Laenger Letter - Winter '08

Greetings Friends and Family! We hope this letter finds you well. In our last letters to you, we shared our discovery of the wonderful opportunity to serve at Bethlehem Bible College and how astonished we were to find a community of evangelical Christians on the frontlines of God’s kingdom. Bethlehem is indeed a community that is need of support from Christians around the world as recent violence and religious oppression have taken an economic and spiritual toll on the small town. Bethlehem Bible College (BBC) is seeking to equip and train Palestinian born Christians to minister to Christians in the midst of these challenges. We believe that God has called us to come alongside of Bethlehem Bible College and the Christian community in Bethlehem to help them in this strategic mission.

Among the many ways we will come alongside BBC, one way is that we will be able to help the college by using our English skills to aid in general correspondence, grant writing, administration, or even updating the BBC website. BBC also offers English as a Second Language classes to their community. We will be able to teach English to any Palestinian (Christian or Muslim) who would take our class. In this context, we hope to build relationships with people in the community and have an opportunity to share the love of Christ. We hope to also support reconciliation ministries, especially ones that focus their efforts between Jewish & Palestinian Christians.

In addition to this, because many of the Christian workers at BBC cannot go into Israel proper due to their Palestinian citizenship, we will be able to move more freely between the border crossings to deliver and receive correspondence for the college and serve as drivers for airport pick-ups and drop-offs. Our ministry at BBC affords the college the opportunity to continue ministry without having to officially hire someone. Just our presence in the community will be encouraging as we act as advocates for Palestinian Christians. It will also assure them that they are a part of the global body of Christ and they have not been forgotten.

Many of you may be wondering why the dates and duration of our trip have changed. We decided to make these changes when we found out that Misty’s mom is battling breast cancer for the 2nd time. We wanted to be there for her as she began a new treatment and to be home for the holidays. Since we are officially in Israel as “tourists,” we will only be granted a 3-month visa and would have to fly out of the country at the end of three months anyway. We know that despite these seemingly discouraging obstacles the Lord has called us to Bethlehem for these months ahead and we will be faithful to answer that call. We can ask “Why now?” but even though we may not know the answer right now, we are excited to go and find it out. We will trust the Lord through these tough times. He is in control and has a purpose for our trip. If we simply obey and meet these Christians in their time of need, the Lord will present us with many opportunities to minister.

Many of you may also be wondering "Is it dangerous in Bethlehem?" but despite the massive amounts of bad news that come out of Israel, it is actually a relatively safe place. Regardless, we know that God is our Protector and our lives are in his hands.

Praise
Some friends exposed us to a ministry called EnTrust4 that seeks to train pastors & leaders in countries around the world
– an idea that has been close to our hearts for many years. Through God’s provision we were able to attend this enriching training.

Please Pray…
~For BBC, their leadership, & their ministries.
~For Christians that are in West Bank and Gaza.
~For our ministry this next spring.
~For Misty’s mom & family as they cope with this difficult circumstance. (Misty’s mom & dad have 10 children with 3 still at home, ages 6, 12, & 17.)
~For our preparations while being nomadic (without a home & moving from house to house) for longer than originally expected, dealing with the gravity of Misty’s mom condition, and traveling back and forth to Texas to be there for Misty’s family.
~For us to raise enough funds to cover our expenses to, during, and from Bethlehem.

Thank you for your prayer, support, and encouragement already given. We are grateful and thrilled to have such wonderful partners like you because we know it takes the entire body of Christ to fulfill the great commission.

Love and Prayers,

Aaron & Misty (Bellow) Laenger