Tim ('80), Cynthia, Laura and Jason Peterson
November-December 2009
Dear Praying Friends,
As stated in 2 Timothy 1:9, God's holy calling was given to us in Christ before the world began. The next verse continues: “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). With the holiday season upon us, it is a joy to remember that Christ came to abolish death and bring us life and immortality through His glorious Gospel! Looking back on 2009, we realize we have had more family members and friends (more than a dozen of them) enter eternity than any previous year. Praise the LORD, every one of them knew Christ as Savior and is with Him in Heaven now!
Praise the LORD for the baptisms of two ladies, Melanie and Maria, on October 25! Thank you for praying for these ladies to take this step of obedience! After our morning service, we drove 15 minutes to a sister Baptist church in Hamburg where we baptized them in the baptistery there. Then we returned to our meeting place for a carry-in dinner.
Please pray for our annual Christmas season special service planned for Sunday afternoon, November 29. It will be a time for our folks to invite relatives and friends to hear the gospel message. It is one of our best-attended services all year.
PRAISES:
1. Melanie and Maria were obedient in believer's baptism on October 25!
2. Several visitors have attended our services in recent weeks!
3. Our son Aaron and his wife, Jenny, are expecting the birth of Nathan Isaiah Peterson in mid-February!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Asterio, Marlene, Sergei and others.
2. Please pray for us as we seek the LORD'S direction in locating a larger meeting place.
3. Please pray for our evangelism efforts both through English lessons in our home and through tract distribution at the mall and door to door.
Thank you once again for your faithful prayerful support!
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
September-October 2009
Dear Praying Colaborers,
Psalm 48:14 reads: ``For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.´´ Certainly the LORD is so faithful in saving and keeping us . . . even unto death! Praise His name!
School summer vacation is behind us. Our daughter, Laura, is back in school as a second grader at her Christian school in Hamburg. Please pray with us for her Christian school as the Hamburg city government seems to oppose the school at every turn. Only the LORD has kept that school going to this point.
It has been a blessing seeing a single lady named Frauke back in our services recently. She had grown discouraged earlier in her search for a job. That and other issues led to her dropping out of church for quite awhile. She is now working again, and attends services at church when her work schedule permits. Please keep her in prayer concerning spiritual needs in her life.
There are at least five candidates for baptism here. We require that they write out their testimonies in brief form and give those to us to read over before they can be baptized. Please pray that each one will find the time to accomplish that small task. As the weather stays pleasant, we like to hold our baptismal services at a lake in the area.
LORD willing, in October we will hold our annual German Thanksgiving service on a Sunday early in the month. Please be in prayer with us that folks will invite their family members and friends to that evangelistic service.
PRAISES:
1. Frauke is back in regular attendance at church!
2. We are looking forward to having fellowship with the Baptist church in Hamburg at church picnic soon.
3. Once again ``English Evening´´ has begun at our house with its many opportunities to witness to those who attend.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray that the folks who have expressed interest in being baptized will turn in their written testimonies to us soon.
2. Please pray for the LORD to protect Laura's Christian school from government infringement.
3. Please pray for the church folks to invite others to our German Thanksgiving Sunday in October.
Thank you for praying and giving that we may serve here in Norderstedt, Germany!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
July-August 2009
Dear Praying Friends,
In 1 Kings 19:18 we read the following: “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.” Taking Laura to school on the Hamburg subway, we often see people whose appearance and behavior give clear evidence that they are people of this world. Rarely do we encounter an individual who shows evidence that they are a child of God. So, it was a delightful experience the other day to sit with Laura across from a young woman who was reading a German New Testament. As Tim complimented her for reading God's Word, she smiled and showed that she was glad to meet fellow Bible-believing Christians in that public setting.
In our last letter we mentioned that our son Aaron and his wife, Jenny, are now on deputation. They are raising support to come to the greater Hamburg, Germany area to plant local churches here, as we are doing. It is a joy to tell you Aaron and Jenny are expecting their first baby in early February! We are excited about being Grandma and Grandpa Peterson! The doctor found a heartbeat and stated that the baby is developing normally at this point. Please pray for Jenny and the baby in the coming months. Please pray that Aaron will be able to keep his weekday job at a furniture factory too. They are laying off many workers because of the economic situation, and Aaron and Jenny have their health insurance through his job at that company in Wisconsin.
