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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Fall Update

Happy November!

We're excited about so many things and we're eager to share them with you!

Thank you all for your prayers, support and encouragement!

The number one thing we'd like to share with our prayer warriors and supporters is that God has blessed us with another baby...we're expecting and due around May 4. Sarah has been feeling a little better lately, but more tired now than with her last pregnancy. So, she's making sure she's getting a lot of rest!

The end of October marked the end of 5 months of on and off traveling, with 1 or 2 days home between trips. You all know about our summer travels from Washington State to Washington DC...what a blessing and opportunity to learn to trust our Lord more!

This fall's travels have consisted of visiting 5 different states for conferences through which we were able to set up our display, meet and greet pastors and get future meetings set up. Praise the Lord that many of these conferences were spiritually encouraging, as we were able to sit under the teaching of God's word, and very fruitful concerning contacts and setting up meetings. Pray with us that we would see more meetings set in stone on the calendar because of these contacts.

Now, we're taking a breather and spending some much needed time resting and relaxing and taking a break away from the car. Although, we find that we miss our busy, traveling life at times! We look forward to visiting a supporting church in KC, this weekend, though. So, we we'll get some time in the car. ;) On Nov. 21st we'll be helping out a pastor friend in Sioux City, Iowa by speaking at their services while he and his wife need to be away. We look forward to that ministry opportunity as well!

We also enjoyed an opportunity to speak with the students at Faith Baptist Bible College during their Student Missionary Fellowship time. Jim shared with them about deputation, a good topic to cover with this age group. It was an especially encouraging time!

Continue to pray with us about meeting our support goal of 60% by January so we can attend Launch Seminar, and meeting our final goal of 100% by next summer so we can be in Germany then! We are encouraged to know that, whatever the outcome, God is sovereign and has a perfect plan. We are thankful also, to remember that man plans his steps, but it is God Who directs them!

Thank you for praying for us and for your encouragment over the months!

God is Good!

In Him,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah, Josefine & Baby :)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Home!

Hello All!

We're home! But, through the years, we've learned the valuble lesson that "home" truly is where the heart is..."home" is where God wants us, wherever that may be...and "home," for us this summer, was from coast to coast.

Today in the morning service, (we're visiting another dear place called "home" to us - Creston, IA) we sang a song about God's love and one of the verses said "proclaiming (God's love) from shore to shore..." and I pray that God's Love was the message, along with our burden for Germany, we shared this summer...from shore to shore.

We just got back from moving Jim's mom to Maryland. We spent Jim's birthday touring DC. It was a beautiful day! The whole week was full of fun family time. I haven't met Jim's brother Garry and his wife, Amber and kids yet, so I was especially excited! Jim was able to use his handy-dandy handyman skills by helping them with plumbing, electrical work and so on and so forth. This trip may have marked the last time the family (all 3 brothers, etc.) might be together in the same place before we go to Germany! It was a special time. I will introduce you to them all at the end of this post.

Since Jim is no longer working at Faith Baptist Bible College, we're spending more time securing meetings and filling up the calendar with conferences and such. Another blessing is that I can use my photography as a source of support, as we take donations for my work. It's worked wonderfully and we are so blessed! We have 2 weddings coming up in September, one in October and one in December, not to mention families and couples interested in photos as well. It's nice that we can schedule those sessions between our traveling time, which seems to be getting more and more, praise the Lord!

Continue to pray for us as we make some finishing touches on the house as well. When we got home from our summer travels, we were welcomed by a basement full of water! We were thankful that we didn't store anything in the basement, but the water heater and furnace did need replacing. And because the air was left off all summer and the humidity level was high (especially with the flooding), we have found that a lot of what was stored upstairs accumulated some mold. Jim's asthma flares up with mold, so it's important to get that cleaned up as soon as possible. A blessing about the molding is that it will make purging much easier as we plan to leave for Germany, Lord willing, next summer! :)

Our car is in good condition it seems. When we turn the key, we say a prayer of thanks for how God has taken care of us! Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf concerning our car troubles this summer!

Well, it sounds like I've covered most of the details and now, for a few pictures. :)

Love,
The Engles

This is the whole clan!

Engle Family25

All the cousins!

Engle Family4

Mom and her boys! Jim, Garry, and Ben.

