pretty BIG stuff

here i've been dreaming BIG for a home for women and little did i know that the Lord had something else up His sleeve.  He's mysterious in that way, i tell you! 

about a month ago buddy went to have some God-time at the local coffee shop.  he took his bible and went to sit and read and pray and connect with his God.  as he was doing so, something pretty BIG came upon his heart: that we are supposed to start a church here in hamburg.  and not just in hamburg in general, but in a specific area of the city--in St. Georg.  and the church is to be called International Church of Jesus. 

St. Georg is located  in the center of the city, right outside of the main train station.  this is where we lived for the first 4 months when we moved to hamburg in january 2009.  we enjoyed living there very much.

St. Georg is also the area where we minister sometimes on friday nights.  there is a red light district there and we go out in teams of three and go and talk and pray with the women (and men). 

St. Georg has an interesting mix--it is very diverse and international.  St. Georg is most known for being home to people addicted to drugs, women in prostitution, the turkish people, muslims and also hosts hamburg's largest gay community.  it's got beautiful, historic buildings that demand your attention and then it's also litered with businesses and storefronts that are quite ugly.  it has a hip shopping area, the Lange Reihe, dotted with great shops, restaurants and bustling outdoor cafes, but then also has streets that you wouldn't want to walk down alone at night.  talk about diverse! 

we are honored that the Lord is calling us to begin a church here. buddy is very excited about this, yet is humbled by it at the same time.  i'm excited about it too and am curious to see how the Lord brings it to fruition. 

next steps? 

lots of PRAYER

seeking the Lord

studying His Word

&

finding a place for the church in St.Georg

see this plaque?

 i call it interesting timing

my dad brought this as a gift for buddy at the beginning of september.  the day after my parents arrived, my dad snuck this onto buddy's desk.  at that time, my dad had no idea of the BIG news that we were soon to share.  he gave it to buddy because someone special gave it to him (who saw in my father the heart of a pastor), and my dad wanted in turn to pass it on to buddy, because he had a feeling that buddy would be a pastor one day.

BIG stuff, i'd say.

pretty BIG stuff. 

please pray for us

and for buddy especially!

so grateful for you all,

the brewers in hamburg