Jeff & Linda Brown - Germany
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December 2008
Dear Praying Friends,
As we write, Winter has arrived with Germany's second major snowfall of the season. It is beautiful outside and just the sort of picture we hope will remain through December. Since September we have been telling our friends and acquaintances here that we will get plenty of snow this winter. It is a safe bet that even if we don't predict it right this year, eventually we will. The return of cold winters is as inevitable as a stock market downturn. Read Genesis 8:22. So we have a motto: "This year in Germany." Jason is coming home from college for the holiday, so snow or none, our Christmas will be a special one.
Thank you for your prayers for our new church work in Nuremberg. Our church planting team has developed into a group of ready workers, who have many good ideas. It is a special experience to give the group one goal and see how they organize a project and develop it so very well. They are also growing in their relationships with one another and really do enjoy being together. This is, of course, an outworking of prayer. Since the group began to be formed, we have prayed regularly that we will grow spiritually and in our love for each other. We only lack helpers in the children's ministry, but we know they will come in time and Linda loves doing this work.
The Lord has blessed us with visitors every Sunday since we began in June. Many of those people have become regular attenders on Sundays. Two couples have recently talked to us, letting us know that they want to join our church. Another man wants to talk with Jeff about baptism.
Last week the church held its first Advent Coffee (Advent in Germany is the season preceeding Christmas, and Coffee time is a standard event in German social life, particularly on weekends). Our people did a marvelous job of planning and preparing. Forty of our people brought twenty guests: most of whom did not know the Lord. Thus the room, set up with decorated tables, was full. Dr. Rolf Degel, from our mother church in Erlangen spoke for 20 minutes, making an excellent presentation of the Gospel. Most of the guests commented on how clear the message was and how pleased they were to be there. It is our hope that they will return, hear more of God's Word and come to genuine faith in Christ.
Many of you knew that Jeff had a serious problem with his vision, beginning seven weeks ago. Thank you very much for your prayers. His eyes are much better now. His headaches have all but gone away and the patterns that were daily appearing in his visual pathway have not reappeared for a month. The downside is that he has to keep taking some awful-tasting medicine. The opthamologist, whom he visited twice, told him his eyes are indeed healthy. This week the doctor mailed his report, in which listed six eye ailments. Jeff has concluded that the ailments obviously cancel each other out, thus his healthy eyes. In any case, the healing has come from your prayers. Thank you!!
For over 100 years Germany has been known as a country where industry, business and government are well-ordered. Nevertheless, sometimes things go awry. Although we tried to correct a telephone error last June, people with caller ID tell us now that calls from our church register as the Independent Baptist Church-Anita. This week we received a contract, addressed to the "Baptistinnen" (female gender, plural). Perhaps the person who wrote the contract paid close attention to the caller ID. Well, the New Testament calls the Church, "The Bride of Christ" , and in German, the word for church is "Gemeinde," also feminine. So the concept isn't all wrong. We have enjoyed the humor we have been getting. So, this holiday, "Merry Christmas from the Anita-Baptist Church of Nuremberg." And from the Browns, best wishes for the season, and above all, may Christ work mightly in the coming year through our lives and through yours.
Sincerely in Christ,
Jeff and Linda Brown
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