A Witness to Missionaries

A few weeks ago Stephie (Germany) asked if I knew anything about the Mormon religion. I was surprised, in high school we did several outreach programs to Mormons both in San Diego and in Utah. I think she may have been more surprised to learn how much I really do know about Mormonism. One big difference between the two religions is that as Christians we believe we are saved through grace, that the gift of eternal life is given freely by believing in Jesus Christ. Mormons on the other hand believe that eternal life is earned after you have completed several requirements and even then you don’t know for sure if you were good enough.
Stephie had met two Mormon girls on the street and invited them for lunch on board. I was invited to lunch as well. We had a very nice time, just enjoying each other’s company. Stephie and I had already agreed we were going to avoid any type of debating or questions that would lead to debating. I was excited to be eating lunch with a fellow American. Sister Welch is from Utah and has just started her mission with the church, her companion is Sister Chi from S. Korea. That lunch was two weeks ago and today we had lunch with them again. Though God has them in our life for a purpose, we aren’t sure where the conversations are going to lead. Today’s lunch the topics included food in Germany, sunny San Diego and baptism of the dead. I could sit for hours asking the sisters questions about Mormonism, why they believe what they believe, and about the book of Mormon. It makes me sad to know that these girls are so lost and may never be released from their mistaken beliefs.
Please pray for both sisters, please pray that Stephie and I can be good witnesses, that the Lord will give us wisdom in conversation and a bold spirit. Please also pray for Alex (Uruguay), he is spending time talking with Mormon elders, two nineteen-year-old boys from Utah. We aren’t expecting to change anyone’s mind about Mormonism, but maybe plant some seeds that will force them to question what they believe and why.

Ship Family

This is a picture of my Ship Family. I thought I would share it with you all. Here we are enjoying a family dinner as we say "Bon Voyage" to our dad. He was leaving for a two week vacation to visit friends around Europe. He will be back this week, just in time to welcome the 5 new members of our family, Jon and Holly Crowe, and their kids, Nate, Gabe and Zac.

Starting on the right and around the table are: Isabel & Udu (PNG), Andrew (Australia), Suhir (Sudan), Patrick (Germany), Me (USA-California)

Ministry comes in all shapes and sizes. The public ministry that the ship usually has, such as the book fair, tours, conferences and programs, is all closed. We are packing down the LOGOS II waiting in anticipation for the new ship, the LOGOS HOPE to join us in Kiel. With the organized ministries closed, everyone on board is encouraged to participate in spontaneous ministries. I've joined the tract team once. I've never been a fan of handing out tracts. I don't like it when people come up to me on the street, so why would I like it if I'm now that person. I had an ok time. I met some very nice people and had good conversations. I don't know when I'll do it again.
Another ministry opportunity I had was to join a "church team". Every Sunday we send 3 teams to visit local churches. It's a nice time to encourage the Kiel churches, share a little bit about who we are and make friendships. On my first church team a couple from a nearby village picked up 6 of us and took us to their church. It was all in German, lots of songs, and some memorized prayers. After the service we joined them for tea and had lots of good conversations with their church body. We met a local college professor who would like to have us visit her class. We also spoke with the youth leader of the church about doing some sort of youth event. I even met an American. One of the women of the church is from Texas and is married to a German man, she has been in Germany for over 20 years, but it was nice to speak English (fast) with her.
Please pray for the open doors of new ministries that the Lord is providing for us. Along with the church teams, we also have made connections with a local football field and two nights a week play football with the locals. They have asked us to come back every week. Pray for friendships to develop and opportunities to share the gospel with them. We also have teams joining local bible study groups, which start next week. This weekend we have a group of 6 leaving the ship to spend a week in Hamburg working along side Campus Crusade at the University there. God has been faithful and everyday we sharing the gospel and handing out bibles to the people of Kiel.