Hi praying friends,

Over the last 4-6 weeks, a common comment in our office has been, "I did not sleep well last night."

Of course, on New Year's Eve and the days surrounding it, there were fireworks. Then, for some of our team, the store alarm went off multiple times a night at the grocery store next door. Elissa has had ongoing back pains interrupting her sleep (which also impacts my sleep.) We have been processing teammates leaving. Some are having strange dreams. We are trying to release a book, which brings new legal stress in Germany. We have Finance office issues that need to be dealt with.

In Psalm 4:8, David comes to the end of his night prayer calling out to God for vindication and says, "I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety." Yesterday, we stopped and prayed for peace and sleep at our weekly team check-in. Can you pray with us?

We also believe there is a spiritual element involved in this. Over the last months, we have continued to expand Envision Berlin's ministry. We have added Wednesday night ministries, solidified our art exhibit schedule for the coming year, finished the design of the book we are releasing in the coming weeks, done intercultural training with international workers, planned strategically for the coming year, hosted church events, are planning trips for the coming year, have interviewed and will be interviewing people for internships and residencies - there is a lot going on!

In addition, Elissa and I continue to lead a small house church, where it has been a joy to see individuals taking on more layers of responsibility. As we increasingly become a point where the light of Christ shines in our community - the level of spiritual antagonism grows. Your prayers for us are vital - we know we cannot do this work alone.

Some other prayer requests:

1. A little over a week ago, Elissa had an MRI on her back - with the "good" news that her pain appears to be only muscular in nature. This means that there is a high chance that the pain can go away with the treatment she is receiving. Can you please pray that this happens quickly?
2. As I mentioned earlier, we are dealing with some German Finance Office and legal stress related to our German nonprofit entity and publishing ventures. Some of this just means we must slog through long German contracts and ensure we know what we are signing. Other aspects involved are more complicated. Please pray for the ability to answer and address all of the issues wisely and quickly.
3. Please pray for giving to the Great Commission Fund, the fund the Alliance uses to support its workers around the world.
4. On Monday, I met with a wood sculptor we will be exhibiting in April. He is also volunteering at a small church outside of Berlin. His heart to see the people of his church reach out to their community was exciting - and also a good reminder of the many, many small East German towns who have (a) no church or (b) have a small congregation still figuring out how to grow out of a culture which greatly repressed their abilities to share their beliefs openly. Join us in prayer for these communities!

Thanks for praying,

mike