Dear Prayer Partners
Many of you know that Mission to the World has a Spiritual Life Department that conducts a retreat for all the missionaries serving in a given region every 4 years. The cost of this ministry to the missionaries is built into the support budget of each missionary, but that cost is reduced by finding out-of season hotels that are glad for the extra business that 500+ guests brings when the hotel would otherwise have been empty. This was the year for the retreat for Europe and Africa and we just returned from 6 days of feasting on good food, great fellowship and faithful ministry of the Word. This is an opportunity for us to get together with fellow laborers that we may only see on these retreats and to meet with key people in the MTW family.
We arrived back here at East Midlands Airport early because of a tail wind. Our checked suitcase was the fourth one down the belt. Our car was parked in a lot that is walking distance from the terminal. But as I write this part of this letter we are sitting waiting for the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) tow truck because our front coil spring is broken and when I tried to drive the car it punctured one of our new tires. Before I send this I’ll add an update on how this adventure develops.
My main reason for writing this report is to tell you about Barbara. As you all know, she is part of MTW’s Europe Care Council with responsibility for women in Eastern Europe. I have spent the past several days watching Barbara in operation. She tried to see every woman she could from her region: Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic. She reads all their prayer letters and was able to ask them intelligent questions, comment on their ministries and reassure them of her concern and prayers. I was so impressed by my wife as I watched her ministry of encouragement to so many women that I did not know at all. Many of you have prayed for this part of Barb’s ministry and I wanted you to know a little of what she does – and to encourage you to continue to pray for her.
While I am writing let me give you a couple of other prayer requests for things that are on our schedule for May.
· Friday, 5/1, Barbara speaks at Cheltenham Women’s group
· Sunday, 5/3, We visit churches in London for relationship building and then visit the Bears to meet their new baby, who was born the day before we left on the Retreat.
· Sunday, 5/10, David preaches morning and evening at Cheltenham.
· Sunday, 5/17, we visit the new church in Gateshead (north-eastern England)
· Monday – Wednesday, 5/18-20, David Represents the PCA at the Free Church of Scotland General Assembly in Edinburgh, Scotland.
· Sunday, 5/24, we visit a Church of England church that has requested MTW to send a short-term team.
· Monday, 5/25, we meet with new team members, T&G Donahoo. They were recruited to work with the IPC before I was made Country Coordinator so we have never met them. They will be on a short visit to their intended area of service in the Warrington area.
In between these dates we have quite a number of things to do in just maintaining the ministry.
PLEASE ALSO PRAY FOR THE GRANTING OF A SPONSORSHIP LICENSE TO BOTH THE IPC AND THE EPCEW. A couple of people are waiting for that so they can apply for visas to work with churches here.
The Car: The “Recovery Truck” (Tow Truck) arrived some 2+ hours after we first called the RAC. They hauled the car, and us, back to our house. This morning (Wednesday) another truck came to haul the car to our little one-man garage where both front springs will be replaced. The car should be ready tomorrow so we can maintain the schedule listed above.
Thank you for your prayers.
- David Cross
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