Update from the Avadaneis

Hello friends,

We hope your spring routines are going well, and you can enjoy the birds, flowers, and all of God's green creation. :)

We've been getting used to a slower pace, as Rebecca is 7 months pregnant (its a girl!:) and is doing less. May will be even less activities as she will resign from most of the English lessons (she has been going 3x/week but will start back up in the fall) and will just help with planning. We are preparing things for the hospital and necessary document. We are also preparing for our youth camp here, (baby will be a month old, so Rebecca may stay home...:) We've already picked the leaders, and started meeting with them at our church. We've picked the theme "God Cares" and the verse from Jeremiah 29:11. Each day, we will learn from subcategories: God cares for you, your sins, your relationships, your sufferings, and your future. We are still looking for sponsors for our camp. The donation is $120/camper. We need a total of 65 full sponsorships to cover the participants, leaders, and materials. So far, we have 14. We want to take 65 participants and 20 leaders. Some of the participants will be paying half their wa, (that is those from our church), and some will not pay at all. The breakdown of participants will be similar to last year, with some being from the Elena Doamna, Ion Creanga, Casa Ray Orphanages; some from poor villages; and some from church. Send checks to: My Brother's Keeper Ministries, PO Box 11, Roxbury PA 17251 and write "Avadanei Summer Camp 2016" on memo line. Thank you for your help !

If you would like to come to Romania to serve with your group, there are 2 options this summer: come with the Heisey's VBS team to Casa Ray Orphanage, or join us at our week of camp. Email me if interested. Check out our blog if you haven't been in awhile! We've made some changes including pictures and stats! ;)

UMCOR Aid for Syrian Refugees

In a district north of Damascus, the Syrian capital, UMCOR is working with a trusted regional partner, International Blue Crescent (IBC), to supply some 1,000 displaced families with urgently needed food packages.

For the full article or to donate, click here.

Al & Mickey Williams Praise Bulletin: April 20

Al & Mickey serve Wycliffe Bible Translators from Elizabethtown, Pa.

PRAISE ITEMS:

1.    The Reality of Easter– As we celebrated Easter this year, I (Al) was reminded of Easter Sundays gone by and the wonderful reality of the gift we have been given in our risen Lord.

I was especially reminded of a trip I made to Bangladesh that allowed me to be there for Easter Sunday and to attend a Sunrise Service with several hundred Bangladeshi believers. It was quite moving for me to be in that majority Muslim country and know that in addition to those I was with, there were many more gatherings around the city of Dhaka and throughout the country celebrating our Lord. A very moving testimony to the Gospel spreading throughout this land.

I hope your Easter celebration was a wonderful reminder of our Lord’s completed work on the cross and the joy and hope that brings. I know it is for my friends in Bangladesh.

2.  SAFETY DURING A STORM – The other week Al and I were driving to church for the Wednesday evening prayer meeting. It was raining when we left home, but within minutes we found ourselves in the middle of a severe thunderstorm with blinding rain and strong winds. Suddenly a telephone pole fell to a 45 degree angle in front of us and then bounced back up, allowing us to pass by unharmed. If the pole had fallen a moment later, we might not be here to tell the story!

Several days later, I took these photos to document God’s hand of protection in our lives. Later, when looking at the photos on my computer, I was in awe at how God had actually left His ‘mark’ at the scene (i.e. the cross in the picture to the left -  below the orange flag / to the left of the pole) to confirm that HE was the one who had spared our lives! Thanks so much for your prayers! They are effective!

PRAYER ITEMS:  

1.    MICHIGAN IN APRIL AND MAY – In just a few days we will be on our way to Michigan. We greatly appreciate our many friends, family and supporters who call Michigan home and are looking forward to visiting with as many of you as possible. We will also be at the following churches during this trip.

April 27 – May 1      Five Points Community Church, Auburn Hills, MI
May 9                        Colonial Village Baptist Church, Lansing, MI
May 15                      Evangelical Free Church, Cass City, MI
May 22                      Caro First Baptist Church, Caro, MI

We will greatly appreciate your prayers for safety in travel and good health for both of us during these days of travel.

2.  MICKEY’S HEALTH – For the past couple of months I have had episodes of dizziness and vertigo almost daily. Allergies are part of the problem but the doctor feels my need to gain more weight is also a big factor. I find it difficult / challenging to get all the calories they say I need daily, because of other medical issues and food allergies that I have. Your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated!

3.  MICKEY’S DAD – We praise God that my Dad’s health has been reasonably good and we would ask you to join us in praying that it would stay that way while Al and I are in Michigan for a month. Dad really enjoys the rolling walker he got last December and uses it to go for walks around the outside of the entire Mennonite Home facility when the weather is good. Thanks to your prayers, and his diligent practice, he has even been able to play his guitar more to lead singing and to entertain the other residents. We praise God!

Latest News from UMCOR

In this issue of the UMCOR Hotline, learn about UMCOR’s partnership with the Malawi United Methodist Church to provide food relief to communities affected by drought; and watch a video produced by UMCOR partner GlobalMedic on our joint response to flooding in India.

NEWS:
Alleviating hunger in Malawi
India Flood Response

For the full newsletter, click here.

A Thank You from The Seekers

The Seekers small group would like to say "Thank You" to everyone who donated food items to The Conestoga Food Bank outreach project. The food bank is currently serving 30 Penn Manor families in need. We are overwhelmed by your generosity and willingness to partner with us in this outreach effort. Last week we delivered just under 450 nonperishable food items and $61 in cash donations to the food bank. The cash donations will provide milk and bread for the families.

We are truly grateful for your help in meeting the needs of the food bank. Once again, The Seekers and The Conestoga Food Bank say "Thank You".

We are BETTER TOGETHER!
Blessings, The Seekers