December 2008 - Happy Christmas! This is the standard Irish greeting. Though many faces do not match the words this year, we rejoice that because of Christ's birth true joy can be found by all who trust Christ as Savior.
Unemployment in Ireland is climbing significantly for the first time in over a decade and many Irish are feeling financial pressures. 2-3 vacations a year, ﾀ80,000 cars and multiple houses used to be the order of the day in the area where we live. Beth and I marveled at how people would fill their grocery carts without even glancing at prices; those days seem to be gone. The Celtic tiger has morphed into an anemic kitten. Some people seem more uncertain about life. Some are sensing anew that financial prosperity did not satisfy the emptiness in their hearts or deliver them from other troubles in their lives.
Soul Winning - Lately, the Lord has allowed me to be out on the doors 2-3 times a week. People seem to be a little more open. Recently, God has given opportunities to give a thorough presentation of the gospel with several different men.
One visit was particularly encouraging. Land in the area where we minister reached a peak of ﾀ20 million an acre in 2007. Apartments are the order of the day and they have built thousands of them. One new complex has over 700 apartments. We can't knock on the doors and don't normally have access to the mail slots. We asked the concierge (staff attendant), whose name is Kevin, if he would allow us to place tracts in the mail slots; he agreed. As Andrew and I went from building to building with Kevin, the Lord enabled us to build a rapport. After we finished, God gave a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel. Kevin seemed to sense the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Kevin takes classes during the week and works on the weekends and is thus easy to find. I have been back several times and have sensed God's working as we continued to discuss the gospel. Please pray for Kevin to be saved.
Revival Services - Pastor John Brown was with us in October and did a great job preaching a series of special meetings. On Saturday, we had a couples Luncheon with four couples in attendance. This is exciting because we are migrating from having mostly singles to having families. We need both. On Sunday, we had our big day. Though we worked hard and prayed much, we had no first time visitors and average attendance. However, we were glad to have most of the church members present and enjoyed the fellowship.
Missions Conference - Pastor Booth and his wife, Sharon, were with us in November for our annual Missions Conference. We are an international church and the people have a special burden to reach people all over the world with the gospel. Our International dinner is a high point in the church calendar and the food is quite authentic. Pastor Booth was previously a missionary in South Africa and Portugal and did a great job connecting with the people and encouraging us in the work. We are so grateful he took the time out of his schedule to be with us. Last year the church gave over $10,000 to the missions fund and promises for the coming year indicate a good increase. These figures reflect missions offerings generated from the wages of Irish workers.
Prayer Requests:
Our family - spiritual progress, protection, wisdom, home schooling
Salvation - Kevin, Cheng, Patrick, Jack, Mark, Phillip, Gillian, Michael, Thomas
Growth - Elaine, Gillian, Sean, Naill, Valerie, Maria, Paul, Catri,
Baptism - Jack, Anna, Young He
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