Hello Prayer team,
We hope this email finds you well as we roll into the summer months in this very strange year. I am sure many of you have had to cancel or change the plans you had made. We have been blessed here in Germany. As things begin to open up we have more options than we thought were possible 2 months ago. Fortunately, this is not our year to travel to Oregon so we get to travel in Germany instead.
These past few months our family tried our best to finish the school year with grace as the kids were able to go back to school for the last month. They wore masks, teachers moved from class to class while the students stayed put, and we used all the biggest spaces possible for make-shift classrooms. Cafeteria, auditorium, gym, foyer, etc. But we made it and the 2019-2020 school year is in the books. In August, Stanley will start 7th grade, Holly 5th, Stuart 2nd, and Samuel will still be in a German Kindergarten (pre-school).
During the last months, we also had a short-term foster baby in our family. Originally in May Heather was going to help more as a glorified babysitter to watch Lina (6 months) during the days while Grandma was on vacation. But after the first day, when Heather went to give Lina back to the mom, the mom surprised Heather with an “I am not taking the baby.” So Heather brought Lina back to our home. After a month of caring for Lina, checking in with Lina’s mom daily by phone, visits with mom two days a week, Lina and her mom were accepted into a Mother-Baby home. Heather brought her there on July 1st. There, Lina’s mom can get the training to take care of a baby and also work through her drug addictions. We are blessed by being able to stand in the gap as short term foster parents even though the work is hard.
Our ministry during these past months has also looked different than what we are used to. A lot of our ministry has taken place online (our Monday night Bible study is still thriving) and also one on one. We also gathered with our group around the fire pit in the garden one evening. Normally, we have people coming in and out of our house multiple times a week. While we are not able to have as many people in our home, we are now able to host guests for dinner. We have tried to invite several single friends over so they can be with a family and not be alone. Godfrey, a University student from Nigeria, and Maddy, a lower school teacher at the international school are two of whom we have hosted as well as a German couple and a few other friends. As the regulations continue to lighten in Germany, Lord willing, we are looking forward to restarting our youth Bible study and having our Monday Bible study at home again.
As this season has been one of uncertainty for everyone, please be praying for us as we walk by faith wait to see what God has next. We could spend hours speculating on what could happen. Instead, God calls us to take one step at a time in faith. Proverbs 3:5-6 seems very timely. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”
Here are some immediate prayer requests for our family.
1. Wisdom on when to say we are ready for the next short term foster baby. The foster care office called us the day after Lina left about another newborn baby that needed a short term home and we said no. We are not ready for another baby yet, but we want to know how much of a break we need before we are open for the next baby.
2. Wisdom in leading our Monday Night Bible Study group. Someone has requested we change the day of the week that we meet, wisdom in counseling broken people with lots of needs, some new faces in the group, etc. We want to keep God and his word at the center of the group and that we can be able to adequately reach out to internationals in Weimar.
3. Finances. As it is for so many people right now, finances are tight. Our car broke down, but God blessed us and kept the bill under 200 euros, after the initial quote would be over 700. Our home in Oregon needs some pretty big repairs. And we are already looking at airline tickets for next summer (2021) to Oregon and we are unsure of what ticket prices will do over the next 6 months. So like our recent car repairs, pray that God will provide what we need and that we would not worry about these different expenses. If you are interested in being part of that answered prayer, please consider supporting us financially through Be One Together. Click here. Thank you to those who have supported us financially, your support has helped us tremendously this past year.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We know God does great things when his people come to him in prayer. Please let us know how we can be praying for you and your family.
Click here for some pictures from the last couple of months.
Serving Him in Weimar Germany,
Scott, Heather, Stanley, Holly, Stuart, and Samuel