December Christmas prayer letter

We wish you more this Christmas. We wish you a Christmas that gets even closer to the heart of the matter. As we rejoice in His advent, we exult in the most significant missional event ever! Christmas is Mission. If Jesus hadn’t come, we would still be lost in darkness. If he hadn’t left his home and taken up residence among us - we who were lost and needy – there would be no hope for us. As we buy gifts, sing songs, feast in our abundance and remember His coming, please don’t forget those who live without hope, those who are still lost in darkness. As we worship the Christ child this year, we worship the one who gave up everything, His riches, home and very nature - to come and bring us light and save us.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2, 5-8)

With joy,
Jason and Sue

November prayer letter

Dear Friends,
We’re on the home stretch. Our Home Ministry Assignment is drawing quickly to a close. We are very thankful for God’s protection over the many miles driven and for all the people we could see and reconnect with. We are grateful for God’s provision as well. All the bills are paid and a large part of our support shortfall has been pledged. But we are still in need of some monthly support and special gifts in order to return to Germany as planned on December 28. Perhaps you can help. You can learn how at: BACKTOGERMANY.BLOGSPOT.COM.

Not long ago, we got this upbeat update from Uli Rothstein, the German pastor and co-founder of our second church plant: “We were able to have our church weekend retreat the middle of October with more than 70 participants! There was plenty of time for talking, laughing, playing, meditating, praying, singing, learning, eating, and just basically having a great time together. For some who are relatively „new“ in the church, it was a good opportunity to start feeling „at home“ in our fellowship. Shortly after the retreat 8 people interested in becoming members, attended our membership seminar. At the end of November we are planning another Baptismal Service, when possibly 4 dear people will take this important step in their faith journeys.” I am scheduled to preach there on January 7 – just a week after our return. We love going back to see the growth and changes and of course many dear friends and children in the Lord. That will also be the week we celebrate 15 years of ministry in Germany!

Please pray for us as we tie up loose ends and enjoy time with our family these next few weeks. We are grateful to be celebrating our first Christmas in 15 years in North America. We are looking forward to having both Sam and Roy with us and to being close to Sue’s parents and brother Sam and his family in Colorado. Pray that we would be able to return to Germany not only fully supported but also with renewed vision and energy. Pray that God will lead us to just the right future ministry opportunities and give us wisdom as we choose. As our ministry grows, we are being challenged and stretched. Pray that God would use us as never before!

With Thanksgiving,

Jason (and Sue)

October Prayer Letter

The Needed Power

He came running, half stumbling and half sliding down the hill shouting wildly – “We hit it!” “We hit it!” He caught himself again as he slid down a short patch of gravel and exposed roots. His hands were more callous than skin with months of grime embedded in the cracks and cuticle. He steadied himself with his right hand and in his left he clutched a small rock. His hair was a tangled nest of mud and dust. Tributaries of sweat cut through the dust on his face - his eyes shimmered like diamonds. His mouth couldn’t be open wider with the smile that heralded the news they had all worked so hard to uncover.

They all looked up from what they were doing and knew immediately. The adrenalin instantly flowed collectively through their veins for they knew that their months of backbreaking work were at last going to pay off. They dropped what they were doing and clambered to meet him. Yes, it was gold in that rock he held. And yes, up the ravine where he had just been picking away, there appeared to be more – maybe even an entire vein! The only problem was that they would have to blast past the granite that they had been battling for months, to get to it. It was difficult to say how deep it ran but they knew that there were meters of hard rock that stood between them and the mother lode. They would need a significant and powerful force to be able to pry past the barrier that stood between them and the payoff they had been laboring so hard to reach.

