Praise Letter for Europe January 2010
I thought it would be good to begin this year with praise of what God has done for us working here in Europe.
We ask for prayer which we all need but sometimes forget to tell you what God has done.
We truly want to thank you for all your prayers, God has answered......
So in this prayer letter I have asked the different ones to give their praise report.
Thank you Your WIN Director for Europe Rev. Nancy Berry
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From Bob and Carol Cave Overseas Ministry Coordinator for Europe and the Middle East
Praise Report: I praise the Lord for what He has done in the past year and the past decade as we move to a new one. I'm so thankful we were able to have our first all European Conference in Oradea Romania, and that the WMM board could come to Toledo Spain for a board meeting. That our missionaries could spend a week together in Kusadasi, Turkey. I'm also thankful to see the progress on almost all our fields over the past decade.
In 2000 we were active in 14 countries in Europe and the Middle East with 12,000 plus members. In the past decade, that saw decline in the "Christian" Church of Europe, we grew. Our latest figures are only up to the end of 2008, but even there, we are now in 23 countries with 344 Churches and 29,000 members. PRAISE THE LORD. That is not just statistics, those are individuals that YOU probably had a big investment in their lives. You are one of 47 of the BEST missionaries in the world serving in our region.
Is Europe and the Middle East tough fields? Yes, BUT God, is moving and growing His Church "and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" I believe the future for us in Euro/ME is NOW and as Bishop Carpenter said in his General Conference address "we are NOW POSITIONED to do what He has called us to do......STEP INTO IT"
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From Lin and Nancy Berry Regional Ministry Coordinator for Southwest Europe
Praise Reports: We have seen God do so many things in our lives even with all the tragedies. We had started last year with the death of the 5 year old daughter of Nicolas & Yolanda... to my wallet being stolen to the flood where Lin lost a lot of his work. BUT God saw us through it all and has shown HIMSELF Faithful.......He has healed, He has delivered and supplied all our needs. Even in the crisis Our churches have grown, we have paid all our bills and even gotten handfuls of blessings from HIM. We had a outreach in Toledo in the gallery where people who have never heard the gospel stayed and listen to the message in music and in form of a short devotion. Our daughter Sarah fully recovered from malaria. Our second Grandson was born with no difficulties. I had the chance to be with my mom when she had eye surgery and be with my mother in law helping her redo her bedroom. Yes God has been good to us this past year. We look to Him as the life giver, our help in time of need, our healer our deliverer, our ALMIGHTY GOD
Goals for this year:
1. My goals or plan for this year is to have a WIN Conference for all of Europe in the spring
2. Also to have a WIN Director for each Region, each Country and each Church
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From Gary and Kathy in Granada, Spain
Praise Report :
We thank the Lord for: God's faithfulness and our supporting churches and friends that remember us with their prayers and finances! We are so grateful.
The ministry done through the outreach center and one on one to students, immigrants, neighbors, and Spanish people in your community. It looks like the Kid's Christmas Club will now continue as an Easter Club since the kids want to continue and Easter is the next big religious event most Spanish people here relate to. Also, a friend has said she'd like to study the women in the Bible with me and I pray this will be the beginning of a women's cell group. Please help us pray that these activities will begin and bring fruit.
The foundation that the Lord is laying for a church here and those who visit with a heart for those in closed countries.
Protection for our son in Afghanistan and for us in the travels we've done this year.
Our great leaders, their vision and encouragement and the team that works so hard to help keep us on the field. Our brothers and sisters around the world!
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From our work in Malta: Pastor Joseph Agius
Greetings from Malta.
On behalf of Word of Life, I want to praise the Lord for the opportunities we had this year to preach the gospel, and to study God’s Word. It has been a difficult year, but a victorious one. This link takes you to the outreach we had at the President’s Palace http://www.wordoflifemalta.org/Evangelism/President%20Activity/President%20Palace%20activity.htm. You will a find a short report there.