Several new visitors and some repeat visitors have been at our services here in Norderstedt lately: three ladies, Regina, Bianka, and Carola, and a man named Fred were with us most recently. Bianka's sister, Alexandra, was saved in the past year and attends with her small daughter, Ina, regularly. We are pleased to tell you Bianka just received Christ as her Savior a week ago and seems delighted to come to church with her sister and neice! Please pray for those visitors who are not yet saved to come to faith in Christ soon, and that they all will find a spiritual home with us. Thank you.
In June there were 15 ladies at the monthly ladies' meeting here. That is the best attendance for the ladies' meetings to this point. Again, some of them were first-time visitors. Others have visited before. Please pray that we can see all these folks reached for Christ.
PRAISES:
1. Our son and his wife, Aaron and Jenny, are expecting their first baby in February!
2. Several visitors have been in our services in recent weeks.
3. In June the ladies' meeting had its best attendance to this date!
4. Alexandra's adult sister, Bianka, just trusted Christ as her Savior in June and now comes to church!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Asterio, Kim-Sara, Regina, and others.
2. Please pray that Aaron will be able to keep his weekday job and the included health insurance through the birth of their baby.
3. Please pray for spiritual growth in several areas among the believers here.
Thank you so much for your faithful, prayerful support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia PetersonMay- June 2009
Dear Prayer Partners,
David stated: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD” (Psalm 122:1). In the New Testament we are taught that the believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, but it is still a blessing and a privilege to meet with fellow believers to worship the LORD in the local church assembly.
March and April were characterized by good attendance at the church services in Norderstedt, Germany. Throughout these past two months, our Sunday morning attendance held steady, with 21 to 25 people present. A number of visitors were among those who came. Peter Horn came once with his wife and four children. They were thrilled to hear that our son and his wife (Aaron and Jenny) are now on deputation and planning to locate in Ahrensburg, an east Hamburg suburb where the Horn family lives. Cynthia reports that the regular ladies' meetings have also been blessed with visitors.
A Bible-believing local church an hour east of us sent invitations for the first-ever gathering of Bible-believing Christians in northern Germany held on May 1. They had hoped for 200 to 250 visitors for the all-day meeting in a civic building north of us. That conference was attended by between 600 and 700 believers from all over northern Germany. We heard good sermons on our prayer life and the home. It was a blessing meeting Christians from our region of Germany.
The pleasant weather now gives us better opportunities to talk to people about Christ at their front door or in town. Tim has mounted a tract rack on the wall at church. Please pray that everyone will get involved in taking the Gospel to lost souls around us through the written witness in these tracts. Thank you!
PRAISES:
1. The LORD gave us good attendance at church in March and April!
2. Aaron and Jenny are now starting deputation for church-planting work here in Germany.
3. There was a good gathering of believers from northern Germany on May 1.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Asterio, Kim-Sara, Anne Marie, Jacquelyn, and others to whom we have recently witnessed.
2. Please pray for spiritual growth among the church as we study 2 Peter.
3. Please pray for God's protection for our two little ones who can both now ride a bike.
Thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
March-April 2009
Dear Praying Friends,
Ephesians 3:8 was my dad's life verse. It reads: “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Dad had pastored churches in five different states over a 50-year period of time. He loved to preach the Word of God. On Valentine's Day Dad went home to be with the LORD. He was 83. His last words to me were: “The LORD has everything under control.” Dad always believed that, and now my earthly father is with my Heavenly Father!
Besides Dad's home going in February (necessitating my travel from Germany to Denver once to see him in the hospital and another trip for his funeral), a dear German Christian brother near us died of cancer as Dad did. Then a girl in our church work here in Norderstedt was hit by a car. Her name is Meline. She is home from the hospital now and on the mend. These have been difficult days. Thank you so much for your continual prayer for us. The opportunities to witness through these events have been many! Please pray for several individuals who received a gospel witness from us here in Germany, as well as in the Denver area.
