Merry Christmas

As we continually consider how best to minister despite covid, we are at times surprised at God’s providence!

We truly thought that our Christmas outreach would be severely curtailed. We were hindered from promoting the outreach as the two city festivals were cancelled this year. As the donations started coming in, our feelings of resignation went from hopefulness, to excitement to jubilation as the Lord provided by moving hearts of the people living in our county. Our total was 774 gifts, which is 64 above our total from last year! God doesn’t need us; He just chooses to use us for His glory.

Please pray as we endeavor to get the gospel out during lockdown. The powers-that-be have tightened the regulations, but we are thankful that we are permitted to hold services. We are passing out tracts door to door. Chelli came up with the great idea of a manger scene in front of our house. She pulled out her pattern file that she created for one of Mitte Mitchell’s classes during our Bible College days and I enlarged them with an overhead projector onto some plywood that I had recovered from pallets. Now we have a manger scene proclaiming the Lord’s birth in front our abode. Please check out the Sudbrock Scoop on Facebook for pictures.

My outreach in the school has become restrictive as the Covid rules don’t allow for such a large group to assemble. I attempted using Zoom, but the internet connection at the school is not adequate to broadcast into each room simultaneously. Facebook live was out of the question for multiple reasons. My only option was to create 5 min devotion videos and load them up to the school’s server. The teachers then use them at will.

With the lack of the live services, you naturally feel a disconnect. A blessing came when one of the teachers approached Chelli and asked her to thank me for the devotions. It was a simple straight forward Christmas presentation of the gospel, closed with a sinner’s prayer for salvation. The teacher said, “Tell Paul the devotion was great. I referred to it repeatedly, all day long with my class!” What a blessing to be used of the Lord.

Skyler’s final surgery was a success. It will take some time to heal, but along with his wife, Eva, we were able to pick him up at the Charité Hospital in Berlin and bring him back to his apartment. We are so thankful for the Lord’s healing. Please pray as he adjusts to his “New Normal”. His body must train his newly converted section of small intestine to do the job of a large intestine. He is young. The doctors are positive. And our God is good.

A special thanks for the special offerings, especially during these uncertain times.
So thankful for all you do to help us do what we do,

The Sudbrock Family

Many inquired about our international travel experience.  We were able to travel to America, being American citizens.  We could travel back to Germany, as we are German residents.

Chelli, Sadie, and I were required to get tested upon arrival with the possibility of a 2-week quarantine.   Thankfully, we tested negative and did not need to quarantine.

As I traveled back to Germany almost a month after Chelli and Sadie, I was fortunate to have a non–invasive test. Chelli and Sadie endured the more uncomfortable COVID test.

Within two weeks I was on a class trip with the two fifth grade classes and two seventh grade classes.  Usually, you try and wear them out the first two days, so they sleep at night, but because of COVID restrictions, every group came for one night.  Therefore, every night was the first night for three nights in a row. Such a schedule means little sleep for teachers and counselors.

I taught the kids how to make paracord bracelets using:

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Every knot they tied, they quoted this verse as I taught the gospel, starting from the need of repentance to the faith in God’s gracious salvation in Jesus.  Everyone who made a bracelet heard the gospel multiple times and has a bracelet to remind them of the need to repent and to believe.  Please pray that the planted seed will bear fruit.

As our city festivals were cancelled due to COVID, we have been creatively striving to find other ways of spreading the good news.  We have stepped up door to door tract deliveries and 5 min Facebook devotions.  Thankfully the school has remained open.

I am very open to video conferencing.  I have found an incredible OT Missions text I would love to share with your church!

Please check out the Sudbrock Scoop on Facebook.

A special thanks for the Special offerings.  So thankful for all you do to help us do what we do,

The Sudbrock Family  

In August, we landed in Des Moines, IA, and attended our home church the following Sunday.  We the hugged family as Chelli, Samantha, Serenity and Sadie would not be going back to IA for at least 2 years.

Then travel to and spend the night near KC with some great friends.  The next day we traveled to meet with Serenity’s dog trainer and then on to Springfield, MO.  The next morning onto some good friends in Nashville and the following day onto Knoxville to stay with our supporting church, Southside Baptist. 

In the morning, we travelled to Toccoa, Ga and stayed for a week to help Samantha get settled into her new position as resident assistant at Piedmont U in Demorest. 

