22 September - First "Mission & Vision" Meeting

We just returned from a meeting of the people that have expressed an interest in our efforts to plant a new English-language church in Darmstadt.  It was a great time!  We had 9 adults, one teenager and one toddler in the group.  There is one more couple who has also made contact, but they are out of the country today.  Already the group is fully international - people from Ukraine, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, the US and one guy from West Virginia!

 

We talked about the call of God on our hearts to see a new, relevant and dynamic church in Darmstadt; one that will reach the entire community - Internationals as well as Germans - with the Gospel of Christ. 

The Mission is to "Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  Compelled by that love, we connect people to God, each other and the world."

We talked a little about our motivations to see a new church in Darmstadt, and about our lives with Christ.  We shared requests and prayed for each other and for the community.

A great time!  We will be meeting again next week.

This evenings meeting followed a day when we saw a new apartment, which has jumped to Number 1 on the charts.  It is a large apartment with two balconies.  It has been newly remodeled with all new plumbing, wiring, floors, etc.  It's really very nice.  It is also right in the heart of the city.  We would be within a few blocks of two German-language churches that have previously indicated a willingness to work with us in our English-language ministry.  While it would be a stretch for us to live in the middle of the city - there is something about it that has really caught our hearts.

Living Room

The realtor who showed us the place was a very nice young man (mid 20's) who told us that he lived in Central California along the Coast when he was in school - and that his host family was "religious."  We shared with him that his English was very good.  He said, "Ah, I don't get to use it nearly enough!"  And Bob said, "Well, you can always come to an English-language church and get lots of chances to use your English!"  He smiled and said he would come...we will definitely follow up!

We were just on Skype with our daughter Nicole, and she reminded us that it was two weeks ago that she dropped us off at the airport in Des Moines for our journey to Germany.  It is hard to believe all that has transpired in just 14 days.  God has shown Himself to be more than enough over and over again.  We are so blessed!

Pray for the church that God is raising up here in Darmstadt.  Pray for our spiritual protection as we push back the darkness and advance the Kingdom of Light.  Continue to pray for our apartment search, as well.

Thank you!