Praise and Prayer Update and CAR trip

Your prayers for us have been greatly needed over these past several weeks and we appreciate them so much.  So much has happened and we are grateful to the Lord for all He has done in both France and the Central African Republic.  Thank you for your partnership in this ministry.

On September 29, we held the baptismal service for S and Josiah in the rented building of a church in Bordeaux.  Of all who were invited, at least 25 from the outside (unsaved and unchurched) attended the service and heard the Gospel clearly presented in song, testimony and message.  Both of S’s children came for the event, though her husband did not.  We were also joined by believers from our sister churches in Bordeaux, bringing the total present to nearly 60.  

Despite breaking his arm (a displaced fracture) on September 18 and needing to have the arm reset twice during the following weeks in an attempt to get the bones better aligned, Caleb was able to accompany Jonathan on his trip to the Central African Republic from October 11 to 26.

Our gracious hosts were BMM colleagues, John and Paula Dannenberg.

We thoroughly enjoyed the many opportunities to serve God again in this land that is such a part of our lives. There, Jonathan taught two block courses on music ministry and the heart of worship in the Bangui seminary, currently meeting on the mission compound.

Besides seminary classes in the morning (40 hours total), he also taught classes in the afternoons (over 16 hours) to a group of music leaders from area churches.  Those classes, held in a local church across town, also focused on defining worship and the importance of a heart for God in our music ministries.

Jonathan also had the joy of preaching in local churches, twice in French services and once in Sango.

Caleb, despite his broken arm, enjoyed serving in various ways, including cooking, cleaning, counting a special project offering and folding the booklet covers for a lesson manual.  He also attended some of my classes.  

Leaving CAR October 25 was difficult, but we were so happy to get back to our family in France on Saturday.  God provided rest and strength for a full Sunday of ministry the next day.  

Praise for

• The baptism service of Josiah and S on September 29, and for all the unsaved that attended and heard the Gospel.
• God’s help and protection for Jonathan and Caleb on their recent trip to CAR and during their time there, and for His help for Cherith, Adrianna and Josiah as they remained in France.
• All of the opportunities God gave us to serve Him and His people in CAR, and for a number of vendors and taxi drivers we were able to give tracts or CDs too.
• The beginning of a new year of Kids’ English club ministry, and for two new participants who came first to the VBS program that we had last summer with the Benedicts!
• God’s direction in P’s life and for providing him with work in Toulouse, though we would have loved to have kept him here.

Pray for

• God’s working in the hearts of those who attended the baptism service.
• The church in CAR in general, and for the FIBAT ministry in particular.  Pray for finances to become available for the continued construction of the new Seminary campus buildings.

• Our church to continue to move forward after losing P who had been such a help for the six months of his internship. Pray that God will send us others who will be burdened to help.
• L’s salvation and for her adult daughter to begin to attend church with her.
• Our family as we prepare to help a sister church in the Basque region with their Christmas program.  We will be travelling to Bayonne for a musical practice on November 10.
• The correct and complete healing for Caleb’s broken arm. 
• God’s provision of a building for our church, and for sufficient funds to be able to rent it.
• Cherith and our children as they work through their schooling each day.  Pray that God would open their minds and help them with their learning.

Praise and Prayer September 11, 2019

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)  We are very grateful for your prayers and for God’s help again this past month. Through each full week, He continues to sustain and enable us for challenges often beyond us.  How thankful we are for our God who promises to uphold us as we trust and follow Him.  Today, we welcome back our teammates, Ed and Sylvia Christy.  We are thankful for God’s protection and blessing for them as they have travelled and shared with churches and individuals in the US this past summer.

God often surprises us with a change of plans and with help from an unexpected source.  I was recently contacted by a missionary to Germany accompanying a large group of  vacationing German believers to southwest France.  Some of them were interested in giving some time to help us distribute church flyers.  I was encouraged by the news that 10 adults would be available to help.  But last Wednesday, a group of more than 25 met me in a Saint-Médard parking lot!  We divided into several teams, gave out maps and flyers to each team and prayed before heading out. In the meantime, Cherith was doing double-duty preparing lunch for 17 while trying to keep up with homeschooling.  We were so encouraged by the enthusiasm of our German brethren and their desire to serve God in this way, while on vacation! The fellowship was also a blessing to our family.  

