Letter from Elsa - August 19, 2008
posted in Missions, Europe |Dear Fellow Servants,
The past month has been filled with challenges – some good, some unfortunate.
CHALLENGES
On the good side, I have been doing some long planned renovating of my living room, and the disorder of such a project is always a challenge. However I have had lots of help from my fellow Christians, though I tried to spread out my requests so I didn’t get on people’s nerves. Someone was always available for the task at hand – whether scraping old paper off the walls, removing floor tiles, moving furniture or painting. MARK was especially helpful. Together we papered the ceiling, re-plastered the walls and put down new wood flooring – all in three weeks between my regular teaching and counselling sessions and Mark’s packing for their upcoming move. Yesterday I decided, however, that enough is enough. I will finish the edging to cover the heating pipes sometime this winter at my leisure. But even without that done, the room is very livable and refreshingly light compared with before.
Sadly, the list of unfortunate challenges is longer.
–Twice in one week we had very heavy rains which left me with an inch of water in the basement. The second time, I went down during the storm to see just where it was coming in and am hoping that the plumber will get the necessary changes made before the next downpour. I hesitate to complain, however. One neighbor’s basement had over five feet of water! It was quite a storm!
–In the total confusion of the renovation, I lost me keys. I’m still hoping to find them in some box, but I’ve changed all the locks just in case. It was not a good feeling that some stranger might be able to get in easily.
–The one remodelling task I didn’t do myself was floating (levelling) the floor, but while the workers were doing it, they left the front door open because they were constantly coming in and out with supplies while working upstairs. I assume it was during this time that my laptop was stolen from my office on the ground floor. There were no signs of a break-in, and I think that if it had something to do with the lost keys, they would have taken more. They only took what could be grabbed very quickly. Fortunately, I had just backed up my data two days before – except my emails. And fortunately, I had Jim’s computer upstairs, but I still have to reinstall lots of things and am still trying to figure out what passwords I need to change.
Needless to say, I have been feeling very vulnerable again, but actually, each of these situations could have been a great deal worse. God is good!
PRAYER ITEMS OF A MORE SPIRITUAL NATURE
The various Bible studies I mentioned in the last letter continue, and besides studying with RUEDIGER, Simone’s husband JUERGEN is now coming to worship regularly.
KATIA, who was baptized in September last year, has been bringing her mother to worship. In fact her mother even came twice when Katia did not.
AMADEUS, a young man from the Frankfurt church, is in Bremen for three months working on a project that is part of his Master’s thesis. He is a very pleasant addition to the church.
MARK and KAREN have finished their two years of language study in Bremen and are moving the end of August to Chemnitz to help with the work there.
DAVID, who was in the hospital with Jim, no longer returns my phone calls. It is so sad to experience someone so close to standing before the Lord refusing to even consider the possibility that He is.
“SPIRITUAL MILK” – I’ve nearly completed a 12 lesson series for new Christians that I have been doing with Simone. The next task is to work the lessons over a bit so that someone else could use them, too.
USA TRIP
I will be making a trip to the Chicago area, Memphis and Searcy in a few weeks to visit some of my supporting churches and also to attend the Harding Lectureship. Continuing to counsel and teach during these past difficult months has helped me greatly, but I have had a hard time concentrating in my own personal study. So I have decided it is time to fill up my own “tank” and will use this opportunity to do so. Of course, I will also stop by to see the grandchildren in Florida on my way home, but you probably guessed that, right? I will be with them for the anniversary of Jim’s death.
In closing there is something I would like to share with you that I rediscovered on Jim’s computer. This was the last sermon series he preached before getting sick.
The Heart of the Worshiper
Part I: A Heart filled with godly longing
Part II: A Heart filled with godly feelings
Part III: A Heart on its Way to God
He preached Part III exactly one month before the end of his journey.
Thank you very much for your continued prayers. Gott mit euch!
Your fellow servant,
Elsa Springer