Praise and Prayer for September 5, 2011

Monday, August 29, 2011

Thank you for your prayers as we continue on this trail of reconnecting with many of our ministry partners.  While many of our friends and family out east are facing storms and power outages, we have enjoyed good weather when we have been on the road.  God has given safety over many miles driven here in Michigan and precious fellowship as we have ministered these past couple weeks in churches in Delton, Lansing, and Petoskey.  Our kids were able to be a part of the VBS program at Grandma and Grandpa Broeckert’s home church and enjoyed learning more about God and His Word in such a fun way.  Our family has been able to enjoy a few very special activities with other family members: picking blueberries, an afternoon at the Hudsonville Fair and an evening at Lake Michigan.  This past weekend, our hosts treated us to an afternoon in their boat on the beautiful Walloon Lake, and both Adrianna and Caleb went tubing for the very first time.

Monday, September 5, 2011

An unexpected (by us, though not by the Lord) turn of events this past week made it impossible to get this update posted until now.  As I was bringing my Mom home to our house to spend a few days after her discharge from Heartland last Monday, her speech suddenly became unclear and I could no longer understand her.  We turned around and headed to the ER of Butterworth Hospital.  She was admitted and watched through Wednesday when I once again brought her back to our house.  They ruled out stroke and felt the symptoms could be attributed to a bit too much fluid being taken out at dialysis in the hours preceding the occurrence.  Mother has been with us since Wednesday evening and we have been enjoying having Grandma with us during this time.  She is doing well, though she tires easily and keeping up with her busy schedule of appointments is pretty taxing on her.

  Praise for:

- God’s protection over the miles and for good weather in our traveling.

- good meetings and the encouragement and good fellowship we have been enjoying with friends around MI.

- Adrianna winning an English (!) Bible at the great DVBS she and Caleb attended – for the most points won in her age group.

- God’s protection of Mother this past week, and that she is finally out of Heartland and home from the Hospital.

- God bringing Jonathan’s brother David and his family from PA to visit with Mother and other family and friends for a few days.

- a great day yesterday with our friends in Ithaca.  Praise for each of our prayer partners that uphold us!

- God’s provision for the purchase of the kids’ homeschooling materials through the love gifts that we have received.

Pray for:

- wisdom in prioritizing, strength and time to accomplish the host of tasks that we need to do, along with spending time with Mother and other family.

- Jonathan’s Mom, for wisdom concerning her return to her own apartment, and for continued safety from fall.

- the contacts that we continue to make with our ministry partners.

- the continued contact that we are having with our friends in France.

- our support team, and that God will add to our team and bring in the remaining support that we are lacking.

Praise and Prayer for August 15, 2010

We’re thankful for God’s help as we’ve gone through the whirlwind of the past couple of weeks.  The Lord answered prayer for our family as we separated for our round trip back to France to renew our residency cards.  The children did very well with Grandma and Grandpa Broeckert, and we were able to accomplish the purpose for the trip.  A special blessing was joining the church family in Reims for prayer meeting on Tuesday evening, the only full day we were in the country.  We even got to participate in the service as I was asked to lead the singing and prayer time and Cherith was asked to accompany the service.  Two young people were present that our church has been praying for these last couple of years.  One of them received God’s gift of salvation a few weeks ago and has been attending services regularly since.  God continues to work in hearts!

 

Cherith enjoyed a special opportunity to attend a Ladies’ Retreat with her aunt and a cousin where they were blessed by the ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Gracia Burnam.  God protected our family as we made a road trip to WI and Michigan’s Upper Penninsula.  We spent some time with my Grandma Teachout and my uncle’s family (Clifford Teachout), including a cousin and his wife that drove from Minneapolis for the weekend, and ministered at Grandma’s church in DePere,WI. This past week was the Broeckert family camping trip in Ontonagon, MI where 19 of us gathered for several days of fellowship, hiking, swimming in Lake Superior, and various outings.  We were missing Cherith’s brother Davar and his family and her sister Hadessah.  It was good to get home Friday evening just in time to prepare for a full day of ministry with our dear friends and partners in Fremont, MI.  Our meeting schedule has begun in earnest and we depend on the Lord for health, strength and protection in the days ahead.

  Praise for:

- the Lord’s answers to prayer for our family as we were separated for four days for our trip back to France.

