Summer Update

“And there are many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25


Dear friends,

What a couple of months it has been! I feel like John where I could write continuous pages of what the Lord has done in the lives of people. And this in the space of just a couple of months! I will try and keep this as concise as possible and provide you with some of the highlights.


Thailand – Staff Conference


At the beginning of July I headed to the city of Chiang Mai in Thailand for our staff conference. It was a wonderful occasion to meet staff members from the around the world including Afghanistan, Indonesia, China amongst others. I was really encouraged to get a global vision of our work in these countries as well as to hear really exciting stories of people’s lives being transformed. We have several projects set up which are looking to provide people with long and sustainable development, providing them with real hope for the future. I was given the opportunity to present and give an update on European Mobilization to our staff which led to talks regarding the future possibility of taking short-term teams into new countries.


Middle East – Short term team Compassion trip



My next stop was a stable country in the Middle East where I helped to lead a team of 15 from Europe, the US and Hong Kong. Our main projects consisted of distributing shoes to kids whose families did not have the means to provide them as well as handing out food packs (each one providing a family of six with enough food for a week) to mainly Iraqi and other refugee families.

I would like to share three impact stories with you from this trip:

New Hope for an Iraqi refugee woman…

On our first day of work, we split up into five separate teams and headed out to different places around the capital. I went with a French volunteer Marc-Henri (an unbeliever), a national lady named Lydia as well as two Iraqi believers. One house we visited was inhabited by two Iraqi refugee women. One of the ladies was part of the Sabian cult (followers of John the Baptist). She had fled Iraq with her husband who had been shot as he fled. Once they arrived here, the husband died from his gunshot wound. As the woman explained her story the tears were evident. At the end of our visit, she allowed us to pray for her. As my Arabic is limited (to the point of being non-existent), I didn’t catch much of it but the prayer time was extremely powerful and again the Iraqi woman could not contain her tears. We were then told that the woman had accepted Jesus into her life!






Sudanese refugee man reunited with his family

One of our teams visited a Sudanese family. Once they distributed the food to them, they sat down and talked whilst listening to the family’s story. The mother, with three kids, explained that her husband was in jail as the family could no longer afford to pay rent. He had already served 3 months and was pending trial and if not released would spend another 3 years behind bars for the non-payment. Our team felt led to help and we managed to gather the $500 needed to get the father set free. Once we returned from our trip, we had word from our local director that the father is now back home, reunited with his family. There are many other cases like this, and yet although we can not help everyone we believe that the world can be changed one person at a time. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to help this family.

Mother’s prayer for help answered

The mother of another family that we visited woke up that very morning searching through her kitchen cupboards to find something to feed her kids for the day. They were empty. She could do nothing else put pray to God that He would provide for the needs of the family. She had not been able to give her family breakfast and cried out to God for what to give her kids for lunch. When our team arrived a few hours later, the look in the eyes of the mother spoke volumes. With tears in her eyes she gratefully accepted the food box (with enough food for a week) and explained to the team how their coming was an incredible answer to prayer!

During our time in the Middle East we were able to distribute hundreds of shoes, clothing and food packs that were a blessing to about 1,400 people. On top of this, we saw 9 people of those we helped commit their lives to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Amen!



Humanitarian Bus Tour – Spanish students bringing help and hope in France


From the time I landed in Geneva from the Middle East, I had an hour and a half to get to the train station as I joined a team in Marseille for a two-week adventure with 27 Spaniards. I thank God that there were no hiccups as that was the only train leaving that day.

In Marseille, we partnered with a local organisation called Communauté de la Reconciliation. During our time there we worked in a poor immigrant neighbourhood. We set up various workshops to bring both Hope and Help for the kids in this run-down area including sports, face-painting, board games etc… We were so excited by the hoards of children who turned up with their parents and to see so many smiles on their faces!

Another project in Marseille included the refurbishment of a house which is used to welcome poor and needy immigrants from North Africa.

We then left for a 900 km (600 miles) coach ride to Paris. Each morning we would get together and spend time preparing food packs as well as hygiene bags for the homeless. We then went to various areas in Paris and spent some special moments with the people we came across. Most are in such hopeless and desperate situations with alcohol being their only way of escape. Yet, we were able to spend time with them and to learn more about their hardships. Many were really appreciative that young people would give up their vacation in order to help them. We not only wanted to give them food but also to give them dignity and value as human beings loved by God.

The group also worked in rotations serving in turn with the Salvation Army to give food to the hungry.

