Sunday, August 28, 2011

Mission Team from Minneapolis



Here is a picture of the short-term mission team from Rock Minneapolis. For eight days they stood on empty crates with their "Religion is a lie" t-shirts and waited for people to approach them. This was a successful method for conversation. Each team member had opportunities to explain the t-shirts and show that religion is man trying to reach out to God, and that is not the gospel.


The Poster Bible Verse



1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

This is the verse that the church put on the poster. This was a humbling moment. It is great to be appreciated. We give God the glory for all He has done at Rock Berlin.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Back in Berlin after 4 weeks in U.S.

At the first service after returning to Berlin, the church gave us a poster of Thanks with pictures and notes of what the individuals are thankful for. This was a very humbling and loving demonstration. We are thankful for the relationships God is blessing at Rock Berlin. Each person is very precious to us.


In Ohio




We celebrated our 24th Anniversary while in Ohio by having dinner with our son Eric and his wife Luigia. Great food at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.

Still in Ohio

While in Ohio we spoke at two churches. One was Grace Point Community Church, Pastor Terry Lewis. We shared about the 5 people baptised in recent months at Rock Berlin. This testimony fit perfectly with the message that evening. We are grateful to GPCC for their support of this ministry. It was a Saturday service, so we were allowed to wear shorts:)


From N.C. back to Ohio





We ended our 4 weeks in the U.S. in Ohio. We visited Dieter's parents. Great time playing a German game & eating great food cooked by Dieter's mom!

From Ct. to North Carolina

In N.C. we celebrated the 16th birthday of grandson, Timothy. His dad, Matt, took everyone to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate. Good food and fellowship.
Timothy was baptised last year and is walking with the Lord. We give thanks to our heavenly Father.

Still in Ct.

While in Ct., one of Lucy's sisters, Pauline, hosted a picnic and invited all of Lucy's family. It was a great time with family. Part of the the activities was a water balloon fight. Here Lucy is prepping the younger kids for the huge battle.
We spent about 5 days in Ct. visiting family. We also ran into a couple of supporters at the church service we visited. It is very encouraging to know that people in serveral states are praying for the ministry in Berlin.


From Minn. to Connecticut

From Minn. we drove to Connecticut to visit family. Here is a picture of Dieter's two daughters and their children. When you see family only once a year you really notice the change in the grandchildren. They are growing up so quickly.


Lucy got involved



As we walked around and chatted briefly with the team members, Lucy became involved in a conversation with a man that was walking by. He didn't pray to receive Christ, but we saw him take the literature and show it to his girlfriend.

Meeting the mission team

One of our last activities in Minn. was meeting with a mission team that was preparing to come to Berlin to share the gospel. They visited a local park to practice. They created a stir by wearing t-shirts that said, "Religion is a lie". Here Jeromy Darling is giving a pep talk before they begin their ministry.


Our hosts in Minn.

This picture is of Karen and Chuck our hosts in Minn. They housed us the previous two trips too. They are a very loving couple, especially in putting up with us, ooops, I mean putting us up:)


Second church in Minn.

In Minn. we also spoke at New Hope Church. Here is Pastor Doug Patterson praying for us after we gave an update of the ministry in Berlin.
We had the opportunity to meet a family, the Heils, who were part of the original team that started Rock Berlin. It was humbling meeting this family that left everything behind to obey God's call. They were a great encouragement to us.


More time in Minn.



While in Minn. we visited Bill and Barb Brown, who we got to know years ago at Linworth Rd Church. They are an inspiration to us for their many years of service in the mission field. Even now they are planning to move to Ethiopia.

Our conversation and prayer with them was very encouraging.

Trip to U.S.

In July we headed to the states for 4 weeks of visiting family and supporters. We began by visiting the Minneapolis Rock. Here is Pastor Mark Darling interviewing us before his teaching. Mark is the one who called us to serve in Berlin. During this trip we had a chance to meet with the mission team that recently visited Berlin.