Sorry for our absence here, friends. We’ll be back soon with updates. Don’t give up on us yet! In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been up to, and it might explain a little why we haven’t been blogging!

Dear Family and Friends,

I’m sitting in a church in Stockwell, a neighborhood in southern London. The church was opened by Charles Spurgeon, and is now a church of about 240 Londoners led by a great pastor who is teaching the light of the Word of God in the midst of a dark city. Many of the church members are originally from Nigeria or Ghana, a number from Jamaica, and a few from right here in England. Eighty percent of the women in the church are single mothers. Some of the people are young, yet some are very old. The dynamic is quite different than what I’m used to seeing in North America. Among other things, the greatest thing we have in common is our identity in Christ. They have a great love and fervor for the Lord Jesus. Some of them drive over an hour each time they come to the church, and in England, that’s an expensive trip (the lowest price I’ve seen for gasoline is 1.10/liter, which calculates to $11.43/gallon!). And these aren’t rich people. But, it’s clear that they are indeed rich in grace and in their walks with the Lord.

Teaching in London
Our time here has been rich, and we have been truly blessed by the graciousness of the people and the friendships we’ve made. Our three-day seminar, which is now complete, has gone very well. Twenty-one of our attendees are from the local church here, while another 21 are missionaries with OM (Operation Mobilization). There are various others (approximately five) from other places in England and two from Germany. Among our students are believers from Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America, and North America. It has been a joy to walk through the Scriptures with them over the last three days. What an amazing God we have through the Person of Christ our Savior!

Ireland, Europe, and Texas
Please pray that my voice will hold up, as I have another three days of teaching next week in Ireland. Then, after a few days in Luxembourg and Germany, I’ll be traveling to Texas to meet back up with Suzanne, Evan, and Maren to visit a few churches, family, and friends. Suzanne and the kids are currently in Fort Worth with family, and I miss them dearly.

If you’d like to get together with us while we’re in the area, please email us and we’ll try to work something out. Here is our Texas schudule (driving days marked in red):

May 21-May 27: Austin/Fredericksburg, TX
May 28-June 3: Paris, TX
June 4-June 10: Lubbock, TX
June 11-June 14: Fort Worth, TX

Please Pray
Please pray for us in the following ways:

• Safety for Travel. Pray that the Lord would protect me and our team as we travel in and around England, Ireland, and Continental Europe over the next two weeks.
• Wisdom and Words. Pray that I would rely on God’s Word to speak to our students as I teach over the coming two weeks. Please pray that I would communicate the message of the Bible clearly. Our students are Christians (there may be some exceptions, though), so we are training them how to teach others (esp. unbelievers) the message of the Bible from Creation to Christ’s ascension.
• Hearts to Hear. Pray that our students would be ready and willing to let God’s Word speak into their lives and, in so doing, would respond to the Lord by seeking to know and serve Him.
• Patience while Apart. Pray that the Lord’s goodness would satisfy Suzanne and me while we are apart for these weeks (As they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and I’m sensing that!). Also, pray that Evan and Maren would be especially obedient while Daddy is away.

Thank you for your prayers. We look forward to seeing some of you in the coming weeks!