Praise and Prayer for December 19, 2009

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. I John 4:9

Snow falling, traffic jams, busy shoppers preparing for family gatherings, Christmas village shops filling pedestrian areas, even Christmas carols playing from speakers perched out of sight. Amidst the busyness, few seem to pause and listen to the Good News proclaimed by the carols. Unfortunately, many are in English and not easily understood by the passersby. Meanwhile billboards and stores are full of images of Santa Claus and toys for young and old, promising happiness, making hearts yearn for much more than budgets can afford. During this holiday season, despite the distractions, we as believers can take extra opportunities to share with those around us the true Reason for the Season.

Our Church Christmas program was held Sunday afternoon. Although many who’d been invited did not attend, the church was nonetheless full. The message of a Savior born in Bethlehem, sent to save people from the penalty of sin was clear through the songs, the verses, the skits and the devotional. Our home has become a bustle of activity preparing Christmas goodies to share with teachers, friends and neighbors this Christmas season. We have already given out several plates of goodies along with the Christmas message and each has been well received. Some of our friends will also receive the “Bonne Semence” calendar with daily Bible readings and meditations.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us throughout 2009! Lord willing, our next update will be posted on January 8. May the Lord bless your Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Praise for:
- Jesus, God’s Gift to all at Christmas and throughout the year.
- the excellent Christmas program and for a good turnout of Church family and guests.
- opportunities to share the Good News this Christmas with neighbors and friends.
- Josiah’s good growth in the two months since his birth.
- another year of life for Jonathan celebrated on Wednesday.
- the church counsel meeting Thursday evening and safety on the slippery, snowy roads.

Pray for:
- those who receive the gifts we are sharing, that they will read the tracts and have open hearts.
- our opportunity to share with the family of one of Adrianna’s friends on Monday evening as we have them over for a special Christmas dinner.
- a Christmas cookie party (bake and decorate) with two of Adrianna’s girlfriends Tuesday afternoon.
- health and rest for each of us, especially for Josiah as he has quite a cold; for Elva Farrell as she anticipates hip surgery on January 13.
- direction for the church, as they vote for a pastor and select deacons on January 24.
- God’s direction to be clear to us for our next term of ministry (after home ministry in 2011).

Praise and Prayer for December 11, 2009

We held a Christmas party for our Sango group at our house last evening. We were 21 in all, including 9 children. Although one of our regular attendees was ill, there was a family with two children who we met for the first time. Our goal this Christmas season had been to provide the group with an opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus together while enjoying fellowship and deepening relationships. While some were still arriving after 8 p.m. (we started at 6), it seemed to us that before everyone had left after 10:30 p.m., the Lord had richly blessed and helped us to reach our goal. We would love to see the visiting family return and more regularity in the attendance of some of the others. Pray that the Lord will work in hearts and give a hunger for spiritual things.

This Sunday afternoon our church will be having its annual Christmas program. Each of the groups in the church will be participating through music, skits, Scripture memory or readings, a Bible study, and refreshments. We have been working with the SS children, the choir and the Sango group to prepare their contributions to the program. This special service provides an opportunity for members to invite friends and acquaintances to see and hear (many for the first time) the Good News of the Savior born in Bethlehem. We have invited several of the teachers in the children’s schools as well as some of the other parents. Please pray for this special outreach this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (our time).

Praise for:
- the good turnout for the Sango Christmas party last evening and the profitable time together.
- the invitations to Sunday’s Christmas program that have been given out.
- Caleb’s healing and return to school this week, though his asthma continues to bother him.
- the life of Aunt Alice Lathrop (Jonathan’s Dad’s guardian) who entered heaven on Wednesday morning at 99 years of age.

Pray for:
- last minute preparations for the Christmas program and that the Lord will bless each contribution to the program.
- the Lord to prepare hearts of those who will be in our church for the first time this Sunday and that our lack of space will not pose a problem!
- good health for each of us, especially for Josiah.
- Elva Farrell as she anticipates hip surgery on January 13.
- direction for the church, as they vote for a pastor and select deacons on January 24.
- God’s direction to be clear to us for our next term of ministry (after home ministry in 2011).

