Monday, January 20, 2014

January Update

Raineri Family Update January 2014
Happy New Year from Honduras, New Year-New Ministry-New Continent!
We are blessed to provide this quick update to you on our ministry search.  Since we were called in September to church plant in France we have interviewed ten ministries who church plant in France.  And this week we are pleased to announce that one ministry, a ministry that we have prayed about, has accepted our family to be missionaries and invited us to a week-long orientation in Colorado.    We are very excited about this opportunity!  Upon completion of the orientation we will join Greater Europe Mission as missionaries in Kandern, Germany.  Germany?  Not France, well please continue reading.
This is not a job offer yet but we have arrived at a stage where the training begins and the selection process ends.  Once we successfully complete the training then we will be commissioned as GEM missionaries.  We are looking forward to this next phase in our family’s faith walk and cannot believe the steps that God has lead us through. 
So what will we be doing?  Well at this point Pete and Angie are praying through the future call to see which door God will leave open.  So far He has shut 8 doors and now we wait patiently to see which door he wants us to walk through.  We ask you to help us in prayer also.  Here is what is on the table now. 
Pete has been interviewed twice for a Personnel Director position with Black Forest Academy, the school that Nick and Lily will be attending.  GEM is a “covering” ministry that will collect funds and administer our service there.  Two great features of this position are learning administration skills from an established ministry and the availability to learn the culture of Western Europe while still being part of a larger organization.  Their need is great for our skill sets of administration, organization and developing procedures.  Just like WGO, all administrative staff at BFA are fund raising missionaries.
The second choice is a position within GEM’s European office in Kandern Germany, in the same town that BFA is located.  This will be an administration job within GEMs “50 in 5” Europe initiative (see below for GEM’s three main points of why Europe), 50 European cities in 5 years.  We will provide oversight and organization of their first three French church plants and two more in the next year, along with administration of the larger Western Europe church plant initiatives.   Some main points to consider about this job include;  The scheduling of interns and teams into the Western European areas; providing direct support to the church planting team through administration; meeting with the church planting teams to provide some missionary care; and prayer time with the GEM-based missionaries.
GEM’s “Why Europe” key points:
·       “REACH EUROPE. Europe knows all about religion, but the knowledge and experience keep most from discovering a life-changing relationship with Jesus. Europe needs a new wave of people following Jesus in such a way that others are drawn to do the same.
·       EUROPE HAS INFLUENCE. Europe influences the world's economics, education, politics, philosophies and culture. Imagine what would happen if Europe's influence could be harnessed to extend God's Kingdom into the world.
·       EUROPE IS CONNECTED. The world, through intensive immigration, has literally come to Europe. France alone is host to over 100 distinct cultures, with a third of them representing unreached people groups.  The relational network of Europe's immigrants has opened doors around the world for the Gospel.”
More information can be found on their website: Greater Europe Mission
Thank You again for your valued prayer support.  At this time we are praying for travelling mercies to do the in-country interview in France and Germany, as well as for the training that takes place with GEM in Colorado.  More information will be forthcoming.
Your missionary Family, Pete, Angie, Nick and Lily.