They came to an agreement quickly. One of them would be sent back to the investors in town to secure what they needed. They needed more funding to pay the workers now that they knew they were on to something. But even if the money for the payroll was forthcoming it would be meaningless if they didn’t have what they needed most – dynamite. Without dynamite they could scrape at that hillside until their fingers bled and it would all be for naught. They would never achieve what they all wanted so badly. The dynamite was the key that would unlock the treasure chest. The dynamite was the element that would give their entire struggle and labor meaning. They needed to set a series of powerful blasts that would literally peel away that barrier of rock and expose the precious vein to be harvested.

And so it is with prayer and missions. Prayer has the power to unlock the treasure chest. Prayer is the element that gives meaning to the missionary effort. It can literally peel away the spiritual barriers that so often hinder us and expose the precious harvest that we so long for. When you think of your missionaries – please pray. Pray for God to powerfully move the mountains that stand in the way of seeing churches planted and people come to faith and experience for themselves what the power of prayer can be like in their own lives.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)

Dear Friends, please continue to pray for us and for the church planting projects we are coaching: Cologne-in-Motion, Hennef, Cologne and Monheim. Please pray for us as we continue to travel and present our ministry to people. We would like to return to Germany on December 28. Thank you for standing with us.

Your partners,
Jason and Sue

September prayer letter

Dear Friends,
Halfway through our 2-month road trip, we are getting weary but are very pleased with how things are going. We have had many good meetings and reunions with friends and supporters. It has been a great joy to share personally with many of you about what God is doing in Germany and you have been such a blessing to us! God has protected us through many long hours of driving and we have only left a few things behind along the way - which is easy to do. One day we had been driving a couple of hours when Sue noticed the hanging clothes in a car we were passing and looked back in our car questioning, “Jay, where are our hanging clothes?” (Thanks, Bev, for forwarding them to us so quickly ;-)

Thankfully we are progressing toward our goal of needed financial support but still have a ways to go. You can track our progress at: http://www.backtogermany.blogspot.com. To be honest, we are homesick and miss Germany terribly. The Internet has been our lifeline for staying in touch with our partners in Germany. Here is an update on our current church planting projects:

COLOGNE
Please keep praying for the church plant in the northern suburbs of Cologne. About 15 interested people from the mother church have met twice this summer to consider and discuss this project. Please pray for courage and direction for this group as some are still considering if God has called them to do this or that it is the right thing for the church to do. There was also a congregational meeting in September where the church plant was discussed and we are pleased to tell you that the church as a whole has basically gotten behind this project. Please pray that God would directly bless this decision and encourage the church for its vision. Pray for Pastor Michael Höring (pictured at right) – for wisdom and courage to move ahead in spite of some hesitancy in the church.

COLOGNE-IN-MOTION (CIM)
The CIM team is busy trying to keep up with the 20 youth from English Camp who trusted Christ. It’s been a challenge with busy summer and now school schedules. Please pray that they would be able to work it out to connect with these new believers consistently. Also pray that these kids would become more and more connected into the CIM Sunday worship/community gatherings and into their community in general. Adam Gascho, the leader of CIM, has been in communication with the owner of the facility they rented for the World Cup Café this past June/July. They have moved into serious talks concerning the potential purchase of this facility for the dual purpose of intentional outreach into the community and for a training and connection base for the long-term church planting movement. These next weeks will be extremely crucial in this process. Please pray with us that the Lord will continue to clearly lead and guide and that He will open doors and breakdown walls (not literally—at least not yet: ) Amazingly, God has already provided some large gifts equaling around $100,000. They will need significantly more than this, however, to make this dream a reality.

HENNEF
Wolfgang and Petra recently sent us a long update. The church plant in Hennef continues to be on hold as Wolfgang and Petra go through a time of soul searching and adjustments in their lives due to Wolfgang’s recent promotion at work and increased responsibilities there. In addition to that they discovered this summer that their son is hearing impaired and are dealing with all of the implications for them. Sue has and will continue to counsel with Petra as she shares how it was for us to raise a hearing impaired boy. Wolfgang and Petra continue holding on to their vision of a new church in Hennef. However it seems that at least for now, God wants to work in their lives in a special way.