Our final stop was Toulouse, another 800 km from Paris. Here we partnered with the Agape Campus team. We worked in some needy areas around the city, including a gypsy village where a lot of poor Romanian families lived. Again, we were able to reach out to them in love (despite the language barriers) by providing fun activities for the kids and food packs. Other teams worked in the city centre of Toulouse building relationships with the homeless. Our partner was extremely encouraged as this compassionate outreach provided them with excellent opportunity to expand their ministry and relationships with the local people.

After two weeks together, we ended the trip by washing each others feet. Even though half of the team were non-believers everyone participated as we wanted to use Christ’s example of humility, service and love. We wanted to encourage the students to live daily lives in serving others as they headed back home.

These past couple of months have been such a blessing. Many people’s lives have been impacted, not just in the lives of those being served but also those in those of who are serving. Personally, I have been so touched and am honoured to be able to serve the Lord in this way. Thank you all so much for being equally part of this through your prayers, encouragement and support.

Shortly, I am off to the States in order to raise needed support again to be able to continue this faith adventure. Thank you for your prayers in this and I will keep you updated. If you do feel led to support me, please respond to my email: rch197@hotmail.com

In Christ’s transforming love,

Richard

Home in August

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” - John 13:14-16

Dear friends,

I am finally back in the ‘homeland’! After spending a few relaxing days catching up with my family, I am writing you my final update from my year with ICC. To sum up the past month, I would use the word transitions. (This is a word that I think this will continue to define my situation for a little while, as well!)

I last left off in Lyon where I spent a week with a team from the States who organized a children’s camp for the local church and community. The following week, the team went full-speed ahead down to Marseille to tackle a couple of other projects. While some helped with a daily café/discussion outreach through the Marseille Salvation Army, others worked to clean and renovate the office space that ICC uses at House of Hope, a local ministry to North African immigrants. This building is used for many types of outreach and the missionaries have allowed us to use one room as an office for our ICC church underway in Marseille. At the Salvation Army, they shared the Gospel with many people passing on the streets and visiting over free coffee and drinks. The visiting team had a great desire to serve and was a huge encouragement to me personally, allowing me to make some great friends.

Meanwhile, and after their departure, I dug into work with ICC to tackle some major projects before I concluded my time there. The most exciting news is that the Painters were finally able to purchase the office for ICC’s headquarters in Sanary-sur-Mer. Praise the Lord for His provisions! It’s a great location with lots of possibilities for future ministry use. We’ve already been able to host an ICCM barbecue there to get to know some of the future ICCM church members better and I even had the privilege of ‘inaugurating’ it as the first inhabitant for about a week. ☺ We are also happy about the progress in the non-profit development of ICC-Eurasia. We’ve created some brochures and a website to help promote it and inform people about the ministry God has entrusted to us. We would love your comments! You can check out the website at: www.icc-ministries.org. Please continue to pray about this process, as it requires a great deal of cooperation and resources. However, I am eager to see how God will use this investment to give support and encouragement to so many more in Europe.

I also appreciate your prayers for some more upcoming ICC events. Starting September 16th, ICCM (Marseille) will begin its monthly worship services. This is a big step of faith while we trust the Lord to bring those people who are most in need of a church body and also those who will commit to serving in the church. But we know that if God has called us to work toward the creation of this church, then there is surely a need that it can meet in Marseille! It is thus a bittersweet time for me to leave since I am excited to see where this ministry is heading and yet I am moving on from it. Please pray that God will provide someone to take my place as a member of ICC to continue this work. There are already two girls who are potentially interested.

Towards the end of my time in the Marseille, Richard came with a team of Spanish students that he organized and they were a big help to ICC since they partnered with us to continue the work at House of Hope. They made some huge progress for us! They painted a room, did some major outdoor and indoor clean-up, and had a great heart to help, as well. It was really special to be able to partner with them. I then made my way up to Paris with them before flying home and was simultaneously challenged and blessed by their service to others. I was able to join the team as they visited the homeless throughout Paris to offer meals and care packages and to share love with them in action and through conversation. Seeing how these teams that I’ve encountered recently have gone out of their way to serve and love others reminded me so much of Jesus’ example in washing the disciples’ feet. Rather than staying comfortable as the teacher and master, He got down on His knees to show us that our Master goes out of His way to serve and meet our needs. Remembering that it’s a privilege for me to follow Jesus in service is such a humbling, continuing lesson to me and I’m grateful for these tangible examples.

