April-June
Dear praying friends and family,
We thank our Father in heaven for your faithful, precious prayers. As we look back at the last three months, we can only rejoice with what the Lord has done in our lives and in the ministry He has entrusted us with. We’re thankful for the spiritual growth we are observing in the lives of several people. We also keep on counseling those facing great spiritual battles and who have yet to come to Christ.
Many things have happened since our last prayer letter. In March, we were able to organize our first potluck lunch after our Sunday morning service. After enjoying a great fellowship around the table, the men took advantage of a sunny afternoon to go distribute tracts in town, while the ladies had a Bible study.
In April, on our way back from Larodde after a few days of family time, our minivan broke down on the toll way. As it was the Easter weekend, there were no rental cars available. So, after one bus ride, three taxi cabs and two trains (all paid for by our insurance), we finally arrived home at half past midnight. What was to be a 6-hour trip, ended up being a 14 hour one! To make things even more “exciting,” after we had just arrived, I decided to check on our other vehicle at home as it is an older car which we’ve had issues with in the past. Fair enough, the battery was dead. We’re so thankful for our coworker Carey Abbett, who came early on Sunday morning to jump start it. With the help of brother Abbett, I was able to go pick up our car and had no issues driving it back home. However, a few days later, another issue came up which was quickly solved by our local garage. We’re thankful for God’s provisions, which allowed us to pay for all the repairs and that we haven’t had any other problems since then. In all these circumstances, we were able to see God’s hand at work. He is so faithful.
We praise God for eight visitors on Easter Sunday. There were twenty-one altogether, though four of our regular attendees were absent. We have counted close to 40 visitors since we’ve opened our services at the building in Amiens!
Please pray for recent visitors to come back: R*****a (who lost her newborn baby earlier this year), Me (who grew up in an evangelical church in New Caledonia) and her companion Bn. For E**c and M***e, A**l’s parents. G*****y, an acquaintance of R****n, has come a few times to our mid-week services. Please pray for both men who deeply struggle in their everyday life. G*****y lost his mother at the beginning of the year, and because of his psychological issues, suffers as he is ostracized by people in his neighborhood and even by family members.
Our co-workers left in May for a four-month furlough. Their second child, Timothy, has joined his sister Juliana at college. Please pray for Carey, Susan and Joshua as they adjust to this change in their family dynamics and for safe travels. We’re thankful for the faithfulness amongst our church people. R******a, E********a and M****l have been regularly coming on Sundays. R****n and A****e, who were baptized in February, welcomed their second child on May 1, a boy named W*****s. E****y has been the most faithful and was recently accepted into membership.
Back in November, because of an overwhelming demand for Bibles through our website, we’ve had to limit the shipping to our region, reducing it to an average of three Bibles per month. We did so because the church’s budget for this project couldn’t cover the costs. Please pray that we may soon resume the shipping to the whole country once more. We are working on organizing a Bible exposition in the fall. A fellow missionary has agreed to lend us his material, and a church in central France will be lending us old Bibles for the event. Please pray for the planning of it all and for it to be successful in reaching lost souls.
We thank you for your love, your kindness and your help manifested through prayers and through financial support. We know how difficult this year has been for many of our supporters, making us appreciate, even more, your sacrifices. May the Lord continue to see in each one of us faithful servants. May He greatly bless you!
In His service and in yours,
Jeremie, Damaris, Adam, Abel & Anthony