- God’s answers to prayer concerning the two young people that we saw in prayer meeting in Reims.

- the Ladies’ Retreat Cherith was able to attend.

- the family reunions that we have been able to be a part of.

- God’s blessings in the meetings that we have had and for the blessing and encouragement that we have received.

- the progress that Jonathan’s Mom continues to make at Heartland Healthcare.

Pray for:

- wisdom and strength to accomplish all we need to do along with our heavy meeting schedule.

- our children with all of the challenges and changes that come with the schedule that we are having.

- the church in Reims, and for the new believers.

- wisdom for the doctors treating Jonathan’s Mom as they deal with the breathing problems caused by the buildup of fluid in her lungs and abdomen.  The Plavix she is taking for the stents that were inserted recently is keeping them from doing the procedure to drain the fluid.

- God to provide for the purchase of homeschooling materials for Adrianna and Caleb’s school year.

Praise and Prayer for July 25, 2010

Time marches on as we struggle to keep ahead of the demands and responsibilities of each day.  How thankful we are for all the Lord has done for us and allowed us to accomplish and be involved in these past two weeks.  It was good that Jonathan was here to move his Mother to Heartland Health Care Center for rehab from the Hospital before we left for Cleveland, OH for Baptist Mid-Missions’ Annual Conference July 11-14.  The conference based on the theme “Redeeming the Time” was a blessing in so many ways as we enjoyed the fellowship of friends and loved ones we hadn’t seen for several years and enjoyed the spiritual refreshment of the preaching sessions, the special music, ministry presentations and the useful workshops.  Adrianna and Caleb had much fun with the friends they made as well as in various activities organized according to their age including a day trip to the Cleveland Zoo.  We are so thankful too that Jessica Leslie was able to fly to Cleveland for the Conference to help with our kids and to profit from the sessions.  It was great to introduce her to the wonderful team that works in our Home Office.

Since we got back to our home here in Marne, our time and efforts have been split between preparing for our home ministry (messages, DVD presentation and display) and visiting and helping Jonathan’s Mother.  His brother Don put in many long hours with us as he used his talent in graphic design to put together our display.  After several very late nights, thank the Lord that we were ready for our very first speaking engagement Sunday night at Wealthy Park Baptist Church.

  Praise for:

- the great Annual Conference with good fellowship, much spiritual refreshment and fun for our children.

- the good care and progress that Jonathan’s Mother has been making in rehab, and for the opportunity to be near enough to be a help and encouragement to her.

- the Lord’s help in getting all of the details prepared for our first speaking engagement Sunday night, and that many family members were present, including Jonathan’s Mom.

- the generosity of our church family shown through a love offering last evening which covers half of the cost of our plane fare back to France this coming Sunday.

- the time we have been able to spend with our families, including a special Birthday party for Adrianna on Saturday when she turned 8.

Pray for:

- Jonathan’s Mother who fell last night at Heartland and was taken to the ER at Butterworth Hospital for a CT scan and 5 staples in a laceration to her scalp.  She is rather bruised, but is back at Heartland.

- us to be able to catch up with communication and other projects after having so much put on hold these past several weeks.

- safety as we travel back to Reims, France on Sunday for three days to renew our temporary resident cards.  Pray that our one-year cards will be available for us to pick up by Tuesday (otherwise, we will have to make another trip back to France within three months).

- Adrianna, Caleb and Josiah as we leave them with Grandma and Grandpa Broeckert for the time that we are gone to France, and for Mama and Papa too.

- the Lord’s provision of finances to fund some major expenses we have: complete funding for this trip back to France ($1800 still needed) and funds to purchase home schooling materials for Adrianna and Caleb for this school year.

Praise and Prayer for July 8, 2010

Sunday, June 26, Reims Evangelical Baptist Church had a special farewell service for our family.  They presented us with some beautiful gifts, but also with meaningful testimonies of how God has used us to impact ministries and lives in the church. It was a touching service and there were some tears shed.  How we praise God for giving us the opportunity to minister here in Reims these past four years.  We look forward to soon sharing with you in person some of what He has done.

