Germany March Newsletter

If radio's slim finger can pluck a melody

From night, and toss it over a continent or sea;

If the petaled white notes of a violin

Are blown across a mountain or a city's din;

If songs, like crimson roses, are culled from thin blue air--

Why should mortals wonder if God hears our prayer?

(Edith Romig Fuller)

But an even greater evidence we have, who believe in Jesus, because we are seeing prayers answered before our eyes continually!

During February, we have had the great honor of visiting churches in Oklahoma. Being with brothers and sisters in the family of God for worship, fellowship, the Word of God, and prayer brings joy and encouragement, as we pray we are blessing the body of Christ as well. Here, we are with Sister Sledge's mother, the Don Martins, and Brother John Wolfram, visiting speaker and friend--and the first Navy SEAL to reach the Apollo capsule after its water landing following the successful moon landing.

We were invited to share in a sectional Valentine's Day banquet in Eastern Oklahoma, and that brought lots of laughter and enjoyment. Brother Sledge, a "volunteer" on the program, is pictured here (wearing the oversized heart glasses) sharing his rendition of a love-filled song.

In a marvelous turn of events, when the banquet's hosts closed the evening with prayer for some in the crowd with serious illnesses, the Spirit of the Lord moved in the facility.

The room became a place of consecration, commitment, power, and praise. One of those for whom we prayed that evening is a pastors wife who had been battling cancer for several years. We were scheduled to be at that church the following morning.

That morning Brother Sledge was prompted by the Lord to teach and lead a service for authority in prayer. Among the areas covered was prayer against afflictions, including cancer plaguing the pastor's wife. She had a biopsy on her brain that week due to indications of recurrence. The report came back from her oncologist that although he had expected to find cancer--and cannot explain the report--no cancer was detected. All glory to Jesus!

We have been privileged to pray with people to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and saw that happen just as it did in the Book of Acts. The promise is the same today!

We stay in contact with the churches in Berlin and Potsdam and are grateful for those helping with the works while we are not able to be there. We delight in the opportunity to be part of God's worldwide kingdom...and send our prayers where our hands cannot be. We were sent this picture with the reminder that we are missed in Germany.

Brother Sledge tries to be "cultured" as he drinks his coffee at a Sunday school meeting but looks a little more relaxed with the neighbor's dogs he has borrowed.

So the days are full of excitement and the love of Jesus. We thank you for enabling us to continue our work in Germany to enlarge and strengthen God's church. Our prayers and thoughts are with you all.

For the purpose of glorifying Jesus,
Carl and Bethany Sledge
Associate Missionaries for
United Pentecostal Church, Int'l