Dear praying friends,

Wow - we have some AMAZING things taking place in the next couple of weeks, on lots of fronts.

Tomorrow night we open up a pop-up Fashion Art exhibit from a fantastic Dakar-based-American artist named Gelisa George. She got connected to us through a mutual friend, and since our old gallery is still waiting for its new long-term assignment in life (mini storefront and small gallery/community living room/?) we letting the space be used for a 3-day exhibit. It's also a chance for us to try something different, short exhibits with a variety of artists. Her exhibit, themed "Redemption" - in which she has transformed some tailored suits she received after their previous owner passed away, is something totally different for us!

Next Thursday we exhibit another artist's work, our very first exhibit in our new gallery space! Thomas Werk is a deeply thoughtful artist whose themes (and life) reflects the years he has spent thinking about the Scriptures. His work is both abstract and minimalistic. I can't wait to have his pictures hanging in our new space.

And tonight we open our new space to the public for the first time with our Art O'Clock event. I have four artists signed up to come! We were frantically cleaning and pulling the paper down that has been covering the windows earlier today, and now I need to go and get the last of the tech set up. This week I took 5 trips to the local recycling center to get rid of all of the cardboard, packing, and building materials that were still in the front room - and it is so great to see the transformation.

Hey - that's all for today. We have a lot of prayer requests - but here are a few quick ones:

1. Our long-term visa for interns problem still exists. We keep trying new avenues, please pray that God leads us to the right person and the right solution.
2. I was finally able to work out for the first time this year because of a long, lingering cough I had been struggling with. Please pray that I stay healthy!
3. Our son Caleb is working on his Bacherlor's thesis, and is struggling to focus. Could you pray that he is able to get it done?
4. We have a lot of projects in the works right now at Envision Berlin, and it would be easy for us to get overwhelmed. Pray that God keeps reminding us that we are a spiritual community, and that our focus on Him remains primary even as we take care of a variety of projects.

Thank you for praying!

mike