Long awaited entry

I last wrote in May and the updates are embarrassingly sparse. But on the other hand we have been busy making disciples of Jesus. So here is a quick overview of our summer and fall just to get you up to date on what is going on with us.

Last summer we had a street festival with  four other churches. We've done these through the years, but this was the best so far. We decided to make everything simpler and smaller scale. The party was rained out and we had to have our church service indoors, but it was still amazing. People stuck around afterwards and we had five communities of believers spending the afternoon together. We had great food and music as well to enjoy as the sun eventually did come out. Our Father was smiling as his kids sang and played together.

Soon thereafter we flew to Minnesota to spend the month of July in the US. Our girls always enjoy spending time with relatives and riding four-wheeler through the Minnesota woods. We collected new experiences and mosquito bites. One weekend Bird and I got to fly out to PA for some EMM meetings and speak at New Providence Mennonite Church about our work. That was cool to see some familiar faces and renew some relationships.

At the end of July we flew home to hold a week of seminars for our team. Our co-worker Feli had been holding down the fort while we were gone and she needed a breather. After we sent that astounding team home, we had a couple weeks to catch up on things that get put on the back burner.

Then we greeted a new team on September first. We started the first week off with three young people; two ladies from Germany and one guy from PA. But we were spontaneously given the opportunity to have another guy from Virginia so we prayed about it and eventually greeted him that Friday afternoon. We had a team-building day planned to end with a 15 Km hike through the woods which should have taken us around 5 hours. It was a memorable experience with some funny stories about jet-lag and togetherness.

At the end of the second week of September we flew for a second time to Minnesota to be at my brother Jon's wedding. We wondered if we would be able to take the whole family to the celebration, but we found great tickets. It was a time to make memories with Jon and Jenna and we were glad to be able to be a part of it.

In that time I also was able to see my grandma Jeanne. She has recently been given bad health news and I knew it would be the last time I might see her. I just thought it was providential that I was able to talk to her and personally say thank you for being a great grandma through the years. She's a fighter though. Not to mention she's stubborn as a mule. Who knows? Maybe she has another ten years? We'll see I guess.

We came back from the wedding and got back to the everyday grind for a few weeks. The girls are all in school now and Bird has some time in the mornings to herself and her chores. She's enjoying that. Last winter Bird made a habit of jogging and is enjoying the benefits of feeling good. Anika is now in 6th grade and getting better at school. She still loves languages and art, but math is a challenge. She's getting better with her guitar too. Naomi is in 3rd grade and has a lot of friends at school. She likes comic books and animals. She is also showing Madeline the ropes around the schoolyard too. Maddie just started first grade and is working on reading. I think it'll be going smoother by Christmas. Recently, we have enjoyed a BBC series on Netflix about the ocean. Whales, dolphins, sharks, fish of all kinds, exotic deep sea creatures and even plankton are evening discussion material.

Last week I had the chance to fly to Vancouver for work. I was there with two ladies from our team here in Kaiserslautern. The reason to travel was a network meeting and conference on the topic of discipleship. I knew a lot of people from previous meetings in various places. We met to encourage each other, network/meet new people, get some good teaching/resources, and pray together for God to move in North American and Europe. I was really moved to set some new priorities in my life and get rid of the fluff. I was also motivated to pray more. When I don't stay connected in prayer I get dry and good fruit isn't produced in my life. It's a basic spiritual principle, but it was nice to have a renewed vision for it. Even this morning we met to rehash our notes and take the best from the conference to the church team to see how we can implement them. I have been so encouraged by our team and the renewed heart to make disciples who make disciples.

One thing I took away from Vancouver was something someone said. "Bigger, better, louder needs to be replaced with smaller, simpler, and quieter." I was struck by the thought that Jesus didn't make disciples in a mega-church or program, but in a deep relationship. I still have a lot to contemplate, but I am convinced God patiently works through imperfect people to build his Kingdom one living stone at a time.

So thanks for reading this. If you made it this far, you're one of the elite. I appreciate and love so many of you who are getting this. We all value your prayer and financial support of our work here in Germany. Thank you for making our work, of making European disciples of Jesus, possible. There are many open doors here.

Peace and love,

Mike



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