back from a wonderful week

My friend Thomas Jettel and I spent all of last week training 50 Hungarian speaking Romanians.
Thomas did a careful and challeging exegetical verse-by-verse of Daniel.
I did a synopsis of Galatians.
It was a very full week, and the men noticed why it is important to avoid interruptions when trying to study something indepth!

We were able to fly down to Sibiu, Romania. The camp and conference centre is Swiss owned, Swiss built and Swiss run. Even the electrical outlets are Swiss!

The city allowed us to use their gym in the afternoon which was a real help to beef up attention spans in the afternoon!

In the evenings we had general discussion times that were very challenging. I was asked to do an impromptu speech on two evenings of the most common reasons men quit their responsibilities serving the LORD in a church or mission setting!

I also spent a lot of time counselling.
So the days were very full, the nights very short.

My friend Thomas is a "late to bed and early to rise, makes a man healty, tired and wise".
The good old boy is up anywhere from 4 - 5 AM.
But it was a good experience as it provides ample time to spend in the WORD an in prayer!

Thank-your for your prayers!

Mark

fighting hard to stay afloat - a childrens home stays!

A telefone call changed my priority list.

A childrens home that we have been a part of for the past 13 years informed us, that their Swiss constituents had to pull out due to financial problems.

Since January of this year, the childrens home has to operate on half their budget.

Smaller children, so I understand, where placed in foster homes.

Kids 16 and up are working hard with the personell of the the home to keep it going.

They also have a second-hand shop, and we were aked to deliver clothing a.s.a.p.

As we have just completed three transports in December, we have to pack.
There are large quantities that have come in, but they all have to be sorted and packed.

It is very cold winter weather , making it very hard to heat appropiately in our packing room!

All the same . for the first half on Februaray we can set up in the youth centre of our church here in Kandern.

Now I am hoping to find enough help to pack by Feb. 15th, when I have ordered the next truck to come.

So much for today!

Mark

Looking back

Preparing for a board meeting on Monday evening, I was asked to ready the main numbers of 2005:

6 transports
2 trips for training
1 trip to Hungary ended in Switzerland when I had an automobile accident (see this blog - September)

2 months in the US - home assignemt

5 mission conferences in Germany and one week as guest lecturer in Austria

Yesterday I was able to put a team together for a mission trip to ROMANIA in March. Now I have to work on an itinerary - as I have more people to see than time to see them (the old challenge!).

Thus far for the new year:
January:
20 - annual mission meeting of Regio Rumaenienhilfe
21 - 28: annual training seminar with friend Thomas Jettel in Romania

February:
1 transport to Romania for two Christan book stores kind of tailored like "Barnes & Noble" = books & café
1 transport for various groups in Romania - we hope this transport will be in the country before we are.

March
2 - 17 : mission trip to Romania

April
one transport to Latvia

May
mission trip to Romania with an evangelism team

June - October
definite plans not in place yet.
Will have my niece Hannah Kaiser as intern as well as young Phillip Thornton (North Carolina) as helper.
We have a lot of cleaning up, fixin and (as the LORD provides funds) - transportation.

We are praying about the option of sending both to fellow missionary Robert & Jody Frye to Romania to help with youth camp work for four weeks.

September
annual German Mission Conference in Bad Salzuflen

October
annual Bible Conference near Nuernberg

November
annual Novembertrip: training seminar in Hungary; training seminar for gypsies and annual German Bible Conference in Sibiu

December
2 transports (Latvia & Romania)

All this: "If still live and the LORD tarries ... "

new year - new moves

I hope you started your year off well!
We did!
My eldest daugther Susi has been home for a couple of days now.
At present I am getting ready for IRS USA and Germany, our annual "open house" on January 20th, my annual lecture trip to Romania from Jan. 21 - 28 and then we hope to have the next transport for Romania last week of January or the beginning of Februarary.
A book store in Basel Switzerland donated a bunch of furniture for a Christian book store in Romania. Really nice stuff - very much worth the effort to pack, retrieve and forward to Romania.
I am presently looking for folks willing to help with all the packing as well as someone on the receiving end comptent with customs authorities and the paper work that goes with it.

We also have lots of stuff in the ware-house waiting to be packed. That alone would fill one 18-wheeler!

I preached on January 1st in our church here in Kandern, and have one more speaking engagement before leaving to Romania.

Well - so much for today!

Greetings in HIS name!

Mark