Dear Family and Friends,

   I feel very blessed in Bastogne to say the least. We have been doing great and growing as we have created hours for the ministry center. Our English Club has taken off we have about seven Belgian people per class time which is great and some of them we are meeting personally and developing friendships with.

  This last week we had an awesome concert. After the concert we have what we call “round table discussion,” where we ask a question and then we all take turns going around the table answering it. Well, since there are multiple tables and the Christians are evenly disbursed it is a great time open discussions with both people who are searching and also atheists. No one from the concert who doesn’t want to stay has to. We had everyone from the concert stay. The question was… who do you think Jesus is? It was a great time of talking. As a group we have been training on relational evangelism most of the people at the concert we already knew and created friendships with. It was great to be able to share our faith in a warm open setting. No, answer was made fun of and from there I was able to talk to my table about the four spiritual laws and how we all have to make a decision about Jesus. There is no in between either we accept him or reject him. I could tell that my friend who I meet with once a week seems to becoming more interested in my beliefs over time. Please pray that God moves on her heart and that she accepts Jesus as her Savoir.

   My French is coming along. My comprehension is pretty good but my phrasing is still horrible. Please pray that God gives supernatural wisdom as I am studying the language. I wish that I had more time with it my schedule has been very busy.

   My friendships in the Sign Language Class are increasing. My quirky Americaness is growing on them. Please pray as I meet with these women that we get more opportunities than we have had to talk about God. The women are precious and our general interest in Sign Language seems to help, but I desire to be able to share with them more so about who Jesus is. Especially, my deaf French sign language teacher who I don’t think has ever truly heard the gospel.

  Our sports outreach is growing. This last Saturday we had four Bastogne guys show up for soccer and we had a Christian couple ( A local Belgian and American)  from the area also come out. It was an awesome game because we ended with four on four including Justine and I. As our group is growing we are also trying to talk with these guys and see what is happening in their lives. The two Bible studies we have going once a week are doing great. This week I will be leading one of the groups and we are doing to be talking about faith. Please pray that God gives me wisdom on what I should do with it.

   My guitar skills are improving as I play in concert with Justine and Kerby. It is taking time but I feel so thankful to my parents for always encouraging me in that area. Justine and Esther(another friend and ministry partner) are also helping me with vocal training because we do music at the center at least three times a week. I am learning to harmonize which is a lot of fun, but it is not that natural for me. We get so many people coming in for the concert that we take time several days a week to prepare because we don’t want to play badly. We want people to come back and we want to have a good reputation with music.

   We also went to Brussels this last Wednesday for a prayer meeting with other missionaries in the area for wisdom concerning ministry and to pray for each other’s ministries. God really moved and we were truly blessed. Before the prayer meeting we were able to do a little bit of site seeing in Brussels. It was pretty cool! We were able to visit the Grand Plaza, the boy peeing statue, a museum, and of course eat an authentic Belgian waffle.

Prayer needs:

1.)We desire more salvations.

2.) Wisdom on how to disciple the new converts we have.

3.) My French, guitar, and French Sign Language skills improve more.

4.) How to manage time more effectively(prioritize there is so much that can be done here).

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I am fully supported now and I feel so privileged to be here. God is always faithful, thank you for your financial sacrifice and prayers. Without your support none of this could be possible. You are investing in the kingdom of God. May God bless you abundantly for your obedience to Him.

 

Much Love and Many Blessings,

 

Cami Lynn Woodruff

Dear Family and Friends,

     Everything is fine here in Bastogne! We have finally gotten our apartment and have officially moved into it. Additionally, I have been able to rent a bike for a year from a friend for really cheap. Since we don’t have a car it is great for transportation for places that would take us fifteen minutes or more to walk. But ministry here is going great! We had our first salvation of Kerby and Sheila’s neighbor upstairs in February. Praise God!!

We finished painting the ministry center and it looks great! We hung pictures and got some really cool small tables for it. We had Jesus Revolution come for street evangelism. Within the three days of Jesus Revolution being here we have had five salvations because of street evangelism and services. We had ten people that came out to minister and three Belgian Christian friends come out as interpreters. With more people to help minister we were able to reach more people. I have also acquired some more atheist and agnostic friends over those three days. We also have started up English club in the ministry center/coffee shop. J

    We had a concert while the team was here.  Justine, Kerby, David, and I played a rotation of music together. Justine and I are also starting a second Bible study. It is on basic foundational Christian beliefs and apologetics. Basically, why are we Christians and why we believe there is a God? We will be discussing it Biblically and scientifically. We are hoping to get several non-Christians to attend the study.

 I just feel so blessed and privileged to share the gospel here. It is very ironic that I am here to begin with.  I always have had a soft spot for Africa and I really loved my work there.  However, I knew that I heard God about coming here. Although the Belgians aren’t as friendly as the Africans, I feel like I have had more of a sphere of influence over people here than I did in Africa. I also really love talking to atheists about God. I have never felt as purposed as I have here.

   Sometimes salvations can come quickly. But to those who are spiritually dead and have never been alive it is hard to wake them up. If they aren’t searching or really care it feels sometimes impossible. But with God all things are possible.

