Totzke Prayer Communique
Friday, August 29, 2003 11:30 AM
Dear Praying Friends,
We want to thank you for praying for us this summer while we
were in the Czech Republic. Answers to prayer were very
evident and came in all forms – Sylvia’s sister
Linda’s slow but steady recovery from the perforated
colon, safety for the teams coming from the US to do the
English camps, safety while traveling by metro, bus, and
trains to distribute Jesus film brochures, a good working
relationship with the Swains, and joy in our ministry were
all answers to your prayers.
Here are some of the highlights of what was accomplished
this summer:
· Helped to distribute over 7,500 Jesus film flyers in 10
towns surrounding Prague.
· 63 response cards have already been returned by people
requesting the Jesus film. In addition to the Jesus film,
they receive the book More Than a Carpenter, a Gospel of
John and a survey to complete after they view the film.
· Hosted three teams with a total of 30 people who came
from Wooster OH, Ashland OH, and Martinsburg PA Grace
Brethren Churches to teach the English camps.
· About 75 Czechs came to the English camps. We helped
teach the English camp with the Wooster team.
· Saw God answer prayer for Petr Masny whose wife divorced
him and didn’t permit him to see his two young sons for 15
months. The judge gave him visitation rights every other
weekend. He is grateful for your prayers. He is also
attending services at Swains.
· Sylvia was able to communicate in German and has a
desire to become more proficient in her second language.
· Our total expenses were $500 less than what we budgeted,
so we donated that $500 to the literature fund so that the
Swains can buy more Jesus film brochures, Jesus films, Four
Spiritual Laws booklets, and have the postage required to
send them.
To see more of the ministry in pictures, please view our
photo album on line at
http://groups.msn.com/TeamTotzke/pictures.
You may be wondering what’s in store for us now. As we
continued to pray and wait on God for His answers, we came
home energized to the ministry God has given us in urban
Columbus. Being involved in ministry here in the Short North
is very similar to ministry in the Czech Republic. All
people need to hear the gospel and to learn about Jesus. We
plan to continue making contacts, building relationships,
and sharing the good news that we have a Savior. The summer
confirmed that our ministry and life in Columbus is right
where God wants us to be now. To be involved in church
planting in the Czech Republic would require language skills
that would take us a minimum of four years to acquire. We
couldn’t possibly share Christ through an interpreter in a
meaningful way, but we can right here in our own culture.
Teammates are desperately needed for the Swains so that the
people who are connected to them through the Jesus film will
have more follow up and discipleship. Our role in their
ministry is to help them find potential teammates to reach
the Czech people for Christ.
Thank you for being a part of the ministry we had this
summer. You are all very important to us.
Love you all,
Larry and Sylvia