Engle Family24WATERMARK

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Quick Update on the Car

Looks like our car will be up and running (hopefully for good this time) sometime tomorrow. About $1,200(ish) later and 2 re-replaced parts later, but we are blessed. The transmission is being rebuilt, except for the clutches, which apparently are in great condition...and all for about $500 less than expected. The mechanic ...seems to be taking good care of the car and we're praying for a safe trip to Detroit for VBS!

This just in - one of our supporting churches is providing $500 for the repair.

Praise God for His provision...He never fails.

Again, thanks for praying!

Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Car Situation Update - Reprise

Hello Faithful Prayer Warriors!

We were able to make it to the conference in Cleveland and enjoy a sweet time of refreshing and fellowship! From there, we headed out to New York to visit a church, Calvary Baptist Church in Bay Shore, whose Ladies Missionary Group supports us, gave them an update and spent some time of fellowship with them on an afternoon fishing charter! We were so encouraged to hear how God was working in the people's hearts there and were spiritually encouraged ourselves just to hear their testimonies! God's grace is truly amazing!

Onto recent happenings...

We left New York for a quick visit to Washington DC since we were in the area to see some of the historical sites and to meet Jim's brother and his family. About halfway to DC, our transmission went out. It did the exact same thing it did in the mountains of Washington State! We called the State Patrol and were picked up shortly thereafter by a tow truck. We're now in New Jersey waiting it out. The pastor from the church we were at previously gave us some recommendations for churches to call in this area and from that we came into contact with Haddon Heights Baptist Church, whose Pastor and wife have a special place in their hearts for Germany as they lived there for two years. The church very graciously put us up in a hotel and have been generous in making sure we're taken care of. We joined them for their Wednesday evening prayer service and had a wonderful time meeting people and sharing some sweet time of prayer and fellowship with them. We sincerely sense the goodness of God, even amidst the potential frustration of what seems to be a chronic car issue!

Right now, we're waiting on the mechanic to get back to us about our car. As it looks, there is probably something else wrong that is causing the transmission issues, since this is the second time the transmission has given out in this way. So, the mechanic is doing some exploratory work on it. He also explained that he would give us a $300 discount if we have to completely rebuild the transmission because we were referred by the church. The amount he would charge is $1,695. Pray for God's provision, as we just spent nearly that much in June for the same repair.

Thank you all!

Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Car Situation Update

Thank you all for praying on behalf of our car situation. It looks like we'll be hitting the road sooner than expected!

We heard from the dealership...the amount it would cost to fix the car would be somewhere near $1,600 and they wouldn't even be able to get to it until next week Thursday. So, we did some brainstorming and a lot of praying for wisdom, of course. :) Jim called a local transmission shop to see if we could get the same job done sooner, and possibly cheaper. We're taking the car in to that shop TODAY and it will be done tomorrow with the total cost being UNDER $1,000! Thank you, Lord!

We're excited that it looks like we'll be able to make some, if not all, of the BMM Annual Conference, which is always a refreshment and encouragment.

Again, thanks for your prayers!

Love,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine

Monday, July 5, 2010

Jehovah Jireh...Our God Provides!

Our God provides and not always in ways we expect or can even hope for. He provides...exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we can hope for!

Today we found out that a few people wanted to give toward the repair of our transmission! The total amount given was $1,200. We don't know yet how much the assesment or repair will cost, but we should find out more on Tuesday. Of course, the final cost is something the Lord already knows! We are so thankful for how God has provided...and humbled by the generosity of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Our meetings and camp these past few weeks have been so encouraging and the fellowship has truly been sweet. Also, we enjoyed a wonderful time at the VBS in Soap Lake. We had some pretty sharp kids eager to learn about Germany! Near the end of the week, we heard the great news that one little boy trusted Christ as his Savior! News we never get tired of rejoicing over! The kids also gave joyfully and sacrifically during the VBS offering and we are so thankful for their excitment to give! The Lord provided $1,000 through that ministry! Praise GOD!

One more piece of news we'd like to share. The Lord has officially moved us to full-time deputation! How, you ask? Well, Jim received a phone call from his job back in Iowa and they informed us that they had to let some employees go and that he was one of them. Much to our surprise, we were actually rejoicing in God's direction through this news! We had already been praying about how to transition to full-time deptutaion, but couldn't quite put our fingers on how or when. We just knew it needed to happen soon! It seems as though God had a way to get us there! When we get back from our summer ministries, Jim will be able to spend more time calling pastors and setting up meetings. Because our new goal to get to Germany is next summer, it's imperative that we spend more of our time on the road!

