Show Us How to Pray

I have tried so many times to put myself in the shoes of a wife whose husband is forward deployed...and even with many new friends in this situation, I still cannot fully imagine it. Chris was gone to training last week and Hunter and I were at home alone. Just the simple things, like getting Hunter to bed, or going to the store, or getting the car fixed, seem to be more challenging. I struggled for a week, while many of these women face a year at a time with no break.

Somethings I have learned...we need each other...and prayer is the [my] lifeline.

There is a battle for the lives of the people here, and we know God has called us to stand in the gap for them. We have entered a season of needing people to come alongside us in prayer. We have asked God to show us how to pray for and how to best meet the needs of the teens and the families at Hohenfels. As you know, when you begin to pray, the enemy tries to disable your efforts. Over the past few months, God has brought us over some hurdles, and now we feel it is necessary to call on the each one of you to stand with us in prayer for the souls at stake in Hohenfels, Germany. Many of you have already been doing this, and for that we are truly thankful. You may not know their names or even what they look like, but prayer is bond that can link us. Ask God to show you how to prayer for the people here...trust me, he will tell you!

(Picture above is Berching, a walled town about 20km from our home)

Happy Mother's Day

Well, my mom got on a plane to leave this morning...we will miss her; it was so nice to have her here for first her birthday (in April) and then for Mother's day. She kept us busy over the last week: we went swimming a couple of days, planted lots of flowers (thanks to Mom and her greenthumb), buffed up on our German, had our neighbors over for dinner, and took the train to Stuttgart to let mom say goodbye to Karin. It was Chris' and Hunter's first train ride and we had lots of fun. Hunter has been asking where Oma is, all afternoon; I think he got used to her being here...I know I did!

Hunter also played with Lukas, the little German boy across the street, for the first time. Lukas' mom, Monika and I spent one afternoon chasing the boys down the street on their bikes. They are two peas...despite the language barrier, and they love to copy each other. It won't be long before they are able to communicate and explore together.

We are getting to that time of the year on Post where there are a lot of "Hello" and "Goodbyes"; it is a bitter sweet time. Many families are preparing to head to a new station and others are coming into the Hohenfels community and transitioning into the new culture. God has put it on our hearts to reach out to those in our community who are in the midst of transition either leaving or coming...now we know what a challenge it can be. For the families who are leaving it is a time of closing this season of their lives and it can be painful as relationships end; for those coming in there is much anticipation and anxiousness to find a home and begin getting settled (this process can take months).

It is amazing to see the teens grow and make more of a committment to Christ. We are praying for God to carry that energy into the summer and the next school year. We are in the final stages of planning for our Coffee House Grand Opening, which keeps us very busy.

May Days

Last week the Germans celebrated May Day (similar to our Labor Day). In Seubersdorf (the small town where we live), the week concluded with a Volksmarch to celebrate the first harvest of Spargel (albino asparagus...really); on Saturday we were serenaded to sleep by the drums of the bands playing into the night and at 7am we were awakened by the celebration drums. The Germans really love there Fests. We have so enjoyed having Oma here to visit. The days have been perfect and beautiful. She helped me plant window flower boxes that my neighborgave me. So, we now look like a typical Bavarian home.

This past weekend we took Mom to see some of the other military posts in our area, Vilseck and Grafenwoehr. We drove there with my neighbor and her best friend. We learned on the trip that Traci's (the friend) husband was currently retaking the test to become an Officer; due to circumstances he had failed it earlier. Traci was really nervous, so on the car ride Mom and I were able to pray for her. She was so blessed, she gave me some of her Polish pottery...WOW; mom and I were so humbled, we were in tears. Tonya, my neighbor called the next day to say, Traci's husband had passed his test. Oh, and on top of all of this, Traci is from St. Louis, a hometown girl.

God is proving himself faithful time and again! Chris has had some big days. Today he came home and told about a God-meeting. He was walking out of the chapel and met a man sitting on the bench. They began to talk and Chris soon realized (due to his uniform) he was talking with a high-up Chaplain. The Chaplain talked with Chris about becoming apart of designing a program to help youth reintegrate with their fathers who return from Iraq; he invited him to a meeting, where Chris met General Sanchez (the General over all the forces in Iraq). Chris was introduced by this Chaplain to much of Brass (highups) from our Post.

We are finding ourselves humbled and stretched by what God is doing. I have been asked to help lead worship in some of the chapel services. I am so blessed to be using my talents. We are gearing up for many guests and our summer intern, Ashley, who will arrive at the end of May.
(The picture above is of an open air market, about 45 minutes from us, in Nurnberg)