Results of Workers in the Harvest

Through Park Outreach, we met Natasha who had heard of Jesus but never read the Bible. Pray for her as she has been attending bible study and asks great questions.
Getting to have teams of all ages engages the work at different levels. I was thankful for the courage and creativity our 10-year-old teammates brought to our team.
Getting to rub shoulders with people from different experiences continues to teach me so much. I enjoyed getting to hear stories of Q and her family’s testimony as she grew up in Indonesia.
Coffee table outreach allowed us to connect with people from Portugal, Algeria, Lybia, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt…and that was just one of the afternoons!
Very thankful for a team from my sending church and how they served the work and me!
I continue to love time with my neighbors. Ani and I are making Americna Mac & Cheese for her sister’s birthday party.

Because of the investment of time, energy, money, and vacation days, many more people got to hear more about who God says He is, what He has done for them, and have further opportunities for conversation. A Friday night bible study was able to get started where N is soaking in every story, and A (currently professed agnostic) is getting to wrestle with his questions. Because of the teams that were here, we got to do coffee table outreach for four weeks in a row which provided an opportunity for other local workers to come and join us and develop our presence among the community in a very tangible way. Although I think I could sleep for a week, I wouldn’t have changed it! There is more and more fruit of labor being seen as the days unfold. Thank you teams for coming, and thank you all for praying!

Ella is setting out some literature on our coffee table in Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Dari, Hindi, and English just in case someone would like to take some reading material with them. This past month, we had more people take literature than ever before. Ella, a recent nursing graduate, has decided to step into our 3-month internship, which provides intentional objectives for her personal walk with Jesus, introduction to Muslim ministries, and experience being a cross-culture worker. She will split her time between Stockholm, Sweden and Cologne, Germany to see if being sent overseas may be part of her story. Pray for her these months and for us as we continue to learn how to see people further equipped to expand God’s Kingdom wherever He sends them.

An update on me….

I have entered into another term of my doctorate studies. This next month, the prayer is that I will get to start interviewing refugees. I am nervous and excited for this opportunity to learn and grow and hopefully find ways to help equip us to better disciple and raise up leaders of different cultures.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FINANCES! The generosity of one-time gifts these past two years is coming to an end. In order for me to get a full-pay check and to stay on the field, I will need to find 12 new supporters averaging $100 a month or a $14,400 yearly gift! Anything is possible. I have no doubt that God can provide and I am excited to get to be about His business. Please join me in praying for this need and if you or someone you know wants to help answer, click here.

Let me know how your fall has kicked off!

Summer Recap

One of the highlights for me this summer was getting to work on a team, got to travel to different cities, got to come alongside an existing church to encourage and assist in different components of their vision, and deepen friendships among laborers. In each location, it was a gift to rub shoulders with new friends and to see the local church motivated and excited in what God was doing through them. Dortmund – we got to help launch their first youth camp and help the community know who they are, where they are and see new people attend. In Berlin, their desire was for training on foundational components of being a disciple of Jesus. We were all extremely excited in what we saw God do (will elaborate with the next picture). In Cologne and Stockholm, we continued to engage the community and see new people open up for deeper conversations.

Story from Cologne…While out talking with people, some of our team got to talk with a man who at first was not sure if he really wanted to have a conversation about deeper questions. Yet as the discussion continued, he shared that he had recently had a terrible accident that left him and the doctors hopeless in his recovery. He then had a dream where a man in white, who seemed to be glowing, healed him. He woke up miraculously healed. The team was able to share that this man was Jesus. Hesitant, but curious, pray for him as the local team to follow-up and share more about the truths of Jesus.

Evangelism can be a strange word today. What does it mean, whose job is it, and what does it look like. One of the most striking things to me these past four weeks was how many people thanked me for opening up conversations that helped them think about deeper questions. Yes, there were many people who said no thank you to a conversation, but there were over three hundred people that said yes. And not only yes to answer questions about their worldview and belief system, 64% of the people wanted to hear what the Bible had to say. People were curious and stayed in conversation wanting to ask questions and learn why Jesus matters. It was amazing to get to part of many of these conversations. Please join us in praying for the seeds that were sown these weeks and that they would grow in good soil!

What’s next? Friday the next team comes! Here is Stockholm we will receive two more teams to build on what has started. We have kicked off a language cafe, to build community and meet a practical need on Monday nights. Tuesday afternoon the neighborhood kids have requested we resume kids club. Friday nights we have a bible study. It was great to already see new people show up to these activities and looking forward to seeing what can be built up these coming weeks!

Financial update. I am still looking for/praying for new monthly commitments so that I can stay in the harvest full time. This past summer project confirmed once again that there is a great opportunity to work full-time towards the vision of engaging least reached people. Please join me in praying for this need. If you know someone, please put us in touch. If you’d like to join the team, you can get started here.

Half way through

The first week of our summer project was in Dortmund, Germany. We spent the week coming alongside a local church in helping them launch their first summer youth camp, advertising who they are in the community, hosting a discipleship training and having a great time!

I was amazed in some of the conversations I was able to have, specifically with two young women. We discussed different worldview questions and explored how they came to these conclusions. When asked if they wanted to learn what the Bible says, they were open and curious. When asked what would be something I could pray for them in their lives, the response was for peace and faithfulness from others. You could feel the hurt they carry and the hunger them seem to have to figure out to walk well in this life regardless of what is happening externally. Would you join me in praying for Marlene and Nexie?

Our team then traveled to Berlin. Again we came alongside a local church to participate in some of the goals that they had. We hosted a training in how to engage in conversations, ask questions and share faith. Getting to participate in their weekly gathering was also a gift. It is always a wonderful experience to worship God in another language! There was a group of 15 to 22 of us that would go out each day to talk to people. About one third of the people we approached were not interested in having a conversation. Yet 42% of the people welcomed not only a conversation but wanted to learn about Jesus and what the Bible says. It was an incredible opportunity to see hearts opening up to learn and discover.

Honestly, I was overwhelmed by the number of people that said yes when I asked if they wanted to hear my story and what the Bible taught. I also enjoyed getting to talk to people that grew up in the GDR and learn more about their perspective with the Berlin Wall opened. I admit I had many moments of being overwhelmed with the history, experiences of the lives lived here in East Berlin, and opinions and perspectives developed coming out of this history. Please pray for those we got to converse with would continue to seek truth, visit the church and follow up with someone from the team.

This week we are in Cologne, Germany and then the team heads to Stockholm. Again please pray for the next month. I will get to host three teams between August 11th and September 12th, and then have a recent university grad come alongside the work for two weeks after that. Another full month, and excited about what the Lord will do!

This ministry is made possible by people like you. Thank you for the support you continue to give in emails, letters, phone calls, prayer and the finances. I’m still praying for new monthly financial supporters to bring my account to a healthier position, if you are able to be an answer to this prayer, click here! Talk soon! Blessings, Sarah