Praise for

• the return of our teammates and for the relief that brings to us. Praise for God’s sustenance and enabling through this time.
• the help and encouragement that God sent us from Germany. 
• the visitors we’ve had this summer, some who’ve returned. 
• Praise for growth in the children’s Sunday school ministry.   
• spiritual growth in a number of lives this summer, and for the upcoming baptism on September 29.
• Increased strength for Madame T. after the serious health issues she faced last summer.  Praise for her example and that she has been able to attend services recently.  
• some progress in preparation for Jonathan’s two-week module at the FIBAT seminary in Bangui, CAR October 11-26.

Pray for

• God to cause those who receive church flyers to seek Him “while He may be found.” Pray for the salvation of the lost that are attending our services.
• T. who recently presented his ministry in Kiev, Ukraine in our church. Pray for our believers to have a greater vision and burden for the lost near and far.

• P, who’s six-month internship here ends this month.  Pray that God will provide him with a permanent job in this area (if it is His will) so he can  continue to serve the Lord here. 
• consistency in attendance of the kids attending our children’s Sunday school ministry. Pray for increased attendance for our Kids’ English club outreach.
• God to soften the hearts of the spouses of some of the ladies in our church, and that He would draw them to Himself.
• Madame T.’s strength to continue to increase.  Pray for the salvation of her daughter and grandchildren.
• strength and enabling (as God has promised) to carry on when we feel weary. Pray especially for Cherith’s respiratory issues, that God will give some relief when medical treatments do not. 
• our children’s schooling, and for Cherith as she works long hours with the boys each day.  Pray for Adrianna who has a heavy load that includes two dual credit college courses and  music lessons for two instruments.

• the remaining preparations for Jonathan’s trip to CAR.

Praise and Prayer August 16, 2019

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136:1) How thankful we are for God’s goodness to us, for His blessings and answers to prayer.  Thank you for your prayers for us over these busy summer months.  We have been blessed by all of the special visitors He has sent us this summer while our teammates are away.  They have been a help to us and a blessing to our church through ministry and fellowship.  God has also seen us through some of the hottest days we have ever faced, including our years in the heart of Africa! As the ground and parched grass are refreshed by the long awaited rain showers, so our hearts are refreshed by God’s Word and the fellowship with His people.

Besides the visitors we have had from the USA, we recently enjoyed a two-week visit from the R family from Paris who chose to spend their vacation in Saint-Médard. 

This family continues to grow in size as God blessed them with a new baby the end of June. But even more encouraging is the spiritual growth that we see, particularly in both parents’ lives evidenced by their love for the Lord and His Words and their desire to serve Him. Knowing how much the ministry weighed on me (Jonathan), he had offered several months ago to help out by leading the worship service for one of the Sundays that they were here.  He had begun to share in this ministry in their church in Paris over the past year and was eager to serve.  Seeing God use him in this way was a great blessing to us and to our people.  Before the R family returned to Paris, they invited the church family to their home (the Christys’) for a fellowship dinner.

Praise for

• the R family’s recent visit and for what God has done in the parents’ lives.  Praise for the new baby’s safe arrival and for spiritual growth and a desire to serve God.

• the work God is doing in the lives of S’s two children who attended VBS in June, and for their recent church attendance.
• the good Bible studies Cherith had with S, for her spiritual growth and desire to follow the Lord in biblical baptism.
• God’s helping Jonathan in preparing and preaching this summer, as well as in his preparation for the two modules he’ll be teaching in the CAR in October.
• all the help and blessing we have received from the visitors God has sent us this month, including the Gadbois family, Vienna Benedict and Cherith’s sister Hannah and her children.

• the great progress and near completion of the mailbox campaign of our neighbouring town of LeHaillan with all of the help from our visitors this summer.

• a couple that visited our services recently in direct response to a flyer in their mailbox this summer as well as for other visitors. Attendance has been above 20 for all but 2 Sundays!

