Hello everyone! Summer has just flown by, and I have barely had a chance to sit down and write much of anything. We’ve both had more ministry meetings lately and are enjoying being a part of the community life here. One of the biggest things we have been up to is developing key leaders in the community here and serving with them in their current ministries, and helping them to grow, and pursue what God is calling them to do. We can’t always share the details of everything we are up to due to the privacy of others, but we are loving the opportunity to pour into so many others and see them grow. One of the things that is in the works (and that we are helping develop) is a Cafe/Bakery that will also be a ministry to women who are in need. The goal is to help women who are in a transition and need help leaving abusive relationships/situations. It is in the early stages of development, but we’re excited to be a part of the planning stages and ministry development.
We have been in northwest Pennsylvania for 3 months now, and it’s hard to believe it hasn’t been longer because of how much has been going on. Shortly after moving out here, the friend we were staying with shared that she had a vision to have a place where missionaries could come and stay with her and find a place of rest. After some brainstorming with her, we helped her (mainly by encouraging, and a lot of baking for bake sales) get an RV for missionaries to stay in. So, since then we have been helping to fix it up and getting it ready to go, while simultaneously staying in it. If you know of any missionaries who need a place to stay in Northwest PA, please don’t hesitate to give them our contact info so we can direct them to our friend.
Besides working on the Rv, we have enjoyed being a part of a Tuesday night small group where Jonas and I both shared our testimonies. Through this small group, we have been able to make some wonderful friends and Jonas was able to speak at a church (on August 2) and share about our ministry in Germany. Surprisingly enough, Jonas found out he has an ex-Amish cousin in this small group! And for our Amish Family readers, it is Dan and Emma Yoder’s grandson, and Melvin Yoder’s son. It is so fun to meet so many people with German background, and especially when we find out they’re related!
My parents were able to come out and visit us for a few days, and we all had a wonderful time. After they left, we headed to Ohio to visit some friends and help them with fixing up that we their house so they can move in, and also had meetings with two pastors. I have been enjoying being mentored by a missionary who helped start the Mosaik movement, and we are going to be starting a bible study together on the book Gospel Identity, which she read during her first years as a missionary in Germany and found it very helpful. Jonas has also started reading Center Church, by Timothy Keller, which is the model of church planting the Mosaik Movement in Germany and the Middle East is using. I have started up online German classes again, and Jonas hopes to do the same after he finishes his apologetics class in a few weeks. We are trying to be as prepared for Germany as possible!
It seems that everything is falling into place, even though our percentage hasn’t gone up. Sometimes it can be so discouraging, but I have to remember that we can’t always see on the surface what God is doing. After working back stage at my college’s theatre company, I know first hand all of the people, all of the props, and all of the organization it takes to make the production happen. The audience can’t see it, but it is happening. Our desire is to be in Germany, and we really look forward to when that will happen, but in the meantime we can see how God is using us here, and we are so thankful for that!
A Note about Traveling: We are doing our best in this season to take precautions and adhere to social distancing guidelines as best as we can, while still pursuing our work. We are trying to protect those we work with, and are being selective of the travel and speaking engagements due to Covid. It is a hard season to be in, but we are trying to make the best of the situation and care for those around us.
Upcoming Travel and Speaking Engagements
•Abundant Life Church’s Community church service PA. August 9
•Jordan Life Fellowship Ohio. August 16