March/April 2009 Update

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

We trust that our update finds you resting in the care of our Lord. He has blessed us over the past weeks with continual reminders of his grace in Christ toward us. We anticipate his work on our behalf over the next couple of months as we seek his will concerning ministry partners for our mission to France.

Meeting Report

The Lord allowed us to present our work at the end of January in Raleigh, NC, and at the beginning of February in Franklin, TN. We praise the Lord for the time we were able to spend with the dear believers in each of those churches. We’ve also had the privilege of presenting our mission to a couple of churches over the last few weeks. To our surprise, the Lord opened up a meeting for us at the last minute in a church located just down the road from us in Boiling Springs, SC. We had a good time of fellowship with the church and thank God for leading us to another group of believers who will intercede on our behalf. We participated in a missions conference in Asheboro, NC, the first week of March. The Lord blessed our time with that church as well.

Waiting to Hear

While we continue contacting churches for the purpose of setting up services, we are waiting to hear from other churches who are considering whether God will have them partner with our mission. We trust that the Lord will do his will in these matters. We thank God that we are very close to the 20% mark of our needed support. We know that he will increase that level as he sees fit.

Looking Ahead

We are grateful to report that the Lord has opened up some meetings for us. Many are for the latter part of the year, but in the near future, we have meetings in Pennsylvania April 19 and May 3 and a meeting in Tennessee May 24. We are also continuing our strategy of visiting churches in the Greenville-Spartanburg area in order to make personal contacts with the hope that God will open up meetings for us close to home as we wait for him to fill up our travel schedule.

Please Pray for Us

Writing this letter reminds us of the privilege it is to have fellow believers like you who are concerned for us and our mission. We thank God for the privilege of having met you and look forward to that time when we will spend eternity together in bliss. Until then, please continue to intercede for us. Please pray that . . .

1. God will accomplish sanctification in us through the deputation process.
2. We will trust God for his timing and have his wisdom concerning deputation. We need direction especially concerning how much longer Michael should work at UPS.
3. God will fill our meeting schedule for 2009 and 2010.
4. 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 25% level by the end of March.
5. God will use us to awaken Christians to the spiritual needs of the French and to Christ’s redemptive purposes for the world.
6. We will continue to grow and develop so that we will be useful tools for the Lord in France.
7. God will direct us to the right van for us to purchase in the near future.

Thank you for your encouragement and support both spiritually and financially. We thank God
for you!

Fayetteville St. Baptist Church

This past week Liz and I enjoyed the privilege of participating in a mission conference at Fayetteville St. Baptist Church in Asheboro, NC. Prior to leaving for Asheboro, I learned that the city had incorporated on Christmas day in 1796! Both the city and the church have a long history in the area.

We arrived on Tuesday to take part in the services that evening and Wednesday evening. We were one of 5 or 6 missionaries brought in at different times of the week. We shared the Tuesday/Wednesday slot with the Price family, missionaries to Zambia. (Viviane loved Mrs. Price and spent all the time she could playing with her.) The first two days of the conference had been called of because of the ice, but by Tuesday the roads were clear enough to go on with the plans.

The pastor, Dr. Bruce Dickerson, showed us every consideration. He ate meals with us, housed us in the church's very comfortable mission house, spent time talking with us about the church, and went out of his way to make us feel welcome and esteemed for the Lord's sake.

We were more aware of the Lord's grace on this trip because Liz suffered from a bad sinus infection. Although she felt relatively well during the days, the pain was so severe at night that she was not able to get a good night's sleep from Sunday night through Wednesday night. Despite the sickness, the Lord enabled Liz to sing with me in both services and to exert the energy needed to visit with people before and after the services. We also thank the Lord for guiding us to a kind doctor who saw Liz as a walk-in and prescribed a course of medicine that seems to be working. Liz is feeling much better and slept through the night last night.

The services were well-attended and the people expressed love for us and interest in our mission. Michael gave a 12 minute presentation of our ministry on Tuesday night before another missionary preached. On Wednesday Michael was able to speak in the elementary school chapel (the church has a Christian school ministry) in the morning and then preach about the cause of missions from Romans 1:5 in the evening service.

The Lord seems to have given us an entrance into the hearts of the people. Pastor Dickerson encouraged us to stay in touch and to pray about what God might do in the future with regard to a partnership in our mission.

We thank God for the opportunity to meet these brothers and sisters and for the chance to communicate to them our burden for the French people.

