday school teachers and Nursery workers schedule was posted, without any involvement from us!

- a good first week of outpatient dialysis for Jonathan’s Mother, for a slight increase in strength, and for Jonathan’s brother Don and Aunt Mary Lee who have been getting her to appointments.

- Adrianna’s desire to obey her Savior, and her pursuit of baptism.

- a nice visit with our cousins from Nancy on their way through Reims on Saturday.

Pray for:

- comfort and grace for Jessica Leslie and her family at this time of sorrow, and for Jessica as she makes the trip to France alone this Tuesday/Wednesday, with a flight change in London.

- our ministry this Sunday at a sister church in Chalons as Jonathan preaches there in a pulpit exchange with the pastor who will be preaching in Reims.

- a neighbor that we witnessed to this week who, though willing to discuss spiritual matters, states plainly that she is content with her position and not willing to consider that the Gospel is true.

- Bernard, that God would open his understanding and that he would accept Christ.  Pray that Helene would grow in her faith.

- improvement for Jonathan’s Mother, protection from accidents at home, and wisdom for medical personnel to be able to stop the fluid from returning to her lungs.

- God’s continued provision for our needs with the currently very poor exchange rate.

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.