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Well we progressed a lot with our bedroom project; ripping off the old wallpaper (and big chunks of the old wall!), putting in an electrical circuit, going through about three 50lb bags of plaster, and putting up the new wallpaper with the help of Angela's pen pal Corinne. Still a few things to do, but a lot of effort expended and a very satisfying result. That took most of our free time this past month since we're far from being great do-it-yourselfers.
Still have not started our "worshiping intercession" "training" sessions. We've been waiting for other key people that we want to do this with to get back with us on their involvement. In the meantime I feel the conviction of the Lord that we simply need to proceed with doing it in the new building without waiting any longer. In doing so, we need to let the Lord build/grow it as He wants to and not try to construct something ourselves. So, off we go...
This is intrinsically linked with the move our church will be making into the "new" (very old, in fact) building and the need to work as hard in worship and intercession as those who are gifted in manual labor are working. They, in fact, are up against some obstacles for which we need to Lord to provide the answers...so...there is a need to "stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30, Nehemiah 4:6-22) for breakthrough, protection and provision. Our time with Roger and Sue Mitchell was very key for us to understand the bigger picture of the Lord for what our church is living at the moment.
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- Noah - Noah turns 14 on Sunday! We're planning a special sort of "rite of passage" time for him as a young man. So, thank you for your prayers during this time for his destiny and his heart for the Lord! :D
- Establishment - We're in the annual month of waiting for the renewing of our residence permits. This time the mayor's office highlighted the fact that Rachel is 18 now and doesn't have a residence permit of her own. She's a bit in limbo as she lives most of the time in Germany at Black Forest Academy, but she hasn't really "left home" permanently (which will happen this summer when she goes to university in the States). So, they're suggesting that we apply for a French residence permit over Christmas break when she's home. Rachel continues to have a heart for Europe and can see herself returning here in the future. Please pray that this will be a step that will help establish her future connection possibilities in Europe. The mayor's office also expressed their surprise (again) that our situation is as irregular as it is and that the prefecture has already refused one attempt to solidify our immigration status given that we want to stay here indefinitely. They said that after being here for 5 years we could apply for citizenship but suggested that having someone who wanted to employ us was probably crucial to having that accepted. This is, in fact, what we're trying to accomplish through the school we work at. Unfortunately, the rules are such that no qualified French person be available who can do the job that the school is trying to hire me for. The job posting at the local employment office has already garnered some impressive resumes in response...not exactly what we had hoped for. So the process is in a bit of a stall for the moment. Please pray that we can advance in establishing our immigration status on a more permanent footing here in France; beginning with an other year of residence granted but continuing on to something more long-term or permanent.
- Finances - Closely tied to our immigration status is our financial situation. As I mentioned to you last month, the exchange rate is really wreaking havoc on our finances (as well as many other American missionaries). The simple fact that our finances come from the US at this time is hard because of the weakness of the dollar vs. the currency with which we must live every day...the euro. One solution is that we could begin to have a euro-sourced income. A local business man has some small technical and translation tasks that I could do for which he's willing to pay me. At the moment, he doesn't really have a way to pay me. So we're trying to figure out a way for that to work. We also need to pray in bifocals and a crown for Angela in the coming year.
At any rate, we know that God is our source and He can work in any currency! So please pray for growth in our faith in El Shaddai as we walk through this difficult time.
- Church Steps of Faith - Those verses in Nehemiah 4 that I mentioned above really speak to our current situation. Right now huge amounts of physical work are falling on a very small amount of skilled workers. We facing some dates where things need to be done and not really sure how to do it without crushing a few people under the weight of the tasks...which is not acceptable. Please pray for provision in skilled labor for the big tasks necessary for building occupancy.
See ya next year! :D
Until next time,
David
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