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May 14, 2006 16 Iyar, 5766 Dear Praying Friends,
We thank you all so much for your prayers. Our horizons are expanding and the work is developing. Our recent ten- day trip to Germany was very profitable. We had the opportunity to return to water seeds that we have planted and to plant new fields. At GlaubenZentrum (a Bible school in Germany founded out of Christ for the Nations in Dallas) in Bad Gandersheim, we ministered to over one thousand youth on “A Heart After God,” “The Signs of the Times,” “God’s Plan for Germany and Israel,” and “Worship and Spiritual Warfare.” More than one hundred came forward, giving their names to be included in the army God is raising up to remove the stones and prepare the way for Israel to come to Yeshua. For three years and seventeen trips we have been bringing these messages to the body in Germany. Each time we are stirred afresh by the Holy Spirit with new revelation and insight. We hope to have the messages available soon for downloading from our website.
In Bielefeld, we ministered in a Foursquare congregation where we had previously been. First we spoke to the worship team and then to the whole body. We shared with the team about ministering to the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit freedom to minister to the people. God confirmed our message by having the very thing we spoke of manifested from the very beginning of the meeting.
Next we visited Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, and spoke to an intimate gathering of people in the home of a precious sister that has now joined our team. It is, of course, a blessing to speak to great numbers, but we love the depth and intimacy we experience in these smaller groups.
Our trip was capped off by a weekend with the “Friends of Jesus” (not far from Bonn), where we found the clarity of the word and the freedom to worship as great as anywhere we have been. It was especially wonderful to be in the midst of a body that was living in community. All over the world God is raising up communities centered on worship. We have a particular passion to release this vision and to be an encouragement to those that are moving in this direction.
We return to Germany on the 19th (of THIS month!) for another ten days. We will first be sharing with a group of worship leaders from the region around Stuttgart who are part of a recently formed national network of worship leaders. This is an exciting reflection of one of the national gifts and callings of Germany. God has given them as a nation an anointing for national unity, which the enemy took full advantage of in former days. But now it is time for God’s purposes to be manifested. Next we will visit with friends at a YWAM base in the Black Forest. The ministry of YWAM has had a history of adherence to the position referred to as replacement theology. We hope to be helpful in facilitating a breakthrough in this area. Our final stop will be with our friends in Tubingen to participate in a conference from May 24th – 27th entitled “Road to Jerusalem.” Michael and Stephen from our team will be meeting us there to participate in the conference as well. We believe that God has a unique spiritual release planned for those days.
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These are crucial days of planting and building bases and bridges for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. How we covet your prayers. We pray that the Holy Spirit will impress upon you the specific points needing support.
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With all our traveling, particularly to Germany, it is good to periodically note the larger perspective. Our first calling is to minister to the heart of God. Flowing out of that is that His glory would be released in the Land and on the people of Israel. One aspect of His strategy, noted in Romans 11, is to use the redeemed among the nations to make Israel envious. It has been given to Emmaus Way be among those calling the nations to the Land to worship in preparation for Yeshua’s return (Psalm 86:9-10). This being true for all nations, how much more so for Germany. Of all the many stumbling blocks laid to block Israel’s path to faith in Yeshua, surely the largest one of all came with the Holocaust. Consequently, for reasons both natural and spiritual, the body in Germany is in a position to be a double blessing to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The ultimate end of our work in Germany is to enlist their help, giving what we have to help them to help us prepare the way for Yeshua’s return, since He waits to hear the Jewish people say, “Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.” It is our belief that as German believers give themselves to this calling, it will break the cloud of shame that covers their land.
If our understanding is correct, this is a work of singular strategic importance. We say that to further engage your hearts and solicit an increase in your prayers on behalf of this effort and us personally.
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With the former in mind, it is not surprising to find the enemy hard at work to drain our energies and distract our focus. Just when the ministry facilities are coming to completion, the landlord of three of our staff apartments wants to raise our rent at an average of 43%. (This is not the ministry center itself, for which we have a long-term lease). This is largely the result of a situation in our village that has brought a number of renters willing to pay exorbitant prices. Though we believe him to have a true measure of goodness in his heart, he has a weakness that gives way to a spirit of greed. Dealing with this matter, staying in the spirit, and knowing how to respond has stretched us all.
Also, the number of decisions before us relative to outfitting the Tabernacle, three guest apartments, the studio/meeting room, and the surrounding grounds borders on daunting. Our new location, the different layout of the facilities, and the expansion of the vision is another arena requiring much thought and prayer. And this all is set against the backdrop of needing a considerable financial blessing to establish and maintain the work.
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Beloved, if not for the grace of God, even with all the blessing, we would be overwhelmed. Immediately on our return from a wonderful trip we were met by this most unexpected request for a rent increase. Considering all the possible ramifications threw me (arni) into a black hole. From there, all the surrounding beauty faded to be as no more than a picture on the wall. My heart declared that without the peace and Presence of the Lord, nothing was worth anything. In a minute I’d return to the noise and filth of the city if He made it to be my place of inner rest. He is with us, and it was little more than a day before my peace and perspective returned. But during that time, the Holy Spirit had a chance to do some more deep cleaning in my soul. Praise the Lord.
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We wait for the Lord who trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle. In Him in alone is our soul at rest.
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Please continue to pray for our finances. We are praying for the Lord to raise up monthly partners and project donors to glorify His name on the mountains of Israel.
To find the list of current needs relative to outfitting the center, in English go to: http://www.emmausway.org/Needs.htm; for German: www.emmausway.org/gerweb/EW%20German/Bedarf.htm.
May God bless you from Zion!
Your servants… For the Glory of His Name, Arni and Yonit |