This year of serving in ministry has at times been a great challenge, but so worthwhile, and I am convinced that we won’t even know all of the effects of our shared work until Heaven. I am consequently so grateful for all of the ways you have partnered with me in prayer, finances and encouragement. Now that I am home in the States, I am actively seeking God’s next step for me. I will continue to keep you updated, though this will be the last official ministry update from me for awhile. I wholeheartedly appreciate your prayers as I wait on God’s leading. If you have any thoughts or guidance to offer, I am happy to hear from you. Loving Christ and people through ministry is a lifelong commitment and, no matter what awaits me, I intend to keep this my central purpose. Thank you for your faithfulness in walking beside me through all of these exhilarating and stretching experiences for His glory.

Love always in Him,

Ashley Erdmann

Ashley's June update

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”
- Luke 10:21

Dear friends and children of God,

I have felt so humbled over the past month by God’s presence and His ongoing work (John 5:17). He truly reveals Himself to little children and even chooses to work through them for His glory! I have gone through many transitions recently, most notably moving out of Lons-le-Saunier last week (and leaving behind precious kitty and friends). It was a bittersweet end as I looked over the year’s events. The church is looking ahead to their new pastor’s arrival in August, but I ask you to continue to pray that their worship and interactions with each other will be Spirit-led and that the new pastor will give them solid spiritual guidance.
Entering my final month in Lons, I was wondering what the purpose of my work there had been, when God reminded me that my personal evaluation of my situation does not often reflect His! How humbling to remember that I do not need to question His purposes for me and the people around me, regardless of the outcome. Some of you have already heard my story about my Italian friend Gloria, but I will retell it here for those who haven’t. Gloria moved in with my friend Alisha about six weeks ago and visited our church at Alisha’s invitation. Coming from a non-practicing Catholic background, she had many questions about our faith. The following weekend, I was taking a trip to Geneva and felt that I should invite her along, sensing that God had big plans for her if she decided to come.


At the last minute, she called to say that she might as well come. During the drive there, we talked about what it means to have salvation by faith in Jesus, a new concept to her. Throughout the weekend, she had various conversations with Christian friends and joined us for church on Sunday. Afterwards, she told me that she had been crying during the service and really wanted to understand more. On the drive back to Lons, we spent the whole hour and a half discussing what it means to know Jesus and receive His gift of salvation. She was so eager to hear the truth, saying that she had always felt God’s presence in her life, but did not know how to connect with Him. Finally, I asked her if she wanted to make this personal decision for herself and pray. She quickly said that she did, so we pulled the car over and prayed together. What a joyful moment!

Since then, we have met a few times to study the Bible together. She is so hungry to know more and often asked when we could talk more about the Bible. The first time we had a Bible study, my friend Alisha joined in and we all really sensed the Holy Spirit leading our conversations. The second time, their third roommate Nadia, a Muslim girl, also decided to stick around drawn by the worship songs we were singing. We were reading John 2 and had a chance to talk about Jesus as God and Messiah. Please pray for Nadia’s growing acceptance of this truth! Pray also for Gloria’s deepening faith. She has such a desire to learn and to know Jesus more personally, but she is intimidated by reading the Bible on her own. She is just a baby in her faith, but I trust the Lord to bring more believers across her path to guide her, particularly since I am no longer in Lons to meet with her regularly. Through all of this, however, I was greatly encouraged by what God continues to do, even when I was beginning to lose hope.

After a couple of days of packing and cleaning, I said good-bye to Lons to join a short-term team hosting VBS in Lyon with our ICC church partners. What a tiring, but satisfying week! They had expected between 20-30 French & Anglophone children, but they ended up having over 40 children! And God was at work again the lives of little children. Even better, my life-long dream was realized when I got to be the Craft Lady for the week and make fun things with them like pot holders, visors, and key chains.  They heard the Gospel in various ways, through songs, lessons, the Color Gospel and games. It was also special to see our ICCL team in action and be encouraged by their dedication and faith.

I am now on my way to Marseille where the ministry team will continue multiple projects over the next week. At the same time, I will join Dan Painter there and continue working on all of the exciting projects that God is presenting to us for ICC. ICC-Eurasia is charging ahead as a non-profit in fund-raising and organization. ICCM will host a Family Summer Fun day on the 21st, encouraging local families to get involved with the ministry. Please continue to pray for these many aspects of ICC and for the discernment and energy needed to carry them out. It is such an honor for me to participate and see God leading us along the way!