Aaron and Jenny (our son and his wife) were here in Norderstedt with us in February. Aaron preached in my absence. God's timing for their visit was perfect! They returned to Wisconsin with photos of the east Hamburg suburb of Ahrensburg. They believe the LORD is calling them there and will soon begin deputation to raise prayer and financial support to later plant a local church in that town.
A number of visitors have been in our services lately. Please pray for us as we follow up their visits and seek to reach lost ones for Christ and to His local church.
PRAISES:
1. My dad, Dr. William C. Peterson, has graduated to Heaven!
2. Many great witnessing opportunities came our way through Dad's home going!
3. Aaron and Jenny are ready to start deputation for church-planting work here in Germany!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Asterio, Kim-Sara, Eva, Oliver, and others.
2. Please pray for Meline to continue to heal after her accident.
3. Please pray for spiritual growth in the church folks here in Norderstedt.
Thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim Peterson (with Cynthia and family)
January-February 2009
Dear Prayer Partners,
Paul stated in Ephesians 3:8:``Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.´´ What a privilege it is to serve our LORD in proclaiming His Word to others!
In January and February Tim will have the opportunity to preach in some other churches in northern Germany. We appreciate the invitations to do this and would invite your prayer for us as we preach the Word of God in these other assemblies. Thank you!
The LORD blessed our services during the holiday season as we were able to give the Gospel to unsaved guests once again. Along with this, we gave out hundreds of Christmas gospel tracts at our local shopping mall. Please pray that the LORD will use these efforts for His glory and to draw lost folks to a saving knowledge of Christ and into His local church here in Norderstedt.
Besides the door-to-door regular distribution of gospel tracts, we are also continuing our outreach through the Tuesday “English evening” in our home. A newcomer is a retired teacher named Irmgart. She attends with Birgit, a grade-school teacher. A few weeks ago these ladies were joined by Sylke Mueller, who is Laura's first-grade teacher and a saved lady. Sylke said she plans to come again. Please pray that the LORD will use her and us to reach Irmgart and Birgit for Christ.
PRAISES:
1. We had good services during the holidays with some unsaved visitors.
2. Many around us are sick, but the LORD has kept us healthy to this point.
3. We just visited a lady eye doctor who is a Christian looking for a truly bible-believing church to attend. At our invitation she said she plans to come to our services!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Irmgart, Birgit, Asterio, Kim-Sara, and others.
2. Frauke was with us again briefly, but she could not be reached by phone over the holidays. We are hoping she went to visit her mother and will return.
3. Please pray for the LORD to bless the preaching opportunities Tim will have in other churches in January and February.
Thank you again for your faithful prayerful support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
November-December 2008
Dear Prayer Partners,
In 2 Corinthians 9:15 we read the following: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” Certainly, the LORD gave us the best gift of all: His only begotten Son. Rejoice in His gift (Christ Jesus) to us in this holiday season, and invite others to put their trust in Him.
In the past, we asked you to pray for a lady named Frauke to return to church and get saved. Recently she gave testimony of having trusted Christ; and she has returned to regular church attendance as well! Thank you for your prayers for Frauke.
Two other ladies also recently trusted Christ. In September a young woman named Alexandra came to church through the invitation of one of our ladies. After the Sunday morning service, she placed her faith in Christ. At this point she attends our services sometimes, and other times she goes to the Bible-preaching church of a lady friend of hers. Another lady named Christa came to know Christ as Savior in October at a local hospital. Christa had cancer surgery there, and then one of our church ladies visited her and led her to Christ in her hospital room. Christa's health condition is still uncertain. Please pray for Alexandra and Christa to grow in the LORD and be obedient to Him in believer's baptism. Pray that Christa will become physically able to be baptized and attend our church services. Thank you!
With spiritual victories come increased attacks from the devil. In October we lost three people. Manfred and his wife, Stella, are no longer attending our services. Also, a man named Matthias has stopped coming. Stella has stated she would truly like to come back to church with us here in Norderstedt, but that she will (rightly) stand by her husband. The two men clearly have some heart matters that the LORD will deal with in His time. Reconciliation with God and man is what we are seeking. Manfred and Matthias do not seem to have that as their goal. Please pray for them and for this young body of believers in this time. By God's grace, we have been enjoying higher attendance since they left.
