Evangelistic Outreach

Some dear friends of ours back home had sent us a DVD called “the Letter Writer” for Christmas.  After watching it together last week, both Adrianna and Caleb were motivated to make a difference in the lives of people around them at school.  So both have written notes in the past few days with words of encouragement including a promise that they were praying for the person.  We have all been encouraged by the response of both the children and their parents who have all expressed gratitude for the notes.

Tuesday, the Christys and the Bixbys joined us for lunch and a meeting to discuss some of the things we learned at the conference we attended in March at Saint Albain.  Cherith and I have prepared most of the reports that we will be sharing at our own Baptist Mid-Missions French field conference in less than two weeks (April 22-25).  We will be taking advantage of the kids 2 week Easter break to do some travelling.  Lord willing, we will be able to see my cousins in Nancy before heading on to Germany for a day to do some shoe and clothing shopping.  From there, we head to Reims where we will be attending the wedding of two of our friends from the singles’ group at church, one of whom is Central African.  We’ll be there for a few days, including Easter Sunday (with Jonathan preaching), so we will have some good opportunities to connect with our church family.  It has been over two years since we left.  We will be trying to see some of our contacts from outside the church as well.

Praise for:

- Spring and for new Life in Christ!

- the good reception of the flyers for the Easter outreach and that all the logistics are in place for the event tomorrow.

- the opportunities the Lord is giving with contacts around us and our children. 

- ML’s interest in hearing the Gospel and her acceptance of the books Cherith gave to her.   

- God’s help in the preparations for our trip to Reims and preparing the reports for field conference.

Pray for:

- the Easter outreach tomorrow, for good attendance and for no glitches!  Pray for eternal fruit.

- the special services for Easter here and in Reims where we will be.

- our travels, for safety and that God will use us to bless and encourage those we visit.

- ML to read the books she was given and that God would bring her to Himself.

- our French field conference April 22-25, for a time of refreshment and fellowship with our coworkers.  This year the German field team will join us.

- the CAR and for the return of peace.  Pray for our good friend Pastor Ngassiando whose wife passed away suddenly this week.

Praise and Prayer March 31, 2014

Yesterday was the second consecutive week of elections for mayor in municipalities all over France.  The winner in our town will replace the man who has held this position for the past 31 years.  Many people are tired of the politics, evident in the posters, flyers in mailboxes, meetings and even house calls by the candidates.  Although we have our own concerns and have been praying for the outcome, we do know that the Lord is able to raise up leaders and put down others.  Our times are in His hands and we are grateful.  We are reminded of the importance to pray for “all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (1 Tim. 2:2)

Preparations for our special Easter outreach April 12 are moving forward.  We will be showing the JESUS film.  The room is reserved for the afternoon. Flyers have been produced and close to 600 have already been distributed.  Last Saturday, we had a special distribution downtown near the market.  While some handed out flyers to shoppers, others were putting flyers in mailboxes and one was visiting small businesses like pastry shops to post the flyer and even request permission to leave some flyers on the counter for clients.  We have begun to invite our contacts as well, and though some have indicated they do not plan to be there, others have responded more positively.  Please join us in praying for good reception for these invitations, and that God will give us fruit.  The church website is on each flyer, with a link to a clear presentation of the Gospel.  Although our space will be somewhat limited for our outreach, we would love to see the available seats filled.

Praise for:

- all of those who have received an invitation to our Easter outreach April 12 including S, the physical therapist that Jonathan has been seeing for his knee. 

- the opportunities that Cherith has been having with ML, while they meet to work on English and as Cherith and two of our kids spent some time with her and her children at an equestrian event last Saturday.   

Conference in Saint Albain

- the safe trip the Lord gave us last week (1195 kilometers round trip) to the conference we attended in Saint Albain.  Although we went through rain and some snow as we passed through the mountains in central France, we did not have trouble with the road or delays.  We were glad to be at the conference and tried to absorb as much information as we could during the many hours of meetings.  We returned home exhausted, but praising the Lord for what He had done.

