November Newsletter

Lotvola’s Neuigkeiten
(bits of news)
November 10, 2007

Back in Germany

You may or may not know that we have recently made a trip to Germany. It was good to go back! I must say, the trip revived us, refreshed our vision, and now we are eager to return.

If you want a few details ~ Read on.

Our time in Kaiserslautern (K-town) was spent reconnecting with old friends, meeting new people, and looking for teaching jobs. When you reconnect with old friends one must drink coffee and eat. So we visited, ate chocolate, and got chubbier. It was fun to see friends again, get caught up on where they are with their lives, and catch them up on ours. Of course, we had to introduce them all to Anika.

Over the last couple of years the church in K-town has grown. There were lots of new people. While we were there we visited a cell group, a Sunday service, and a harvest festival with ethnic “onion-cake” and new wine. (What is onion cake you may be wondering? It is something like onion quiche. It was pretty good to the taste-buds). There was also an opportunity for us to help with a service on Sunday. It was thrilling to see the church, albeit small, want to learn about Jesus, and have joy in the process. After spending time with these folks, we decided these are people Jesus would hang out with.

Prayer time in Halle

Previous to our time in Kaiserslautern we also spent time in Halle, which is in eastern Germany. The church planting team there asked for encouragement and prayer. So, ourselves along with four others were able to minister to them. We were able to pray for the team, the church, and the city. I believe God gave the team encouragement and a new vision to press forward. We are now trusting God to continue the work.

Overview of Kaiserslautern
We also met the team with whom we will be working. One of them commented, “We all have different personalities and cultures. It will be interesting to work together.” He is correct. We also noticed we have different gifts and abilities. It will be wonderful to see how this allows us all to work together. Mike and I shared our vision and what we believe our gifts are. I would like to start a young mom’s group, and share my love of cooking and hosting to many people. Mike sees himself getting into the art community and doing some discipleship.

Teaching English may also give us opportunities to build relationships and supplement our budget. We found some possibilities for Mike and I to teach in local language schools. In preparation for that, we are currently taking an on-line course on how to teach English to foreign speakers.

We are excited!

Anika is a trooper. We are blessed to have her. She will make a great missionary kid. I watched peoples faces change from gloom to happiness when Anika would smile at them. It was fun to see the effect she had on people. We are convinced that she will open many doors of opportunity for us. People are drawn to her. I now realize I need to be ready to walk through all the doors she will open!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)



Praises
Safety on our trip in Germany
Funds that have already come in (60%)
Prayer
Decisions that need to be made regarding our budget
Continued fund raising
On-line teaching course

Thank you for joining God's work in Germany!
God Bless you all,
Love Mike, Bird and Anika Lotvola