We go out with your prayers!

We’re on our way to Africa and Czech this morning. We feel really prepared and ready to get going. This past Monday some in our church here and Ft. Dodge had a prayer meeting for us. What a blessing!! We broke into three groups and prayed and then they all gathered around us and laid hands on us. It was a wonderful expression of solidarity with our ministry from the body. As their hands were upon us I thought of the many people elsewhere who are praying for us as well. Their touch seemed to me to communicate the whole body of Christ praying for us. Thank you so much for your partnership with us. At times we feel a little alone and isolated because we are not able to be engaged with one congregation. But this morning we feel fully connected. In a real sense by the Spirit you are traveling with us to serve pastors and wives that desperately need our help. I am certain God is pleased with that.

We will try to update as we can as we travel. God bless you.

Al

Request for Prayer

Dear Friends in Christ,

It is hard to believe that we have been home since the middle of April. Time has flown by and we have been incredibly busy developing training materials and doing support team building with churches and individuals. It still feels like we still have two full time jobs. We are thankful that we have made a lot of progress on our teaching materials for our upcoming trip to Africa and Czech Republic. The support building has been a little slower. Please pray that we will be able to raise the remaining 45% by the end of the year.

It is difficult to communicate how much we appreciate your partnership with us in this ministry. We especially sense a need for prayer as we leave for a 26 day trip to Africa and Czech on July 30th. It will be a very challenging trip so we are asking you to pray diligently for us. Here is our schedule and requests:

July 30: We fly to Bujumbura, Burundi, arriving on the 31st about midnight. This is our first time in Burundi as well as our first training trip and it is their first time hosting a training event so we all have a lot to learn together. The communication has been a bit sketchy and the country is still a little unsettled after war. Pray for the arrangements and for our safety.

August 2: Al preaches in a Burundi church. We do not know exactly where or what it is like so pray for our flexibility. Pray that God will use Al to preach the word in a way that builds up the church and spiritual leaders here.

August 3 - 7: We will be training about 30 pastors and their wives. None has had any biblical training so the need is great. Al will teach both men and women in the morning and then we will split them in the afternoon with Edie working with the women alone. Pray that we will both communicate well and that our teaching will be helpful.

August 8: We fly to Nairobi and then on to Mombasa, Kenya. We will train about 50 pastors and 35 wives again in Kilifi, Kenya, just north of Mombasa.

August 9: Al preaches somewhere near Kilifi. Again, pray for the ability to bridge the culture in preaching and that the Spirit will give the message that will speak to their hearts.

August 10 - 15: This training is much better organized and we will be working with a team who will share in the training. Pray that Al will be able to condense his training into a much shorter time frame. Pray again for Edie as she works with the women in the afternoons.

August 16: Al preaches again at a local church.

August 17: We fly to Nairobi and then late that night on to Amsterdam and Prague, arriving on the 18th around 8am. We will need some rest and recovery before our conference starts. Pray that our accommodations allow that.

August 20 - 23: Al leads a multi-church conference in Vlasim just south of Prague. The topics of the conference will be the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship to Christ, to one another, to the Word and to ministry to one another. Pray that we will be effective in helping our Czech brethren to be more unified and to work together more effectively as churches. We will meet with leaders and their wives on the 21st and Edie will teach the women on the 22nd.

August 24: We fly home.

Thanks again for your willingness to support us financially and in prayer. By doing so, you have a real and vital role in the development of these men and women in ministry in Africa and Europe. We look forward to giving a good report about what the Lord did when we return. We will try to update our blog as we can. You can check it out at: alandedie.blogspot.com.

Yours in Christ,

Al & Edie

Getting Ready to Go Out Again

Two weeks from today we leave for our next trip. This one is our “maiden voyage” so to speak. We will be teaching, mentoring and building relationships. Lots of details need to be checked off in order to be prepared in a “physical” sense. But more importantly we have the subtle battle with our flesh and the enemy to be in shape with the Spiritual. It is time to gear up for real mission and that is to Glorify God and serve Him as He leads us. There are many unknowns particularly in Burundi.

We will be sending off a prayer letter soon and posting it as well on this blog. Our contact will be limited in that we won’t have our computers so thought I would start informing you now on what is coming up for us. Thanks for your prayers and interest in our ministry.

May all praise with thanksgiving be given to Him.

Al and Edie