Wednesday, July 16, 2014

New Ways to Connect!!!

Hi Everyone, I'm excited to announce that  we've found some new tools for communicating with all of you!

First of all, We've recently designed a new profile on the Assemblies of God directory that allows you to follow all the latest happenings, while also allowing you to see videos, latest prayer requests and projects, and sign up to receive our newsletter.  For a while, we've been wanting a "one stop shop" where we could do all of this, that would link up Facebook, Blogger, Youtube, etc. and allow us to interact more directly with you, and now we have it!  Want to check it out?  Just follow this link: http://www.agmd.org/u/TheGravelys

Secondly, we've developed a better way of sending our newsletter via email.  If you would like to sign up to receive our email directly, you can sign up directly on the profile page mentioned above.  Again, just click the link!

Thanks!  We'll be in touch!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Springing Forward

Life on Life

It’s two o’clock in the afternoon, and C, a sociology student, stops by to meet with Amanda.  Over a cup of coffee, they discuss how C can better use her time to study and serve God.   She has been growing in her walk with Christ and feels like this is an area that He wants her to improve.  Together Amanda and C celebrate victories of God’s grace, and strategize for overcoming weaknesses.  Soon the hour is over, and it’s time to go to class. With a smile and “See you next week!” she is out the door.  
    We call these encounters “one on one’s” and they are some of the least glamorous, yet most important, moments of our work among students.  We meet with Christian students once a week, week after week, and pray that God may use us to impart spiritual gifts and guidance.  Our desire is that they would be fruitful in their lives, and ultimately, pass on their faith to a younger student, as Paul described in 2 Tim 2:2.  After 2 1/2 years of this work, we are starting to see students meet with other students.  So now it’s becoming “Life on life on life”!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

This spring has brought a major change in our ministry, as we have moved out of our ministry center/house of the last few years.  God has given our family a nice apartment 2 blocks from ULB, the main campus in Brussels!  We are also now renting a cafĂ© (below) in the city center which will be more accessible to students.   We have really sensed his leading in all of these changes, and feel that they will position us to reach students more effectively.  

Missions Teams

  

In the next 3 months, we will be hosting missions teams from New Mexico, Paris, and Louisiana.  These teams of students will go out and share the Gospel during the day, and draw students to different gatherings at night in order to share the Gospel.  Please pray for divine appointments to happen with seeking students all over Brussels!

Family News

Our big boy Aidan just celebrated his 3rd birthday, and has started going to school.  His French comprehension is getting better all the time, and he’s started singing in French and saying little French expressions here and there.  The first days were tough though.  Two days in a row, he came home with bite marks, on his leg and arm.  When I asked  the teacher about it, she said that every afternoon Aidan tries to kiss all the girls, and some of them are biters.  Apparently love hurts, even at 3. 
Gabriel is 4 months old now and continues to delight us.  He is a happy, easy-going baby, and Aidan’s biggest fan. 

Come Join Us in Reaching Students!   

We usually try to just fill our newsletters with the latest news, but we would like to just make a small appeal.  In the last couple of years, our monthly support has fallen off about 1000/month.  With the changes that are going on, we feel like God is positioning us for another 2-3 years of effectiveness here in Brussels.  If you have not made a pledge yet, or have supported us financially in the past, would you consider joining us for this next stretch of ministry?  You can do this easily through the  link on the right, or contact us by email and we’ll let you know how to do this.  Thanks for considering this.