Unexpected Presentation

Recently we adopted a new strategy for making contacts while we are in the Spartanburg/Greenville area. We decided to use Sunday evenings to make face to face contacts with churches in our area with the hope of gaining opportunities to present our mission to them. This past week, I contacted the pastor of Faith Baptist Church just down the highway in Boiling Springs. We exchanged emails and by the end of the week the Lord had arranged for us to present our mission!

We enjoyed our time with Pastor Jonathan McPeters, his family, and the people of Faith. There were not many in attendance that evening, but we had a great time informing them about the needs in France. We felt a kinship with this friendly group of brothers and sisters and believe that we have found people who will partner with us in prayer for this mission to France.

We ate with the McPeters family after the service and had a great time talking about what God has done for all of us. We have something in common with the McPeters- they are just beginning deputation for a mission to another difficult country in Europe: Wales.

We are grateful for the time the Lord provided with these sweet people and trust that He will continue providing meetings for us in the future.

Trinity Baptist Church

This past weekend we enjoyed fellowship with the people of Trinity Baptist Church in Franklin, TN. Michael first met Pastor David Schindel in Mexico when teens from their two churches participated in a week long mission trip together. Michael made contact again last year and the Lord opened up an opportunity for us to present our mission to France to this group of believers.

We arrived on Saturday evening and enjoyed dinner and dessert with a family Michael had known earlier in Charlotte, NC. The Bakers treated us to a delicious meal with good conversation. We really enjoyed meeting up with them and are grateful for their generosity.

Mrs. Nancy Baker (no relation to the afore mentioned Bakers) graciously opened up her home to us at the last minute (the people with whom we were to stay originally had sickness in the family). Mrs. Baker was a kind and generous hostess to us. We truly felt at home and were blessed through our conversations with her.

On Sunday, we were able to present aspects of our ministry during the Sunday school hour to the k4-5 class, 1-3 class, 4-6 class, and the teen class. This taxed Michael's abilities to speak for only 10 minutes or so, but God helped and we think it was profitable. We enjoyed the morning worship service and the potluck fellowship meal that followed. After the lunch, Michael presented our ministry to the church and then fielded questions from the floor concerning different aspects of our mission and France.

We are grateful for our time with the people at Trinity. Their generosity toward us (shown in many different ways) causes us to praise God for his grace. We trust that God will use us all for his glory as we reach out to those around us.

Friendship Baptist Church

We are very grateful to Pastor Vradenburgh and Friendship Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC, for allowing us to share our mission to France with them. The people of the church lived up to their name, showing us kindness and hospitality that reflect well the biblical teaching on Christian love. The Lord gave us a good time with the church on Wednesday evening, allowing Michael to present the needs in France, our calling, and our plan for proclaiming the hope of the gospel to the French. Michael finished the service with encouragement from Matthew 19 concerning God's ability to overcome human inability with regard to salvation. The Lord had one surprise for us--just as the service began one of Michael's former roomates from college walked in to the sanctuary. It was a joy to reconnect with Ben and to hear a little of what God is doing in his life.

Besides allowing us to present our mission to another group of believers, our trip to Friendship allowed us to spend time with the Pahnke family. (They are the parents of Ruth Bixby, our coworker. We enjoyed seeing the home where Ruth grew up; we especially enjoyed the photos!). They welcomed us on Wednesday evening with a delicious meal and then spent time with us after the service talking over snacks. We enjoyed very much hearing how the Lord had worked in their lives and how He continues to use them. They were very warm hosts.

The Pahnkes treated us to a special activity on Thursday. Following a delicious breakfast prepared by Mr. Pahnke, Mrs. Pahnke took us out to feed their horses (Cherokee and Cowboy) and cows. Viviane really enjoyed watching them put on the feed bag. After the feeding, we went on a walk along a greenway that runs along the Pahnke's property. Viviane loved the outdoors and the exercise (she walked a long way for those little legs). By the end of the walk, however, her little legs were worn out and she needed a lift from Michael. We enjoyed very much our time with the Pahnkes and look forward to future time spent with them.

Meditations on John the Baptist

John 3 records a situation that could have turned out very badly. John the Baptist, who has enjoyed large success in his ministry, faces the challenge of responding to the fact that Jesus’ ministry is beginning to eclipse his own. One of John’s disciples points out (apparently with some consternation) that all of John’s disciples are going to Jesus. How will John respond to his diminishing influence? Will he express the natural human responses: jealousy, resentment, dejection? His response, by God’s grace, is exemplary. He acknowledges that Jesus’ success is from God, reminds his follower that he had always insisted that he is Jesus’ subordinate, and expresses that his joy is tied to Jesus’ success. Because of these things he can honestly say that he wants Jesus’ star to rise while his star fades into the horizon.

