Life in the Fast Lane

Well these last couple of weeks have been a blur (which is nothing really new for us I guess). We have been on the go and it seems like it won't slow down until August - but we are loving it. We love to see God work in the hearts and lives of people! Here are just a few of the highlights...

After 2 years meeting every Friday night (except summer of course), we finally come to the end of the School of Discipleship. We started out with 25 students or so and ended up with 13 who stuck through the whole 2 year program. In these 2 years we taught them some principles of ministry, IBS, OT & NT Survey, Basic Theology, How to Teach the Bible among other classes. And they all learned the discipline of keeping a spiritual journal, taking sermon notes and reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Plus they learned servanthood and most went on a short-term missions trip to Poland, Romania / Hungary, France, Spain, Germany. I am so proud of these who stuck through until the end - they learned much, built many good friendships and laid a good foundation. Two of them have come on staff now, a third is heading out on a 2-year missions assignment with Operation Mobilisation. Some shared that the Bible came alive to them during these 2 years. And others shared that they built lifelong friendships in the S.o.D. What fruit!

On Sat morning we also had the Children Ministry workers over for breakfast, just to say thanks! It was a great time of fellowship and just enjoying the time with one another without talking too much about 'the ministry'. I wanted them to know that they are valuable to me and us just for who they are - children of God themselves. The ministry they give to the church is secondary - their value is based on who they are and not just their ministry.

Then on Sunday right after the morning service at CCF, we packed up the Phamily and drove about 2 hours north to minister at a small church that has been w/o a pastor for almost 2 years now. I have had the opportunity to help them out with teaching many times before and it is always a joy to go and just bless them. They are beginning to suffer the effects of not having a pastor. They are like sheep w/o a shepherd - kind of wandering aimlessly. My pastor heart breaks for them, but I know I can't do more than teach them and encourage them now and then. I will be doing their Fall church retreat (which will be combined with CC Heidelberg and CC Gruenstadt) in November so we will get to see them again then.

One of the leaders of that church has 9 (count them, 9 kids with 2 sets of twins!) kids. His wife is the twin sister of one of our elder's wife here (this elder is now serving at the CC Bible College in Mallorca and with whom we stayed with back in June when we were in Mallorca). Anyways our 2 oldest got along with their youngest set of twins and they became fast friends this weekend. They even called themselves the 'quadruplets'!