December 2012
“ Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness.”
Psalm 115:1
Dear Friends,
It is with gratitude and thankfulness that we were recently able to celebrate 20 years of the Lords faithfulness, to not only those whom we minister to in this part of Poland, but to countless others who have been touched and lives forever changed by being able to be a part of the Lord’s work here!
Elim itself means ‘Oasis’ and it has been our prayer and desire that those who walk onto the mission land will experience the Lord and that His light would shine on each individual person to draw them to Him and for each one desire to come to Him (or give themselves more fully to Him).
Elim’s 20th Year
It has been 20 years since God began the Elim Christian Mission, and soon afterwards, the Bethel Christian Church. How we praise the Lord for His amazing faithfulness all these years!!
During our 20th Anniversary Church thanksgiving service, person after person came forward to testify of the Lord’s faithfulness in their life since meeting the Lord during these years. A 60 yr old blind man, previously bitter because of his life of blindness, with tears, told of how he had met the Lord and thanked God for the family of God he had now found Many different people continued to come forward to share their life and family struggles and how they were able to thank the Lord for His faithfulness and presence in their lives! It brings God’s blessings to have a heart of thankfulness and it was a very special service as people were able to share their hearts and their lives of what God has done since meeting Him!
God hears the Needy
This year we were blessed once again with dear American military friends (from Germany) who came to fellowship and share a Thanksgiving meal with us! When dropping off some “thanksgiving” food to a needy family near the Mission, the grandmother later shared how God had ‘specifically’ answered her prayers that day. She had just gone into their small bedroom to ask God to send food for the 5 grandchildren in her care at that time. Soon a knock came at her door, and it was platters of food from the Thanksgiving Dinner that the Americans had put on at the Mission. She was overwhelmed with thankfulness, and testifies always of how God hears her prayers in all of her circumstances. It is such privilege to see God working first-hand in the lives of these beautiful people.
Bitterly cold & in need of food
God sent van loads of food to the Mission this month to bless the hungry and provided much needed coal for those who are cold. It is special how the Lord sends the right amount of needed items at the right time to fulfill His purposes. We praise the Lord for the many groups and individuals who have been an important part in providing the funds and items needed in outreach to the poorest of the poor.
One woman in her 90’s, whose home was so dreadfully cold when we arrived with food and coal, had just been praying to God and asking Him to send her something to warm her humble home. (She lives in a village over an hour from the Mission). She was so overcome with thankfulness that those who did the delivery thought she was going to literally have a heart attack when she saw the answer to her prayer! Many other stories of thankfulness and answers to prayer came as the deliveries were made. God is so good! We are thankful for the many lives touched and trust that through these physical provisions that people’s lives will be touched even deeper through a spiritual relationship with our Heavenly Father who cares for every fiber of their being!
God continues to feed
God has continued to provide for over 80 meals each day from the Mission. It is absolutely wonderful and amazing how He supplies for this particular ministry. He has added a couple more elderly people and one handicapped person to the regular Feeding Program this year, and we have had the privilege of seeing them either coming along to the church or joining a Home group. Please continue to pray for this particular outreach. We are in need of a new cook at the Mission, so please pray for this well.
Christmas – lots of needs – lots of opportunities
The Mission is in the middle of many of the Christmas outreach ministries at the moment. We see this as an opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with many at this time.
We went to the Children’s Home next door earlier this week with gifts for the children. The children were so grateful to receive the love and the gifts given for them. It is always a blessing to be able to go to the children’s home and to be able to bring God’s love to these dear children!
We have several ministries between now and Christmas and we are so thankful to the Lord for providing for these ministries (through many visiting brothers and sisters in Christ). Please pray with us for these ministries. The Hospice, the Care Home, the Hospital, the Children’s Home on Christmas Eve, the Sunday School Children, the Church ministries, the Christmas Eve Meal for the needy here at the mission, and a Christmas program for the children who come daily to the mission on the yearly Feeding Program. May the Lord touch each of these people’s lives in a special way and continue what He has begun in drawing them to Himself!
VBS – all year around
Hundreds of children came once again for a week of fun, games, drama, crafts and learning about Jesus and His desire to have a relationship with them. The Annual VBS (Vacation Bible School) is held each summer on our Church grounds, and a smaller version of VBS is held in the church weekly throughout the whole year.
What a joy to see children learning Bible verses and loving to sing songs with meaning. Some have it very difficult at home. May God change the heart and lives of all these precious children.