Praise and Prayer for December 5, 2009

We are encouraged to see the way the Lord continues to bless the Eglise Evangelique Baptiste de Reims. On Sunday evening, members and guests gathered for a precious time of fellowship at the Q and A with our pastoral candidate and his wife. The Lord’s blessings were evident as good questions were asked and the Fischers’ responses were clear. It was good for the church to be able to hear Emmanuel express his vision for the future of the church. As the January 24 vote draws closer, the church body needs God’s direction calling a pastor. If the church calls the Fischers, this will be one of the largest steps the church takes in nationalizing, and in becoming independent. The Farrells would then be free to take a long anticipated time of home ministry. We have committed to staying throughout the remainder of our term of service (until summer 2011) so would be able to help the church through the transition to having a new pastor. Our goals include continuing to build and nationalize both the Sango outreach and the Sunday school program. This January 24 vote will have great impact on the church, which we believe is ready to take this significant step. Thank you for praying for this.


On the home front, the Lord brought Caleb through a serious bout with a flu this week. On Monday evening, he came down with a fever and over the next couple days the fever topped 104 F a few times. He saw our doctor Tuesday evening, took lots of baths and received lots of fever reducing medicines. We were so thankful that the fever disappeared Thursday and only a cough remains. Thus far it seems like he didn’t share it with the rest of us. Our concern was especially for Josiah. We were able to make the trip to Paris on Thursday with Josiah, while the Farrells kept Caleb and had Adrianna during her lunch break from school. As we crawled through Paris traffic for 40 minutes, we wondered if we would be on time. Praise the Lord, we were and we came away with an official looking Declaration of Birth, and applications accepted for the Social Security number and passport.

Praise for:
- good attendance and participation in Sunday School and church.
- a good Q & A last Sunday evening with the Fischers.
- a safe and profitable trip to Paris Thursday where we applied for Josiah’s official documents.
- healing for Caleb who battled a flu with a high fever this week.

Pray for:
- preparations for the Church Christmas program on December 13.
- good health for each of us, especially for Josiah.
- Elva Farrell as she anticipates hip surgery on January 13.
- direction for the church, as they vote for a pastor and select deacons on January 24.
- God’s direction to be clear to us for our next term of ministry (after home ministry in 2011).

Praise and Prayer for November 28, 2009

We were reminded of our dependence on the Lord for good health this week as many around us have been sick. Numerous children and teachers in the Preschool and Elementary schools where Caleb and Adrianna are enrolled have been out of school for much of the week. The H1N1 flu is changing habits for cleanliness and people are doing what they can to avoid catching or spreading it. How thankful we are for the peace and freedom from fear that is ours through our faith in Jesus Christ.


The Lord gave good services Sunday, with good attendance in the morning French service and in the evening Sango service. There were 19 at the Sango service, which is the highest attendance yet this season. And this was despite a strong windstorm that began Sunday afternoon. On Monday, our teammates, the Farrells, joined us for a good time of fellowship over dinner. We made the trip on Wednesday to and from Algrange to celebrate Thanksgiving at the Bible Institute. While we greatly missed our families, we were blessed to be together with these dear friends to reflect on God’s goodness. In the afternoon, the Lord gave us some special time with Roger and Jean Reisacher in their home before we had to load up and head back home. The Lord has given some special opportunities this Thanksgiving to share with those around us a bit of the history and reason for this holiday. On Thursday afternoon, our family visited one of the grandmothers from our church here who has been unable to get to church for some time with health problems.

Praise for:
- the good business meeting Thursday evening with church leaders.
- good attendance in Sunday school and church, and a good evening Sango service.
- special time spent with students and professors at the Bible Institute as we celebrated a American holiday, Thanksgiving, together.
- those who are part of a special Christmas chorale ensemble, as we prepare a part of the Christmas program for December 13.

Pray for:
- Elva Farrell as she anticipates hip surgery in the near future.
- Granny S. to feel well enough to come to church tomorrow.
- us as we gather documents needed and travel to Paris Thursday to apply for a record of birth, S.S. number, and passport for Josiah.
- our intern and pastoral candidate Emmanuel and his wife as they participate in a special Q & A time this coming Sunday as the January church vote approaches.
- continued protection and good health.
- God’s direction to be clear to us for our next term of ministry (after home ministry in 2011).

Praise and Prayer for November 22, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving Day! Sometimes when we live in a foreign land, we lose some of our own traditions and celebrations. While some traditions are perhaps best lost, there are others that we do not want to lose and we do our best to celebrate them whether in the USA, the CAR or in France! One of them is Thanksgiving Day, which is a reminder to give thanks to God for His many blessings and His grace bestowed throughout the year. It would be impossible in this short update to share all of those blessings, but we would like to take the opportunity this week to mention just a few of them. First of all, we join Paul in 2 Cor. 9:15 saying “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Praise God for Jesus Christ and the salvation that He provided for us at the Cross. Praise God for His Word through which He speaks to our hearts as we read it and study it. This year, at our Thanksgiving table, there is a fifth member of our family. Praise God for His gift of Josiah to our family, and for His protection and healing of Josiah when he experienced such great difficulty after his birth. Friday, Cherith’s Birthday, was a reminder to our family of the special blessing that God has given us in a wife and mother. Our family and friends, those who support and pray for our ministry, our health, the food we eat, our apartment, etc. The list goes on. May every day we live be a day of thanksgiving to God for His daily blessings.

