Spring 2024
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.”
1 Corinthians 15:17-21
Happy Resurrection Sunday
Spring reminds us of resurrection. Among winter’s brown, lifeless bushes, blooms suddenly sprout up, soon taking over. And as the days warm, life starts to flow through the garden again. Hello Spring. We are very glad to see you.
Church
We praise God things are pressing on at Evangelische Freikirche am Bolweg. Jonas is again teaching through a four-week baptism course as five people are about to be baptized. We look forward to celebrating their baptisms as a church in May.
A major question and prayer of our church right now is how we raise and train leaders in the church. Two of the men leading alongside Jonas do not see themselves in these roles long-term and do not desire to be elders (1 Peter 5:2). They would like to step down in the foreseeable future. We are praying for God to raise up elders and that we would be faithful to train these leaders. Jonas will begin a course about the basics of the Christian faith. This will be a once-a-month discipleship breakfast at our home going through a bible study exploring how the gospel impacts the Christian life. In the next months, Lord willing, there will be the first installation of deacons and we hope soon after, more elders.
In January, Jonas led our first “reverse mission trip.” We took five German young people to America on a leadership training trip. They spent a few days in the office shadowing pastors at Redeemer Bible Church. They also attended Redeemer’s Sunday morning service and were hosted by members of the church. They attended CROSSCON in Louisville, KY, worshiped with Third Avenue Baptist Church and had an elder panel with Pastor Brandon. The trip was a huge encouragement for all. In the next years, many of our teens will turn 18 and we hope to continue doing something like this every year.
Family
We are thrilled to share that we are pregnant! Lord willing, we will welcome another baby into our family end of September. Technically our doctor moved the date to October 2, but I (the pregnant one) am holding to September 28. Paige has spent the majority of the past 10 weeks in bed as again her sickness has been very extreme.
God in his kindness has sent two precious young ladies from Redeemer to help our family as Mama has been down for the count. In February, Lydia lived with us, buying a plane ticket just a week or so after we asked if she would be willing to come. Now since March, Kylie has taken over and will be with us through end of May. These young women have kept our heads above the water and served our family so well in these months of sickness. Thank you, Lydia, for all the pesto noodles and Spielplatz trips. And thank you Kylie, for fostering a love for “down by the banks” and The Sound of Music.
With baby on the way we need to buy a different, bigger car. We have been on the not-so-easy search for a while. If you would like to support our family towards this specific need, you can include “van” in the detail line of your giving. (Giving) Thank you.
It was so special in March to have a small group from Redeemer visit us for a “care trip.” Four friends came and we could just enjoy the week together. We learned Five Crowns, ate Döner and chocolate croissants, and they wheelchaired me around a tulip festival in the Netherlands. Cory, Bre, Liv and Leigh, thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and friendship. Come visit anytime.
Prayer:
God’s sustaining care for our baby and Paige
Elders for our church
New Christians who will soon be baptized
Much love,
Jonas, Paige, Nora and Fenley
