In den Weihern 2, 79379 Muellheim, GERMANY
May 2013
Greetings from Muellheim. Germany
Today is May 1st, a holiday here in Germany. Each village in Germany puts a tall evergreen at the top of a long pole and puts it in a prominent spot. The tree is decorated with streamers and is left there for up to a month.
I apologize that it has been so long since many of you have heard from me. My last month in Canada was busy with time in Colorado at our GEM mission office and then spending time with family, my home church and various supporters. To those I didn’t get a chance to visit with, I trust that in a couple of years from now we’ll be able to spend some time together.
I was struggling with some health issues with my sinuses the last couple of months in Canada. They continued to bother me my first month back in Germany. I managed to get adjusted and do my ministry during that time, but it was a challenge. After getting on antibiotics a third time it managed to stop being an issue. Thanks for praying for me during that time.
Since my first month of readjusting and recuperating from health issues, life has been busy. Euroteam has upcoming projects in Serbia, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece and Scotland. As well, our team, along with the French missionary field have been working with about 12 teams that will be doing outreach in France during the Tour de France this summer. There have also been preparations for conferences, like the West GEM leaders who met in Switzerland in March, discipleship multiplication training which will be in the Paris region this month, German pastors and spiritual leaders meeting near Stuttgart in June and our whole mission conference in August after a year off.
In February and March I had the opportunity to assist with the English outreach evenings in Schliengen, as I had in the past. It was a treat to go weekly and help German and Swiss folks brush up on their English. We had topics like inventions, fairy tales, schooling, etiquette, and I did a lesson on Canada! It was an opportunity for not only the German speakers but some of the Americans to learn about my home country.
A couple of weekends ago our team had an opportunity to go to Camp of the Peaks in the French Alps to work through our strategic plans as well as spend time together. Spouses and children came along. Our colleague from Greece, Fred Naff, was able to come and Crystal Dueck, who is raising support to be with us long-term, arrived to be with us for the next 3 months.
As you can see, this ministry is a full but exciting one. Thank you for praying with me as I serve here in Europe.