July/August 2009 Update

July/August 2009

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

“This is a tough time to be on deputation.” I have heard this statement more than once from sympathetic pastors. And although it is true that scheduling meetings seems slow due to the economic slump, God has shown himself faithful by opening doors into churches and even enabling churches and individuals to partner with us in proclaiming the hope of the gospel in France.

Meeting Report
We recently returned from another two weeks in Western PA. We had a great time participating in two different weeks of VBS as the visiting missionaries, and we are thankful for the opportunity to share the gospel with several unsaved children. We concluded our stay in PA by presenting our work to another church whose hospitality made our final day in that area an enjoyable one. After returning to SC, we spent a Sunday with the dear people of one of our supporting churches. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to report to them and to fellowship with them again.

Support
The Lord has answered your prayers concerning support for our mission! We are grateful that another church is partnering with us as their missionaries. Also, we were encouraged by an email we received from a couple expressing their interest in partnering with our mission. Thank you for praying about our support! Initially, our team set our monthly support need at $5,000 (US), but currently we are reevaluating that figure based on first-hand observations Tim and Ruth (our coworkers) are making in France. Due to the weak dollar and a better understanding of the cost of living in France, our monthly support level will need to be increased. We are grateful that God has provided more than 20% of what we need. Please continue to ask God to quickly bring in the remaining 80%. We trust that God will answer our prayers and provide support for this mission according to his will.

Please Pray for Us
Thank you for taking an interest in us and our mission. We are more convinced than ever that God will have to work for this mission to be successful. So please intercede on our behalf for these requests:
1. God will accomplish sanctification in us through the deputation process.
2. God will fill our meeting schedule for 2009 and 2010.
3. God will lead us to churches of a like mind who will partner with us by supporting us financially. We would like to be at the 30% level by the end of the summer.
4. God will use us to awaken Christians to the spiritual needs of the French and to Christ’s redemptive purposes for the world.
5. We will continue to grow and develop so that we will be useful tools for the Lord in France.
6. God will give us wisdom concerning a van for deputation travel.

Itinerary
August 23-Spartanburg, SC
August 30-Anderson, SC
September 13-Wichita, KS
September 16-Wichita, KS
September 20-Waverly, KS
September 27-Clay Center, KS
October 11-Houston, TX
October 18-Rockford, IL
October 25-Dekalb, IL
November 1-Sterling, IL
November 8-Naperville, IL

Exciting News
We’re excited to announce that God has blessed us with our second child! The baby is due sometime around December 19. Please ask God to protect Liz and the baby as we travel.


Thank you for encouraging us through your prayers and giving. We thank God for you!

In Christ,
Michael, Liz, and Viviane
MLCole@HopeForFrance.org

Evening with the Kirchners

We had a great time this past Saturday evening with the Kirchner family. We met Charles, Julie, Zach, Brock, Grant, and Cali the first time we visited Church of the Open Door in Connellsville, PA, but we were able to get to know them better this past week while working with them in the VBS. They hosted us for an enjoyable dinner and relaxing evening in their yard. The Lord gave us excellent weather so were were able to really enjoy the outdoors.

As you can see in the collage, there was plenty to do. Everything from baseball to frogs! Charles and Julie were very hospitable. We grew to appreciate their servant hearts as we watched them work in VBS. Their labor is indicative of their faithfulness to the Lord in that local assembly. Liz and I also really enjoyed their children. After dinner, Julie's parents (Merl and Beverly Harbaugh) joined us. We had been staying with the Harbaugh's all week and had grown quite attached to them.

This is the best thing about deputation. We have met many different people, but I think the people of Church of the Open Door will stick out as very special to us for their sweet spirits. Thank you Kirchners for your kindness to us. We appreciate the fact that you extended friendship our way. God bless.