Another issue of prayer would be our departure goal. The Brudtkuhls, who we will be joining on the field, will be on furlough for 1 year beginning next summer. If we can get to Germany by next summer, we can be in language school for the first year in Bavaria while they're on furlough in the states. This means, that we could all be heading toward Berlin around the same time in 2012, ready to dive into ministry together!

I know this update seems FULL of details! We are excited to have so much to share with you! :)

Love,
The Engles

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Photo Album

Our Presentaion Introdution

BLOG PHOTO 400

Welcome, Josefine Adelaide!
Born on June 29, 2009
7lbs 15.7oz
20 inches long

josefine is born ministry blog

Josefine turns ONE!

Josefine turns 1 ministry blog

Josefine in front of the US Capital Building (August 2010)

Family Pic DC Josefine

Family Picture on Jim's Birthday before heading to DC (August 2010)

Family Pic DC

Welcomem, Cornelia Ruth Hosanna!
Born May 2, 2011
8lbs 8oz
20.5 inches long

Cornelia for BLOG1

Josefine turns TWO!

josefine turns 2 ministry blog

Family Picture on Josefine's 2nd Birthday, enjoying a Strawberry Ice Cream Cone at the Drug Store! :) And including our newest addition, Cornelia! (2011)

family pic josefines bday 2011

Cornelia, June 2011

cornelia ministry blog

Friday, July 2, 2010

Added Meetings & Our Car Situation

We are so thankful for the blessing our summer minstry has already been! We enjoyed our meetings at North Creek Baptist in Bothell, WA and First Baptist Church in Soap Lake, WA. Family Camp and VBS were fun and refreshing! We're excited that the Lord brought one little boy to Himself this week! How precious to see the excitment of a new believer announcing "I got saved yesterday!" with such a big smile on his face!

Josefine celebrated her 1st Birthday this week. It's hard to believe a year has gone by already...and so quickly! We are so thankful for our little girl and pray that she will be a light to the world someday, the same way she has been a light in our lives. Children are truly a blessing of the Lord.

We also ran into a car issue...transmission to be exact. Of course, it was no surprise to God. He has everything planned out perfectly and we trust in His faithfulness and provision! Pray with us about this situation.

We have a few new meetings lined up as well. This Sunday, we'll be at in Grace Baptist Church in Wilson Creek, WA. On Wednesday, we'll be at Grace Baptist Church in Kennewick, WA. We have so much enjoyed sharing our hearts with people in the state of Washington, and sense such an interest in the mission field of Germany!

Thank you for praying!

Love,
The Engles

Happy 1st Birthday, Josefine!

IMG_3713BLOG BMM

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

From Sea to Shining Sea

We're excited to share that the Lord has provided meetings and a busy travel schedule for the summer. As the title of this post explains, we'll be traveling, literally, from "sea to shining sea." :)
Please pray for us as we share the need for missionaries in Berlin and as churches consider taking us on for support. Also pray for the churches we have been in previously as well, that they might also consider us for support.

Our travel schedule is as follows:

June 20: North Creek Baptist Church - Bothell, WA

June 21-25: Family Camp with North Creek & First Baptist

June 27: First Baptist Church - Soap Lake, WA

June 28-July 2: VBS at Frist Baptist Church - Soap Lake, WA

July 7: Grace Baptist Church, Kennewick, WA

July 12-17: BMM Annual Conference: Cleveland, OH

July 25: Calvary Baptist Church (a supporting church): Bay Shore, NY

August 2-6: VBS at Evangel Baptist Church (our sending church): Taylor, MI

Thank you for your prayers!

The Engles

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Answered Prayer

Thank you all for your prayers these past several weeks. The Lord saw fit to keep our baby with Him, and we are grateful for the answered prayers through this miscarriage. God is good and we grew closer to Him and to one another through it all. Please read some of these posts to get more of a detailed update on that.

