Cernier, November 2005

Dear friends

Soon, it will be Christmas. It’s an opportunity to write to you.

I hope you are well and I’m looking forward to receiving some news of you, too.

This year has brought times of changes and excitement: In October our 2 big ones have moved out of the house.

Rebecca is studying Education (no longer Philosophy) and Psychology at the University of Neuchâtel. She longed for some independence and found a shared apartment. As she has a part time job, working in a supermarket, she's earned some money which allowed her to pay her driving licence and now to be able to live on her own.

Marcus is studying criminology in Lausanne. He's found a studio. He's working for a security company, often in the week-ends, which allows him to pay his driving licence, (he will be going for the permit very soon), and also to finance a part of his studies.

That means all of a sudden 2 children less in the house. Well, I guess, it isn't that sudden, I had some time (years) to prepare, to release them and hand them over to the Lord.

Michael loves his apprenticeship as an Informaticien (computer etc.) so much, that sometimes being very busy he forgets to come home for lunch. Of course, he is very happy to earn some money.

Christopher has still 2 years to go before deciding which direction to take. I think he will take a scientific orientation. In the autumn holidays he participated in 2 Christian camps. He liked them, he had some contact with other children and it kept him away from the computer for a while… He also attends a Christian youth group, a prayer group in his school and once a month a special course for Teenagers called, TILT, developed by YWAM.

André is preparing for some change, too. The foundation for which he was working was dismissed by the government of the canton. So his contract finishes at the end of the year. The canton has hired another company who will reemploy him in the New Year, but with a much lower salary. He will continue to work with the unemployed people. Times of shaking are ahead, but Jesus is in the boat. A brother in the Lord had the impression that the Lord is giving us new shock absorbers to be able to handle the shaking.

As for me, I have had the impression that the Lord wanted to use me again in worship and intercession. We recently had the first European tabernacle of worship in Switzerland, where worship groups from all over Europe attended. The Lord wants to raise altars of continual worship all over Europe. I'm in contact with a house of prayer in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which has the vision of covering the 24 hours of every day of the week. As it is said in revelation 5, the elders had a harp and a golden bowl of incense, in the house of prayer there are times of worship and times of intercession. They are opening chambers of prayer in our canton, each one covering at least 2 hours a week and praying for a theme that the Lord has put on the hearts of the intercessors for a period of 3 months, each. Our commitment is for one year. By now 40 hours of the week are covered. It's a good beginning. Since October, I have one of those chambers in our house. This house of prayer is in contact with the one in Kansas City (with Mike Bickle) and the one in Jerusalem (with Rick Ridings) and others in different countries.

Recently we attended a retreat for married couples. It did us good. In the beginning of December, we will finish our counselling course, which we attended for 3 years, with an exam. It was interesting to study and to work on ourselves, now the challenge is to be able to help others.

As to all the changes (some to our financial disadvantage) we are seeking the Lord for his will concerning the work and also the house we are renting now.

For Christmas, as we will still be in this big house, I’ve invited my family for the 3 days after Christmas. We will be about 20 persons. It’s the first time they will come, the other years it was always us who went up to Germany. I pray that the Lord will use this time for His glory.

I wish you a peaceful advent and a joyful Christmas.

Lots of love

Irene, André,

Marcus (Jean-Marc), Rebecca, Michael and Christopher