Praises:
1. Frauke is back in our services with a testimony of salvation!
2. Alexandra and Christa trusted Christ as Savior in September and October respectively!
3. The LORD surprised our teen, Tobias, by having him “run into” his school teacher, Mr. Meyer, at men's Bible fellowship in the Baptist church in Hamburg with whom we fellowship. Both are delighted to have Christian fellowship at school now!
4. The LORD is giving us increased attendance.
5. We had good attendance at our recent German Thanksgiving Sunday morning service!
Prayer Requests:
1. Please pray for the spiritual needs of Manfred and Matthias.
2. Please pray for good attendance and the salvation of visitors through our annual Christmas fellowship on Sunday, November 30th.
3. Pray for the soon salvation of: Asterio, Kim-Sara, Frank, and Stephan, all who have been in our services recently.
Thank you for your faithful prayerful support!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
October 31, 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
It was about the spring of 1987 when I first visited in the home of the parents of my now German brother-in-law, Manfred Klus. Manfred's mother recounted to me her experience at the close of World War II.
Having made her way on foot back to her war-ravaged home town of Grevenbroich, Germany, she waited with her surviving family members and friends for the arrival of the enemy occupational troops. Among themselves they were certain those enemy troops would come from the Soviet Union and bring oppression to their town. On the day that she and the others looked out in the distance to see the column of enemy military vehicles coming down the road toward their town, she said: ``We were all so frightened as we were totally defenseless in the face of the approaching brutal Soviet Army. Then, as the first tank rolled past us, I looked up at the gun turret and saw the American flag! We ALL wept for joy. The Americans were so kind to us and helped us with food and first aid. They even built our present sanitation facilities with US tax dollars!´´
Over the many years we have served the LORD here in Germany, I have lost count of the number of times I had to bite my tongue while listening to someone repeat the anti-American propaganda they hear night after night on the evening news in this country. NO, I do not think the USA is perfect, but I know the majority of the folks here swallow what they are fed from their news agencies here hook, line, and sinker.
My Dad was here as a nineteen-year-old soldier. He had a dear godly friend with him named Jimmy Wilson, Jimmy once commented to my dad: ``Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could speak their language and give these people the gospel message of salvation in Christ?´´ Just days later, Jimmy took machine gun fire to the stomach during the Battle of the Bulge and spoke his last words to my dad: ``I guess the LORD doesn't want me to go any further. You have to take the Bible study!´´ He then entered Heaven. Dad has often stated how thrilled he is that while he and Jimmy never got to give the gospel of Christ to the German people, two of his children and their families now can.
So, while we continue to make the preaching of Christ the first priority here, we still appreciate the sacrifice of Jimmy Wilson and others like him (our US military) so that we still have the freedom to give the gospel to lost souls about us here in Germany.
On that note, I invite you to click on the link below for a truly patriotic message. It made me weep!
In the Beloved One,
Tim Peterson (Norderstedt, Germany) - see link below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8
October 11, 2008
Hi Everyone,
The news source we access online is FOXNews.com. At the bottom of the home page there this morning was: ``Americans `bailing´on the bailout.´´ These are uncertain times, but we know our LORD is still on the Throne. HE RULES! His Word still teaches:Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Those words are as true today as ever!
Please pray for the church work here in Norderstedt, Germany. There have been some problems arise causing some people to leave the church work here. LORD helping us, we are trying to be transparent, humble, ready to make anything right where we have wronged others. However, those offended have not been willing to even tell us what we said or did that offended them. They won't talk to us! We reflect on Matthew 18:15-17 and Luke chapter 17 as well as other passages and realize they are not acting in a biblical manner. One lady was saved two weeks ago and is discussing baptism with us. Another lady is near a salvation decision. THE DEVIL HATES THAT!
Please pray for ALL of us to make things right with the LORD and with one another. Please pray that those who left the church work here will not do further damage to the LORD's work here by conversations they have with others still here in this ministry.
Thank you!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson (Norderstedt, Germany)
September-October 2008
Dear Prayer Partners,
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). It is our goal to reach people with the Gospel of Christ and see them come to know Him as personal Savior. Then we are to disciple them through the ministries of the local church.