MONHEIM
The church in Monheim has had some struggles this spring and summer with a disrupting couple but has continued to move ahead. They have recently rented some commercial space (inset at right) in the heart of the town – right across the street from their historic town tower (pictured at right) - so nobody can say they haven’t seen it or don’t know where it is. The main room will seat 40-60 people plus they have a several rooms for children’s ministries. Please continue to pray for Detlev and Micha, the two leaders, and the rest of the group. Their firm desire is to be a lighthouse and beacon of God’s love and light. SPARK Even though we aren’t currently in Germany, please continue to pray that God would open doors for us to present SPARK in churches upon our return. It is not too early to begin setting dates. Pray that God would use this tool to motivate German churches to multiply themselves.

Thank you for your partnership with us in prayer and finances.

For Germany,
Jason (and Sue)

Getting us back to Germany

Dear Friends,
We have driven app. 3000 miles so far and God has kept us safe – although we are a bit road weary. Tuesday, we arrived in Florida at Sue's brother's house just before tropical storm Ernesto hit – if you could call it that. There was just a lot of rain and hardly any wind L

Please pray for us regarding our financial support. In order to return to Germany in December, Greater Europe Mission requires that we raise an additional $800 in monthly support. This increase is due to the ever-increasing cost of living in Germany (gas is now at US$6.00 per gallon!) and the continued weak dollar against the Euro. In addition to this we need $8000 in special gifts to cover our travel costs while in the USA and to give us a $4000 buffer required by GEM before departure.

We are praying that some of our long-time supporters will consider increasing the amount they give. We are also praying that new people will join with us. If you are interested, you can track our progress in meeting these goals at http://backtogermany.blogspot.com

Thank you for standing with us,

Jason and Sue

PS: Check out our new video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zjg4yrECK8

August Prayer Letter

June Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,
Germany is soccer-crazed! You can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. It is fun to see how the Germans have shed their patriotic inhibitions and are flying their flag proudly. There are literally 10’s of thousands of soccer tourists from all over the world to be seen and with a few minor exceptions Germany has been a great host to them.

There has also been much going on in our lives since our last letter. Sue’s surgery went well and she has been recovering slowly but surely. We are thankful to God for his provision and healing. Thank you for praying. Sam and his girlfriend, Heidi, came to visit us. We drove down to the Black Forest together for Roy’s Graduation. Roy graduated with honors and we are very proud of him. He has been accepted at Juniata College in PA and received a nice merit scholarship from them. Please praise the Lord with us for Roy’s achievement. Pray for us in the provision of the daunting remaining tuition cost that needs to be paid. Please pray for Sam and Heidi as they consider their future. Pray that they would draw near to the Lord and that He would protect and guide them.

Now that we are back home we have hit the final stretch of preparing for our furlough in North America from July-December. We will be based in Colorado Springs but doing some extensive traveling in Sep-Oct. We are looking forward to seeing friends and family but truthfully are not looking forward to being away from “home” in Germany.

Here is an update on our current church planting projects:

COLOGNE
Pastor Michael Hoering has been extremely involved heading up the regional cooperation of evangelistic World Cup outreaches. He has been running from one appointment to the next in addition to his regular pastoral duties. The church plant has therefore taken a back seat. I met Dirk, one of the elders committed to the church plant at one of my recent SPARK presentations. He was encouraged by SPARK but had to admit that he is frustrated with the lack of movement in the church plant project. I will be meeting with him and a couple of others involved on June 25. We hope to meet at a café on bikes and then tour the potential target area of the church plant. Please continue to pray for Dirk. His job situation is still completely up in the air. And please continue to pray for the actual launch of this church plant.

