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As I reflect a bit about the last few months, I can see that they have been really, really key months for our family! They have been months of challenge to teach us and position/transition us for the future. And, as far as I can see, we have only key months ahead of us too; each month bringing a different challenge, a different opportunity, etc. It was not surprising, therefore, to hear at the Target Europe conference several messages from several different speakers that "the time is now" for key things that God wants to do in Europe and with His church in Europe...of which we're a part, of course.
For us, it's an exciting time and a challenging time where we're learning to walk more closely with God and to lean on Him more completely. We have a missionary friend who says that he always wants to live in the realm of faith and obedience to God where, if God doesn't come through, we fall flat on our faces. It's hard to even say that, but really, deep down, it's where we want to live too...and God is, I think, positioning us more and more into that sort of life. So, I rejoice and I tremble...but most of all, I run to God and grow closer to Him, and that's what it's all about!
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- Reconciliation School Outreach - The Reconciliation School continues until the end of June. At the moment, a basic challenge for me to stay engaged! We have much to do and think about and prepare for the move so it is a challenge to think about today when tomorrow is coming in like a tidal wave.
God has been so gracious during this outreach. He's brought the team together, and that's a big deal. There are still relationship challenges in our outreach team but we're all aware of them and are working hard to remain transparent and in unity. Next Thursday, we host our second seminar about creativity and the prophetic. Please pray as I lead the worship and for the speaker as his computer (with all his notes) crashed. It's always encouraging to see the battle and know that our enemy is not pleased with what we're doing ;c)!
We have had some excellent times of intercession in the region where we feel like God has shown us specific things to pray about in the region (which is a key one in France). We usually have some specific challenge to overcome in these days of intercession and we're learning more and more how to persevere. This is so important for the Church to persevere in these days and we're thankful that God graciously teaching us. For example, yesterday, our team was the intercession team for the annual evangelistic bar-b-que put on by the churches in Valence. While some cooked, some handed out invitations, some sat at the tables with people and talked about Jesus, we prayed. The night before, one of the pastors asked me if I could bring my guitar and add some "live" music to the atmosphere. They were serving a lunch and a dinner bar-b-que. Anyway, I thought I'd simply be able to come and "plug-in" and do some songs now and then. I got there and they had no one to set up the sound equipment. I wrestled with it practically all morning and failed to get it to work. They quickly rushed a makeshift replacement system and I played probably for 1/2 hour. I went home for the break between lunch and dinner frustrated but aware that it was really a battle that was being waged against us. I came back early with more of my own equipment and we got a better system set up. I was able to play about 1 1/2 hours straight. It was still perseverance as it was sunny (hot), my fingers we're hurting, I had a rash on my hands and there were screaming kids running all around. During it all, however, I could really feel the presence of the Lord (like it was just me and Him together) and at the end the others on our team thanked me profusely as they sensed a real breakthrough during that second time. To me, it was a lesson in perseverance and a taste for me of really embracing the "work" of worship and intercession seriously (take a look at the circumstances surrounding the first mention of worship in the Bible in Genesis 22!). It means the future has a lot of work involved in it but it also means that God is faithful and that He rewards our perseverance. I'm excited about that.
- Finances - There is a big thing that I think that God is doing in His church right now and that's getting us to learn how to trust Him with our finances. Right now we're in the process of learning that at a deeper level. I'm assuming you've all read our general newsletter of a few days ago that we're buying a house in Alsace. We're basically taking all our savings and putting it into this house. This is the savings that I've "put my trust in" if we've had "more month than money". So, now, the Lord is bringing us into a place where we need to put our trust in Him to provide. We set a budget for a house based on this savings and found a house that we could fit into with a large unfinished attic that could be more livable/usable space in the future. After having signed the agreement to buy, the price of our mutual funds dropped and the exchange rate between the dollar and the euro went in the wrong direction. So, the lesson in trust begins today! Pray that we learn to put our trust in God to provide and that He provides for the purchases of this house.
- The Move - Please pray for the logistics and finances and personal energy required for this move and that we could move directly from where we're staying now, here at the Oasis Center, into the house with no delays.
- God's House - As we felt God calling us to Alsace, we began praying for the right house. As I prayed, I really felt like God was saying that we were to look for His house. That has two meanings for me.
First of all, it has the meaning of putting our focus on building "God's House" before focusing on my needs and letting God provide for my needs. This is the story of the exiles in Babylon who returned to Jerusalem with Ezra to rebuild God's house. God had to remind them to persevere and continue the work after they had stopped working because of their adversaries who opposed the work (Ezra 5, Haggai, Zechariah). Pray that we persevere in the face of opposition.
Secondly, I feel like God is saying that "our house" is really to be "His house". Psalm 27 says, "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" and Psalm 84 says, "How blessed are those who dwell in Thy house! They are ever praising Thee." This house, with the extra space in the attic, has a lot of potential to be used for much more than simply a roof over our head. We have neither the natural gift of hospitality nor the savoir faire for home repair/improvement. But we really want to have a home where one can know God's presence and love. Pray that we as a family would be able to, practically, manifest God's presence and love and that we would know how and have the provision to use this house wisely as God's tool.
Love,
David and the family
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