11.10.2013

after a long silence..


thinking about how it's been just about three months since our last update, i'm not sure if it's harder to believe because the time has flown by so quickly or because it seems like  f o r e v e r  since we left florida. either way, the months have raced by, full & sweet.

we were all ready to settle back into our home & life here, as painful as it always is to leave family & friends in the states. our "german family" was happy to have us back too (thank goodness), & we quickly got back into the swing of things. our friends here have reached out so much, to help carry the burden that this last year has been on me (us), & i really cannot express enough how deeply each caring inquiry about my mother or myself touched me.



shortly after we returned, there was a baptism scheduled. what's special about our baptisms is that we have them in the neckar river, which runs through heidelberg. there's normally a time of worship, a short input from pastor chriss, testimonies from those being baptized, and then a potluck at the park after the baptism.



michael has been working a lot with the media and graphic art at the church, along with some design in the actual building. it is so sweet to see him using his artistic gifts and learning new outlets for them. the backdrop for the stage in the picture of pastor chriss below was made by michael. see what i mean? :)


michael has also been leading worship for most of the services, with one of our worship leaders moving over the summer and another needed in other ministries. the ministry itself continues to grow & change, with students always coming & going. it is a good reflection of the church itself. it continues to grow steadily with 'heidelbergers', with a fluctuating percentage of students between semesters & breaks. there are always projects being done around the building to try to maximize our space.. especially for the growing population of children in our church (growing families are a sign a proper calvary chapel!).

the home fellowship that we began at the beginning of the year is doing well, & we are having so much fun getting to know each person better, as we really FILL our little living room. vera loves it, & i have a sneaking suspicion that she believes that everyone gathers at our home every other friday for her :)


vera turned one year old on october 17th. it is still hard to believe, mostly because i feel like i am still trying to get my act together as a mother! but i am finally finding my footing & getting back involved in some of the ministries i was in before, as well as some new ones. i've been really blessed to be able to attend mops (mothers of preschoolers) here in heidelberg with a bunch of friends from cchd. along with getting together with other women and moms from our church, my weeks are mostly filled with the homey life that is mommyhood & am so very thankful that i am able to stay home with vera.


coming up soon is our church family retreat, which is always a really sweet time of fellowship. we missed the last two years (being in florida & then its being days before vera's due date), so we are especially looking forward to going this year. we stay at a cozy little retreat center together & have lots of time for fellowship, worship & prayer together.

so for some prayer requests...
- the church retreat at the end of november
- provision for some upcoming expenses
- the approaching need to renew michael's passport
- wisdom as parents & grace for one another as a family

- the glorification of Christ in our church & ministry

thank you all for your prayers & caring hearts. may the Lord bless you & keep you, be gracious to you & cause His face to shine upon you. i will leave you with a few more pictures from this autumn...





4 comments:

  1. i love hearing about whats going on! God bless you and your family marah!

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    1. thank you, jannelle, i love reading yours, too & getting updated!

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    2. Love these updates! Still hoping that one day our paths will cross in Europe! xx

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    3. me too, victoria! i think we have to plan a trip to england anyway, so maybe next year? but i seriously am disappointed that we never visited you in italy. that was a missed opportunity!

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