It is a joy to report we have started a ministry for our teens. The Baptist church where we worked for years, along with our church work in Norderstedt and another new church work north of Hamburg, are working together in holding Friday afternoon youth meetings for our teens. At this point, in Norderstedt we have a boy named Tobias and a girl named Meline who are excited about this new opportunity for fellowship with others in their age group. Tim will be participating with these individuals and the other young people and leaders from our two sister churches. The combined group will give all of us greater options for youth activities and greater opportunities to evangelize other young people in these three communities.
On Saturday, August 30, our church folks and the church from Hamburg had a joint church picnic at the Hamburg city park. It was a blessing to see a number of visitors in that crowd. Tim had the opportunity to give the devotional to the entire group and extend a salvation invitation to the unsaved who attended. Please pray for their soon salvation.
In October, LORD willing, we will have our annual German Thanksgiving Sunday carry-in dinner at the church here in Norderstedt. This is a special time for our folks to invited unsaved relatives and friends. Please pray that many of those invited will attend and come to a saving knowledge of Christ through the presentation of the Gospel on that Sunday. Thank you!
PRAISES:
1. Tim had a great opportunity to give the Gospel to a number of unsaved people at a recent church picnic.
2. A new teen ministry has been established among our church youth and the teens of two sister churches.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for Frauke to come to Christ and come back to church.
2. Please pray for the soon salvation of Asterio, Werner, Andreas and others.
3. Please pray for Laura as she starts first grade at a Christian school in Hamburg in September.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayer and financial support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
July-August 2008
Dear Prayer Partners,
“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:38, 39). Obedience to the LORD'S commandments brings rejoicing in the heart!
What a blessing it was to hold a baptismal service after the morning service on Sunday, June 29. Three people were immersed: Susanne, a 40-year-old housewife, Tobias, the 14-year-old son of Susanne, and Ruth, a lady in her 70s whose adult daughter, Sonja (already saved and baptized), was present to witness the event. Though we had planned to baptize these individuals at a nearby lake, our fellow church planter, Ray Virtue in Hamburg, volunteered the use of the baptistery in their building, 15 minutes away. The three candidates gave their testimonies in front of our congregation and received books and framed Bible verses as an encouragement to them in their further walk with the LORD. After the Sunday morning service, we drove to the other local church, baptized Susanne, Tobias, and Ruth, and returned to our own meeting place for a carry-in dinner and afternoon fellowship. It was a blessed day!
It has been a joy to see Frauke (a single lady) back in the services again. She had become discouraged in her search for work, but she now believes she will have work soon. Her training is as an assistant working in a pharmacy. Former coworkers have told her there is plenty of work in that area, and this has encouraged her. Please pray she will find work soon. Please also pray that she will receive Christ as Savior soon, or give clear testimony that she already has.
PRAISES:
1. Ruth, Susanne, and Tobias were immersed on June 29!
2. Frauke is back in regular attendance at church.
3. Laura's 1st grade teacher stated that her chief goal is to teach the children to know and love Christ!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the salvation of Melanie, Meline, Asterio, and Frauke.
2. Please pray for a carpool for Laura starting first grade in Hamburg in September.
3. Please pray for us as we work through doctrinal issues with some of the people attending our services.
Thank you for faithfully, prayerfully supporting us!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
May-June 2008
Dear Praying Friends,
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). As this letter is being written, it is May 14, 2008. Today is the 60th anniversary since Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. If only the Israelis and all other Jews would place their faith in their Messiah, Jesus Christ!
Last week, our city conducted several activities in a show of friendship with Israel. Last Thursday morning we were able to be present at the front courtyard of our city hall as school children and several adults gathered with our mayor to release 1000 blue and white helium balloons at 11 a.m. in support of Israel. We passed out gospel pamphlets to the adults who were present. The main topic of the pamphlets concentrated on Israel's modern history since its founding 60 years ago. Even the mayor received one of those pamphlets, which also has the plan of salvation spelled out clearly on its pages.
