You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,And called from its farthest regions,And said to you,‘You are My servant,I have chosen you and have not cast you away:Fear not, for I am with you;Be not dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you,Yes, I will help you,I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:9-10
Two weeks in Austria was time well spent. We are so blessed to have such a lovely family in Christ and so thankful that the Lord provided for us to go!
For the Italian conference James and I both helped out with worship and the Children's ministry.
The kids learned about the armor of God and had made a full suit of armor by the end of the week. They really enjoyed the craft and story time... most of the kids were boys and naturally just wanted to get to the craft where we made the sword! They were fun to work with and Lord willing the lessons will stick with them as they grow in the Lord.
When there weren't sessions it was a blessing to hang out with people and fellowship with them. The week was challenging in the respect that we had SO many opportunities to use what little Italian we know- especially when working with the kids! But we're so thankful that everyone is very encouraging... even if what we tried to say didn't make sense!
There was a day in-between the Italian conference and the Missions conference and we were able to take a trip to Salzburg with a couple of our good friends. The city really is beautiful and full of music! There were horse drawn carriages rolling around on the cobblestone streets and classical music playing almost in every piazza. We had a nice wander, at some schnitzel for dinner then drove back to the castle.
The Missions conference was wonderful... the week was full of refreshment and rest. I loved being able to talk with other missionaries who had been on the field for years or had just finished their first year as we had. We listened to their stories and learn from them. We had three teaching sessions each day and those who came to teach were definitely anointed with the Spirit. The Lord always knows which part of our hearts need to be worked on, touched with His hands of healing, or corrected and encouraged. All in all we loved it and needed every minute of it.
Prayer requests:
- The new semester is coming up and with that life is going to get very very busy.... so please be praying that we keep Jesus first in everything.
- James is teaching Ecclesiastes class at the Bible College. Pray for him as he studies and teaches!
- We are coordinating the outreaches this semester so be praying as we try and figure out all of those details.
- One of our main worship leaders is going out of town for a few months so pray for me as I'll most likely be doing a lot more leading.
- Pray for the students as they come that their hearts would be soft and ready to receive the remolding that the Lord wants to do.
- The Montebelluna church and the Feltre Church are both looking for new building... pray for financial provision and buildings.
- Please be praying for our trip to America in November for my sister Ashley's wedding!