Chateau where conference was held in Saint Albain

- the way the Lord helped our children during our absence, and for the special help and care that He provided through the Bixbys for them.  

- the safety God gave to our CAR colleague, Charlie Jewell, on his recent trip to CAR, and that he is home safely after his three week trip, though the unrest continues.

Pray for:

- the newly elected mayor of our town, along with his team.

- our daily walk with the Lord, and for His guidance and blessing as we study, prepare and care for administrative matters.

- all who have been and all who will be invited to our Easter outreach April 12.  Pray for the special distribution this Saturday.  Pray for the outreach April 12, that all logistics will go smoothly and that God will use this opportunity to bring people to Himself.

- Cherith as she continues to work with ML.  Pray for her salvation.

- us as we prepare the treasurer reports for our annual conference April 22-25, including a report of the meetings we attended last week.

- the CAR and for those suffering with high blood pressure and diabetes as medicine gets more and more difficult to find.

- a stronger dollar, now lower than it has been in a long time.  We are feeling the strain.

Praise and Prayer March 20, 2014

The Lord has blessed us with beautiful weather leading up to this first day of Spring.  We’ve even been able to take advantage of it by getting out and doing some trimming in the garden.  Caleb’s soccer team has also been able to finally keep a scheduled Saturday game as many have been cancelled this winter due to rain or fields being too wet. 

The weeks are full of challenges and opportunities and the Lord continues to give His strength and blessing.  Last Saturday, our town held its annual Carnival Parade with many of the associations and clubs taking part with special floats and costumes.  It was good to see a number of people that we knew both in the parade and among the spectators, and note that this number grows each year from the first parade we attended two years ago when we first arrived.  Last week, Cherith began a weekly English study with one of the school moms who had approached her about studying with her.  We are excited about this opportunity and appreciate your prayers for wisdom and guidance as Cherith helps her using language exercises and Bible stories. 

Cherith and I will be making a road trip to Macon, France (a six hour trip without delays) next week for a one day conference regarding finances and French laws.  There have been some changes in some of these laws that will affect our team, so as the treasurers for our two associations, we will be there to learn what we can.  Our good friends and teammates, Bob and Bonnie Bixby, have graciously offered to keep our children for us and get them to and from school and sports clubs on Tuesday and Wednesday, since we leave early Tuesday morning and won’t be home till later Wednesday evening.   

Praise for:

- the pastors’ prayer breakfast Jonathan attended last weekend with the pastors of the four Bordeaux churches.  We rejoice to see God’s hand at work.

- God’s blessings for our church.  Last Sunday we hosted the fellowship dinner and were encouraged by time of fellowship and planning.

- further contacts the Lord is giving us with soccer and school families, kids Birthday invitations, physical therapist, etc.

- improved health for our family, and for healing for my knee.

- direction for our Jesus film outreach in April.

- our brother Pastor Goumba Pierre from Bambari who was able to travel to Yaounde, Cameroun this month for a module course for his DMin degree.

- the godly heritage of having Christian parents who love and serve the Lord.  Yesterday marked 6 years since the Lord called my Dad Home. 

Pray for:

- God’s blessing and guidance in our preparations and in our preaching and teaching ministries.

- the Saint Medard neighborhoods that are receiving church flyers at this time: Magudas and Caupian.

- safety for Cherith and I was we travel next week, for alertness and understanding for what we will be hearing.

- safety and help for our children and the Bixbys as we leave them Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25,26.  This is the first time we will have left our children overnight in almost 3 years.

- preparations for our Jesus film outreach April 12, and for guidance and blessing as we get out the word through flyers and posters.

- brothers and sisters in CAR who are having difficulty getting necessary medicines for high blood pressure and other sicknesses.  Prices for food and meds have gone up and pharmacies are not getting stocked.

- God to awaken the hearts of the people of Saint Medard to their spiritual needs.