After saying goodbye to Samantha, we travelled to Somerset, KY, and zoomed a meeting with Oak Hill Baptist. 

The following Monday we Travelled to Ashland, OH, staying at Chelli’s home church, First Baptist.  We visited family, churches and supporters during that week.

We then spent a few days in PA visiting new and old friends.  We then travelled over the mountains to Lynchburg, VA.  Thanks to our kids’ successes in school and scholarships, specifically the Missionary scholarship offered by LU, Serenity can study Bio-Tech.   After a week of helping Serenity settle in, Chelli and Sadie said their goodbyes and I took them to the airport in Roanoke, VA.  A few more days, churches and new friends, I said goodbye to my second daughter and left for Cincinnati, OH.

I stayed with one of the greatest soul winners I know, Charles Proud and his wonderful wife.  Wednesday I was at Bro Whitecotton’s church in Indianapolis, IN.  I then travelled on to the Chicago area to stay with some great friends.  Due to Covid, some churches were not open or could not have an itinerate missionary report.

I then travelled back to IA, meeting with pastors, churches, friends and family.  The trip was over 6000 driven miles besides the flights.  Many a goodbye along the way.  Can’t wait until we abolish that word in heaven!  

It has been two weeks and a few days since my return to Germany.  We are back in full swing. 

I am very open to video conferencing.  I have found an incredible OT Missions text I would love to share with your church!

Please check out the Sudbrock Scoop on Facebook.

A special thanks for the Special offerings.  So thankful for all you do to help us do what we do,

The Sudbrock Family   July- Sept

This year has been extraordinary. The opportunities to share the gospel have been astounding. Before Corona struck, Skyler was in and out of the hospital. During one of these hospitalizations, I was asked to preach the funeral of a man whose wife had befriended Skyler on the bus when he was in the fifth grade. This family honored me with the opportunity to walk them through the very difficult time of letting go of the head of their family. I was allowed to comfort the family with the gospel and the hope that Christ offers all who believe. About 30 people attended. Many met with me afterwards to talk about the message and share their gratitude. My father ministered to so many un-churched throughout his years by preaching funerals for non-church goers. He was well-known in our little town in Iowa thanks to his willingness to serve.

Skyler was unable to attend due to his weakened state. He has since had the operation in which they removed his large intestine. Due to Corona we were not able to be with him in the hospital, but God was there the whole time.

Upon Skyler's release from the Hospital post operation and due to the ban on weddings during the Corona lockdown he and Eva married via Skype. A dear friend performed the service. It produced one of the best wedding videos. Skyler is our first to marry. Our prayer is for his further recovery and the Lord's blessings in their union.

At the onset of the pandemic, we started several new outreaches. Chelli and the girls started to churn out face masks. We purchased a portable DVD player to assist our shut-in church people with Christian videos. Our church library is very active, and our faithful ministry vehicle serves as a bookmobile. We, like many other churches, have utilized Facebook to minister to our congregation. The added plus of the corona lockdown is that people who haven't attended in years have been watching our services on Facebook along with many others who have never attended.

Chelli has continued to keep her students in homework via internet. She has also started a ministry of shopping for elderly.

The 10th grade went back to school last week in preparation for finals. I was asked to lead off their first day back with chapel service. The main point was that our identity is not found in our success or failure, but in Christ alone. We have value because He created us and gave Himself for us on the cross. Our real value is in the eyes of the Lord.

Serenity is attending college this fall. Her major is Bio-Tech. Due to Asperger’s, she needs a service dog to warn her and take care of her during an episode. We are trying to raise the $5500 needed for this new adventure. Sadie made a video outlining the need (https://bit.ly/3bX0T6h). We are also posting regular updates on our Facebook page.

A special thanks for the Special offerings. So thankful for all you do to help us do what we do,

The Sudbrock Family

StripminiThis year at our Youth New Year’s Banquet, Chelli had the idea of writing our “resolutions” in letter form to ourselves to be opened in the next year.  After a quiet time of writing each young person was given a long-lasting sparkler with the instruction to go out into the night and talk to God about the contents of the letter.  A resolution are simple words on paper that are so easy to ignore, misplace or forget.  God is an ever-abiding person who will remain, guide and remind.

