Dear friends and family, May/June 2011

And from there they sailed (back) to Antioch, where they had been
recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled…
(Acts 14:26)
This will very likely be the last prayer letter that we send from
France. Our plans have become more precise, and so we wish to send
you this update.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CHURCH IN ROUEN
** In March our church held its annual business meeting. The church
voted several additional men onto the church board. There are five
men that have been elected by the church to help with the direction of
the ministry and with the upcoming period of transition. They are
faithful men, likeminded, and capable of taking on this responsibility.
We are very thankful to have such solid men who are committed to
seeing the church go forward.
** Then in April the church organized its annual, 3-day retreat.
About 35 people participated, and all returned blessed and encouraged.
The theme this year was “the preeminence of Christ”. The highlight
for me this year was our latenight campfire. It was suggested that
each one sing a Christian song in their native language — what
diversity! There were probably 15 different languages represented, a
small foretaste of the great choir that awaits us in heaven!
** Also, last Sunday the church prepared a sending-off meal for us.
It was a wonderful blessing. Several former members and friends of
the church were in attendance as well. After a great meal, Lori and I
were asked to participate in a series of spoofs that all seemed to
enjoy (even us The church offered us some very generous and
tasteful gifts to show their appreciation for our ministry. We were
truly moved and encouraged by their tokens of love and affection.

TIMELINE FOR OUR MOVE BACK TO THE STATES
** Lori will be flying back on May 16 to be present for our daughters
who will have just finished the school year at Northland Baptist Bible
College. I won’t fly out until June 8, since I will need to spend a
few days with the new missionary before leaving France. God has
supplied temporary housing for us, thanks to a ministry called Cedar
Lane Missionary Homes in southern New Jersey (near Philadelphia).
Here is our new address:
116 Cedar Lane
Laurel Springs, NJ 08021
The phone number at our new house is 856-925-1074.
** The missionaries who will be replacing us, Michael and Elva
Farrell, have been missionaries in France for almost 30 years. They
are currently on furlough and will be returning to France at the
beginning of June. They plan to come to Rouen the weekend of June
4-5, at which time we will be able to discuss the many details about
the work here. Since they have a house to sell in their former city
of Reims, they will be traveling to Rouen each Saturday and staying
through Wednesday in order to participate in both our Sunday and
Tuesday services. We are SO thankful that God has directed this
quality missionary couple to succeed us. We are excited about what
God has in store for the future of the church here.
** We still do not know what God has in store for us once we are set
up in the States. We are seeking God’s will about this and truly
covet your prayers. I hope to remain in some aspect of full-time
ministry but am prepared to return to secular work if need be.
** For the first several months after our return to the States, we
would be happy to visit any of our supporting churches to present a
final report — anytime from mid-June on. Several churches have
already responded. Please feel free to contact us to suggest a date.
As I’ve stated before, we never expected to leave France. Perhaps
someday God will allow us to return to France to resume missionary
work. In the meantime, we are very much at peace and confident of
God’s perfect leading. Thank you for your continued prayers and for
your unwavering love and support.

In Calvary’s love,

Kim & Lori Fox

We pray that God strength your efforts for His kingdom and that He will give you joy and peace in your hearts during the hard work. We were so glad to see that God answer your prayers and one more soul was saved for the Glory of our Reedemer.
April was a month with new opportunities for us to develop the church ministry and our personal ministry. First, we started a project of Bible study through post mail for children. We see this ministry as something very important and we would like to develop it by searching new kids that are interested of God’s Word.

Another opportunity is to involve in helping our mother church (which planted our church) with the youth ministry. I worked in the past with youth and area of ministry that is very close to my heart. They need some help for their new young youth leader and I was glad to went couple of times and have some meetings together. We pray that God will give us wisdom and guidance in order to be a blessing.

As a personal prayer request please pray for our family health as this month most of us had some small problems with the flew. Nothing dangerous, but we feel we need prayer support for this, specially for the kids.

We attached a photo with the Church meeting on Easter and one with our family made at home this Easter.

We are blessed to have brothers like and we pray that you experience many victories for the Lord.

Your brothers in Christ,

Iulian, Raluca, Iulia, Catalin and Oana Stoian.

I hope you all are well and that God is doing mightty works through you.
I write this message in order to share with some news about us. First of all I would like to share with you about how God works in a life of a job mate. We have met three years ago. At the begining of our relation he was at least a skeptical. Every time I was speaking about God he had something against to tell. One year ago he had a terible event in his life. In one week died both his grandfather and father. He was crushed and very shocked. In that situation I encouraged him to turn his face toward God and search for help in His Word. He soon started to read the Bible and go to an orthodox church. After that we had a lot of great discutions about the Gospel, about eternal life, about Jesus sacrifice and the Judgement day. Many times he looked very touched and thoughtful about what we were discussing. I was very touched when in one morning he told me that he researched something about the meanings of my name and he found that one was “shining sky” and after a short brake he added :”indeed you were my shining sky, because if you woudn’t have been in this office I woudn’t have the chance to find out about Jesus”. Please pray for Alexandru Apostu that God will help him in growing in his faith and understanding what means to receive Jesus in his life as Lord and Saviour.