Praise and Prayer February 28, 2014

We are thankful for the strength and health God gives as our family has continued to struggle with sickness.  This past Sunday, Cherith’s bronchitis and sinus infection along with some flu symptoms got the best of her and she stayed home with Josiah.  She is much better now, though still tired as the coughing at night has kept her from sleeping well in several days.  Josiah and Adrianna have also been on antibiotics for bronchitis and strep throat respectively and are doing much better.  My knee has improved further with physical therapy, though I have been somewhat limited in what I can do.  The foot doctor identified the problem as a displaced meniscus (not torn according to the MRI), which should move back into place and heal with the Lord’s help and the therapy sessions I am having.

Our elderly friends, the Cs, have finally been able to move to a retirement home where Mr. C’s needs are well cared for.  Since the kids had begun their winter break (two weeks) from school, Adrianna was able to go with me for a work day to help several other Christian friends work in the C’s old apartment to help get it ready to turn over to the owner by the end of February. 

Praise for:

- the work God is doing in Ch’s heart and life.

- for healing from sickness and knee injury and for daily strength.

- the room the Lord has provided in a retirement home for the Cs and for the good care that they are receiving.

- contacts that we have had, including new contacts through the cupcake baking party that Cherith hosted for Adrianna and some friends from school.  She also invited a couple girls from the Christian family across town that came, giving some good opportunities for interaction with these unsaved friends.

- opportunities during the kids vacation from school to connect with a number of people, including a friend from Vienna, Austria who came through Bordeaux for work, and the Corenthin family from the Bordeaux center church. Adrianna and Lydia C. (along with coach Cherith) spent Wednesday putting together a lovely dinner for our two families to enjoy here that evening.

- the beautiful flowers blooming in our garden, evidences of God’s power and love.

Pray for:

- Ch to know God’s strength and victory in the daily battles she faces.

- our weekly flyer distribution and that God will bring more people to church.

- continued healing for our bodies. 

- Mrs C to be able to adjust to her new surroundings in the retirement home.

- the provision of daily needs for our Central African brethren as they face the food shortage crisis.

- God to awaken the hearts of the people of Saint Medard to their spiritual needs. Pray that F will turn his life over to the Lord.

Praise and Prayer February 11, 2014

Thank you for praying for our film outreach January 31.  Though we had hoped to see more present, we have seen the hand of the Lord at work and we are thankful.  One man showed up in response to the 1000 invitations that were given out, but he was someone who had come to one of our first Sunday services with his family.  Neither he nor his wife are Christians but he had shown some interest in spiritual things while his wife has been pretty closed, having been burned by JWs which are very actively present in our town.  There has been some further contact with some of our acquaintances because of the film outreach.  The devil has built up walls of skepticism, fear and doubt in many people’s hearts regarding spiritual things.  When we see the influence of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in this area, it is no wonder that many are turned away by our attempts to reach out.  How we need God’s wisdom and guidance so that things we do and say will help to soften people’s hearts and lead people to trusting Christ, rather than pushing them further away.

We had a special encouragement when a friend of ours from our days in Reims came from Paris for a few days visit.  He was one of those from the church who had helped us move into our first apartment in Reims in 2007!  It had been a couple years since we had last seen Jessy, so it was a treat to enjoy his fellowship and share our work with him.  He gave us a hand with getting flyers out as well, a great help as I was already having trouble with my knee.

Praise for:

- the work God is doing through the film outreach, and through the flyers.

- visitors that have attended services recently, including a Christian family from the other side of town.  We were delighted to know there was yet another Christian family in town and they were encouraged to see the existence of an evangelical church in our town and showed interest in inviting their contacts to future outreaches.

- some special opportunities to interact with L’s unsaved parents who are visiting from China both in L’s home and at the church fellowship dinner.

- contacts with school children and parents through Birthday parties, school bake sales, accompanying field trips, etc.  This Saturday, Adrianna will be having several friends over for a Valentine’s day baking party, with supplies sent to us from a prayer warrior back home in MI!

- the good results from X-rays and MRI of Jonathan’s knee, that the pain he’s had wasn’t caused by anything too serious.

