Ministry Update July 2022Image of Germany flag

BY Yuanchuan Ye and Ming Gao | November 14, 2022 | min read

BY Yuanchuan Ye and Ming Gao|November 14, 2022

min read

Greetings from Germany

Dear pastors, brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! Greetings from Heidelberg, Germany. May the grace and mercy of the Lord be with you every day. Germany has recently entered the post-pandemic era, and the pandemic prevention policy has gradually relaxed. As a result, our church has resumed in-person worship and has both online and in-person activities to meet the needs of different groups of people. Thanks to the God who gives peace and enabled us to go through the severe stage of the pandemic safely, keeping our brothers and sisters safe in body and spirit, with hope and joy.

Changes in the Mission Field

As the mission strategies changes, the organizations that support us have mobilized our ministries and moved us to another city Kassel in Germany, to serve. We will cooperate with several missionaries from the same CBM mission organization and in the nearby cities of Göttingen and Marburg to form a team to work together in the fields. When we first received the news of this transfer, we were both “reluctant” and “unable to let go” of Heidelberg, where we have served for quite a time. “Reluctant” is because we have been in this place for six years to start the mission work from ground zero; we have invested a lot of energy and effort and have a heavy burden for this city. The “can’t let go” are the brothers, sisters and seekers of the church we have been serving for, and other Chinese who are just in contact.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, the core, committed, and willing brothers and sisters have gradually stepped forward. The church cohesion has gradually formed but has not yet reached the level of maturity. It still needs a pastor to lead to help it grow. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Although we are “reluctant,” we are still willing to obey the arrangements of the mission organization. Although there is a “can’t let go,” we put this church in prayer and entrust it to the Lord.

This is the Lord’s church, and He loves his church and makes the best arrangements. Thanks to the Lord, and soon after, we learned that under the coordination of FMCD, Pastor Zhu and his wife, who are close to the Karlsruhe Chinese Church, can continue to help lead and take charge of the church in Heidelberg. Thanks to the Lord for his mercy that we “can let go” before leaving Heidelberg. The Sunday 24th of this month, is our farewell party and the pastoral handover ceremony of Pastor Zhu and his wife. At present, both of us are doing a lot of handover work. May the Lord continue to bless his church.

Blessing in Suffering

A few months ago, we came into contact with a brother Hou who was hemiplegia due to a severe car accident and needed to go to Heidelberg for restorative treatment. Brother Hou lives and works in another state and attends a local German church. Because of the need for care, the company applied for his mother from China to accompany him. So, Mother Hou came to Heidelberg with her son, but she didn’t know German and English, and they lived in a remote hospital. She was afraid to go out to the city because she was afraid of getting lost. In addition, the hospital had no home kitchen, so her life was difficult and lonely.

We visited them, learned about their needs, and brought them some daily necessities. And more importantly, we brought them to our church. Before we met, the brothers and sisters in the church were already praying for Brother Hou’s recovery and Mama Hou’s life, and asked the Lord to take this opportunity so that Mama Hou could know the Lord Jesus. When they were in Heidelberg, on Sundays, we would bring Mama Hou to the church, and Brother Hou would attend online worship. During the week, brothers and sisters will take the initiative to visit. Every week, my wife will also accompany Mama Hou to go shopping in the city, and at the same time share our testimonies and introduce our beliefs.

I am very grateful. Last week, Mama Hou was willing to meet with us to talk about faith. After the personal sermon, Mama Hou was willing to make up her mind to believe in Jesus. Hallelujah, thank the Lord! God turned their “flying disaster” into a great blessing. Moreover, Brother Hou recovered so quickly that even the doctor was amazed and said it was a miracle. After that, Brother Hou was transferred to another city that is close to Karlsruhe (the city where Pastor Zhu, who is in charge of the Heidelberg ministry, lives). Thanks to the Lord for the arrangement, Pastor Zhu has contacted Brother Hou and Mama Hou for follow-up and care. May the Lord continue to strengthen the faith of Mama Hou and lead Brother Hou’s recovery process. May they be used by the Lord and become a beautiful witness to the Lord.

Prayer Requests

Below are our current prayer requests, dear brothers and sisters, please pray for us:

1. Please pray for our moving. We will be moving on July 27th. There are a lot of things to sort out, some furniture needs to be dismantled for loading and unloading, and the current house needs to be cleaned and returned to the landlord. May the Lord lead us to have the physical energy to do all this work.

2. Please pray for our daughter Mu Ling to find a kindergarten, and may the Lord prepare a suitable kindergarten so that she can have a new beginning in a new environment.

3. We are going to go to the new city of Kassel, where we need to adapt to the new environment and get to know the new co-workers, brothers and sisters, and seekers in the church. May the Lord help us to integrate into the new environment as soon as possible.

4. May the Lord continue to bless the church in Heidelberg. May the brothers and sisters adapt to the changes as soon as possible and cooperate with Pastor Zhu and his wife, so that the gospel can be spread as the Lord leads.

May the Lord bless you all! Yuanchuan & Ming Ye July 2022 in Heidelberg

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