Mission Team from Minneapolis

Here is a picture of the short-term mission team from Rock Minneapolis. For eight days they stood on empty crates with their "Religion is a lie" t-shirts and waited for people to approach them. This was a successful method for conversation. Each team member had opportunities to explain the t-shirts and show that religion is man trying to reach out to God, and that is not the gospel.

The Poster Bible Verse

1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

This is the verse that the church put on the poster. This was a humbling moment. It is great to be appreciated. We give God the glory for all He has done at Rock Berlin.

Back in Berlin after 4 weeks in U.S.

At the first service after returning to Berlin, the church gave us a poster of Thanks with pictures and notes of what the individuals are thankful for. This was a very humbling and loving demonstration. We are thankful for the relationships God is blessing at Rock Berlin. Each person is very precious to us.

In Ohio

We celebrated our 24th Anniversary while in Ohio by having dinner with our son Eric and his wife Luigia. Great food at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.

Still in Ohio

While in Ohio we spoke at two churches. One was Grace Point Community Church, Pastor Terry Lewis. We shared about the 5 people baptised in recent months at Rock Berlin. This testimony fit perfectly with the message that evening. We are grateful to GPCC for their support of this ministry. It was a Saturday service, so we were allowed to wear shorts:)

From N.C. back to Ohio

We ended our 4 weeks in the U.S. in Ohio. We visited Dieter's parents. Great time playing a German game & eating great food cooked by Dieter's mom!

From Ct. to North Carolina

In N.C. we celebrated the 16th birthday of grandson, Timothy. His dad, Matt, took everyone to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate. Good food and fellowship.
Timothy was baptised last year and is walking with the Lord. We give thanks to our heavenly Father.

Still in Ct.

While in Ct., one of Lucy's sisters, Pauline, hosted a picnic and invited all of Lucy's family. It was a great time with family. Part of the the activities was a water balloon fight. Here Lucy is prepping the younger kids for the huge battle.
We spent about 5 days in Ct. visiting family. We also ran into a couple of supporters at the church service we visited. It is very encouraging to know that people in serveral states are praying for the ministry in Berlin.

From Minn. to Connecticut

From Minn. we drove to Connecticut to visit family. Here is a picture of Dieter's two daughters and their children. When you see family only once a year you really notice the change in the grandchildren. They are growing up so quickly.

Lucy got involved

As we walked around and chatted briefly with the team members, Lucy became involved in a conversation with a man that was walking by. He didn't pray to receive Christ, but we saw him take the literature and show it to his girlfriend.

Meeting the mission team

One of our last activities in Minn. was meeting with a mission team that was preparing to come to Berlin to share the gospel. They visited a local park to practice. They created a stir by wearing t-shirts that said, "Religion is a lie". Here Jeromy Darling is giving a pep talk before they begin their ministry.

Our hosts in Minn.

This picture is of Karen and Chuck our hosts in Minn. They housed us the previous two trips too. They are a very loving couple, especially in putting up with us, ooops, I mean putting us up:)

Second church in Minn.

In Minn. we also spoke at New Hope Church. Here is Pastor Doug Patterson praying for us after we gave an update of the ministry in Berlin.
We had the opportunity to meet a family, the Heils, who were part of the original team that started Rock Berlin. It was humbling meeting this family that left everything behind to obey God's call. They were a great encouragement to us.

More time in Minn.

While in Minn. we visited Bill and Barb Brown, who we got to know years ago at Linworth Rd Church. They are an inspiration to us for their many years of service in the mission field. Even now they are planning to move to Ethiopia.

Our conversation and prayer with them was very encouraging.

Trip to U.S.

In July we headed to the states for 4 weeks of visiting family and supporters. We began by visiting the Minneapolis Rock. Here is Pastor Mark Darling interviewing us before his teaching. Mark is the one who called us to serve in Berlin. During this trip we had a chance to meet with the mission team that recently visited Berlin.

Singing at baptism

We have enjoyed singing after the baptism and found that it is a great witness to the people passing by, some even stopping to listen and watch.

Alex cont'd

Lucy and Dieter had the blessing of baptizing Alex, who is in the English home group.

Alex gave her testimony, which is similiar to the Beutlers and to Tinas.

The Germans are having to do some deep "soul-searching" to come to terms with baptism vs. man's tradition.

Alex's parents and grandmother were present and supported their daughter/granddaughter, even though they do not fully understand why she was baptised again.

Alexandra's Baptism

About a month after the Michi and Magda baptism in May, Alexandra Buchhop was moved by the Holy Spirit to be baptized in June (it was a little warmer:)
Here she is dressed in black before the baptism.
The dark clothing represents her old flesh.
Next to her is Michael, her special friend visiting from Canada.
After the baptism she changed into light colored clothing to represent the new nature in Christ.
There were several people there who wondered about what she was doing. Some wonder if we are a cult or sect.

