Romans 10:1&2
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.”

These verses are not only true about the Israelites, but also about many Mennonites. It truly is our heart’s desire that they would all come to saving knowledge and faith in Christ. Sharing the gospel with the people of our own heritage is what we believe God has led us to do, and our prayer is that we be found faithful.

We are now well into our second year of working full time in this ministry, and we are still excited to doing this work! It is a wonderful thing to be involved in outreach to others, and to see God’s kingdom being established, little by little.

We have spent some time in the last few months rearranging our music to fit the dynamics of a smaller group. With our boys starting to pursue their own careers and further education, they are not available to join us all the time. For the most part, the transition is going smoothly, but it does mean that more time goes into practice as we work on new songs and new arrangements. We have done quite a bit of singing in local churches and retirement complexes. In February we took a trip to LaCrete, Alberta, where we had the privilege of doing a concert together with our oldest son and his fiancée, Deanna.

This was very good practice for us, as we are just about ready to leave on a ministry trip to Paraguay and Bolivia, and Andrew and Deanna will be joining us! We are very excited about having them with us on this trip. They are both experienced musicians and will be a real asset to the ministry.It is always a bit intimidating for us to do trips like this. We are very aware of our human failings and feel very unworthy of this work. But there is a fire that burns in our hearts, and we cannot help but answer “Here am I, send me,” when the needs are made known to us. We know that on our own we can do nothing, and it is God who works in us and through us. It is our prayer, that somehow God can reach people through the songs and messages He has put in our hearts to share with them.

Along with preparing new music, we have finally completed the Low German songbook, and it is now being produced and sold. We continue to write/translate two children’s devotionals each week. We are now working on compiling the second booklet of devotionals, and it should be ready for sale in the next few months.

We cannot stress enough how much your prayers and support mean to us. We cannot do this work by ourselves. As we travel, we depend heavily on the prayers of the people “back home.” Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, to all of you who pray, encourage and support us financially. We don’t always know who the donors are, but we appreciate every one. If ever you have any questions, please feel free to ask us. We are very willing to talk about the work we feel called to do.

Praise for:
1) God’s faithfulness and strength.
2) Prayer support.
3) Financial support.
4) The good health we have enjoyed this winter.
5) Safety in our travels

Pray for:
1) The boys who are carrying on at home while we are gone.
2) Good flights.
3) Wisdom and sensitivity to deal correctly with every situation that arises.
4) Open hearts, ready to receive the message of God’s love.
5) Health and strength to deal with a very busy singing schedule while traveling.