Valerie Roth
June 22, 2007
Germany YES TeamLetter #32

Dear Family and Friends,

Today as I sit and type this letter, our team is full of excitement and anticipation, because tomorrow we leave for VACATION!!!!! After much discussion a few months ago, we picked our vacation destination, and it´s hard to believe that the time to leave is here. Tomorrow morning we will hop on a train (actually, by the end of the journey, it will be about 5 trains) and head north to the island of Rügen, on the Baltic Sea. We rented an apartment there for a week and are really looking forward to relaxing and spending time together, just having fun. We return on Saturday, the 30th, in the evening.

Last evening Eric and I had the chance to spend some time with some friends from inlingua (the language school where we taught until May). A couple from the Czech Republic, Ronald and Martina, are moving back to the Czech and so there was a going away party for them. A lot of the people we hadn´t seen for over a month and it was really nice to see them again. At one point I looked around the table of about 17 people and realized how amazing it was that we were there. There were Germans, Americans, and Canadians, but each of those people had been to other places because of teaching English. And there Eric and I were, plopped in the middle of this group, where only about 5 others were believers, 3 of them being other missionaries from Soli Deo. Because of my 3 months of teaching English, I now am connected to these other people, and I pray that something I said or did there might impact someone and draw them a little closer to Jesus. On our way out last night, Eric asked Ronald if he could pray for him as they are leaving. Eric expected Ronald to say no, that there are too many people around, but instead, Ronald responded with, " YES! YES! Please! No one has ever prayed for me before!" Eric prayed, and even when he finished, Ronald was still amazed, and said again that no one had ever prayed for him before. Now Ronald has had someone pray for him, all because Eric responded to the Spirit´s nudging.

PRAISES:
-it`s vacation time!
-Shaina made it back safely from Africa, and had an amazing time

REQUESTS:
-for nice weather on our vacation. We have heard that at the Baltic Sea, you either have amazing weather, or terrible weather, no in between!
-that we as a team can enjoy just laughing and playing together
-that Ronald and his wife Martina would come to know Jesus

For the team,
Valerie

Eric Roth

Germany YES Team Letter #31

June 16, 2007

Greetings in Jesus' Name! It is very hard to believe that this is the last Germany YES Team letter that I will ever write. As I reflect back on the last seven months that I have been here in Germany, I am amazed at the goodness of God and how He has cared for us as a team. Looking back at the time, it feels like we have done a lot of work (moving people, painting, pulling weeds, etc.), but it also feels like we have hardly done any work. We have't led thousands to Christ or built churches, but we have done what God has called us here to do. He has called us to plow the hard ground (with prayer), to plant seeds, and to be an encouragement to the Christians that are serving Him here in Halle. As a look at our time here, I am not surprised by what God has done. Even though most people go into missions with the desire to "change the world", they come out being more changed than the culture where they have served. I am not denying that God has done a lot through us here, but I have seen immense change and growth in my team, as a result of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

Here are just a few of the things that I have personally seen the Lord doing in the team's lives. I have seen Val grow in her leadership abilities and in her boldness, whether it is sharing with someone or confronting someone. The biggest growth that I have seen in Val is in her love for reading God's Word. She has also become an even more amazing wife, if that is possible. : ) I have seen Brent grow in being able to say "no" to things that he does not want to do, and being a man of his word. The biggest growth that I have seen though is in his Bible reading and prayer times. Seeing his love for reading God's Word and always being in prayer has been a real encouragement for me. I have seen Janae grow in her leadership abilities and in taking initiative. I think that she is and is becoming a very good leader. I have seen Jen grow in her identity in Christ. I have seen her faith become her own and not what someone else has told her. She believes what she believes because she has read it in the Bible. I have seen Shaina become a great encourager. She is always offering encouragement to others. I have also seen her grow immensely in her guitar and piano playing. Especially guitar, since she did not know how to play before YES. Also, her worship leading is a gift that she is growing in as well. I think that she will become and is becoming a very good worship leader. As a whole, I have seen the team grow in their devotional time, knowing what they believe, and why they believe what they believe. I have seen three young ladies become Women of God, and a young man become a Man of God. I praise the Lord that I have been able to see my team's growth, to see the Holy Spirit do His work, and to play a small role in their lives. I am so excited to see the amazing things that God will do in each of their lives.

Praises:

- team unity

- our vacation is a week away

Prayer:

- safety for Shaina as she travels home(Germany) from Ghana

- I still have some pain in my back

- good closure

- safety in travels

- team unity

In Christ,

Eric Roth

Shaina Stutzman Germany Team Letter #29 June 9, 2007 Greetings!! This week we had four Americans from southern USA come and visit and share with us. They were all over 60 years of age and came with some Baptist organization located in Texas although they were from Louisiana and North Carolina, I believe. We had a good time interacting, sharing, and praying together. Also at the beginning of this week, Eric, Val, and Brent went with the Americans (I guess Eric, Val, and Brent are Americans too, aren't they..) to Wittenburg where Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis' on the door of a church. They had a fun time going there and spending time together, I'm told. While they were in Wittenburg, Jen and I got the chance to go with two of our German friends to a Christian concert in Eisleben, the birth place of Martin Luther. The group is actually from America and is called, "Lost and Found." We got to see Martin Luther's death house and "birth house" (the original burnt, but this was a remake, I guess :), and the place where he gave his last sermon. It was very interesting and we had so much fun interacting with our German friends, Carol and Uve. We are currently still working on the stairway at the church building and it's finally coming to look like we actually did something on it!! It's a whole lot more rewarding when it actually looks like you did something on a project you've been working on for a long time. :) We also cleaned up one of the apartment in the building because they will have a renter come in August or so!! Praise the Lord!! This really helps out the church financially. Today at church, Jen preached for the first time ever!!! She really has an obvious gift and God blessed us through her today. She spoke on how big God is and how little we can make Him to us sometimes. She was so blessed by the positive feedback she got from the congregation as well. God has really been expanding a lot of our gifts here and has given us opportunities to use them in ways we may have not had the confidence to back home. Praise the Lord for His ever-present faithfulness!!! Praises: -God really spoke through Jen when she preached and it went really well. -God continues to give us opportunities to expand our gifts. -God also continues to give us closer friendships with the people here. -Doors are opening up for Janae for when she returns home to the States. -Team unity Prayer Requests: -Pray for the whole team as many of us are going to different places this next week. Especially for safety as we all will be traveling. And for unity when we all unite again. -Brent would like your prayers for more of a confidence in the different situations he finds himself in. -For God to be fully revealed in us all the time. And that we would be a reflection of Him to everyone. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. And remember, we never get tired of snail mail, emails, or phone calls!! It's such a blessing to here from those back home. God Bless you all!!! -Shaina Stutzman