A Family of Five
WOW — Michi and I can still hardly believe it. In February, on my 47th birthday, she shared the big news with me that she is expecting. What a special birthday! In the meantime we shared the news with our children, who were surprised and excited as well, but also wondered what all changes this will bring. We are looking forward to the arrival of him or her (it is still too early to know). The due date is not until October 11th. Oliver will almost be eight and Evelyn will be nine (she turns ten next March). This is all such a blessing, and we rejoice (and tremble) at the prospect of the new arrival and addition to our family. As for Michi, she is happy that the first trimester is over. Pray for her and our growing baby during these remaining six months of pregnancy.
Recently, we got to have a visit from my Pastor Chris McCarrick! It was a blessed weekend of encouragement. As our church is still in a season of transition, Chris got to meet with me and some of our church staff to share some words of wisdom about vision and other foundational aspects of church ministry. As we continue to move forward as a church, we hope to establish a more clear focus and vision, and grow to be a more close-knit body of believers. We are just now starting to have more times of fellowship together, after the last two years of various Corona restrictions complicated everything. I have been seeing a need to commit more time to the ministry at church, not just in studying but also in spending more time with people, which has been lacking. I plan to make some adjustments to my weekly schedule, but yes I am still serving at The Oasis refugee ministry. However, as of July 1st I will no longer be part of the leadership team there, so that I will have more time for the church in Vienna. Also, my friend and co-pastor, Brian, who is finishing up his Law Degree, is possibly moving to the US at some point in the near future. We are thereby making plans regarding that transition for our church as well, with the plan being that Brian would transition into being my assistant pastor as of September, until he and his family move to the US.
This Spring Has Felt Like a Fresh Start at The Oasis
Here at The Oasis, after months of having very few refugees visiting our programs, things have started to pick up again. Slowly but surely, we have seen more people coming to our Bible teaching on Wednesday night and our café night on Thursdays (previously, we had between zero and eight visitors at those programs). We are also blessed that a few old friends have come to serve at the Oasis for a few months, as we had been short-staffed all winter.
We have had some refugees arriving from Ukraine, but lately most of our guests have been Arabic speakers from northern Africa and Syria. Our Egyptian evangelist, Lhazy, takes them through some of the main points of the Bible, from Adam to Abraham to Jesus the Messiah, enthusiastically sharing the Truth with them. Pray that these many guys seek the Truth and read the booklets that we have given them.
One young man from Ukraine has been coming every Thursday night for about a month, and last week I had the chance to share the Gospel with him. It seemed to actually sink in, and he told me, “I have heard about what happened to Jesus before, but only now do I understand the moral of the story.” Pray for Victor to see his great need for Jesus — he is a young guy who is all about weightlifting and having fun.
Two Updates About Our Parents
For several years, my parents have been renting the first floor of a house in Caldwell, NJ. They were hoping to never move again, but now they have no choice. The owner is selling the house, and they will have to move sometime this Spring. Northern NJ, where they have lived for decades, is an expensive region. But might the Lord could work it out for them, even with handicap accessibility so that my Dad could get outside more? Being in a wheelchair means that he can only be “outside” on the front porch of their current home. We so often see the problems, the hurdles, but our Lord is bigger than all of them, so my parents are trying to hold onto that fact. The process of moving is daunting for them, but the biggest hurdle is finding a decent place that they can afford. Please pray for them, that the Lord will open a door and prove to be their Good Shepherd once again. We have booked tickets to visit NJ in July (from July 7 until August 1st). Will they be in a new place by then? Or maybe we will get to help them move? Also, my father’s health is not good — he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure this winter. Now that he has a pacemaker, his health seems more stable, but this is a concern as well. Please pray!
As for Michi’s family, her father’s cancer has worsened, and he has been growing weaker and is eating less. Lately he has been in and out of the hospital, as his one remaining kidney has not been working well. And just today he was admitted in order to receive a blood transfusion. Due to Corona regulations, only one family member can visit per day, after taking a Corona test. We pray that we will still have opportunities to talk further with him about Jesus, that he might begin a living relationship with Him if he has not done so already.
In closing, we hope that this Spring finds you well, and that the Lord is at work in your heart and life. We are so thankful that we can rest in the grace of Jesus, and the new life we have through His death and resurrection, the most amazing gift ever. And since He calls us all to pick up our cross daily, may the Holy Spirit strengthen us to do the Lord’s will and follow His ways.
Thanks for your prayer and support, Ken
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