We want to sincerely thank: you for blessing us so much through the Christmas holiday. It was uplifting and encouraging to hear from many of you, and to read your news and greetings. Because of the late hour, I will be brief, but we want you to be aware of what's going on especially this Saturday night as we are in need of your prayers. 

• The Merlan Church where we serve has committed to a series of seven evenings called ''Alpha Couple". This is evangelistic in nature; designed as a working "dinner out" for married couples to encourage them to continue to grow together instead of apart as time goes on. Each couple will be seated and served dinner at their own table for two. During dinner they will be invited to view a DVD, and talk over the issues for that week privately in regards to their own marriage. Our church will pilot the program for our own church couples before using it on a wider scale, and the first two of these dinners will be held this Saturday, January 28, and February 11. Sometimes beneath the mask of "everything's fine" can lurk misunderstanding and pain. Thank: you for praying for the married couples of our church during this time, that God would use these dinners to restore and bless. Pray for us as we handle the preparations and setting up etc., and please pray for our cooks, that they will be in good health!

• Although he has not been feeling well, Lonnie kept his appointment with Michel, another elder at the Merlan, to attend a Healthy Church informational seminar in Paris yesterday. It was a long day for them, leaving on the train at 5:30 AM and returning at 11:30 PM, but they were glad they attended. This has been on Lonnie's heart for some years, but God had not permitted it to become a reality until now. The training program runs for two days twice a year for three years, and they hope to commit to this and attend as a group of leaders and potential leaders from the Merlan Church. Thank you for praying this will come together, and that the men would be able to get the time off work in order to attend.

• Thank you for praying for us. Three of our family members are on antibiotics at the moment (Lonnie, Olivia and Nicolas), for an assortment of ills. Nicolas and Olivia have missed some school, and even though the energy has been lacking, life does go on. This week Nicolas has been taking the pre-test for the brevet - - the national exam all ninth graders must take in June. It covers everything they’ve learned since 6th grade (!) and also counts for this term. Thank you for praying for him as he takes the exam on history and geography tomorrow morning.