May / June 2023
I truly believe that every season has a purpose in our lives, and for me summer has become a time for reflection. It’s a time to look back over where we have been and to renew hope for where we are going. It’s hard to believe that are family marks six years in Berlin today.
As I look back on this time, I see some tremendous highs and some deep lows. I see times of solid advance and times where we were just trying to hang on. It hasn’t been the easiest road to travel and sometimes it’s easy to wonder if we are even on the right road. So, it’s times like these that I believe are important to remembering why we are here in the first place.
Central to why we decided to move to Berlin, was a desire to shine the light of the gospel to the men, women and children of this city. As I look back, it’s been a steep learning curve to understand how we can do this effectively. It’s easy to get off track from your purpose and to wonder if you are making a difference at all when the task is so big, and the ground is so hard.
If I am really honest, sometimes it is tough enough to guide my own family to this, let alone others in this city. But then God uses something to remind me once again that His yoke is easy and His burden light, and this reminder came by way of a little girl a couple weeks ago.
We had just sat down to eat with a group of little boys and girls I work with on Tuesdays. I could see the little girl across from me was so excited to take her first bite of spaghetti, but instead of this spoonful ending up in her mouth, she dumped it all over her dress. As she paused to take in what had just transpired, I saw her face turn from a moment of anticipation to a moment of dread. As she looked down at the mess she had made, I saw her little head slump and tears begin to roll down her cheeks.
In that moment I saw my own little girl, so disappointed with herself and so fearful of what she might encounter from me because she had soiled her dress. It was a moment I had experienced before with my own child and now the Spirit was moving my heart to comfort this little one, to help her wipe away the stains and to show her the love of a father.
As I look back on that moment, I wish I could say that this is always the way I respond to the shortcomings of others, that my heart is always moved to comfort instead of condemn. Unfortunately, I struggle with this. It is so easy to see others soiled garments and not your own, but this interaction with this little girl was a reminder to me of the compassion of a heavenly Father, who would send His Son to make my garments clean.
As I awoke this morning on the first day of our seventh year in Germany, I read these words from Paul David Tripp, and he says so well why it is in God’s plan to take us down the road less traveled.
The hard moments are not just for your growth in grace, but for your call to be a tool of that same grace in the life of another sufferer. In difficulty, God is softening your heart and sharpening your edges so that you may be ready to make the comfort of the invisible Father visible in the life of the weary pilgrim he has placed in your pathway. God intends for you to give away the comfort you’ve been given. The grace that has given you hope is meant to spill over into hope for the person next to you.
Paul David Tripp
It’s these moments that remind us of how we can best shine the light of the gospel to those around us. We are called to simply reflect to others the comfort of a good Father. As His sons and daughters, we are to be moved to compassion and to reflect His steadfast love to those who are lost and hurting. Our lives should speak of the Father’s love, that loved us so much that He was willing to stoop down through the work of His Son to wash our garments clean.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
2 Corinthians 1:3-6
May others know the comfort of the Father. May they find the compassion He offers through the grace of His Son and His ability to wash us clean.
Ministry Update
We have had many opportunities to serve refugees in the past two months through different weekly interactions and monthly gatherings. We’ve passed out Bibles and gospel literature and many from our church and from abroad have helped us present Christ to people in really tough places.
We are thankful for a team that visited us from Community Bible Fellowship from El Paso, Illinois in June. They served tired and weary workers and their children from some of the toughest regions in the world at a conference while they were here and encouraged us by simply stepping into work alongside us for 10 days.
We have continued to do our best to be faithful to the service we have been called to in the local church and opportunities we have to reach the nations in proximity to us. Here are some ministry highlights from the past two months.
We normally like to present an annual ministry report this time of year for those of you who are invested with us. Please find this report at the link below.
Family Update
Quinn and Gracie both finished up school at the end of June. We are so proud of their progress this year. Quinn will be moving from elementary school to the upper school next year and this is a big change for her. We would appreciate your prayer for her as she has many transitions coming in the fall.
Here are some of our favorite family moments from the past weeks.
Prayer Update
We are asking for wisdom and discernment in regard to new opportunities that are in front of us within the church and outreach as we enter the fall.
We are asking for a time of recovery and refreshment as a family in the coming weeks from a really busy season of ministry.
We are praising the Lord for His faithfulness to our girls and the success He has given them in the school and asking for prayer for them as they move into new places in the coming school year.