Several visitors have been in our services recently. A set of twin sisters, Lucy and Nancy, have begun attending Sunday school. This gives us five six-year-old girls (also including our daughter, Laura, and another set of twin girls) now attending. A lady named Melanie came with her young son last Sunday, and the Sachows (an elderly couple) were also visiting. With some of our regular attendees gone for the holiday, we still had 29 in attendance for the Sunday morning service!
As the weather gets warmer, a few people attending our church services have expressed their desire to be baptized at a nearby lake. Please pray with us as we disciple them in preparation for baptism in the near future. How grateful we are for their desire to be obedient to the LORD in this matter.
PRAISES:
1. Praise the LORD for the opportunity to give out gospel pamphlets to our mayor and several others at city hall!
2. Praise the LORD for those desiring to obey the LORD in believer's baptism!
3. Praise the LORD that HE will one day restore Israel to faith in HIMSELF and obedience to HIMSELF!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Asterio, Getabalew, Hannah, Birgit, Edith, and others.
2. Please pray for rain-free weather for a lakeside baptismal service in the near future.
3. Please pray for wisdom in dealing with personal problems in the lives of some who attend our church.
Thank you once again for your faithful, prayerful, financial support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
April 1, 2008 Prayer Request
Dear Family & Friends,
This past Saturday evening, March 29, after we had celebrated our son, Jason's third birthday, two of our spiritual heroes had the same sad experience. My Dad, Dr. William Peterson in Denver, CO and our BWM Field Director, Dr. Ron Brooks in Nitro, WV both suffered strokes (or TIAs) at about the same time!
The last word we received on both is that they are recovering in the hospital in CO and WV. Please keep them and their wives, Grayce Peterson and Barbara Brooks in your prayers.
Thank you!
In the Beloved One,
Tim Peterson
Prayer Letter
March-April 2008
Dear Praying Friends,
In Psalm 107:1-3 we find these words: ``O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.´´ It is always a blessing to hear of folks coming to Christ from the east, west, north or south. Gabi, Cynthia's German teacher since 2002, confessed to Cynthia, and before the LORD, her faith in Christ alone - apart from any works - for her salvation! She did that during their German lesson on Saturday, February 23. That is great to hear from one who had before put emphasis on works for salvation. We are also rejoicing that our daughter-in-law, Jenny, had the opportunity to lead Jamie, a girl Jenny is tutoring, to Christ in their home in Wisconsin on Monday, March 10!
Thank you for your prayer for spiritual growth for those two individuals as well as for the rest of the people attending the church services here. Certainly we see believers at various stages of spiritual growth. Tim had earlier given Matthias some workbooks for spiritual growth. Matthias was helped through that material. He then passed those books on to Susanne, another growing Christian at church. She showed us some of the work out of those books she had accomplished to this point. She also stated that she is working through a discipleship book with her son, Tobias, who was recently saved! Sadly, Susanne's husband, Asterio, has shown no real sign of conversion since he prayed with Tim in January. Thank you for praying for all of these folks!
Please pray for the upcoming Resurrection Sunday services planned. Friends are being invited and tracts with a Resurrection theme and an invitation to church are being distributed. Many people about us reject the Bible as the living Word of God. Many reject the very existence of God. However, they have no answer for the EMPTY TOMB. Hallelujah, CHRIST IS RISEN!
Praises:
1. Praise the LORD for recent salvation decisions!
2. Praise the LORD for believers helping other young Christians grow in the LORD!
3. Praise the LORD Christ is truly risen as He said!
Prayer Requests:
1. Please pray for the soon salvation of Werner, Andreas, Gunther, Sonja, and possibly Asterio.
2. Please pray for Resurrection Sunday preparations.
3. Please pray for the LORD to continue to build His local church here in His way.
May we thank you once more for your faithful prayerful support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
Prayer Letter
January-February 2008
Dear Praying Friends,
Christ said in Luke 15:10, ``Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.´´ On January 13 ,Tim had the privilege of going to the home of Peruvian Asterio Alejos-Padilla and leading him and his 13-year-old son, Tobias, to a saving knowledge of Christ! Asterio's German wife, Susanne, is already saved and is rejoicing with her husband and son over their new life in Christ. A baptismal service for them is being planned at a local lake as soon as the weather permits. Please pray for their spiritual growth. Thank you!
