Hi praying friends!

We sure got hit by that cold last week - yikes! Luckily everyone on our team is learning how to step out when needed and jump in when needed. We were able to handle the gives-and-takes of the ministry almost seamlessly!

We have had a small but powerful group from Hawley, MN here this last week. Everytime we brought them to a work project we had to find more jobs for them to do than we planned.

Let me tell you about one project: A long-time seeker from our church has had some water damage in her kitchen twice in the last seven years, and the house management has come in and repaired it (mostly and slowly), but after the last time told her that she needed to paint her kitchen. (In our rental contracts, we are supposed to repaint the walls regularly. In our apartment, the contract says every five years.). This woman is on a fixed income - and also found herself in a tight spot where she was paying off bills someone else had rung up. She did not have the money for the work - and also was not in a physical condition to do the work. She asked me if I could help do the work if she was able to get the materials, and thanks to this team, we were able to do one better! We were able to do the work, cover the cost of the materials, and were able to paint her kitchen in the color she had been dreaming of for years! She was overwhelmed that a group of people from thousands of miles away who did not know her would come and help her in such a meaningful way. What an ongoing testimony to the power of the gospel.

The team leaves tomorrow (I bring them to the airport at 6am), but not without making a difference. Please pray for the group as they wrap up today and fly tomorrow.

A couple more prayer requests:

1. We are waiting for more news to come from the corner office space we have been looking at. We have submitted a plan to the owner, who presented it to the building management. Please pray that we hear back from them (one way or another) so we can start making plans for the fall.
2. Stephen Jones is heading to the US to meet with people and visit several churches. Maybe you will be in one of the churches he will be speaking in! Pray for him as he travels.
3. Pray for all of us to shake the last vestiges of this cold, which seems to include a lingering cough.
4. I have the opportunity to help with another community volunteer project this weekend. So far, there are 8 from us from 7 different countries. The nations are coming to Berlin - and on Saturday I get to garden behind a local youth/children's home with them. Pray that they see Christ in me.

Thanks for your prayers!

mike