Hello
Yes, we're still here in France in case
you were wondering! In fact the Lord is keeping us very busy over here
opening wide doors for ministry and contact with Christians and non-Christians.
And Donna's got a part time job... but more about that later....
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We are now significantly involved in the
life of a small house church on the other side of the town. We are leading
worship there every Sunday and have progressed well into the Masterlife
discipleship course with a small committed group of five people. It is
very humbling to be sharing these courses with people, some of whom are
far older than we are and have been Christians for longer than us.
It is also very encouraging as we see
these people go deeper in their relationship with God. They start to realise
that they have a part to play, that they are important to God, that God
cares and can use them if they are simply available to Him and listening
to His voice. For one of the group, Bruno, he shared that he had been looking
for a job for over a year. This became a prayer subject for the whole group
and now, after thirteen months he has been offered a job doing exactly
what he has been trained for, he starts on 3rd May.
Another testimony was given by Michelle:
She was travelling back from a conference by train. She was not feeling
very well but was trying, all the same, to go over the work that we had
been studying, revising verses of scripture that we have to learn and so
on. She had prayed that she would be available to God to share with anybody
should the occasion arise. However, given the way she felt, this was not
really possible. It was then though that the woman next to her in the train
took an interest in what Michelle was doing and persevered in asking questions,
despite the fact that Michelle was not feeling well she gave brief answers
and showed the woman her work. The lady proceeded to read it all
AND copy down all the verses, which explained what it was to being a true
follower of Christ. Hallelujah!
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And what can we say? Well having encouraged
the groups to pray for things expecting answers they asked us what we would
like God to do or provide for us. I guess we hadn’t really thought too
much about this so we said “a laptop computer”. I cannot say that it was
a NEED, but, thinking ahead to travelling to England this summer and doing
a tour of churches it would be necessary to have a computer with us and
our present machine is LARGE, it would be far more convenient to have a
portable computer. So that’s what we said, a little embarrassed, I must
admit, but it was said. But the groups prayed earnestly for us for this,
and two weeks ago we received a large gift sufficient to pay for a laptop
computer. It’s good to be able to demonstrate that God takes such an interest
in us, that He not only provides our needs but sometimes our wants and
sometimes things that would just make life a little easier.
The New Year saw an influx of new students
at the language centre several of whom, we have now discovered, are musicians.
Mike organises a group every Wednesday morning to teach new songs and he
has had up to nine people there at a time. These musicians have also joined
in on the bilingual services that we organise at which we regularly see
40 people plus as many children, both French and English, representing
at least three local churches.
The boys are both doing well at 'college'.
Luke has just decided on his options for 'Lycée' and will probably
have to travel to the nearby town of Ugine in the coming school year to
follow these courses.
.... and then Donna got offered a job.
As if we didn't have enough to do already! But we prayed about it carefully,
most of our work could be rescheduled around it, and we always said to
God, if he wants us to work, we're open to that, but he'll have to provide
the work. Well, he did.... and as of the end of March Donna is now working
part-time at the Language Centre, in the kitchen. She has to prepare meals
for the children in the nursery and receive (from caterers) and serve out
the meals for the other students eating at the Centre. Four hours/day,
four days /week with all the school holidays off. So we thank the Lord
for being able to do a bit of 'tent-making' from time to time. The Lord
is faithful, and he does provide - it seems to us that he goes out of his
way to find new ways to provide for us, Hallelujah!!! We're giving up trying
to guess who He'll use and how. God is good!
So here we are in the middle of spring.
Yesterday was lovely and warm and dry, today is wet and cold and there
has been more snow on the mountains. Definitely not summer, and yet not
winter, so, yes, spring! Already we have to make arrangements to be back
in England over the summer. Please pray for us here. Pray that all the
travelling goes smoothly and that we are all in good health (not like last
year) and pray that the Lord will give us his heart for the people that
we'll be sharing with. We are planning to visit several churches during
our time there to share our vision and something of the heart He has given
us for France. France needs a lot of prayer.
We’ve been following a Bible study course
over the Internet and have found this both stimulating and useful. The
more we are getting involved in teaching the more we feel we have to study
ourselves. –Showing yourself to be approved…
In fact we would both like to do some
more formal studies for which we would gain accreditation, partly for ourselves
admittedly, but also to confirm to the people that we are teaching that
we know what we are talking about and have the certificates to prove it!
To this end we are considering a distance learning course from London Bible
College which is presently a two-year diploma course but is being developed
into a three-year degree course leading to a degree from Brunel University.
If this turns out to be God’s leading we shall be interested to see how
He will provide the fees for the course and the funds for books. I’m sure
He’ll keep us guessing and then surprise us again!
What more can we say? The guitar lessons
continue... the English lessons continue... and we try to live one day
at a time listening to the direction of God and being available to Him
to do whatever He wants us to do.
In addition we have been invited
to help staff a youth camp for a long weekend in the middle of May. As
yet we don’t have many details, so please just pray for us on this one!
I have been encouraged recently in my
reading of the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians – we’re not just sharing
the gospel, we’re sharing our lives….
We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone
else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we
were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children.
We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you
not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become
so dear to us.
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked
night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the
gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous
and blameless we were among you who believed.For you know that we dealt
with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging,
comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into
his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when
you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it
not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is
at work in you who believe.
1Thess 2: 6-10 |
Finally let me say what a privilege it
is to be living a life like this; yes, it’s hard at times but it’s so much
more a joy to be sharing something of the life that the Lord has given
to us. To have this opportunity to show this love to others in serving
them as Christ would is an immense privilege. Thank you also for supporting
us in prayer and financially and we pray that God will continue to multiply
his blessings in your lives and that you may experience more and more of
His resurrection power and life as each day passes.
Yours in his service,
God Bless,
Love ‘N’ Stuff,
Mike
and Donna
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