July 1, 2003

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This letter begins with a public acknowledgement of my ignorance. My dear father-in-law Jim Foster informed me that he is 82 years old rather than 81 as I stated in the last letter. It does one good to eat crow sometimes. It will surely do Jim good for me to eat crow!

During the past two months we have enjoyed visits from our two daughters, Lydia and Laura, as well as having Dad and Mom with us for 3 weeks. Besides family we have also enjoyed being host to Ross Overbey from Lexington, KY and Miki Bohon from Columbia. We are already planning for the visit of the Mission Adventures group next year.

Some of the best blessings are those that catch us by surprise. And we have had some of these during the past month. You may remember that we have mentioned before babysitting for our German neighbors across the street. We have been praying regularly that God would enable us to give them a clear witness. God has been answering this prayer in a special way. As Ursula was on her way to Sunday worship about 5 weeks ago, she stopped to speak to the above mentioned neighbor lady. When she noticed that the lady was at wits end with her children, she asked if she could bring the oldest one with her to Sunday School. The little girl loved it and to our delight, the entire family showed up the following Sunday.

Since they speak little English and practically no French, we had a tri-lingual service that Sunday. I spoke in French, Philip translated to English for those who can't understand French and Ursula set next to out neighbors and translated for them to German. They returned 3 out of the last 4 Sundays and show a real interest. Ursula loaned them her German Bible to read. Ursula and her family will have moved back to Germany by the time you read this. Would you pray with us for three matters connected to this move? First, Ursula needs the fellowship of genuine believers in her home town. Second, we need someone who can translate to German for our neighbors. Third, we would like to see Ursula's two daughters and husband come to know Christ as savior.

Another blessing was a nine year old child who was brought to Worship time and Sunday School by Miki Bohon. Miki, a believer from Missouri, worked as an "au pair" (nanny) for this child's family. The previous year, Allison, another Christian girl from Texas held the same position. The parents, though atheist, did not object to the children hearing Bible stories. As a result of these girls' witness, the oldest child in the family was saved and continues to grow in the Lord. Miki came back to visit the family and the parents allowed her to bring the child to Sunday School. We are praying that the entire family will trust the Lord.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. God is at work here and we are glad to be a part of what he is doing.

In France for the glory of Christ,

John and Judy