While several members of our great team are already in parts of Europe, three of the Wilhelms and Sue Hartfiel have yet to leave. We are busy packing and weighing and running through checklists. Many of you know how this is. The constant checking and rechecking, the repeated list-making, list losing and list finding (only after the original lists were found, of course).

We are excited to have the privilege of sharing the hope of Jesus as we serve alongside the local Church in Latvia. East European Missions Network has an excellent process for recruiting and training short-term mission trip members for a week or two of challenging mission work among some amazing people. The mission trip we are going on is unique in many ways; we go there at the invitation of the local Church to lead English Language Bible courses. Our team members aren’t going to build something local people could build just as well for themselves. We don’t go there to do other things that our dedicated and very capable local partners could also do in their congregations and communities. We go (to Latvia in this case) to teach conversational English as native English speakers.

As we go, we also share the hope that we have within us. Jesus, our Lord. Our curriculum is a series of Bible lessons (think simplified Vacation Bible School) and multiple opportunities to build relationships and go deeper in our discipleship with one another.

Please be in prayer for us in these areas:
Safe, uneventful, travel.
Opportunities to discover and participate in the mission of Jesus EVEN AS we travel.
For the details at our mission site (Saldus, Latvia) to be sorted out.
Opportunities for deeper faith conversations with our local partners and friends.
Significant spiritual growth for our team and those we come alongside of in Latvia.
Joy in every aspect of the day.

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Blessings.

​Mark Wilhelm

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