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