The Vadonis Family has finally found an apartment and expect to move in after Christmas! Years of searching are coming to an end. The apartment is beautiful with three bedrooms, a little balcony, and a huge kitchen, though they had compromises to make and will need to do quite a bit of work. The rent is also three times as much as they pay now. This will be a stretch for them and there are already sleepless nights over it. So, this should be a point of prayer and if you feel led to support for them in any way, it would help.
There have also been wonderful changes to their ministry: They rent their own facilities now, which are just around the corner from the new apartment. They are involved in the process of renovating these facilities, as well, and Amadeus has gotten a terrible cold. Please pray for his health, for strength and for wisdom as to when to rest.
The focus once again is on those about them, who don’t see any need for God. They are, thus, engaging the community. For instance, they have a chef, who wants to offer cooking classes. Sofia and another lady want to offer classes for young moms. And a guy from the worship team would like to offer music classes. These are non-threatening invitations for non-believers to allow them to get their feet in a church without really noticing it. Please pray for growth and energy to realize all their ideas. Please pray for the all the people around them. Sofia has focused on friendship evangelism since her kids have been in kindergarten, because it’s so easy to get contacts with kids. However, even after years and years for some people God is not an option.
Sofia wanted to share a recent conversation with the mom of one of Lina’s friends from school. This mom has been depressive for the last two years and in the spring she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is very unhappy. If it weren’t for her two kids, she would probably be suicidal. Sofia asked her, if she could imagine that despite depression and despite her sickness God still cared about her, even loved her. And she exploded: „Nooo, I feel totally abandoned from Him, I have to do everything by myself.“ Of course, she feels overwhelmed. The positive thing: She believes God exists! Sofia has decided to intensify their contact to show her God’s loving side and has invited her to make some Christmas decoration tomorrow afternoon. Please pray for right words, good conversations and God’s love to show through Sofia. And pray for her health and healing from cancer.
And here is a short update on their family. Lina (7) is in second grade and struggling with I-don’t-have-any-friends. Kaija (5) taught herself reading and reads through thick books. Nike (3) enjoys dancing through the apartment like an elf, singing: “I’m a butterfly, butterfly“, and Jule (3 months) is just a sweet, content, baby with a dad and four moms and a little too weak muscle tone. On Sunday, the kids and Sofia talked about Christmas, Christ’s death and resurrection, and at night, when the kids were in bed and she cleaned up the rooms, Sofia found a postcard Lina had written: “Dear God, I am happy that you died for us.“ Sofia shares – “May all of you be able to exclaim that every day with the same light-heartedness Lina must have felt, when she wrote that!”
So we have some very practical areas in the lives of some of our missionaries over which you can pray. Indeed, as you do pray… remember the words of Jeremiah 19:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope!” May God’s plans be revealed and fulfilled in all these areas and may the Vadonis family find rest and encouragement knowing and trusting that God has good plans for them and their family and a future and a hope that is sure.