Another thing for we are grateful to our Lord is the opportunity we have to develope a children ministry using chidlren bible study throgh mail. Please pray for Giorgiana Baboi that has on her heart this ministry, especialy she has a job that help her to visit about one hundred homes each month. Her heart was touched for this ministry after we partcipated to a sunday school teachers conference.

We are thankfull to the Lord for your faithfulness and we pray that God will bless you and your work. We entrust you in His loving hands.

God bless you!”

Dear friends and family,

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that
which is lost, until he find it? (Luke 15:4)

As all of you probably know by now, Lori and I have decided that it
is necessary for us to leave the mission field and to return to the
States to be closer to our children. We firmly believe that this is
what God would have us to do. Therefore, even though this decision
will result in a great upheaval for us, for our coworker, and for the
church here, because we are walking in His will, we are fully
confident that God will direct step by step and provide need by need.
And in fact, since we have come to that decision only a little over a
month ago, God has already done some pretty amazing things for our
family and for the church here in Rouen.

CHURCH BLESSINGS

** For the second year our church was honored to host the Apollos
team. This is a wonderful program designed for young people who are
willing to commit one year to serving the Lord throughout France in
all kinds of ministry and outreach. The team this year consists of
three French and two Americans. They attend Bible classes each morning
taught by the host pastor, and then participate in various activities
and outreaches in the afternoons and evenings. For the two weeks that
they were in Rouen this past month, they distributed more than 8,000
Gospels and invitations. They maintained an outstanding testimony and
were a great blessing to our church people. This one-year program is
renewed each year; each year is a new group. Any young person (of any
nationality) that might be interested should feel free to contact us.

** The invitations given out by the Apollos team were for special
evangelistic meetings (with Tim Knickerbocker) held at the end of
their two-week stay. We received an unusual number of phone calls as
a result of this massive distribution:

=> one man called and said, “I wonder if my life has any value; I
have a knife in front of me, and I’m thinking about using it…”; I
shared several passages of Scripture with him which seemed to comfort
him; he indicated a desire to attend our special meetings, but sadly
did not come

=> one lady called who is suffering from cancer and wanted someone to
pray with her

=> another lady called and said, “I believe that someone put a curse
on me”; once again I was given the opportunity to reassure her with
God’s promises for those who trust in Him

=> a young man called and announced that he is soon to be engaged and
is wondering how to prepare for such a serious commitment; he has
since attended church several times

=> a French woman called and said, “I am French but have converted to
Islam; am I allowed to attend your meetings?”; she and a muslim
gentleman attended two of our special services; from talking with her
after the services, it became evident that she left the Catholic
Church and turned to Islam because the former provided no message of
assurance; she accepted some literature, and she would like to meet us
again

=> another man called when we were absent and left this message: “I
don’t want to receive your litterature. Printing those booklets is
killing the planet, you bunch of assassins!” (perhaps he would have
thought differently if I had been able to share with him the other
phone calls that we received with people crying out for help;
unfortunately, he left no name or phone number)
In addition to those mentioned above, we also had a new family (single
mother and her five children) come to church for the first time during
the special meetings. In fact, of the more than 90-some people who
attended our evangelistic services, one lady (Kristi’s former
neighbor) made a profession of faith, as did a single mother and a
teenage girl. Praise God!

** Looking forward, we are prayerfully doing what we can to help the
church through this transition period. The church is stable, and
there are a number of capable men in the church who already handle
various responsibilities, including preaching. However, the church
clearly needs a full-time servant to replace us. In spite of the fact
that there is a great penury of pastors and missionaries in France, it
appears that God has supplied someone for our church. Michael and
Elva Farrell have been missionaries in France for almost 30 years.
One year ago their church in the city of Reims consecrated a French
pastor to replace them. The Farrell’s have since been on furlough in
the States, not really sure where they would go upon their return to
France. When they heard that we were leaving, they contacted us, and
God seems to be bringing all the details together. Amazingly enough,
our plan was to leave by the beginning of June, and their plan was to
return to France at the beginning of June. Please pray for all that
is involved for them to move to Rouen and to begin their new ministry
here.

** Pray also for our coworker Kristi, since our decision has left her
somewhat hanging. She does not necessarily intend to leave Rouen, but
she doesn’t know the Farrell’s either, and so she, too, is facing a
significant period of adjustment and possible change in her ministry.