So next year when we open the letter, will we have succeeded?  What is the measure?

The Bible says that godliness with contentment is great gain.  The World judges by a different standard.  Christ’s example of the rich man and Lazarus is a clear definer between the two.  We as Christ-followers are to take up the cross and follow Him.  Dying to self is a daily process of letting God have His way in us. His measure of success is to be our pattern.

October finished up with the Wittenberg City Festival.  We set up our booth, passed out tracts, gave away books and, literature and communicated the Gospel to as many as would hear.

Our Christmas outreach was a great success.  We set a record for shoe boxes packed.  We pleasantly heard back from not only a recipient, but an old friend from the first church we worked in here in Germany.  He is now in Lithuania working in a church planting mission.  He was so excited that Christmas boxes from churches in Germany were opening doors to share the Gospel in eastern European.  

I was given the opportunity to send the entire student body off on Christmas break with a Christ-centered salvation message.  God blessed beyond expectation.  Whenever you are standing for Christ, you will have winds of dissension or competition.  God miraculously stopped those.  Almost like,” wind, be still.”

God spoke, and people were touched.  God is good!

This weekend, I have been asked to participate in selecting new students for our next school year.  Please pray that God sends us the students that He would have us minister to.  

So thankful for all you do to help us do what we do,

The Sudbrock Family  

Nov-Jan

In August, I took Samantha to the states. She officially left the nest. It was hard on me as a dad. Samantha was like, "Bye Daddy, see ya later." This Dad shed many a tear on the way from OH to GA watching my little girl driving with her little sister in my rearview mirror, especially since Samantha hadn't had much of a chance to develop the needed driving skills to drive through cities on the scale of Columbus and Cincinnati.

She is staying in a wonderful home built to help missionary kids transition from the mission field to America. They were a great help and relieved a lot of my "letting go" angst.
I am very grateful for the special offerings for our car needs, my father in law's assistance in acquiring a good first car for Samantha's launch into college life, and the many people praying and helping along the way.

As life changes, one must grow and change as well.  We graduated from Bible College in 91 and 94 respectively. We were approved in 93 and I hit the deputation road as Chelli finished her last year of College.  We arrived in Germany February of 1995.  It was a fast track.  We have enjoyed serving the Lord.

A year and a half ago, we realized the need to step into serious personal development in order to grow with the ministry here.  Chelli worked so hard and obtained her Master’s in Education all the while not dropping the ball in the myriad of outreaches, we are involved in.  She is a Super Woman and she doesn’t need a big SW to prove it. 

I stepped into the mind twisting realm of Biblical Hebrew. In just 8 weeks from now, I will finish my second year of Hebrew.  We are thankful that we were able to continue our education while continuing to minister here in Wittenberg.  The benefits of such furthered education are seen daily in our effectiveness.  We are thankful that God enabled us to keep the expense of this extra training at a minimum.  Please pray with us as we work to fully pay off our extra educational costs.  Any assistance is greatly appreciated and can be earmarked for ministry education.

18 Students, 4 Adults, 3 days, 60 Kilometers times two.hikeweb

I was invited to go backpacking with both of the 7th grade classes.  I was asked to give the opening and closing devotions for the two trips. Such an opportunity to give the good news to a whole class is not to be denied!

I oversaw the young men.  It was such a privilege to speak God’s truth into their lives in word and deed.  It was also a physical challenge.  I have not spent that much time on my feet since pheasant hunting in my youth.

The lesson is to first know Christ and then to trust him for the long haul. It is not about what we can do.  Our “can-do” is very quickly and properly expressed in the phrase, I can’t.  Acknowledging our inability and repenting of leaving God out is the only logical response to the rigors of life. Only then, are we able, in faith, to fall into the Savior’s nail pierced hands. He alone can save.

-an interesting phrase. It comes from German. It is also where we get the word “Wit”. (Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary, "A.S. wíse, orig. wiseness; Ger. weise; akin to wise (1) and wit. Doublet guise" ) It is more than simply “in this manner”. We also use a form of it in Clockwise. The clock was a huge technological leap in engineering. The German word knowledge (Wissen) also belongs to this family as well as many other commonly used words.
On this wise”, leads to the reality that God is knowingly guiding how life unfolds. He has control, even when we believe otherwise. (Every pun is intended!)

Ro 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

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