The Lord worked out the timing for our trip home as Caleb was certified to be no longer contagious from the chicken pox and Josiah was yet to break out with them.  He did – three days after our arrival in PA!  We were sad to see Jessica leave us (to go to her home) but are so thankful for the greatly needed help that she was to us over the past two months.  It has been such a blessing to see family and friends and to have a very brief time with our sending church, though we have had to juggle things just a bit to try and not expose too many people to Josiah’s chicken pox. 

God is our strength and guide.  Little did we know upon returning to the USA on June 28th that Jonathan’s Mother would again enter the hospital in MI June 29 with pneumonia and a blood infection while all three of her sons were together in PA.  His brother Don and Ramona had driven to PA to meet us with Mother’s minivan, which she is loaning us for the six months we are home.  After much prayer we decided to come on to MI this week so that we could be near Mother to help.  God gave us much encouragement from our church family, and special understanding, as we had to postpone our meeting with them on the 10^th and reschedule for a later date.  On July 6^th our family left home in Pennsylvania at 5am, drove across Canada and into Michigan, and arrived in Grand Rapids about 6pm.  The Lord gave us needed strength and alertness as we drove and cheerful attitudes to the children who were even able to sleep along the way.  Thank you for praying for us! 

 

The Lord has given us the mission house of Berlin Baptist Church in Marne, MI (outside Grand Rapids) to stay in for these six months.  The location is ideal as we are only about fifteen minutes from the hospital as well as from Cherith’s parents and brother.  We are very tired, but thankful to be here at this very needy time. 

  Praise for:

- the BJU Musical Missions Team and the concert they gave in Reims on the 20^th.  There were a number of unsaved visitors who came.

- the encouraging farewell service from the Reims church.

- Jessica Leslie who was such a help and encouragement to us as we packed up and made the trip back to the USA.

- safety as we travelled by air from France to NJ, then by road on to PA and finally to MI.

- God’s help as our family adjusted to the six-hour time difference.

- our family and friends who have been so gracious in welcoming us back to the USA and providing us with groceries, toys, clothes and books for the children as well as meals and places to stay!

- improvement for Jonathan’s Mother.

Pray for:

- Josiah as he recovers completely from the chicken pox.

- Jonathan’s Mother to regain strength and weight (she is now 108 lbs) and for her transition from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility for a period of strengthening before she would be released to go home.

- Wisdom in our own time management as we have a lot of projects that we need to finish, including sermon preparations and our ministry presentation.

- the BMM annual conference that will be held this next week Monday through Thursday in Cleveland.  We are planning to attend along with Jessica Leslie, our Pastor, Roger Rosenau, and his wife, as well as with Cherith’s parents.

Praise and Prayer for June 20, 2011

 With each hour of every day full to the max, the time seems to pick up speed as our departure date approaches.  My Mother was able to return home from the hospital on June 10 and has been slowly recuperating.  We have been thankful for the telephone and for the way the Lord has helped her.  If all goes as planned, we will be together again on July 15 when we arrive in MI where we will be based for our furlough ministry.  There are still a couple meetings to schedule as well as visits with as many members of our support team as possible.  Our presentation is coming together, though complications with technology are causing a few delays (time that we didn’t think we had to spare!).  God is helping us with our projects, but the list is still long.

Sunday was a very special Father’s Day for me as Adrianna shared her testimony of salvation with the church and followed the Lord in believers’ baptism.  We praise the Lord for a full auditorium, and for the positive feedback that we heard from many people who were encouraged by Adrianna’s example.

Praise for:

- progress with projects and encouraging visits with church family.

- a special farewell party that was organized by the GBS (Sango outreach) in our honor, and for the fellowship and encouragement there.

- Adrianna’s desire to obey her Savior through baptism on Sunday, and for God’s help as she shared her testimony with the congregation.

- God’s help for Jonathan’s Mother, for her return home and for returning strength.

- all that God has done over these past four years of life and ministry in Reims.

Pray for:

- the BJU Musical Missions Team that will be in concert tonight in Reims, and for a good response to the 10,000 flyers that have been distributed.

- God’s help with innumerable projects this week as we finish up our presentation and pack suitcases for our flight to the USA next Tuesday, June 28. 

- our children’s health as Caleb is coming down with Chicken Pox and Josiah will likely follow (keeping in mind the big trip and transition next week).

- for our last Sunday at the church here, for the special farewell program that is planned as we leave our dear church family that has been a major part of our lives for over four years.

