October 2017
Post Tenebras Lux! The shout went out 500 years ago today as an insignificant monk pierced the dawn with his hammer. His desperate cry to shine the light of the gospel out of the darkest of times. I had the opportunity to be there today. The place it all started. I saw Luther’s house, the church, and the streets he walked where God opened his eyes to rediscover the truth that was there all along. Standing in this place today I was reminded of the hope that Job knew and the hope that inspired the reformers. ‘The light is near,’ in the presence of darkness (Job 17:12).
This is the hope we hold to 500 years later, because the darkness has returned. Not because truth has been forgotten, but because mankind has chosen to rewrite truth. I watched today as veiled eyes applauded a message that encouraged everyone to follow their own path to truth. That our goal should be to make our world a good place. Steps away from the tomb of Luther I heard words that confirmed the presence of darkness in the place where Christ Alone once resounded through the halls.
The lofty speeches and grand memorials reminded me of what Paul encountered in Athens. A darkness that provoked his spirit to shout the truth from the greatest platform he could find. Just like Luther, Paul pierced the darkness by calling us to seek God. He told us to reach out for Him because He was not far from each one of us.
Paul, like Job, knew that the light was near and more importantly knew that the Light had come. Christ had been revealed and He was inseparable from light. So 500 years later our only hope remains, which is to boldly proclaim Christ and Christ Alone. He is the only way, the truth that allows the light to break through the darkness.
Ministry Update
We have continued our outreaches into refugee communities this month. We are beginning to gain some ground in the Goerzallee refugee camp with building relationships and moving closer to creating opportunities to share the gospel. The work is slow here as we continue to gain trust with families. Please pray that the door will continue to stay open as this particular camp has run into some management issues that may require its closing in the future. We are also excited about the opportunities in Reinickendorf to work with a group of young men on a weekly basis. Most of these boys are 8-12 years old and we have the opportunity to train them weekly and present the gospel. Please pray their hearts will open to the good news
Cherry and Jeannie have been very busy with working with the ladies in our church as well as children’s ministry on Sunday’s. Cherry and I have also had the opportunity to serve as youth leaders. We enjoy this ministry and the opportunities it presents to work with our youth in the church, and teens that are coming and hearing the gospel for the first time at our meetings.
Family Update
Our family has been very busy this month with school and church activities. We were excited to have fall break this week. I had the opportunity to go to Wittenberg today for the 500th celebration of the Reformation. The girls are continuing to adjust to school and we are amazed at how much language they have picked up in just a couple of months. I passed my first language class and have started my second class. For those of you who will be in Greenville in December, we will be visiting from December 17th-January 7th. We are looking forward to connecting with as many of you as we can while we are in the States.
Prayer Update
- Please pray for wisdom in making decisions on the most effective way to pursue ministry in our model of reaching into communities with soccer. We are thankful for the doors that have been opened!
- Please pray for energy as we do our best to encourage other believers in our community. We hope to be as encouraging as the believers here have been to us.
- Please pray for us as we disciple Quinn and Gracie in a really tough place for them to see the gospel. We need grace that they will see the gospel being lived out in our lives.
- Please continue to pray for our car modifications and registration. We received word this week on the cost for the modifications and registration and we need $1,500 to complete this process. Thank you for everyone that has given for this! You have been a tremendous encouragement to us. If you would like to give to help us with this project you can find a link specifically for this project.