Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Day two

Praise God once again for giving us strength to do what He has called us to do.  We are still not totally healed, but we are in process.  He has assured us in prayer that He will continue to grace us with what we need to do the job assigned to us.

The teaching today went really well. PW did most of the teaching today since it was doctrinal foundation.  The students were quite attentive and asked really good questions which showed they were listening. There is one particular student who is really connecting and during breaks comes up to talk one on one about things that he is struggling with.  Hopefully as the week continues more will do the same. 

We had an opportunity to lay down to rest for 2 hours between sessions while a local Pastor came in to teach the students. It is amazing what a difference that makes.  After school today we went back to the hotel and then walked to dinner and back again. We are going to try to stay up until 10 so we can sleep through the night. Last night was not a good one since we had gone to bed at 8:30 and woke up on and off all night.  Oyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee traveling is not fun at all. Nothing like home and your own bed. 

Ok here are the prayer requests for tomorrow:
1. That PW's back would be totally pain free so he can think.
2. That the students hearts would be touched in a special way.
3. That our family would be protected. Adrian and Jens van broke today and it is going to be expensive to fix.  Pray for wisdom, provision and peace as they deal with this new challenge.

Sorry this is so factual, but we know you understand. Hopefully tomorrow our zip will be back. 

Much love,
Pw and Sherry

Monday, April 29, 2013

Day One

We are excited about this group of students. There are 22 of them and they are very engaging.  While PW taught they were taking notes and looking up and intently listening. Answered questions readily and seemed generally responsive.  Please pray for each one that this week they will not just gather information but will truly have heart changes. 

We ate dinner at the school with the students.  Soup is always a great way to end a day if you ask me.  And since I was still not feeling 100 % it tasted great. We came back to our room and were in bed by 8:30.  Between PW's back being out of place and me fighting the flu, we were tired. 

Today is going to be a long one. We are being picked up at 7:50 and will teach all day with only a few breaks until 5.  Yesterday we covered the introduction to Biblical counseling and today we will start digging into the teachings. Thanks to our friend Joe Propri who wrote this excellent life changing course.

Prayer for today;

1. PW's back continues to go into muscle spasms which make it hard to think or stand or sit or lie down..:>)) so healing would be nice.
2. The students to have open hearts.
3. For us to have some personal connections with students

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Going with the Flow

I had intended to post on Saturday but came down with a flu bug which has totally wiped me out.  Warfare
PW's back has gone out and he is in terrible pain, which hinders his thinking. Warfare   Arrived at the school on Sunday and started to settle in the apt. provided and found out the water line broke so there was no water. Warfare   Thankfully there was a lovely hotel 10 minutes away with a vacancy so we have relocated for the week.  But we have learned over the years to go with the flow on the mission field. In the end the Lord always comes through in marvelous ways to manifest Himself in spite of our circumstances.

As I spent time in the word this morning, the Lord directed me to 2 Cor. 4: 16-18.  Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  Praise His name.

We win because of Him and what He has done on the cross. 

It is such a comfort to know that the church is in good hands. We heard that Pastor Bill preached an excellent sermon yesterday.  You can access it from our blog as well as the church website. 

So we ask that you pray for us
1 To have energy and be healed
2 To speak and teach with authority and anointing and energy.
3. For the students hearts to be challenged this week and changed.

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Saturday, April 27, 2013

WE have arrived safely

We arrived safely in Riga however it was an hour later than we had planned due to airport issues in Frankfurt.  Our flights were wonderful and we had good seats and our luggage arrived with us.

Since our reason for coming 3 days early was to rest up and overcome our jet lag before we begin teaching on Monday, the Lord has graciously sent rain and lots of it.   The rain alone has taken care of our desire to go out and sight see instead of rest.   In everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you.. :>)))  We hope to take a walk later though and enjoy this beautiful city.  If we take pictures I will be sure to post them.

Thank you for your prayers for us.  My computer is acting up so I would appreciate prayers that it does not die on me before I get home.

Much Love,
PW and Sherry

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Departure

Well the day has finally arrived. We are settled in our hearts that God is sending us and has given us a message for these young people at the Bible School.   To say we are excited is an understatement. These trips are so much fun and such a blessing.

Please lift up the following prayer concerns today as you think of us.

1. That there will be no delays due to the air traffic controllers layoffs. 
2. That the planes we travel on will be safe.
3. That our moms will stay in good health .
4. That nothing will break at home so that the moms do not have to deal with it.
5. That our Son in law, Daughter and 5 grandchildren will be safe and healthy.
6. That our congregation is without incident, ya know like major tragedies etc. 
7  We have one brother who is having major surgery on the 30th.  And several who are hurting due to family issues.  Please pray that God protects, heals and comforts.  It is always hard to leave in these circumstances.
8. For Pastor Bill and Edie as they watch over the church while we are gone.
9. That PW has no health emergencies and that he has energy and good health. ie: no more strokes to scare me to death.. :>)))
10. That the Lord will be glorified and represented properly through us.

Thank you so much for standing with us. We so appreciate the support we feel when we travel like this. It is an honor and privilege for us that we do not take lightly.  We will try to update daily while we are gone. 

Much love,
PW and Sherry

Sunday, April 14, 2013

11 Days and Counting

I cannot believe we leave in 11 days.  Where does the time go?  We will need your prayers as we prepare the next week.  We have a full schedule of our regular ministry things plus our prep.  Add to that our home maintenance and our Mothers and we are going to need tons of prayer.  If you think of it please just lift us up to God daily and ask Him to give us strength and to order our steps.
 
Our mission to Latvia will be to teach at a one year bible school for young adults, on the topic of Biblical Counseling.  This will be a relatively short trip so please pray specifically that Pw has no jet lag so he can teach without feeling tired.  We will arrive three days before the school starts so he can rest up and hopefully be ready to teach on Monday.   We also would like prayer that we will have lots of interaction with the students after classes and be able to minister to them one on one. So many are trying to discern what the Lord has for them in the their future so this time is important to them.  Last year we had quite a few divine appointments.  Also, please pray for our translators. It is important for us to be able to have good relations with them so we can flow together.  Ask God to anoint them and us so the material is imparted accurately with out confusion.

It has been such a privilege to go and minister overseas. We love working with young people and are always surprised that God has given us favor with them. 

On the home front, PW has been teaching a series on the one anothers at our church.  The past two weeks he has been teaching on Forgiveness.  If you would like to listen to these sermons you can access them through our website by pushing the button on the right of the screen.

We praise God for what he has been doing in us these past few months. It has been hard but productive.

We will start posting daily once we get in Latvia so you can pray current for us. 

Much Love,
PW and Sherry
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