   Please pray that God opens hearts and doors for more salvations and discipleship to happen here in Bastogne. Please pray that God gives us more influence over people here. In addition, that we have the time needed to accomplish everything He wants Justine and me to do. Please pray for our language learning also, that we learn quickly so that we can minister more. Thank you again for all your prayers and support. I apologize for not writing something sooner but we moved and haven’t really had internet and we had been prepping for the Norwegian team. Keep us in prayer.

Much Love and Many Blessings,

 

Cami Lynn

Justine, Max(our Bastognian friend), and I in Liege

 

 

Dear Family and Friends,

“Car Dieu a tellement aime le monde..” Jean 3:16a

   “For God so loved the world”… that He desires that every tribe, tongue, and nation should hear about His son. In Bastogne, Belgian very few people know who Jesus is. This is a post Christian nation. Please pray that God gives us the timing and the words to say to our new friends here. It is a city in darkness and it truly needs the light of Christ. There are blinders of atheism and agnostic beliefs in this city. Only God’s love can pierce through these blinders.

    I have had more than one opportunity to share God with unbelievers this week who are my friends here. I feel so blessed and privileged to be able to tell others about Jesus in a real tangible way. I know that we are purposed here for such a time as this. Most seemed semi -involved. One of the women I talked to this week was deaf. I asked her what her beliefs were in God and she told me that she had none. She was neither atheist nor agnostic she just didn’t have any beliefs about God. Most likely she has not even been presented the gospel because she is deaf. Two other women, I talked to this week, have respect for those who honor God but they don’t serve Him themselves. One is an agnostic and the other stated to me that she had no real beliefs. Please pray for God to begin to loosen the blinders of assumptions, cynicism, and false doctrine that they believe. Pray that they begin to desire something deeper than the tangible. We are not here by happenstance.

I love Belgium, despite the general dampness, cold, and darkness! Yes, Bastogne is very cloudy now. But I am just thrilled out of my mind being here. We have already had our first small group Bible study on Ruth.  I am excited to see what God will do for us, this year. We are still learning French and mine is improving slowly but surely.  I know that God is giving me grace to learn the language. J 

Much Love and Many Blessings,

Cami Lynn

Dear Family and Friends,

    I have been having a blast in Belgium! Justine(my ministry colleague) and I  were invited to a local Belgians house that we met at the teachers college. We were so blessed to be able to eat with them and get to see how some of the locals live. They were very sweet and hospitable. They played guitar and sang some French and English songs to us. After, I played guitar and we sang two American Christian Contemporary songs.

    We have met many Belgians this week and have found much favor. I also had a very interesting discussion with a very opinionated atheist this week. We were able to talk logically about Creationism verses Evolution. I was so thankful for the apologetic classes my parents took me to when I was younger. We went to some Christian World View classes. I could tell that he was very interested in my views because it seems as if Europeans assume that if we believe in God we are either weak people or just ignorant. 

   We were also able to attend a Catholic Mass this week, which was very educational. There was almost no one there only a few elderly people. No one under the age of 60 was there. The young people aren’t interested in Catholicism at all.

  

Justine and I

Finally, please pray as we begin our different ministries. We are going to be starting an English club, a sports ministry,  live music and setting up our store front to sell Christian books. Please pray for me as I am learning French and French Sign Language. The Sign Language is Belgium is different from Mali, Africa and America and I am unable to completely communicate yet. A hard of hearing, French Sign Language teacher, who teaches free classes, thinks I will pick up on it pretty quickly. Please pray that we continue to meet more Belgian friends to tell about Jesus. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this church plant and I am so thankful for your prayers and support.

 

Much Love and Many Blessings,

 

Cami Lynn

 

 

 

Dear Family and Friends,

        I am about to leave tomorrow on a new adventure in a new land. It will be worth the sacrifice of my time, money, attention, and youth if someone hears the gospel and accepts Jesus. It is a privilege to tell others about Jesus. I wouldn't be going unless I felt like God was telling me to. I feel truly blessed that God would allow me to go.

This will be a big change for me and my family because William and Benjamin are so young and we are all really close. They won't see me for almost a year. I thank God for a supportive and loving family. My parents, sister, and brothers are all being troopers in this. It is hard for them to see me going out of country. I am so thankful for my family. :)

I was very blessed so far to go on seven different missions trips since I was fifteen. This one will be my eighth. I have never been to Europe so there are feeling of anticipation and fear. I know that God has only good things for me in Belgium because he has called me there for a season. However, at the same time I will be leaving my family again for a season and I have NEVER been to Europe, it is both frightening and exciting. But when I think of everything that the disciples went through in the Bible I feel like my own insecurities are pretty minuscule.

I know that God is going to do great things in Belgium and that many will be saved. My leaders in Belgium, Kirby and Sheila Rials, have had many divine appointments with people so far. Please continue to pray that God adds more people to group as we plant the church in Bastogne. Please pray that God sends local Christians to help us. Finally, please pray that Justine and I adjust well in Belgium and find an apartment in our price range once we arrive.

Much Love and Many Blessings,

Cami Lynn Woodruff