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July,
2005 UPDATE
Dear friends & family,
Thanks for praying for us! I cannot express how much
Stephanie and I appreciate your stepping along side us
in prayer. We have finally moved and are settling into
our new home.
What is God doing?
This is the question our launch team discusses every
time we meet. We spend a good thirty minutes, simply
sharing where we see God at work around us, and I want
to share a few with you.
1.
God is giving courage:
Most of you can probably relate to our team who have
been actively involved in church for many years. They
have developed close relationships with fellow church
goers and have ended up in “holy huddles.” As we grow in
faith it is very easy to isolate ourselves from the real
world. Entering back into the world of the unchurched is
a scary thing for many people. However, our God is
giving us courage and strength to bridge this gap. Not
long ago I went out with a great friend, Elroy, to do
some surveying in his neighborhood. He was, well, a
little anxious, but as we spent time talking with his
neighbors everything changed. We had great conversations
and made meaningful connections with his neighbors.
2.
God is opening doors to the unchurched:
As we go out and survey, God is opening doors into the
lives of people who don’t go to church. One unchurched
lady stood behind her screen door for nearly the entire
interview. She repeatedly let us know that she did not
want aything forced down her throat. Toward the end, we
asked if we could let her know how things were
progressing with Bridge of Hope. She said yes, took our
business card, and then actually came out on to the
porch and talked informally for several minutes.
3.
God provided lots of help for moving.
We had
15 people, 2 SUV, 4 minivans, and 3 pickups; Matt
Rowenhorst loaned us his company truck; Nancy Carrier
watched Zack all evening; Kathleen Raney (75) helped
unpack and gave our boys lots of attention; Mike Brost
brought a piano dolly; Terry Collins moved our freezer;
and we saw Christ’s love in action.
4.
God is opening a door to fill a need. While
seeking to reach out, we have come to realize that
evangelism is not our forte. As I prayed on this, a
friend from Sheboygan Falls kept coming to mind. I knew
he was a good fit, but doubted the feasibility of his
coming. After a couple weeks of this, I called and found
that God was very much at work. Armond and his wife had
been asking God to give them direction in his ministry.
Since the time I left Sheboygan Falls, Armond had begun
to work with a youth evangelism ministry. He has been
raising support to serve as a missionary to help
churches reach younger generations and start youth
ministries. We do not know where all this may lead, but
God is certainly at work.
Rejoice with us in the work God is doing.
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