COLOGNE-IN-MOTION
These guys are awesome. They recently signed a short-term rental contract for their “World Cup Café” – a recently vacated grocery store where they are showing all the games on a big screen plus offering other events and holding worship services on Sundays. The weeks before the World Cup were spent painting, cleaning, and running around trying to find everything (furniture, refrigerators, food and drink, decoration, publicity, etc.) they needed to set-up a café. On the opening Friday evening between 70 and 80 people were in the café when the opening whistle blew (Germany beat Costa Rica 4:2). Others came throughout the evening. They probably had close to 100 people in all! A number of 10-12 year-olds have been coming consistently and they keep bringing more and more of their friends. Please pray that many of these contacts will translate into decisions for the Lord and then members of the new church being planted. Pray for strength as they all work very hard day after day at the café. Praise God with us that their team members, Jared and Lori Bridges, finally received their visas. That was a huge concern and now they can fully focus on the ministry.

HENNEF
We have been asking you to pray for Wolfgang and Petra for quite some time; for steadfast hearts and long-windedness! Please don’t stop. For the time being the church plant in Hennef is on hold. After much consternation every single team member has left the group. It is amazing to us what damage one divisive person can inflict. I know she didn’t mean to, but as a result of her constant challenge of Wolfgang’s leadership, one woman caused the team to fall like dominoes as they all became disillusioned with the endless discussions and arguments. Wolfgang and Petra are holding on to their vision of a new church in Hennef. They are planning on holding several special prayer meetings in the coming months to seek the Lord’s guidance and help.

MONHEIM
Our work with the church plant in Monheim is basically finished. It is exciting to see how things are moving along. They have recently rented permanent space in the heart of town. They are planning to move in the beginning of August after renovations. In conjunction with this they will start having their services at 11:30 instead of late afternoon as they have been – and weekly instead of twice a month. These are major changes. Please pray for them. Pray for unity among the founders and growth in their two cell groups. Pray also for increased inroads into the community and good contact with seekers.

SPARK
I have had multiple opportunities to present SPARK in the last couple of months. Being a motivational presentation – it is difficult to measure the impact but it seems that God is using this as a tipping point in some people’s hearts. I am especially thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the national convention of the Evangelical Free Church of Germany – presenting SPARK in two workshops to a total of about 80 people who expressly came because of their interest in church planting. Erhard Michel, the director of the Ev. Free Inland Mission, saw SPARK for the first time there and has requested that I make some technical changes so that it can be put in the hands of workers around the country. I also recently showed SPARK to the German Baptist board for Inland Mission in Berlin. These men greeted SPARK wholeheartedly and have challenged me to consider working on a version geared more toward youth. Please pray that the seeds sown through SPARK would flourish and bear fruit. Pray that Germans would begin catching the vision for reaching their country through the planting of many more witnessing, reproducing churches.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

Your servants in Germany,
Jason (and Sue)

Special prayermail

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for your prayers for me this past week. The surgery took a little longer than planned but went well and I have made a steady recovery every day. I was released from the hospital on Friday – a day or two sooner than we at first thought possible. So now I can finally get some sleep. It was impossible in the hospital! Both the doctors and lab reports indicated the urgency of the surgery. Jason and I have been saying over and over again what a blessing it was that the surgery was able to take place in spite of the doctor’s strike. Not only that, the change of doctors and hospital seem to have been a gift from God. The hospital was much smaller than the huge university hospital in Cologne making it more personal and I felt like I got top quality medical care. Pray that I will be patient in this recovery period and not do too much too quickly.

Roy called me early on Monday morning before the surgery and the first of his huge AP Biology and Chemistry exams (4 hours long!). It was a precious time of sharing our burdens and praying together on the phone. He called again after the last Chemistry exam on Wednesday and the relief and lightness in his voice were almost tangible. Thanks for supporting him with your prayers. Continue to pray that he would finish well. He has three weeks of classes left and a week of tests before graduation on June 9.

