In our last newsletter just before quitting Louisiana for Europe, we requested prayer for a global student gathering and campus ministry training event that was to be held in Budapest, Hungary during the month of August. We met in a former Communist era campground that had been used for indoctrinating the youth of Hungary. During Students For Christ’s conference, it was employed to instruct young people in the ways of Christ. Following is an excerpt of encouragement to those who participated. It will give you a feel for what God did.

“Over 30 nations were represented with more than 500 total participants over all. Around 150 students from around the world gathered together with leaders, pastors, missionaries, evangelists and workers to connect with God and be empowered for ministry. Many of you, including some of the children, received a call from God on your lives for mission and ministry. Several of you were filled with the Spirit and hundreds were involved in evangelistic outreaches at 11 different locations throughout the city. Some of you came from as far away as Argentina and Japan and dozens of local church members were also inspired and activated for ministry.

Videos of the evening sessions, pictures and other material are now available on the SfC Europe website. You were there - you were a part of it. You helped write history and much fruit will come of your effort, sacrifice and participation!”

As you have read, your prayers on behalf of this event were effectual! Thank you for your partnership with us; your investment is reaping eternal rewards!

Recently we’ve been settling into somewhat of a routine as we adjust to life back in Belgium. One aspect of this acclimation has been getting the vegetable plot back into shape for planting which will in turn help to nourish our family this season. The “potager” as it’s called in french has been lying dormant for a year now and was overgrown with weeds. The soil was hard and packed. So as the boys and I began to tackle the task, the Lord reminded me of the passage from Hosea 10:12. The New International Version renders it this way, “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” Sweating and straining to break up hardened earth is akin to an attitude of repentance whereby one contemplates and wrestles internally with the decision to make an “about face” and live in a way that is the antithesis of what has been an individual’s standard operating procedure. I’m reminded that a harvest of steadfast love and justice are the fruit of broken, reshapen, earthen vessels.

Around the edge of our vegetable patch, there are black currant and raspberry bushes. Each spring they bear lots of berries. Our family usually has an appointment to meet in the cool of the day around 19:00 (7 p.m.) with stools to sit on and bowls to contain the harvest. We try to knock out all the picking within a couple of days because the harvest waits for no one and the laborers are limited…two lessons with great spiritual applications as well. When the fruit is ripe, you gotta get it into the freezers before it dries up and withers on the bushes. Harvesting then, must be intentional when the season demands it. And because there are only so many hands to pick, each hand counts, therefore each person lending a hand must show up to work.

Listening to what God is saying to us and observing what He is doing brings clarity, pointing the way to the harvest.
So are you ready to:
* break up the ground inside you
* get out to the harvest and
* give your hands to the work?

Some of you may remember Callie’s involvement with the local chapter of Christian Youth Theater last semester. Well, this time around, Callie, Claire, Christopher and David were able to participate in the spring production of Seussical, Jr. the Musical. This was an incredible opportunity for our family to meet new friends and for the kids to “build character, one stage at a time.” Even Josiah enjoyed learning the songs and dialogue and now refers to any book by Dr. Seuss as a “song book.” We were sad to see it end but are so thankful that we had such a wonderful experience. We will miss you, CYT!

One of the opportunities we had this year was allowing our children to participate in some extra-curricular activities. Evangeline chose dance as we were blessed to find the Academy of Christian Arts near where we live. She LOVED it! She was even voted Student of the Year by her classmates. Not too bad for her very first year. Here are a few pictures of her recital:

When Blair and I committed our life together to the Lord so many years ago, we had many dreams, but honestly, nothing could have prepared us for the awesome reality of the journey we have taken these last 21 years. We are daily amazed and humbled by his goodness to us.

Many of you have partnered with us as we have spent the last decade helping to develop ministry to university students in Belgium. We look back on the last ten years with much rejoicing because we see how God has had his hand on the work from the beginning and has brought SFC Belgium to a place of growth and maturity. At the same time, as many as two years ago, the Lord began whispering to us about a possible shift in direction. We were not clear about this new path until this past summer when we were asked by our organization’s leadership, as well as our SFC colleagues, to consider taking on the coordinator’s role of SFC Europe.

After MUCH prayer, counsel, and discussion with our close colleagues, we have accepted this new responsibility. Since our first day of ministry in Belgium, we have cried out to the Lord with Psalm 90:16-17, admitting that we don’t know what we’re doing and need Him to show us what HE’S doing so we can get in on it. This situation is no different; if anything, we are even more needy of His guiding hand as we face the numerous challenges of reaching European university students in the 21st century.

Though this new assignment will not begin until the fall, the transition has begun as we were able to participate in SFC’s annual prayer and planning weekend which was hosted by the Berlin group this year (photos). We were blessed, in every sense of the word, to be a part of this time of praying for each other and for the countries where we serve. We feel such love, support and encouragement from our SFC family during this new season. (We love y’all, too!) We were also able to reconnect with our Belgian team, and are reassured that the leadership transition there is going very smoothly.

We appreciate your prayer for us as we prepare to return to Europe. We have only 3 and a half jam-packed months before we head back, and our family will be going through many changes this year. Thanks for standing with us. We couldn’t do this without you!

Here we are with the current SFC Europe coordinators and dear friends, John and Anita Koeshall, visiting a university campus in Paris. Check out the SFC website for more information on campus ministry in Europe.