Baptisms cont'd

Then Magda gets ready................. and comes up!

Baptisms cont'd

Michi going down....... and back up:)

Baptisms cont'd

Magda and Michi each gave a brief testimony about how the Lord used His word, others, prayer and finally lifes challenges to bring them to the point of obedience in baptism.
Their story was an encouragement to all.
We have seen our Lord to much in the life of this beautiful couple.
They are a tremendous blessing to Rock Berlin.

Baptisms Continue

In our Germanator Email updates we have written about the battle with tradition in Germany.
For ex., many believers have not followed Christ in baptism because they believe their child baptism and confirmation or first communion is equal to believer baptism.
God has been changing the hearts of the Rock Berlin believers.
In this pic, Pastor John Goering is explaining baptism while Michi and Magda Beutler wait to be baptized. It was an awesome day!

Birthday Gifts

Birthday Cards

Birthday with the Home Group

Friday night, during home group, we celebrated Lucy's birthday with fun, food, and flowers.

We were 12 that night: the women ate in the dining area and the guys were in the living room.

And almost every one brought flowers for Lucy.

She also received a journal book, a scarf, a card with baby Elijah on the front.

Sabine baked a cheesecake with chocolate in it. Everyone loved it - the cake just was not big enough.

John-Paul created an I Love Lucy card with Desi Arnez on the cover. Last year, John-Paul gave me a card with my face photo-shopped in a Jimi Hendrix photo. John-Paul is very creative.

We still found time to sing, pray and discuss the gospel of John, ch. 8. It was a great night.

Birthday Lunch

Lucy's day was blessed by Christina and Katrin. Christina (the shorter one) called Lucy and sang Happy Birthday in German, prayed for Lucy in German while on the phone, then invited Lucy to lunch.

Katrin, a journalist in Berlin, invited Lucy to dessert after lunch. She treated Lucy to ice cream in a park. It was a rare sunny day in Berlin-God's gift to Lucy:)

Christina and Katrin have been blessings in our lives here in Berlin.

Lucy's Birthday Flowers

Lucy had a birthday on March 22 and the Goering family came to give a gift of flowers and love.

Stephi came with Sarah, Luke and Joshua. The children picked out the colors of the flowers. How cute is that!

Cowboys in Texas

Celine, one of the single women at RB, asked us to bring back a cowboy. And here I am giving it my best effort. But the cowboy's wife said no:)

(this is Lucy's brother, Gerry)

I, at least, came back to Berlin with my cowgirl.

Family in Texas

Lucy was able to visit with lots of family at the wedding. Here she is with her mom, two sisters, one sister-in-law, a niece, and a great-niece. Lucy had a great time sharing stories of her ministry in Berlin and hearing about the things she has missed.

It was a great opportunity for us to talk about how God is working in Berlin.

Wedding in Texas

In March, we had the privilege of traveling to Texas for a family wedding, and even officiating the ceremony. The beautiful couple is Stephanie and David.

Listening for Heaven's Sake

In Feb. we hosted Patricia Flynn and Linda Kitchen from the Amsterdam church. The two lead several Rock Berliners in the seminar, Listening for Heaven's Sake. We talked about how to love one another through better listening. We worked often in small groups and did role-playing to practice the practical lessons.

Book Table at the Retreat

Part of the blessing of the women's retreat was the Bood Table. Pat Hillebrand and Betty Christopher from Indiana organized the table and brought donated books that were given to the Europeans at no charge. What a great gift!

Women's Retreat in January

Women came from the states to bless the women in Europe. At this retreat, Lucy, Stephi and Kathy found some quiet outside near the retreat center.

The other picture shows women from the states blessing others with manicures. A hairdresser also made the trip and offered her services. Lucy took advantage of the manicure and a hand massage.

Women's Exercise Outreach

We have written in our updates about Maria starting a women's outreach through an exercise class for new moms. Maria decided to use exercise balls for the class and storage became a question. There is not much storage in German homes. Maria's husband, John-Paul found a creative solution - hang them from the ceiling.

The class is still going and Maria is developing a few close relationships with the women.

Christmas Dinner #1

After our Christmas Eve service, we hosted a dinner. In the pic are RBers and guests. The couple on the left is from the Ukraine. The wife visits RB ocassionally and the husband does not attend church. Please pray for Anja and Max.

It was a great time. Little Jonathan opened his presents after this pic was taken.

Christmas Dinner #2 After eating

After eating, we watched a DVD titled Thou Shalt Laugh. This is an English language comedy DVD that we purchased a few years ago before coming to Berlin. It is a Christian comedy DVD. Some of the humor was not understood by the Germans, but part of the purpose for the English Home Group is to improve English language skills. So, we had to explain some of the humor. Laughing, eating and learning - great combination.