Please continue to pray for the church-planting project in Hennef, which is now temporarily on hold. The tension was too intense for the last remaining participants and they have now all left the group. Wolfgang and Petra stand alone with us and the vision of a new church in Hennef. They refuse to let go of their calling to do this and remain confident and full of faith that God is working. Please pray for them. In spite of their positive attitude, this has been very hard for them and they are trying to learn from the experience. Jason is also prayerfully trying to understand what mistakes he may have made as their coach. Pray for wisdom and God’s leading as to what the next steps should be.

Yesterday Jason presented SPARK at a regional meeting of the Baptists in Kaiserslautern. About 100 people were in attendance. Please pray that God would SPARK the vision of church planting into a flame in many of their hearts and churches. Pray for these upcoming SPARK dates: 28 May – Ev. Free Church in Oldenburg, 30 May – National Baptist Committee for Missions in Berlin, 4 June – 2 Workshops at the national Ev. Free Convention in Bochum, 6 June – several of the National Ev. Free leaders and staff in Witten. Also pray for him as he preaches in our former church plants in Bergisch Gladbach (today) and in Porz (next week). We want to continue to be an encouragement to both of these churches.

Thank you for standing with us. We depend so much on your prayer and support as we face illness and hardship but also exciting ministry opportunities in Germany.

Sue (for Jason)

special prayermail

Dear Friends and Family,
Please pray for Sue as she has surgery on Monday (May 8) to remove her uterus and the fibroid tumor. Pray for the doctor, Detlev Katzwinkel, who is a friend of ours. Pray that all will go well and for a speedy recovery.

Please continue to pray for the church plant in Hennef. As of last week, the entire team has quit, leaving Wolfgang and Petra alone with their vision. Please pray that God will encourage them and work in their hearts and that they would discover what he wants to teach them through this difficult time. Pray that we would have wisdom as we look to the future. Hennef, with a population of over 40,000 desperately needs that church as there is no other gospel witness in that city.

Please pray for Roy who is in the final stretch of his senior year. With two AP science classes he has had a heavy load. He will be writing his AP Biology exam on Monday (May 8) and his Chemistry exam on Wednesday (May 9). It is an emotional time for all the kids at BFA as they prepare to say goodbye to their friends and classmates. Most of them are MK’s and know that they will probably never see each other again. Yesterday Roy was suffering from major back and neck pain and fainted at school.

Thank you so much for standing with us.

Jason (and Sue)

Follow-up prayermail

Dear Friends,
The meeting in Hennef was intense but also illuminating. We were hoping that all the members would attend but it ended up being just a handful including the couple that had quit. They were very open and shared their hearts. Angelika, the wife, told me that she thought the SPARK presentation was very good but on the way home that night she told Hans-Theo, her husband that it showed her very clearly that church planting was not for her. Her passion is youth work and she wants to continue doing that in their present church. Hans-Theo admitted that he was simply overwhelmed with the work and stress that planting a church brings with it. With a demanding job and a large family, he just can’t see how he could do it.

Wolfgang and Petra are not disheartened. They accept this as from the Lord and are just as committed to the vision if not more so. Please continue to pray for them as well as for Angelika and Hans-Theo and for the other two couples who are taking a time-out to evaluate their involvement. Sue and I are having Wolfgang and Petra for supper on Monday, so we will be able to encourage them and talk about where to go from here.

Please pray for the SPARK presentations I will be doing tomorrow in Leverkusen and later this month in Solingen. Pray that God will work. Also praise the Lord with us for an exciting opportunity that has opened up: On May 30th I will be presenting SPARK at the national board meetings of the German Baptists in Berlin. They have given me an entire hour! Pray that SPARK would capture their imaginations and ignite their hearts. Pray that this will lead to open doors in the local churches.

Some people have asked when Sue will be having surgery. It is planned for May 8th. The doctor said she should plan on staying in the hospital an additional 3 days and then another 10 days recovering at home.

