Family Radio Mission to Frankfurt, Germany
August 21 - September 1, 2007
LETTER #1
"Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple." Psalm 65:4
On Tuesday, 8/21/07, a group of eighteen (18) ambassadors journeyed from the shores of North America across the Atlantic Ocean, and, by God's grace, after an eight hour journey, we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany at about 9.15 am local time on Wednesday, 8/22/07 Germany is 6 hours ahead of New York and 9 hours ahead of California. The immigration process went very smoothly, and thankfully, all but one missionary received their luggage. The remaining missionary, whose connecting flight was severely delayed because of inclement weather, opted to fly out with the group and receive his luggage a day later (which will be Thursday).
Our group leader met us at the airport with a commodious and luxurious bus (but, by God's providence, surprisingly inexpensive by German/European standards, given that the US dollar is not doing so well against the Euro dollar it takes $1.34 to buy one Euro). The drive to the Hotel took about half an hour through scenic Frankfurt with its old world architecture that shows visible signs of modernization to keep pace with the new age. Wonderfully, the hotel is not too far from the downtown area of Frankfurt and in close proximity to the underground (subway) and train stations. This indeed is a plus because it would greatly facilitate our distribution efforts.
We got settled in our rooms and about an hour later, our missionary from the Netherlands arrived. (We praise and thank God that this missionary has had the opportunity to be on the mission field again after missing the last three trips due to illness). In the afternoon, a few ambassadors took to the streets to test the temperature and they reported that the reception was fair. Frankfurt is known to be the most cosmopolitan city in all Europe and the surroundings, coupled with the people that we met in the streets definitely attest to this fact.
After a sumptuous dinner and the customary mini conference to apprise everyone of the logistics of the mission trip (especially the two first time ambassadors), we retired to bed to prepare for our first full day of distribution tomorrow. For the first few days we plan to stay within the city limits, and with the express purpose of concentrating our efforts on the three day festival which starts on Friday and ends on Sunday. This festival promises to produce a flurry of activities and an expected audience of three million people. During the second week we plan to branch out to the outskirts of Frankfurt and other nearby cities to reach God's elect.
We thank you in advance for your prayers as we "go in the strength of the LORD." "I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only." (Psalm 71:16)
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.” Romans 14:8
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Frankfurt, Germany
LETTER #2
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8
Thursday, August 23, 2007. Today is our first full day of distribution, and by God's mercy, after a good night's rest and a filling breakfast, we were ready to charge full steam ahead into the bustling crowds of the city. Four teams went assigned to various sections in Frankfurt's commercial district so they went to the Metro Station nearby the hotel. It took a little time to become acclimatized, to Frankfurt's S Band (above ground) and U Band (underground) rail system, especially in relation to the purchase of tickets, but with a little help from the friendly commuters, they were on their way.
The area was very busy with people exiting and entering the underground (subway) and being discharged from the many buses that plied the streets. Naturally there was a lot of pedestrian traffic as the commuters were on their way to the many offices, stores, shopping plazas and of course eateries in the area. Despite the fact that there were thousands of people, not many were taking the tracts. In fact, the majority of the people who took the tracts were foreigners, with those of the Muslim faith being the predominant group, maintaining the pattern that we have seen in the other countries of Europe that we visited. Could it be that right before our very eyes we are seeing the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham concerning Ishmael as we read in Genesis 17:20 and Isaiah 60:5 9?
It was a long day's work in the 85 degree weather as the ambassadors tried to get the attention of the many people along the streets, in the small stores, shops, fruit stands. One team was strategically stationed at four main exits from the underground and also right in front of a major bus transfer point, presenting the precious words of life to them and warning them of Christ's impending return in judgment. Though the reception remained at its fair rate of yesterday, nevertheless, it was the general consensus that the people were very polite in their refusal of the tracts, with only rare incidents of irate responses in German, which thankfully we did not understand.
One team stayed within walking distance from the hotel and close to the "Red Light" district, so to speak. Of course there were many drunks, people of the drug culture, and ladies of the night. However, these people were cordial and produced a more favorable rate. We pray that God would use this true gospel of grace to deliver these people from the darkness of their current lifestyle and translate them into the Kingdom of Christ. One recipient of tract was so responsive to the message that he pointed the ambassadors to small Turkish enclave in the area and so the team was blessed with the opportunity to distribute many of their Turkish and Arabic tracts.
In the midst of all this great effort that we put forth, there were a few instances of encouragement as follows: One ambassador was conversing with a lady to whom he had given a tract and who was in total agreement with the message. During the conversation where they were discussing scriptures, she told him that she recently had a fire at her house and all her belongings were destroyed. Straight away his guard was up, and he was a little disappointed, because he was thinking that this woman was looking for social assistance and of course we are not here to address the material, but the spiritual needs of the people. As it turns out, the reason that the lady told the ambassador about the fire was because her bible was burnt in the fire and she asked him if it was possible for him to get a bible for her. His countenance changed from disappointment to elation, because he had one bible in his backpack and he was praying that he could give it to someone who was really in need. Providentially, his prayers were answered and the lady was overjoyed.
There were a few other incidents where the only bible that an ambassador had was given to someone who would express great appreciation, including one man who was of Russian descent, lives in Munich, a city 200 miles away, and who was visiting Frankfurt this particular day. One ambassador had the opportunity to speak with a man who was a Family Radio listener and who indicated that he like all the teachings except for the teachings on the end of the church age and the end of time. May he keep listening and be under the hearing of the true gospel to the end that God would apply His word of grace to this man's life, in accordance with His will. Again, as we proclaim the gospel of salvation to the Gentiles from all the isles, we pray that many of these dear people would be gathered into the fold of God.
We had dinner and a time of fellowship, with hymn singing, prayers and scripture reading. Our contact in Germany who was instrumental and of great assistance in the setting up of this Mission trip visited us for the evening and they plan to be out in the trenches with the group on Saturday and Sunday, which are expected to be the busiest days of the trip. We covet continued prayers for the safe passage of the words of life in this city.
""And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
In Christian love,
Family Radio Mission to Managua, Nicaragua