Thank you for praying for our daughter, Laura, concerning her schooling beginning in August of this year. In early January, we received word from the Christian school in Hamburg that she has been given one of the few open slots available for the first grade in that school. While we do not expect the school to hold all the same biblical convictions as our family, we already know they require each of their faculty to have a testimony of saving faith in Christ. It is also clear that they teach creation (as fact) first and evolution (as false theory) later and that their moral and academic standards are much higher than those of the area public schools. Please pray that we can work out a car pool, LORD willing, with others who have their children in that school, who also live in our immediate area.
December 2, 2007, was our annual Christmas fellowship. On December 31, our church held a New Year’s Eve service. For each of these services, we had 21 in attendance. Some of our regular folks were out of town, but the number of unsaved guests for both services was in the double digits. The gospel message was presented each time. Please pray that more of those guests (as Asterio and Tobias already have) will come to know Christ as Savior soon. Thank you!
Along with our regular systematic door-to-door gospel tract distribution, we also visited our local shopping mall three times in December and distributed gospel tracts to the shoppers. When questioned by the security personnel about our activities, we simply stated that Mrs. Schramm from city hall told us we are permitted to give out tracts in the mall. They then allowed us to continue. Please pray for salvation decisions and for the LORD to build HIS local church here through these and other evangelistic efforts.
PRAISES:
1. Asterio Alejos-Padilla and his son, Tobias, trusted Christ as Savior on Sunday January 13!
2. Our daughter, Laura, has been accepted into the local Christian school for first grade in August 2008.
3. Good attendance (21) at our Christmas and New Year’s Eve fellowships, with many unsaved guests present!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for opportunities to witness to the folks attending our home “English Evening” group.
2. Please pray for the spiritual needs of Antje, Melanie, Kim-Sara, and others.
3. Please pray for our son Aaron and his wife, Jenny, as they set up deputation meetings for 2009 in preparation for future ministry in Germany.
Thank you for faithfully supporting us with your prayers and financial giving!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
November-December 2007
Dear Praying Friends,
John 1:14 reads: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.” Praise the LORD for His glory, grace, and truth! Praise the LORD that God Eternal, Christ Jesus, took on human flesh, and was born in Bethlehem so that He could provide our salvation years later on Calvary's cross.
It was a joy to see 25 people attend our German Thanksgiving Sunday October 2. Melanie and her daughter, Melina, came that day and have been attending services regularly since. This is a specific answer to prayer!
Thank you so much for your prayers concerning our permanent residence permits. In October our family went to the immigration office to try to secure those permits. It would have been our preference to have had someone babysit our two small children, Laura (5) and Jason (2). Because they were with us, the unusually polite lady official granted us (Mom and Dad) permanent permits and then took digital photos of each child. She put those photos in their passports with residence permits that are good until their 16th birthdays! Thank you for praying for us!
The church people have been quite good about inviting others to come with them to church! One of our men was walking his dogs when he came into conversation with a lady who had been looking for a church that preached God's Word faithfully. He invited her, and it was our joy to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Cobow (in their 50s) to the Sunday morning service November 4. As they prepared to leave after the service and some fellowship, they asked if they could come back again. Of course we said YES!
LORD willing, we will have our annual Sunday afternoon Christmas fellowship (Adventskaffee) December 2. Many folks are being invited. Please pray the service will be well attended. Please pray for open hearts to the gospel message as well. Thank you!
PRAISES:
1. There were 25 present for our German Thanksgiving service!
2. Matthias, who was baptized recently, has requested we start a men's monthly Bible study. It will begin November 9!
3. The LORD provided for our permanent residence permits!
4. Melanie, Melina, and Mr. and Mrs. Hartmut Cobow are now regularly attending services!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray that Laura will be accepted into the local Christian school. Confirmation should come in January. Home schooling is illegal in Germany!
2. Please pray for some who have been confronted with their need for Christ and are knowingly disobedient to the LORD.
3. Please pray for the soon salvation of Niklas, Tim, Kim-Sara, and several attending “English Evening” at our house.
Thank you for upholding us in your faithful prayerful support!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
___________________________________________________________________________________
September-October 2007
Dear Praying Friends,
Acts 8:38 reads: “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” The word transliterated “baptized” in this verse means to dip, sink, dunk, or immerse. Therefore they both went "into" the water to accomplish that.