Pray for:

- God to work in the hearts of those who have heard the Gospel but have not yet made decisions (A, F, C and M).

- our weekly flyer distribution and that God will bring more people to church.

- health and strength as our family fights colds, etc.  Pray for healing for Jonathan’s knee as he works with a physical therapist. 

- wisdom and guidance in our outreach as well as in our preaching and teaching ministries at church.

- God’s protection of our Christian brethren in CAR, and for wisdom and protection for those responsible for restoring peace.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  We praise the Lord for His working in 2013 and look forward to all that He will do in 2014.  We celebrated the New Year with the church in Pessac and some of our friends from the Bordeaux center church.  I had been asked to preach so after a time of food, fellowship, games, singing and testimonies, I spoke on reaching the goal that God has for us this year and throughout our lives.  The year closed with a time of prayer and then we all went outside to sing “Thine be the Glory” (A Toi la Goire), accompanied by a trumpet and a trombone.  Neighbors came out of their apartments to hear and call out Happy New Greetings to our group of around 30. 

We will have our first film outreach on the evening of January 31, as we begin a new type of outreach into the community of Saint Medard en Jalles, with showing Christian and Gospel films every two months or so.  This adds another level of work and logistics to our busy schedules, but we pray the Lord will use this tool to bring even more people into the hearing of the Gospel and give us good contacts through it.  Do you know of any good Christian films that would be appropriate for this type of outreach?  We would be grateful for your suggestions!

Praise for:

- the work God is doing in C’s heart, and for F coming to church Sunday for the second time.

- Josiah trusting Christ as his Savior, and for the work God is doing in the hearts of each of our children.

- God’s help as we prepare for the film outreach, producing the flyers, getting the film “Amazing Grace” and securing the permission to use it, and for 300+ people that received a flyer on Saturday as five of us distributed them at the open market. 

- an opening at a nearby nursing home for Mr. and Mrs. Craps, and that they have been accepted.

- some positive steps in the situation in CAR, as the Muslim president was convinced to step down.  Praise for the attention and concern given to the situation there by the UN, the EU and particularly France who has sent 1600 French troops.

Pray for:

- C and for God’s direction and strength as she makes decisions concerning her Christian walk for God’s glory.  Pray that F will keep coming and that his brother will return.  Pray that others who were at our Christmas outreach will return.

- God’s continued work in Josiah’s heart, as well as in the hearts of Adrianna and Caleb.  Pray that God will help them to shine His light around them at school. 

- continued preparation for the film outreach, securing a screen, testing the equipment, distribution of flyers these next two Tuesdays and this Saturday at the open market.  Pray that God will bring just the right number of people on January 31 and that He will use this tool to reach more people with the Gospel.

- peace and  stability to return to the CAR.  Divisions remain between Muslims and the majority of the population, and while disorder continues, the situation in outlying parts of the country continues to deteriorate.  Just today we had word that another of our pastors was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was stopped by Muslim bandits who had each of the men and boys get out and then shot them.   

Where is Jesus?

Our family visited the Christmas market in downtown Bordeaux.  We enjoyed walking through the rows of small heated cabins brightly decorated with all kinds of things for sale, from caramelized almonds to hand painted figurines.  Our snack consisted of a cone full of fresh roasted chestnuts right out of the pan and another cone a little later of hot churros (Spanish doughnuts).  As we left the market to return home we noticed a good sized manger scene on display.  I was encouraged to see that the True meaning of Christmas was not forgotten, and that the manger scene was present to remind people.  Upon closer inspection, we discovered the the manger scene was missing the most important figure, that of the Christ Child.  Probably some mal intentioned prank.  However, the message was poignant.  There amidst the throngs of people celebrating Christmas this year, we couldn't help but wonder how few there would be that would be celebrating Christmas without Christ, Immanuel, God with us.  And we are reminded of the purpose for our being here, to proclaim the Good News of a Savior who was born in Bethlehem so that He could die on Calvary, offering eternal life to all.  Please pray for God to use us to this end.