Dear Family and Friends,
So Carl said to Esther, We have to tell everyone to stop giving, because there is enough to do the work God called us to do in Russia and Kazakhstan. It is like what happened in Exodus 36:5-7.
Thank you very much for your generous gifts which have encouraged us greatly! God has used you to supply all of our needs for the upcoming trip to St. Petersburg Feb. 11 - 14 and Karaganda Feb. 15 - 22.
The encouragement of having our needs met ahead of our trip is tremendous. We stepped out in faith and ordered airline tickets before we had all the money together and God moved faithful friends and family to give. We are in awe of God’s wonderful provision in the midst of the greatest financial crisis since the great depression. Be encouraged that God sees your sacrificial giving and will remember your service.
We just returned from Credo, a Christian Hotel in the Berner Oberland run by Daniel Blaser one of Esther’s four brothers. http://credo.ch/ Daniel asked us to help out in meal service, dish crew and cleaning for three days. I was also asked to preach twice and both messages were very well received. Hearts were prepared by the Lord. Unbelievers who were brought along by christian friends heard the gospel and believers were exhorted. The first night preaching in German I was extremely nervous, but the feedback was good. The second evening I felt the power and presence of the Lord in a way I’ve rarely experienced while preaching in any language.
We worked with Daniel and his assistant Simon, along with three young men from Germany who volunteered for two weeks. Jonathan, Walter and Tobias come from a very interesting Mennonite Brethren community in Germany. All of them have parents who were part of those who returned to Germany following the Russian deportations to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan during the Bolshevic revolution and then again during WW II. Thousands of Germans were deported to work in mines and other labor camps. These Germans persevered in their faith over 3 and 4 generations after being deported. This little known bit of history came alive to us as we met these young men. Truly amazing stories. These Mennonites kept up the use of the German language and the expression of their faith in Christ as they held to the importance of Christ’s church, loving fellow believers, strong, large families and working to serve Christ in all areas of life. Their practice of hospitality is very important to them and we are trying to see if there is a way for us to visit them for a few days.
I was also asked to preach in German in a church near Zurich, but I’m not sure if the dates will work. Please pray for the will of the Lord in this and other possibilities. Please also pray for the my timely completion of editing the audio book, The Second Mayflower, by Kevin Swanson. http://www.generationswithvision.com/Store/Product/176 My brother-in-law Paul is doing much better and does not need as much help around the farm, and I hope to complete the editing and out-takes in January. Thank you for your prayers, notes of encouragement and generous gifts.
Yours in the Life and Love of Christ,
Carl