Praise for:
- the innumerable blessings that God has given us throughout the year.
- good attendance in Sunday school and church, and a good evening Sango service.
- several of the Central Africans that Jonathan was able to have contact with this week who have not been in our Sango service.
- those who are part of a special Christmas chorale ensemble, as we prepare a part of the Christmas program for December 13.

Pray for:
- good attendance this weekend for our services, and for the Lord to work in hearts.
- the church leaders as they meet this coming Thursday (26).
- our intern and pastoral candidate Emmanuel and his wife as they participate in a special Q & A time this coming Sunday as the January church vote approaches.
- the rest we need at night!
- God’s direction to be clear to us for our next term of ministry (after home ministry in 2011).

Praise and Prayer for November 13, 2009

God blessed our church with the visit of all but one of the student body from the Bible Institute in Algrange on Sunday. Spouses and children also came along. It was a personal blessing for us to see our former students, their growing children and to introduce them to Josiah. The students led the singing and meditation, gave testimonies, sang special numbers, played an instrumental number and preached. Cherith and I both taught our Sunday school classes, partly while holding Josiah! After the service and a time of fellowship, our family hurried home so that we could be ready to return to church for the evening Sango service. However, when we returned for the service, nobody else showed up. We spent time singing and praying, and then had a special treat on our way home: supper at McDonalds.


We are thankful for the health and strength the Lord continues to provide for us, especially with all of the interruptions to good rest at night for our newest family member’s feeding. We are learning once again to work our schedule around the regular feeding schedule of a newborn. For Cherith, it can be frustrating to recognize that her responsibilities to Josiah take up a good part of each day. Still, the Lord has helped us to make some good progress in some of our projects this week, including correspondence and birth announcements. Yesterday, Josiah turned one month old and the Lord has provided him with very good health. His doctor was very pleased with his progress when he saw him today for his first month checkup. How thankful we are for God’s goodness to us.

Praise for:
- the ministry of the Bible Institute students last Sunday, and for the very good attendance we had (every seat full!).
- good health and particularly the good report for Josiah’s one month checkup today.
- good attendance in Sunday school.
- progress in projects this week including correspondence.

Pray for:
- the various groups in the church as we prepare our part of the Christmas program scheduled for December 13.
- the Sunday School ministries, for regular attendance and for each member of the teaching team.
- good attendance at the Sango service this Sunday night and for Jonathan as he preaches.
- wisdom and God’s help to reach our neighbors for Him.
- continued adjustments to scheduling around a newborn and his needs.

Praise and Prayer for November 6, 2009

On Sunday, one of the youth shared a testimony of the special trip to Saint Dizier for the Concours Biblique. One of the special blessings mentioned was the opportunity to get together with so many other youth in an evangelical setting. This has been especially important, since the youth groups are typically very small and although there were certainly some unsaved present, fellowship with so many other Christian young people is rare here in France. We were proud of our own youth group placing third in the quiz team competition.

This Sunday will be another big day at church. We will be welcoming the student body from the Bible Institute (Algrange) for the morning service. They will be leading the service, sharing musical numbers and one of the students will be preaching. We will miss part of the service since we will both be teaching Sunday school classes, but we look forward to having a few guests in our classes as some of the students will be bringing their children. This Sunday evening, our Sango service will be meeting again after two weeks off as folks were off on vacation. Last Sunday one of the Central African families was back in church after a long absence. We are praying for more regularity in attendance to the Sango service. Jonathan will be preaching on God’s help in living the Christian life.

Praise for:
- the good participation in the Concours Biblique by our youth group and several others.
- the good health God has given our family.
- a Central African family’s return to church last Sunday.
- each one who helps in the Sunday School ministry.
- projects completed this week including the next SS teacher schedule.

Pray for:
- the students from the Bible Institute as they come and minister in our church on Sunday.
- the Sunday School ministries, for regular attendance and for each member of the teaching team.
- good attendance at the Sango service Sunday night and for Jonathan as he preaches.
- our family’s adjustments, and the need for good rest, especially for Mama and Papa.
- the financial strain we are having due to the fall of the dollar ($1.48 to 1€).