March / April 2022
We are starting to see glimpses of spring here in Germany. There is something special about those first few warmer days after a cold and dark winter. I guess the warmth was something I took for granted growing up in the southern United States. Now more than ever the thawing of winter that gives way to the warmth of spring is a hopeful reminder of new beginnings and the potential for new growth.
Germany is finally emerging from two years of restrictions due to the pandemic, and even as this makes spring seem even more hopeful this year, there are new threats on the horizon. A war in our backyard has new fear rising at the direction our world is headed. But even in this, we know, that many times the best opportunities emerge from the greatest crises, and this is our hope as war looms on our continent.
In many ways, the task at hand seems overwhelming. How do we as a family, whose mission is to shine the light of the gospel to those fleeing wars, even begin to attempt to have any impact at all. It is situations like these that you quickly find the end of your strength and your own inability to brace against the great flood of humanity headed your way.
But God always brings simple reminders at just the right time to remind us of the true source of living water. Our family was reminded of this on a hike in Western Germany this past week. The hike took us to a little bubbling spring that looked insignificant and incapable of producing anything on a large scale, but what we discovered was that this little trickle of water was the source of one of the mightiest rivers in Germany.
In fact, Germany’s great industrial region is built around this river, and it is this river that has for centuries been a source of life for the German people. This spring of water reminds me of the Eternal Spring of Living Water. Christ’s ministry in many ways on earth seemed insignificant. He didn’t focus on the crowds that followed Him, but on twelve men that He would use to change the world. Many were disappointed, because He didn’t meet their expectations, but from this Spring of Living Water grace and mercy has flowed to many nations.
Jesus’ example reminds us that no contribution is insignificant. Our task is to simply pass on Living Water. That as we speak the gospel to those around us and pour into seemingly insignificant things, by the power of God, He is able to turn springs into mighty rivers. Our task is to simply be faithful to the task He has called us to. May we be faithful to allow Him to use our feeble attempts for His glory as we walk by the power of His Spirit.
Ministry Update
The last two months have been chaotic and constantly changing in regard to what is going on in Ukraine. The majority of refugees have fled to Poland, and Berlin is the first major city that refugees encounter as they move west into Germany. Through March, the central station in Berlin was receiving over 10,000 refugees a day. Germany has received over 300,000 refugees and Berlin has been overwhelmed and is at full capacity.
While the response of the German people has been heartwarming with many taking refugees into their homes, the system here is struggling to handle the incredible numbers that are arriving. Many of those we were supporting early in the crisis have been forced to move on to arrival centers in the South and West of Germany. Compounding problems is the inability of refugees to apply for asylum. Many are standing in lines all day or waiting in temporary shelters only to be told to try again the next day.
While the work seems daunting, we have encouraged our church to focus on three areas in meeting refugees where they are at: 1) support to the Ukrainian church near and far, 2) providing emergency hosting for refugees in our city, and 3) organizing compassion teams into local shelters. All these things serve the purpose of seeking to build the church by meeting physical needs, so that we can gain the opportunity to meet people’s greatest spiritual need.
We helped fund the dispatch of a minibus with supplies into Kiev to support a local church in March and were able to host the Ukrainian driver, a fellow believer, in our home. Our church also helped support a group of Nigerian students who were in Ukraine when the war broke out. These brothers and sisters in Christ were a tremendous example to us and touched our hearts with their harrowing stories of escape. Their resilience continues to be a tremendous example to us.
We have also been working in a newly setup refugee accommodation for Ukrainians. God has given us a tremendous open door with the staff there and our church is officially partnering to provide assistance to the mothers and children. This is really incredible, because secular social organizations rarely partner with churches and allow the access that we have had in this accommodation.
Last Friday I was able to invite three young boys from the camp to our biweekly soccer outreach. They hadn’t been able to bring shoes with them as they fled, so I was able to purchase them some soccer shoes with some of the money that has been given. As I handed the boys the shoes, one of the mothers began to weep. These mothers have had to be strong for their little ones and have come a long way to find refuge, but this moment reminded me of all that has been lost, that we are exactly where we need to be and that there is an urgency in meeting these families with the hope of the gospel.
Thank you for all who have given to support these ongoing efforts, we are actively using the gifts that you have given for these purposes, and they are having a tremendous impact on hurting people.
God continues to bring Afghani and Iranian men into my path. Along with two men (Arash and Omid) that I have been meeting with for the past two years, God has brought two more men into fellowship. This past week we met together to study the Gospel of John. Zafar and Imran are not yet believers, but they have been coming to our church the past month and as I presented the gospel last week they listened intently.
In fact, I have witnessed both Arash and Omid, sharing the gospel with these men this past week. I am thankful to see these men take this step of bearing witness to Christ and for their desire for these men to know the truth. Zafar in particular is close to believing. Please pray for each of these men. It seems that there is increasingly an opportunity for starting a Farsi speaking fellowship and we are praying for wisdom in how we could proceed.
We also praise the Lord for a new church plant in the city of Postdam. Our coworkers Franz and Kristi Martens arrived in October with the aim of beginning an English-speaking congregation in this city near the university. They have a small group of believers meeting there and our church has a team that is supporting them in this effort.
This weekend there is a large outreach in our city that our church will be participating in along with over 150 people from across Europe. The outreach will take place in major plazas across the city, where people will publicly bear witness to Christ and thousands of gospel pamphlets and Bibles will be passed out. We are organizing a soccer tournament in conjunction with this outreach on Easter Monday. Please pray for gospel fruit.
Finally, we are continuing to seek to build community and build a culture of discipleship within our church by using our home to host weekly gatherings. We host the men of our church in our home on the first and third Saturdays of the month. On the second and fourth Saturdays we host a community group in our home. Our desire through these gatherings is to be intentional about encouraging people to know God and follow Him.
There are many other things on the horizon. We normally release an annual report that looks back over the past year and ahead to what is coming. You can access this report here if you would like to know more.
Family Update
We have been running hard and keeping our heads down over the past two months with the work at hand, but we are thankful to have had some great times together as a family. This past week we were able to get away to a little town not far from Frankfurt. It has been a refreshing retreat in the middle of a busy season. We are thankful for God’s grace to us even in the midst of all that is going on.
Prayer Update
Please pray for wisdom and discernment in how we can see the growth of the church through the movement of people across Europe.
Please pray as we seek wisdom and open doors to start new church plants.
Please pray for strength over the coming months with the many different tasks and focuses at hand as we gather and scatter as a church.
Please pray for the girls as they seek to finish the school year well. May and June tend to be long months.