Praise and Prayer for June 7, 2011

This week has been especially challenging for us emotionally as the miles seem to stretch farther than ever between ourselves and Jonathan’s Mother who has been in the hospital undergoing tests and procedures related to her heart.  Tests last week revealed that she did have a silent heart attack during this past month, resulting in further damage to her already weak heart.  A heart cath yesterday revealed three areas in her heart with 90% blockage, resulting in a procedure to put stents in two of them.  Because of her weakened condition, the doctors did not think it wise to continue with the third blockage.  With her oxygen problems, the possibility of Mother needing to be put temporarily on a respirator was very real.  Praise the Lord, it was not necessary and her oxygen level was nearly back up to normal (with the help of an oxygen mask) within a couple of hours.  Thank you to those of you who have been praying for her.  Please continue to do so!  We enjoyed seeing her and talking with her on Skype in her hospital room on Sunday.  Thank you also for praying for our family and especially for Jonathan as we struggle with the decision regarding the timing of our departure.  We feel a vital need to be near Mother at this time, yet there is much going on here these last few weeks before our scheduled departure on June 28.  Please pray for the Lord’s clear direction as we determine what He would have us do.

Jonathan met the Farrells in Belgium and brought them back to Reims on Wednesday.  Saturday we were invited to dinner in the home of one of the families from church.  It was a nice time of fellowship together.  The work of preparing for home ministry continues as we work at putting together a presentation to communicate clearly the work we have been involved in and the spiritual needs in this land.  Jessica’s help is invaluable as she packs boxes, watches the kids and helps with meals.  We praise God for her!

Praise for:

- safety as Jonathan drove up to Belgium to meet the Farrells.

- the Farrell’s safe arrival back in France.

- the progress that has been made this week in packing and preparation for our return to the USA.

- the care Jonathan’s Mother is receiving in MI, and for God’s help as she underwent the procedure to put stents in her very weak heart Monday.

Pray for:

- Jonathan’s Mother as she regains her strength and for healing for her heart.

- wisdom for us as we determine the timing of our return to the USA.

- for continued preparation for home ministry, including a presentation script. 

- the invitations being given out to the BJU choir concert outreach on June 20.

- for strength and time to complete projects in our apartment which include retiling the shower floor and repainting the kitchen walls.

Praise and Prayer for May 30, 2011

On Friday evening, we were joined by a number of our church family and several hundred others at the end of the year Ice Skating Gala program where both Adrianna and Caleb were part of the performance.  They made their parents proud and we enjoyed the good fellowship with the others as well as the contact with a number of other school families.  I had a good opportunity to invite one of the ladies that administrates the Reims Ice skating organization to the BJU Musical Missions Team concert that our church is hosting June 20. 

There were three cars from Reims that drove Saturday to Thionville, two hours east of Reims, to attend the graduation ceremonies for the Bible Institute of Algrange.  We were happy to see how God has continued to work in the lives of students and how He is leading each one.  This was the fifth consecutive graduation that we have been able to attend as a family, and the graduate from the three-year program was the last of the students that we had had in class (music theory, song leading and choir).

After the morning service on Sunday, the Sango outreach held their end of the year picnic bringing the program to a close for the year.  There were a good number of people who came including a few that we haven’t seen in nearly a year.  We pray that the Lord will work in hearts and that people give Him first place in their lives.  One more gathering is planned for June 11: a farewell gathering for the Teachouts.  It is encouraging to see the desire to carry on this ministry even after we are gone.

 

Praise for:

- safety in traveling, for the special graduation program and for the three graduates from the Algrange Bible Institute.

- opportunities that God is bringing us to give counsel and encourage others.

- the two days off school that Adrianna and Caleb have this week as the country “celebrates” Christ’s ascension.

- progress in preparation for our home ministry: new prayer cards are now designed and ordered.

Pray for:

- Jonathan’s trip Wednesday to meet the Farrells and bring them back to Reims.

- Mike, Elva and Emily Farrell as they arrive back in France, for their readjustment to life and a new ministry.

- for continued preparation for home ministry, including a presentation script. 

- the invitations being given out to the BJU choir concert outreach on June 20.

- Jonathan’s Mom, who was admitted to the hospital today for chest pains.  Tests today have all but ruled out a heart attack, but she will have a stress test tomorrow to check out the condition of her heart and possible cause for the pain this morning.