Pray for

• God to continue to bless the R family as they seek to help their children understand His love and their need to yield to Him.
• God’s help as we study and teach and preach each week, and that we would be effective instruments in His hands.
• God’s direction for P, and that if it is His will, He would provide him with permanent work here in Saint-Médard after his internship is finished and that he will be able to continue to grow and serve the Lord here.
• Cherith and all three of our kids as they begin the new school year (homeschooling) on Monday, as this is Josiah’s first year and our first year to have three at home.  
• preparations and provision for Jonathan and Caleb’s trip to CAR in October for a two week module at the FIBAT seminary in Bangui.

Praise and Prayer July 1, 2019

The month of June is now history and July is upon us.  We are thankful for your prayers and for the help and strength that our Jehovah Jireh has provided through a very full month. We have been studying through the names of God in our Wednesday evening Bible studies and   are grateful for all that God has revealed to us about Himself through His names in Scripture.

One of the ways God is helping us is through those He has and is sending to partner with us in person this year.  Our last post stated that the Gadbois family was here to help out for 6 weeks, but they are actually here for two full months. They have been a great blessing and we will be sorry to lose them when they leave July 18. Among other computer related issues, John has helped us to learn the ropes and begin recording our Sunday sermons and get them posted on our church website.  He has also lightened my load through help with the preaching and teaching, as well as leading the worship service.  Having their children around has been a delight.

Praise for

• the expansion of our church website ministry through the help of John Gadbois to include Sunday sermons. 
• God’s help in preparing for VBS and for sending two of our Aunts at just the perfect time to be able to help us with preparing props and decorations (along with showering our family with love for a few days!)

• the wonderful ministry of Duane and Vienna Benedict during our week of VBS, for several unsaved kids that attended, including three that we had never seen before. Praise for extra help from the Gadbois family and from John’s cousin Julie and her husband Lee who were visiting and pitched in to help on two of the days.

• the help and sweet encouragement that Vienna is to us and to our kids as she serves with us this month.

• a special addition to our worship services as Adrianna has begun to accompany the singing on the violin.

• souls that are searching for spiritual truth that God is bringing to study His Word with us, including a retired man who was born in the same country as Jonathan (Congo, DRC).  

• good progress with our mailbox campaign in the neighboring town of Le Haillan with all of the help this summer.

Pray for

• God to continue to work in the hearts of the kids who came to VBS, and that He will open more doors for ministering to them.

• God’s enabling for various ministries this summer, both for us and for our visitors. Pray for sufficient health and strength for the tasks He gives us.
• Jonathan as he studies and preaches on the Knowledge of God this summer.
• Cherith as she continues one-on-one Bible studies with S who is eager to learn but married to a man who wants nothing to do with God.

• Cherith’s sister Hannah who will be bringing three of her children toward the end of July, to see the ministry and get involved as God allows. 
• preparations and provision for Jonathan and Caleb’s trip to CAR in October for a two week module at the FIBAT seminary in Bangui. Pray for Jonathan to have wisdom and somehow find the time to prepare for these classes, including the notes for the students in French.

Praise and Prayer Update May 30, 2019

We cannot repeat it enough: Thank you so much for your prayers for us and for this ministry.  We are grateful for God’s help and for His answers to prayer for the work here in Saint-Médard.  Not a day passes by in which we are not given or shown a reminder of why God has called us to serve Him here.  From society in general turning away from God and righteousness to various events occurring around the world, we are continually reminded that Jesus is coming again and it could be very soon.  May He help us to redeem the time that He gives us for Him.

The Gadbois family arrived in Saint-Médard last week, a day prior to the Christys’ departure for furlough/home ministry.  We are so thankful for their willingness to come and help out for 6 weeks.  Today they helped with distributing flyers in Le Haillan, one of the neighboring towns.  They will also be helping in many other ways, including Sunday ministries and website and other technical issues while they are here.  

Praise for

• a good end-of-year American picnic for the English Kids’ club families despite rainy weather, and for good contacts. 
• the arrival of the Gadbois family and for their help in the work here. 
• several new visitors that have been in church this month and for the spiritual hunger we are seeing in several people!