FAMILY BLESSINGS

** We are thankful for the current situation of our children. Alyssa
and Charity are at Northland Baptist Bible College, Alyssa as a junior
and Charity as a freshman. Wesley and Blake are currently staying at
Sarah and Michael’s house in Jacksonville, NC (Michael is a Marine
pilot). God supplied work for both of them very quickly. According
to their big sister, they have both been working diligently with the
possible long-term goal of returning to college. Sarah continues to
minister in the crisis pregnancy center where she is assistant
director in charge of counseling.

** We have seen two other incredible answers to prayer. First of all,
God has already supplied temporary housing for us upon our return to
the States, thanks to a ministry called Cedar Lane Missionary Homes in
southern New Jersey (near Philadelphia). It seems like an ideal
situation for us until we can find permanent housing.

** The other answer to prayer is the sale of our house here in France.
In spite of a very slow housing market, God sent a young couple who
“just happened” to be looking for a house in our small neighborhood,
and who wants to move ASAP. The official sale will probably take
place in May, which will allow us to leave France at the end of May or
beginning of June, as we had hoped.

** One piece to the puzzle is still missing — my future job or
ministry. I am seeking God’s will about this and truly covet your
prayers. I am really open to anything that God might have for me –
teaching, assistant pastor, or secular work (although I would prefer
to NOT go back to selling chickens

** For the first several months after our return to the States, we
would be happy to visit any of our supporting churches to present a
final report — anytime from mid-June on. Please feel free to contact
us to suggest a date.

We never expected to leave France. Perhaps someday God will allow us
to return to France to resume missionary work. In the meantime,
although we are in somewhat of a whirlwind, we are very much at peace
and confident of God’s perfect leading. Thank you for your continued
prayers — God is clearly answering them!

In Calvary’s love,

Kim & Lori Fox

In Christ,

Joe Owens

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in His ways.
(Psalm 128:1)

Dear friends ~

RECENT BLESSINGS…
** For those who were aware of my jaw being broken, I want to thank you for your prayers. The wires were removed a month ago, and I am once again able to talk and eat normally. It appears that my jaw is fully healed, for which I praise our Lord (the surgeon did a pretty good job, too In addition, because of my jaw being broken, a number of men in our church were called upon to step up and help with preaching, song-leading, etc. Not only did they do a great job, but we actually discovered some new gifts among our church members. We are always seeking to encourage active participation at all levels of ministry by French Christians, but sometimes it takes a little “nudge” to get some moving. It was also good for us to see that at whatever time we decide to move on, the church is more than capable of continuing on without us.

** We’ve had a number of new visitors recently who have started to attend somewhat regularly, but one added twist is that these are French visitors! I say that because most of our visitors tend to be foreigners. Please pray especially for Nathalie, Laurent, and Jessica. They all seem to be very open, but only Nathalie has made a profession of faith at this point.

** Last weekend I was asked to preach for a series of evangelistic meetings organized by a church in northern France in the town of Somain where Olivier Bourrel is pastor. It’s an interesting and vibrant ministry that has seen an influx of many new people in recent months. The meetings were well-attended with a number of visitors. Two ladies responded to the invitation. It is always a blessing to see firsthand what God is doing in other ministries around France, especially since I don’t travel very often.

** The Lord has recently given our coworker Kristi Colas MANY excellent opportunities to share the Gospel. Please pray for her valuable ministry at our sides and for her witness.

PRAYER REQUESTS FOR FUTURE EVENTS…

** Our church’s Christmas program will take place on Sunday, December 19. We would appreciate your prayers for the many contacts that we will be inviting on that occasion.

** Then in January, our church will be hosting the Apollos mission team for two weeks. This is a team of five/six young people (mostly French) who commit one year of their lives to receive Biblical training while at the same time traveling around France to evangelize and serve in churches. It is a great program that is also open to foreigners who have a heart for France. If this program might be of interest to you or someone you know, please feel free to contact us for more information.

** Also in January we will be receiving the president of a fellowship of French churches, the ABF (Alliance Baptiste de France), in order to present and discuss the possibility of the church of Rouen joining this fellowship. I’m very excited about the idea. This group of churches is as dynamic as it is Biblical, and what’s more, most of the member churches are led by French pastors. I believe that it would be very helpful to our church to have a closer association with such a group of churches and to be able to participate in various projects that these churches work together to accomplish. I have been very impressed with this fellowship as they have faced a number of very difficult situations in recent years, but have been able to work through them in a God-honoring fashion and without compromise.

** Finally, we are very thankful for your prayers for our children. I would especially like to ask prayer for Blake and Charity who are seeking God’s will for this coming semester. Blake will be sitting out this semester to work and save before heading back to school. However, he desires to do God’s will as he looks for a place to work. Charity will be headed back to Bible college. We also have a very special unspoken request for our son Wesley. Thank you so much for upholding all of our children in prayer.

Our wishes for a blessed Christmas season ~ Kim & Lori Fox