Finally, I want to thank you for your continuing encouragement and faithfulness in prayer and in support throughout this year. My time with Global Outreach and ICC will officially be ending this summer, so please remember to hold your financial support starting in August. Also, please note that I can no longer be reached at my address in Lons-le-Saunier. I am still waiting to know God’s direction for me in this upcoming year and I appreciate your fervent prayers for my next step in serving and surrendering to Him. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field” (Luke 10:2). I look forward to updating you soon on how He leads. Meanwhile, I pray that He continues to draw each of us into a more intimate knowledge of Him.

Love in Christ,

Ashley Erdmann

Richard's June newsletter

Dearest friends,

Happy summer time! It has been exactly six months now since I arrived in Geneva. Even though there has been a lot of transitioning (I have had to move six times in the past six months!) I feel really blessed to be here. Thank you all for having made this possible through your prayers, encouragement and financial support. I look forward to serving the Lord and continuing this faith adventure with you all.

Geneva Soup Kitchen

In recent months, I have been able to help out with one of the local soup kitchens in Geneva. This month, our church was in charge of cooking a lunch for over a hundred homeless people. On the menu were chicken, rice and salad with a chocolate dessert (of course!) It was also a good opportunity to sit down and talk to these people, where every day is a struggle in getting by. We hope to develop relationships with them as we look to be more actively involved in the soup kitchen.

Paris Project

In partnership with Agape France (CCC), Bill and I were invited up to Paris to participate in a two-week project which aimed to engage students in various activities. We were asked to do a humanitarian piece, where we presented the organisation’s vision in getting students involved in humanitarian work. We organised 2 ‘Soirees J’ai faim’ as an outreach to the homeless community. Again, it was so encouraging to see students turn out in great numbers to serve.

At the end of my visit to Paris, we rented out a cinema hall in one of the Marriott hotels. We projected a series of short-films and then had open discussions which were related to life and faith. At the end of the evening I got to share about our upcoming trip to Jordan. People were very responsive to the ‘Shoes for Smiles’ project where more and more socks and shoes are being provided for poor Bedouin kids.


Exciting summer schedule

Back in Geneva, things have been really busy as I make final preparations for various summer projects over the next month and a half:
- 5th - 15th July: I will be leaving for a staff conference in Thailand :
- 21st July - 1st August: I will be co-leading humanitarian trip to Jordan where we will be helping Iraqi refugees and Bedouin families, including the'Shoes for Smiles' project.
- 1st - 16th August: I will then be helping to lead a two and a half week bus trip across France. We will have 20 Spanish students with us as we engage in humanitarian projects in Marseille, Paris and Toulouse.

I am really excited to be part of this and look forward to sharing with you all about what the Lord is doing. My next newsletter will probably be in a couple of months but I can’t wait to keep you informed.

Prayer requests

• That the Lord will give me strength and peace in the midst of a hectic schedule.
• That the Lord will be glorified in all the projects that we are involved in.
• For the Lord’s hand to protect us and encourage us.
• That God would continue to provide me with monthly support.

I pray that you all have a blessed and refreshing summer break.

In Christ’s love,

Richard

Ashley's May Newsletter

“He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” - Psalm 23:3

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I am praying this month that the Lord would give me eyes to see what He is doing around me in Lons and that He would continually guide me in paths of righteousness. I already feel that I am ‘switching gears’ as I look ahead to my upcoming projects and locations, but I am also trying to invest myself completely in Lons with my remaining month here.

The church is also fighting to ‘keep in step with the Spirit’ despite its many obstacles. I think many of them are still confused by the pastor’s leaving, but their hearts are genuinely seeking to honor the Lord. Recently, they hosted a children’s ‘Revival’ with the local Catholic church in an effort to reach out to the neighborhood children, as well as their parents. There were between 40-50 people present! This was an exciting activity and I ask for your prayers that connections made with these families will grow. Please pray also that this church would demonstrate the Body of Christ to the community in their relationships with one another and with others.

It is sad to think of saying good-bye at the end of the month to the friends I have made here. I plan to spend time with my French colleague Alice and her family before leaving and I hope to have more opportunities to share with her about my faith before I go. Please pray that God will prepare her heart to hear His word. Before I finish teaching, I am also trying to organize a party with all the students I have taught this year (about 150 of them!). I would love to invite them all to visit at the church during the week for an ‘American-themed’ party and also have more of a chance to share my love for them in Christ. Please pray that God will make this initiative a possibility and that He will bless my time with them.

I just returned from a weekend in Marseille. The time I spent there is making me more and more excited about the events taking place--the new church and the ICC movement as a whole. As much as it is important for me to make the most of my time in Lons, I am starting to pray that God will guide me in His paths during my upcoming time in Marseille. Once I finish teaching at the end of June, I will move down to Marseille to focus on various ICC summer activities and the Marseille church development. There is so much to share with you!

