July 2017
One of the things I have learned as a coach over the years is the power of demonstration. We learn through the things we see, so when as a coach you can demonstrate something, it is much easier to prove that what you are saying is true. We believe what we can see. This is why children on playgrounds all over the world have one universal line in common ‘prove it!’ The child then has to prove that he can do that back handspring or bicycle kick that he has been bragging about or he is proven to be a fake.
This is why the gospel is such great news. God did not only tell us that He loves us, but He demonstrated this love for us by sending His Son to prove this love. He proved it in how He lived His life a perfect example of love, grace, kindness and mercy. He didn’t stop there, but laid down His life for us even while we were still sinners and then He unshackled death through the power of His rising. He did this so when things are not going well for us and we are tempted to say ‘does God really love me’ we can resoundingly say ‘Yes’!
So demonstrate His love for you to others this week. Make them wonder why you are so kind or gracious. Prove to them that you belong to the One who paid it all for them.
We enjoyed spending time with our family this month. My brother and his family were visiting from Shanghai and it was a special time for us. Our home church had a sending service for us on July 16th and it was so encouraging to us. We will greatly miss ministering alongside them. We left from Greenville, SC on Tuesday, July 18th. Cherry's mom had planned to leave with us, but fractured her kneecap on the 17th and was not able to travel with us. Please pray she will heal so she can join us quickly! We were able to make a quick stop in NYC to visit many of our ministry partners and close friends who were ministering in the city with Spreadtruth. We participated in the Wednesday morning devotional and had the opportunity to minister with old friends at the soccer camp in Harlem that has been instrumental in our family understanding our calling. It was fitting to set out for Germany from the place we launched our support raising a year ago.
Our family arrived in Berlin on Thursday, July 20th. The last week has been a whirlwind of receiving our apartment, meeting our church family and beginning the endless paperwork to start life here in Germany (Germans seem to have paperwork for their paperwork!). The past two Sundays after the service we had the opportunity to pass out flyers and decorate the church for the kids and teens camp which runs July 31-August 4. We are assisting with these camps this week and excited to have a team from Delaware here this week to help run the camps. Please pray for the kids that will be attending and for opportunities to engage parents during this week. We were able to register as residents of Berlin this past week, have our daughters' health screenings for school and set up our bank account. Our hope is to have our apartment set up and long-term residence permit before the girls start school on August 22nd.
We plan to participate in a camp in the north of the city at the end of August and we hope this will be a good introduction into beginning weekly ministry in September. We had the opportunity to speak with two individuals in the past week. I had the opportunity to speak with Mohammad our taxi driver on the way to the airport in NYC. Mohammad is a nominal Muslim and needs the gospel. I encouraged him to read the book of John because he believed they were part of God’s word. Pray that he would! Cherry was able to speak with Alex, a single mom with three boys who she met at the youth camp at our church here in Berlin. We hope to build a relationship with her family because they do not live far from us. Pray that she will see the gospel lived out in our lives.
Praise and Prayer
- Praise we were able to get our apartment and residence registration
- Prayer for Cherry's mother Jeannie Trull who fractured her kneecap and hopes to join us here in Berlin in the coming weeks
- Prayer for the youth and teens attending camp this week
- Prayer that our container will arrive safely, clear customs and arrive at our apartment on time (August 8th)
- Prayer as we begin the process of applying for a long-term residence permit