It is a joy to tell you that the LORD answered your prayers concerning the two candidates for baptism! Not only did we baptize Mr. Matthias Irmisch at a nearby lake on Sunday afternoon, August 19, but Mrs. Ilona Simorankir was also immersed as her husband, Reinser, gave his consent for her to do so! Thank you for praying for that matter. It was a great day as we had a record attendance of 38 present for the services, with a carry-in meal at the church after returning from the lake.
A man named Mr. Leitzinger visited our Sunday morning service last week. He sang along heartily and seemed to enjoy the preaching of God's Word. After the service he gave testimony of receiving Christ as a child and was then immersed a few years later. He said he looked forward to being with us often in the days ahead! Please pray that we will indeed see him often and also see his wife come with him in the future as well. We do not know if she is saved.
The ladies are holding meetings one Tuesday morning each month. They report the blessings of studying God's Word together and that there have been first-time visitors at each meeting over the past several months!
PRAISES:
1. Both Matthias and Ilona were baptized August 19, 2007!
2. Many new visitors came to ladies' meetings and church services in recent months!
3. Gaby's teaching schedule has been changed, so she can now attend our Thursday evening midweek services. She said she wants to attend.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Please pray for visitors to come and be saved at our upcoming German Thanksgiving Sunday in October.
2. Please pray for the ongoing process to obtain our permanent residence permits.
3. Please pray for the soon salvation of Gaby, Alexia, Kim-Sara, Kirsten, and others.
Thank you again for faithfully upholding us in prayerful financial support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson
_________________________________________________________________________________
March-April 2007
Dear Praying Friends,
First Corinthians 15:3,4 gives the gospel message: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." It is our privilege to give the Good News of the gospel of Christ to those around us wherever we are.
On February 14 we needed to go to the U.S. Consulate in downtown Hamburg to apply for new passports for our two little ones, Laura and Jason. Rather than fight the city traffic, we walked ten minutes to our nearest subway station and "went public" into the city. Tim sat next to an older gentleman who showed a willingness to chat with us. It was a privilege to present the gospel of Christ to him. He listened and accepted a gospel tract as we left him at our designated stop.
On February 24 four-year-old Laura decided to see if a one-inch crayon would fit in her ear. It did, and we were unable to get it back out. This meant we had to take her to the local hospital where a nice lady doctor quickly and easily removed the object with long tweezers. The doctor asked us why we live in Germany. That opened still another opportunity to give the Gospel to another needy soul. She, too, accepted a gospel tract at the conclusion of our conversation. Please pray for these two and others to whom we have had the privilege of giving the Good News.
It was a blessing to see Kurt Schotte back in our mid-week (Thursday evening) service recently. He had stayed away for a time and rejected Tim's repeated requests to visit him in his home. Kurt has been back with us for a couple weeks now. Please pray for his soon salvation.
Recently we received another phone call regarding the English evening group, which meets in our home every Tuesday evening. A lady wishes to come with her 14-year-old son and his buddy. It has been our privilege to witness to the English evening folks on repeated occasions.
Mr. Hartmut Klassen visited our Sunday morning service on February 18. Please pray for him and other recent visitors to return and trust Christ as Savior, if they do not yet know Him.
PRAISES:
- Praise the LORD for the opportunities He gives us to present the gospel message to those around us.
- Praise the LORD for new visitors at church over the past several weeks.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Please pray for the soon salvation of Kurt, Orhan, Kim-Sara, Nicol, Werner, and those to whom we have recently witnessed.
- Please pray for the LORD'S leading in sermon preparation as we look to Him to work in hearts here on a number of doctrinal issues.
- Please pray for the Easter Sunday breakfast and services we are planning. Unsaved guests are being invited to that special occasion.
- Please pray for a mission conference the second week of April, which Tim will conduct at a sister church.
Thank you so much for your faithfulness in upholding us in prayer and financial support!
In the Beloved One,
Tim and Cynthia Peterson