Blessings,

Jason (and Sue)

Dear Friends,
Please pray for the church planting team in Hennef. I shared the SPARK presentation with them a few weeks ago and it raised some disconcerting questions among some of the participants. One couple has come to the conclusion that their hearts are not really in the right place to be planting a church. They abruptly decided to quit the group. Two other couples were so distraught by this that they decided that they needed to take a time-out to pray and see if God really wants them involved as well.

Please pray for the meeting tonight. Pray that God would encourage Wolfgang (leader) and his wife, Petra. Pray for wisdom for me as I seek to help them through this crisis. Pray that God would help us to work through this so that the church plant can move forward.

Please also pray for Sue. She will be having surgery the beginning of May to remove her uterus due to the growth of a 6cm Polyp. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and for a speedy recovery.

Thank you for standing with us.

God bless,
Jason (and Sue)

March Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,
What kind of person does it take to plant a church? Is it the visionary who has a mental picture of a thriving church where none exists today? Is it the tactician who carefully and prayerfully plans a strategy and then follows it step by step? Is it the team-builder – somebody who pulls other gifted people together to start a new fellowship? Maybe it’s the pioneer – someone who just loves the challenge of starting a church from scratch. As we coach and consult with Germans involved in starting churches, we see all of these types of people represented. But ultimately, the type of person that God is looking for is one whose heart is breaking for the lost; a person whose heart beats for their neighbors and friends who are so far away from the Lord. It is the person who longs to see them reconnect with their Creator and will therefore do everything in their power to see that they are within reach of a witnessing fellowship.

Here is an update on our current church planting projects:

COLOGNE
Recently I had a lunchtime meeting with Pastor Michael Hoering and two of his elders who have committed to helping with the daughter church plant. One of them is named Dirk. As we met, he informed us that he had just learned that his employing company would most likely be severely downsized due to the buy out of the parent company. It might even be shut down. He had been on the phone all morning trying to see if there was a way he could possibly buy his employing company and save not only his job but also those of the people who work for him. I was not surprised by these events. The enemy will try to do everything he can to thwart this church plant. I was moved by Dirk’s ability to focus on the business of the church plant in the face of such immense personal pressure. Please pray for Dirk and please continue to pray for the actual launch of this church plant.

COLOGNE-IN-MOTION
We are amazed at the number of good contacts that the Gaschos and their team have made in Cologne since arriving last summer. They had over 50 people come to a Christmas party and are now working on the preparations for ministry during the Soccer World Cup which is coming up this summer in Germany. In addition, they are planning an evangelistic English camp for teenagers. Please pray that God would continue to lead and guide them and that people would begin coming to faith who would in turn, as new believers, help them start the church. Please also pray that their team members, Jared and Lori Bridges, would soon receive their visas so that they can stay and focus on the ministry at hand.

HENNEF
The group in Hennef is beginning to experience some of their first birth pains. As they get closer to adopting a paper that lays down their core values, some in the group are balking. One couple in particular is beginning to question Wolfgang’s leadership. It is so important that they go through this process. If this or that person cannot agree with the others on the core values, it would be better if they left the group now rather than stay and be divisive. Pray for true unity or a positive parting of the way. Please continue to pray for Wolfgang and Petra. Pray for steadfast hearts and long-windedness!

MONHEIM
Not long ago, I did a workshop with the group in Monheim on planning worship services. It was interesting to see a few lights go on as they considered their services to date. I especially wanted to challenge them in the area of scripture reading. All too often scripture reading is reduced to a dry and boring part of the service. In the past we have often taken a scripture reading, recorded it and added pictures and music to enhance the emotion and feel of the passage. So I showed them a few examples. This seemed to speak to several of them and we are hoping it will lead to the scripture reading in their services speaking to even more people’s hearts in the future.

SPARK
All of the funding for the multi-media equipment has come in. Thanks again to those who participated. To date, I have done the presentation 4 times to various groups of Christian leaders. I received some helpful constructive criticism but the response has been good. Please pray that God would open doors to be able to present SPARK in churches.


Gratefully,

Jason (and Sue)