• A conference on God’s plan for the family that was recently held at a sister church in Pessac (another suburb of Bordeaux) and for good attendance and excellent teaching on such a crucial subject in our world today.
• the arrival of two Bible College students from the US to do month-long internships in missions here in France (Focus on France with BMM).

• the recent visit of Jonathan’s cousin Pam and her daughter Alyssa, and for the encouragement and blessing it was to our whole family.

• God’s faithful help and blessing over the 18 years since we were married on May 26, 2001.

Pray for

• wisdom and enabling to accomplish everything the Lord wants us to in the next few months. Pray for the Gadbois family as they serve our church and community, and pray for the Christys as they travel to visit and report to their support team back home.
• God’s working in the hearts of our people and that He would reveal Himself to those who are yet unsaved. Pray for Cherith as she has begun weekly one-on-one Bible studies with S, and for S, that she will continue to grow in her faith and knowledge of the Lord. 
• Olivia and Bryn (missions interns) as they travel and serve in various ministries around France.  Pray for Vienna and Duane as they prepare to come June 15 to help us with a VBS children’s club June 17-20.
• God to lead us as we give out invitations for the VBS, and that God will move hearts to respond favorably.  This type of club is extremely foreign to the mindset here.

• a larger building for us to meet in, and for wisdom while we are waiting, in setting up the meeting room to make more seats available.

• preparations and provision for Jonathan and Caleb’s trip to CAR in October for a two week module at the FIBAT seminary in Bangui.

Praise and Prayer

Thank you very much for your prayers for us this past month.  It has been a very full month and we depend on you, our faithful partners in this work. We had asked for prayer for the Easter outreach with two showings of the “JESUS” film.  With all of the flyers that were distributed and posters placed around our town and three neighboring towns, we were praying expectantly for God to fill the seats with people in whose hearts He was at work. We did have people from our church attend, including several that are unsaved, but we were saddened by the lack of interest from so many in a community in desperate need of hearing the Good News.

That same weekend the Lord gave our church some unexpected encouragement with the arrival of P., a young man who just moved to the area for an internship related to his schooling.  While his church involvement the past few years has been minimal, he was raised in a Christian home and was eager to get involved once again in a sound church. He has been coming each week since his arrival, eagerly drinking in Bible studies and fellowship, and quick to help out in any way he can.  His arrival also coincides with the departure of N. who has been faithfully attending this past year and a half, as he moved this last week to Paris to begin a training program for a new job.  He had been planning to be baptized on May 5 along with our son Caleb before he received the summons to make the move to Paris. We were sorry that he was not able to go through with his baptism before leaving.

Praise for

• the few that did attend the JESUS film, including several unsaved, and for the work God is doing in hearts.
• the good turnout (including several visitors) for our Easter breakfast and special service.  

• the arrival of P and his hunger for spiritual matters. Praise for other new visitors as well as those who have been attending regularly, some unsaved.
• the final club and closing program for our English outreach club this year.  Praise that the children did a great job with their memory work and songs and that we saw three parents in attendance for the very first time.

• a good annual Bible conference and team business meetings in Freiburg, Germany.  Praise for spiritual refreshment through Pastor Bob Cowman’s ministry, for a great children’s ministry by Pastor Bob’s team and for the blessing of being with our team France and our team Germany for several days. 

Team France and Team Germany

Team France

• our son Caleb following the Lord in believer’s baptism. Praise that Jonathan was able to baptize him on May 5, in a special service held in a borrowed church building with 39 people in attendance (including several from sister churches).

Pray for

• our teammates, the Christys, as they prepare to leave for three plus months of furlough/home ministry, and for us as we continue with a heavier load without them here.
• the Gadbois family who arrives May 22 as they come to help in various aspects of the ministry here for six weeks.
• those coming to France on missions trips this summer, and for the various ministries they will be involved in, including a VBS with children in our area.
• God to provide our church with a new building with sufficient facilities and space.
• healing for Cherith as she continues to suffer with sometimes painful congestion and respiratory issues as the specialists continue to seek a solution.
• God’s direction and provision for Jonathan and Caleb’s trip to CAR in October, where Jonathan has been asked to teach a two week module at the FIBAT seminary in Bangui.