Yesterday we had the last outreach of the year. It was in an elderly home. They were so blessed even when they knew we are not Roman Catholics. They urged us to go back to them. I am so surprised as I was not too diplomatic in my preaching J. At the end of the outreach I gave an altar call, and many said the prayer with me. I also spoke on God’s forgiveness. After the outreach, an elderly man came to me and said he believed God forgives all our sins, but with one condition, that is we must first forgive others…. Wow!!! He urged me to mention this during my messages.
I wish you a blessed New Year.
A New Year’s Prayer.
Dear Father, Let Christ's peace rule in our hearts. Let us be at peace in his one body. Fill our hearts and mouths with overflowing thanksgiving. Let Christ's word dwell in us richly. Let us teach and admonish each other in all wisdom. Let us impart grace through the songs flowing from thankful hearts. May we do everything, whatever it is, in the name of our Lord Jesus. We give thanks to you, our God and Father, through his name. Amen.
Pastor Joseph Agius www.wordoflifemalta.org
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From Marty Delmond in France:
I am grateful that my children and grandchildren are all doing well and going forward with the Lord. I am grateful for the new writing streak in me! In 2009 I wrote a 300 page novel and three 90 page teaching books, plus the monthly radio stories. RPJ Publishing did the honors for me with the three teaching books and Tate Publishing is working on the novel. Marc Lebrun of Christ Light of the Nations just outside of Paris is publishing the three teaching books in French. I am so grateful for all the great publishers the Lord has provided for me. I know He sent them because I didn't go out and find them! They found me!
From the church in Paris, France (Marc & Annemarie Lebrun) web page: http://www.clnm.org
Here is our praise report for what the Lord has done for us in 2009:
- we are now able to worship and meet in our building,
- as a church, we are still alive and kicking!, which is very important,
- 2 pastors have been ordained in our midst,
- Love relationships are growing stronger and stronger,
- more people attend the prayer meetings on Wednesdays’ evenings,
- missionary travels of Pastors Marc and Annemarie, all financially met by the church. Great work accomplished in all the visited nations, especially in Africa, recently.
Blessings, Pascale, CLN France.
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FROM THE McCLUNGS IN GERMANY
PRAISE: We give thanks with a grateful heart for all God has done! We are grateful for the Father’s love and for the calling He has placed on our lives.
Praise God!...We arrived back in Germany on September 16th. We started 2009 with the enormous task of raising our missionary budget.
We praise God for pastors and churches who welcomed us as we itinerated sharing our vision and calling. We are thankful that they, along with family and friends love the World and missions enough that they will pray for us and generously give so we can “Go!”
The Discipleship Training school is going strong. The fall term just ended with over 70 students. Young people are being discipled and sent out. Today the first team left for their 3 month outreach in Kenya. Other teams will leave this week and will be going to Nepal, India, China, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia.
ANTICIPATION: We look forward to welcoming new students for the next Discipleship Training School which starts on January 16th. Every three months a
new school starts. We have been praying for direction and have been “spying out the land”
for future church plants. We ask and believe God will reveal his plans concerning this soon.
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From Harold & Kathleen Presley IPHC - UK and NW Europe http://www.nweuropeiphc.blogspot.com
We are grateful to God for His goodness to our family in 2009. Kathleen and I are blessed that all of our children are faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Our one grandchild, Levi, will have a sister by March 2010. Our daughter Bethany seems to have adjusted well to life back in the USA, and marriage to a youth pastor!! :o) We are also thankful to the Lord for adding Joshua Bridges (Bethany's husband) to our family. And we almost adopted another daughter, Jasmine Crilly, from Perth, Australia! Jasmine will complete her internship with us in London in June 2010. During the almost 2 years now that she has served with us, we have grown to love and appreciate her as a young protege and a very faithful servant of the Lord.
And what an honour and privilege it still is to serve with the missionaries of NW Europe and with the local pastors of the UK. They are the best! In 2009 we increased our level of prayers and team-effort outreaches. May God help us do more of the same in 2010.
NW Europe is gathering for a day of prayer in Wales on 16 January 2010 and again somewhere (tba) in Scandinavia in July 2010.
Rev. Nancy Berry
Your WIN Director