We spent a week at a Missions Conference at Faith Baptist Church in Albert Lea, MN. It was a tremendous blessing to us to serve with the people of Faith Baptist Church. It happened to be right in the middle of the miscarriage, but it was exactly where God wanted us at the time. We couldn't have asked for a better circumstance or sweeter more compassionate servants of the Lord with whom to share it. We truly enjoyed focusing on "Declaring His Glory" and sharing our burden for Germany.

Currently, we are enjoying the Missions Conference at Faith Baptist Bible College. Our display is up and we're meeting and greeting and getting opportunities to interact with students. In a few weeks, we'll be displaying at the IARBC Annual Conference.

Things are coming along nicely at the house. We're still working on it and still have a quite a bit to finish before moving in. A group of men from a supporting church will be helping Jim work on a Saturday in April. We are so grateful for those who have helped on this project that will get us one step closer to full-time deputation!

Josefine is growing, growing, growing! She turned 9 mos yesterday, is starting to get up on her hands and knees and rocks, but finds that she is "stuck" and doesn't care too much for it. Soon, she'll love the opportunity to get what she wants by crawling, though!

We're coming up on "Wedding" season as well, and we have several wedding photoshoots through June. All of which will help finacially with our deputation trips and outfit and passage. In the middle of June, we'll start a road trip to Washington state, where we'll have meetings, a camp and VBS and have opportunity to introduce Jim and Josefine to some of my family!

Thank you all sincerely for your prayers and support!

Blessings,
The Engles
Jim, Sarah & Josefine

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Upcoming Meeting/Conference & Appointment

Hello all,

Thank you sincerely for your prayers this past week since we found out about the risk of our pregnancy. There hasn't been a miscarriage, and we're praying that there won't be...we have an appointment on Thursday. We're praying that we'll get to see this little one on the ultrasound to confirm that this could be a healthy pregnancy. We're praying for God's will, of course. And resting in Him. This post might help you understand our hearts on the matter.

Also, we're looking forward to joining Bethel Baptist Church in Pella, IA for a meeting on Wednesday night. Pray for Jim as he prepares a message/presentation. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces from the past and sharing our joy who is Josefine with them! Also, I look forward to sharing some of what God has been teaching me about Him lately. Pray that we would be able to communicate the need for missionaries in Berlin!

The second full week of March will be eventful, busy and lots of fun! We'll be in MN with Faith Baptist Church participating in a Missions Conference. Pray as we prepare our hearts for that as well.

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
for
Great is His Faithfulness,

Jim, Sarah & Josefine Engle

Thursday, February 18, 2010

A Prayer Request

Doc says there is a high chance of miscarriage with this pregnancy...

We found out several weeks ago that we were going to have a baby in October. We're waiting on God now. We opted out of the D&C and we're going to let God do whatever He chooses. It could be a few days or weeks before we see any evidence of confirmed miscarriage. Or, it could be a few days or weeks before we see any evidence of a healthy pregnancy. It's all in HIS hands, and we're trusting Him..."strengthened with all might, according to HIS glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy." Colossians 1:11 Please pray with us!

We are thankful for so many things right now:

1. God's Word for sure. It's been amazing to be reassured of God's power, love and soveriegnty through His words.

2. The ability to bring our burdens before the Lord through prayer.

3. Loving and supportive friends & familiy.

4. A wonderful, knowledgeable and personable Doctor.

5. A beautiful little girl to love on...she brings joy to this home even when we're feeling down.

And of course...the list could go on.

Thank you for praying for us as we continue our journey of faith. God brings us through so many different avenues to strengthen our dependency on Him. Even ones that look grim...but we remember "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A New Church!

Hello All!

It's been a bit since we've last updated you with some of our ministry goings-on, and we have some GREAT news! First Baptist Church of New Hartford, Iowa has voted to take us on for support!!! We were elated to hear the news! Our meeting with them in August was such a blessing and encouragement. The people were loving and interested. We are so blessed to be a part of their missions team and look forward to building a relationship with them! Thank you for you prayers on our behalf. God is answering in so many unique ways that we could never fathom! Continue to pray for us as we schedule meetings. It looks as though we'll be in Washington State in late June with camps, VBS's and meetings! Also, continue to pray as Jim works on the house in Mingo. He's made significant progress lately and our goal is to be moved in by the end of March.

Thank you again for your prayers and support! We are truly blessed!

Love,
The Engles