Dear praying friends,

Wow, is it cold this week in rural Minnesota - with temperatures dropping down to close to 10 below and the wind gusts make it feel even colder. We are grateful for sweet hosts (who even have a Sauna) and some wonderful people as we are sharing this week in Detroit Lakes, MN.

Our son Caleb turns 22 on Saturday - and it will be the first of his birthdays we have not been able to be present for. Several weeks ago we went to the post office and sent him a present, knowing that we could save money by sending a package through Amazon, but wanting him to have something we touched and hand-picked out for him. The package arrived at his apartment building on February 3, but apparently could not be delivered for some reason, and today - after spending a long time on hold with the USPS - I found out it was on its way back to Minnesota. What a disappointment! That is the bummer of my week. Sometimes, I wonder if Paul really meant it when he talked about learning the secret of being content in all situations. Surely he never spent time talking to customer service computers...

Can you pray for us in the coming week? We will finish in Detroit Lakes and head back to Minneapolis on Thursday night. Pray for safe travels! In the next couple of weeks we need to finish writing and polishing our messages for Crown. It is almost time! We are excited about the possibility and a little nervous about getting all the messages wrapped up.

Here is one really big prayer request - one that many on this list have prayed in the past. We need God to miraculously provide housing for Envision Berlin. We have interns coming in April and a new couple arriving in September. The housing market in Berlin is so, so, so hard right now. We know people who have been looking for over 6 months. There are often thousands of applicants for every apartment. Can you pray that God provides for us again?

Some other prayer requests:

1. Next week we our staff is meeting to wrestle through the best way for us to express our vision and to set goals for the coming year.
2. A new intern arrives at Envision Berlin next week! Pray for Elise as she travels and starts to get settled in Berlin. She will be in Berlin for 11 months.
3. Pray for the English Day Camp taking place in Waren this week. Our resident Josh is helping.

Another note: We have started offering an opportunity for people to join us for Morning Prayer, a combination of liturgical and free prayer using the "Celtic Daily Prayer" from the Northumbria Community on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the US (we already have this option in Germany.). If you would like to join us at 7AM CST, send me a note - and I can give you a link to join our WhatsApp group. Four gathered virtually this morning to pray together.

Blessings,

mike