As I ponder these verses I wonder if I can honestly say “He must increase, but I must decrease.” These words are so easy to verbalize and yet so difficult to internalize. What does it look like to think this way? The key to understanding the concrete ramifications of John’s statement lie in reviewing his thoughts and actions prior to this declaration. I cannot copy John’s final, gloriously self-denying call for Jesus’ magnification unless I embrace his earlier, daily submission to Jesus’ rights.

1. John, the son of a priest (and so in line to serve as a priest with its comforts, stability, and prestige) lived in the wilderness, dressed in rough clothing, and ate a meager diet. His garb and diet were intended to communicate to the public that he was God’s prophet so that they would listen. But apparently he was rejected by the majority as being demon-possessed (Mt. 11:18). His sacrifices seemed fruitless.

2. John pointedly proclaimed a firm message that angered unrepentant sinners. He confronted people from all classes, including the religious leaders of Israel and the political leaders appointed by Rome. He did not compromise to be liked, received, or even tolerated.

3. John resisted every temptation to pronounce himself to be something more than he was. How easy it would have been to gain a little more credibility with the crowds and a little more weight for his message if he had been dishonest.

4. John humbly thought of himself as nothing more than a herald. Jesus later identifies John as the Elijah that was to come. Did John lie when he denied that he was Elijah (Jn. 3:21)? No. He simply did not think so highly of himself to imagine that he might be anything more than he was: a mouthpiece for God preparing the Lord’s way.

5. John publicly acknowledged his inferiority to Jesus (thus exalting Jesus).

6. John engaged in a ministry for the purpose of revealing Jesus to men.

7. John testified explicitly before all Jesus’ exalted status as the Son of God and his intended goal of being a substitute sacrifice for sin.

John’s entire life reflected the priorities contained in the statement “He must increase but I must decrease.” And so I find myself challenged, not so much by the statement, but by the life. My hope is that the Spirit who indwelled John lives in me. Therefore, I can live in such a way that Jesus is magnified in my life. God give me a heart that desires Jesus’ exaltation above my own! A life driven by that desire will certainly get what it wants.

Jan/Feb Update

January/February 2009

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

As we focus on a New Year, we are reminded of how grateful to God we are for your prayers and support this past year. Please continue to pray for God to advance our mission in 2009 by adding supporters. Although assembling a partnership team in this sluggish economy seems impossible, we are confident that God will accomplish His will in the best timing possible. We are reminded that, in God’s sight, these present difficulties are no greater than the obstacles faced by mission enterprises in the past. So we confidently echo William Carey, desiring to attempt great things for God while expecting great things from God.

Ministry Partner Update

In fact, God has already been working behind the scenes on our behalf. We praise the Lord for moving on the hearts of two more families to become partners in our mission to France. The support from both of these families was unsolicited and reminds us again that this is God’s work. We have been praying for God to raise our support level to 20% for the beginning of the year. Presently we have a little over 18% of our support, and we are waiting to hear from two individuals and two churches about joining our partnership team. It is exciting to see God work, and we look forward to praising the Lord for answering our prayers.

Time with Family and at CPBC

The end of November and December were full of visiting family and serving in our local assembly, Cleveland Park Bible Church. We were able to participate in our church’s Christmas program and in various aspects of our Sunday services. Michael also had the opportunity to teach a Sunday school lesson on the meaning of the Incarnation. Although we have enjoyed the time with family and our church, we are ready to hit the road again in search of ministry partners.

Back to Calling and Writing!

With the busy Christmas and New Year seasons behind us, Michael resumes the task of contacting churches for opportunities to present our mission. We will begin traveling again at the end of January, but we have plenty of room in 2009 for more meetings. We trust that God will answer prayers and move churches to invite us to present our mission. Michael continues to work part time at UPS, but we are seeking wisdom concerning when he should resign so we can jump full time into deputation. Although we are not sure the exact date Michael will leave UPS, we look forward to devoting all of our energies to raising support so that we can begin proclaiming the hope of the gospel in France.

Please Pray for Us

The present economic realities do present challenges that test our faith. So, please pray that . . .
1. God will accomplish sanctification in us through the deputation process.
2. We will trust God for his timing and have his wisdom concerning deputation.
3. God will guide us concerning our schedule for 2009.
4. God will lead us to churches of a like mind who will partner with us by supporting us financially.
5. God will use us to awaken Christians to the spiritual needs of the French and to Christ’s redemptive purposes for the world.
6. We will continue to grow and develop so that we will be useful tools for the Lord in France.

Thank you again for your support through prayer and giving. We thank God for you!

In Christ,
Michael, Liz, and VivianeMLCole@HopeForFrance.org