Dear praying friends,

Thank you for the many kind comments and notes of prayer after our announcement last week that we will be coming back to the US for 12 months instead of the 4 months we had been planning for.

Some things are starting to fall into place:

1. We have been given permission to sublet our apartment. Unfortunately, this came with a rental increase - which will mean an increase in our fundraising needs moving forward. Pray for God's provision.
2. Some housing options are clearing up in the USA. We need some feedback from the National Office to be able to finish moving forward, but progress is good.
3. We have a vehicle for the entire year! God's provision is astounding.
4. We have likely found someone to care for our dog while we are gone.

We still need to work out many details. As you wake up this morning, we will probably be concluding an important staff meeting at Envision Berlin to start talking through what it will be like to work together while apart. This will likely be an ongoing conversation, but we need to get some pieces in place and carefully review how we divide our team responsibilities. Part of this conversation will also be recognizing limitations, which may also have financial implications for our site. Again, please pray for God's provision.

Another impact is on our house church. Our small group of believers is committed to find a way to meet with us monthly via Zoom while we are gone and find ways to get together at least once a quarter. We are excited to see these small leadership advances in the church we care for. House churches, as strange as they seem to many Germany, are growing here! One network has started more than 1000 house churches: https://hoffnungdeutschland.de/en. Their secret? ‘There was no formula, I simply connected with people I met’ (Marcus Rose) in this article.

A big part of that is the growth or our Envision Site into an expression of faith; a religious community - not only for our participants and staff, but for people in the community. Last week we closed an art exhibit and had several new guests. It was funny to see how they just lingered, attracted to something - the conversations, the peace of Christ, who knows! And then, through the week, we made more contact with them. An intern had coffee with one of them, another came to another event one of our team was participating in. They are invited to come to more of our events. God is growing his church. Thanks for praying!

Some other prayer requests:

1. Pray for an appointment for our son Joshua at the visa office. We need to get his visa status updated before we leave.
2. Pray for us as we fill our speaking calendar in the US. Pray for good connections!
3. Pray for our team and us as we continue to navigate the upcoming changes.

Blessings,

mike