God has been providing and going before us with ICC in so many ways. We have been offered a place in Marseille to use as an office, which has required lots of renovation and cleaning, but it is truly a blessing to have some office space! The Painters are still expecting to sign very soon on the building that will become the ICC headquarters. This is still a walk of faith because, though God has provided the property despite many obstacles, it all still depends on the financial support to come in.

Knowing the need for a church to reach out to internationals in Marseille, we have been taking steps to begin a church there. This was the major reason for my time spent there this weekend. We hosted the first ICCM worship service Sunday evening, held in a French church, which has offered us the use of their building. It was followed by a Mexican-theme dinner where we had a chance to connect with the people who came. Please pray for this expanding ministry and the people that God will call to be a part of it. We want first and foremost to serve the Lord by meeting people’s spiritual needs in Marseille and across Europe.

When I move down to Marseille in July, I will be focusing on this growing church movement and the administrative work to be done. I really appreciate all of your prayers concerning my time there and the advancement of His work. I look forward to keeping you updated soon on what God has in store. We know that He is always at work and I don’t want to miss out on it! I remain deeply grateful for your partnership and prayer support that makes this possible.

Richard's May newsletter

Fat Fridays

At the beginning of the month, I was invited by the church I attend to give a presentation on our organisation to the youth group there which is called, ‘Fat Fridays’. The theme of the night was “Jesus and the poor” and how God calls us to share His love with the poor and needy in practical ways. The church was littered with cardboard boxes that the kids had brought over to sleep in at the church so as to empathize with the homeless. There were about 80 kids in all and it was so encouraging to see them wanting to live out their faith. We had some small group discussions with the kids and I was deeply encouraged to see that they have a passion to make compassion and reaching out to the poor a part of their daily lives.

Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you…

This month was also our staff retreat where we went for a couple of days to a lovely French village just outside of Geneva. As the Crowded House song goes I certainly brought the British weather with me as it rained non-stop for two days! This made for good team-bonding though! One of our staff members led us through a strength development program and how we can maximize our strengths and talents to best serve and function as an organisation.

‘Shoes for Smiles’


Things at work are moving on at quite a pace. We have started recruiting for our summer project July 21st – 31st to Jordan where we will have people from Hong Kong, US and Europe joining our team to bring help and hope to Iraqi and other refugees living there. One of our newer projects there will be ‘Shoes for Smiles’ where we will be distributing shoes to the poor children in the Bedouin desert. The families of these poor children live in such need that they either have the choice of buying food or shoes for the children. So most of the children walk around and play in bare feet on the hard, burning surface of the desert and streets. For $11 dollars (8 €), a pair of shoes and socks can be bought for a child. We held a concert in Paris which also helped raise funds towards these shoes. If you like, you too can consider helping before July 3rd. We will be able to help offer as many shoes as the team members and others raise for this great opportunity to bring help and hope.
Please contact me at rch197@hotmail.com and I can send you the giving information.



‘El bus solidari’

The humanitarian bus project is reaching an exciting stage as well. For those of you who don’t know, a group of Spanish students and myself are hiring a bus leaving from Barcelona which will tour the cities of Marseille, Paris and Toulouse. We will be partnering with organisations in these cities and assisting them in their social and humanitarian projects. The project will last just over two weeks and so far we have around 25 Spanish students who have volunteered! All partners are working hard as we make final arrangements for projects and housing. I am very excited for this chance to grow as this is totally a new venture for all of us – be praying with us as we step out in faith.

Finally, in Geneva this month we had the ‘Fête de la Réforme’ (Reformation Festival). Many of the churches in Geneva regrouped at the Cathedral in the old town for a joint service. It was a fantastic day with thousands of people attending.

I thank you all for all your prayers, words of encouragement and support. With your partnership Hope and Help are being brought to those who so desperately need it. You are such a blessing!

I would really appreciate your prayers in the following:

• Projects in Jordan and bus trip (Jordan is from the 21st – 31st July and the bus trip is from the 1st- 16th August). That the Lord would give us wisdom and peace in bringing everything together.

• Deeper love and knowledge of Our Lord. There is so much in my daily life that can keep me from special time with the Lord. My desire is to spend more time in prayer and His Word.

• Support. The Lord has provided with over ¾ of my total need. I am so indebted to Him for His amazing provision. Please pray that I will trust in Him for the remainder.