Festival in our town
It is always special to be involved in the local town festival which is held in the summer each year. We have the privilege of sharing the Gospel in Word, drama, song and dance for 2 hours on one of the festival stages. We also are able to offer face painting for many children gathered at the stage. Every year we are invited take part in the festival parade as a witness for the Lord. This year we were privileged to have a live Worship Team singing through the town’s Festival on the back tray of the Mission’s truck prepared with Christian banners, singing God’s praises as we slowly drove the hour through thousands of festival goers. Praise the Lord for this opportunity to fill the town with His Praises!
Kids camps, Adult camps & Groups
We are also thankful for the different groups of people who come to the mission for Camps, rest and encouragement. Over the summer we had youth campers from the Ukraine, Polish camps, camps from Germany, & France, a Women’s Conference, a Military Leader’s camp, as well as local schools using the grounds for their annual summer BBQ’s. A Polish Motorcycle group even used the Elim grounds as a ‘check point’ for their rally. Praise the Lord for all these times of refreshing and teaching.
Medical Mission/ Hearts for Elim
We are so grateful for the Women’s group that comes each May to serve with us in Poland through a Medical Mission Team, clothing room, flower planting, carpet cleaning, and doing whatever needs to be done at the time! This newly named group ‘Hearts for Elim’ are actually only one of many groups that come through out the year to serve us with Christ centered hearts! (This particular group has created a Face book page “Hearts for Elim”). Photos and prayer requests are put up so you can keep in current contact with what is happening throughout the year!
Sewing Project provides for families
The Nativity Sewing Project is in its 9th year and is still providing for many Christian families with needs. The families on the project are sponsored for their utility bills, food, heating, medical, schooling etc, and it has also helped with the sponsorship of the Elim Mission work. If you would like to know more about the project, please see the Mission’s website for pictures, information on becoming a coordinator, and how you can acquire a hand-made nativity set, we would love to hear from you.
Heating the Mission – Showers and toilets
Heating the Mission each winter is still a struggle. The Mission’s building remains reasonably cold through winter, and is warmed when there are guests. We have been praying for several years for the possibility to change our heating system to a new system using eco-pellets (which will be half the price of fuel). Please join with us in prayer for God’s provisioning to be able to do this.
For many years there has also been a need for more showers and toilets for guests needs at the Mission (40 beds were still sharing one shower for females and one for males). We are in the process of beginning to add 3 more showers and toilets in the Mission, and are excited about this possibility. The work on this has begun and we are trusting God to provide to be able to complete them.
Staff needed:
As a Mission we are praying for the Lord to provide more staff, particularly in the areas below:
A cook
We are praying for the Lord to provide another cook to prepare the daily hot meal at the Mission. Lidka (our cook of many faithful years of loving service in the Mission kitchen), believes her time as the main cook has come to an end. She is still serving at the Mission in other areas, but believes her duties as a cook has now finished. We are thankful also for our dear sister Madzia Rek who has served here at the mission for many years now. At the end of the year she will be leaving the Mission in order to be hopefully to start attending the University here in Poland for training in children’s work. We will miss her greatly.
Handyman/maintenance
The Mission is always appreciative when the Lord has sent someone to help out with the renovations and maintenance. Renovations have been continuing slowly for the last 20 yrs, (the building still not completed), and most of the labor we try to do ourselves in between mission responsibilities. Over the years God has sent us a few people with skills for short or long stints of service, which has been a wonderful gift to the Mission. We continue to pray for this need.
Clothing room; Apartments: Cleaning: Light Office Work, etc
There are many other needs of Missionary service here at the Elim Mission. We are praying for the Lord to send ‘willing hands and humble hearts’ to join the Mission Staff here, for long or short periods. The Polish language is not essential, as it involves mostly hands-on physical work. Please do pray with us as we seek the Lord for His workers.
Praise/Prayer:
- We praise God that two people from our church were baptized this past summer.
- Please pray for Madzia’s future and that the Lord will lead her in His will and plan for her.
- Please pray for our Christmas ministries, that the Lord would touch people’s hearts in a special way and that those whom we minister too will know they are loved!
- Gratitude and thankfulness for the Lords faithfulness in these past 20 years of ministering and touching the lives of so many! May the years ahead be even more fruitful for His glory!
- Praise the Lord that 3 children gave their life to the Lord during the last Mini VBS (before Christmas holidays). Please pray that these children will continue to grow in their faith and in their love for the Lord!
- Please pray for the Lord to add to His staff here at the Elim Mission.
Please know how much we appreciate each and every one of you, whether you can actually be here in person, or if you minister to us from afar! Thank you for your encouragement, support and love shown in so many ways. We are so thankful for how the Lord uses each of us as one body to show the love of Christ to a fallen world!
May He bless you and your families as we celebrate Him this Christmas.
From all of us at
Elim Christian Mission
