Sismeys in Rostock

Originally I had planned to write down a few thoughts about the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. But the events in the Sismey household have taken over and I feel I should share them with you.

Saturday 31st of October. We were just about to settle down and watch the X Factor when we heard an almighty bang just outside our front door. Thinking some trick or treaters had let off a firework outside our house I rushed to open the door to find myself looking at a car which had mounted the pavement and was now sat on the entrance path to our house. I couldn’t quite work out what had happened as there was nobody in the car …. However, I noticed another car right behind it with it’s airbags gone off and a mother and her two children climbing out of it. At the same time our neighbour, who is a police officer, arrived at the scene and took charge (what a relief!). We took the mother and children into our house and rang the ambulance and police. All arrived really quickly and for the next 2 hours there were paramedics and police officers in and out of our house. It turned out that the lady and her 2 children were returning from a fireworks display (where she had been drinking alcohol) when the mother lost control of her car and hit 4(!) stationary vehicles one of them Justin’s Ford Ka. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt, but 3 cars were a write off, the lady ended up being arrested for drink driving and her children had to go to the hospital without her. Justin spent the rest of Saturday night looking for a new used car on ebay - and found one which he picked up on Sunday! At least he was okay getting to the station on Monday morning.

After this eventful weekend we were just getting back to our normal school day routine when on Friday morning Emeline woke early with a high temperature, sore throat and headache. Swine flu (confirmed)! We knew it was likely to happen sooner or later. Our trusted "Flu Friend" Sue got us the anti viral medicine (Tamiflu) and we just got on with nursing the little patient. By now she has started to feel better, but she was quite poorly due to the high temperature. She absolutely hates having to take the medicine - it must taste horrible, she can even taste it through fruit puree, but she is brave and does eventually take it! We are grateful that we live in a country where medicine is so readily available.

Thank you all for your prayers for her and kind messages! We’ve passed them on.

Can you please continue to pray for us as we are waiting to see if anybody else takes ill in our household. We are particulary concerned for Emilia.

And lastly, as I mentioned at the beginning, this week sees the 20th anniversery of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. On the BBC website is a very interesting video diary looking at the the former East Germany 20 years on. It gives a lot of insight in some of the ongoing problems in that region, which of course also affects people who live in Rostock.

"The story is told of a young sailor who was making final preparations for a solo voyage around the world in his homemade craft. Throngs of people crowded the small mooring as he stowed away the last boxes of provisions. A murmuring air of pessimistic concern exploded into a volume of discouragement: ‘ Son, you’ll never make it! That boat will not withstand the waves of the storms! You’ll run out of food! The sun will fry you!’  

A late arriver, hearing all these discouraging warnings, felt an irresistable desire to offer some optimism and encouragement. As the little craft began sailing away from the pier, he pushed his way to the end of the dock. Waving his hands wildly, he kept shouting, ‘Bon voyage! You’re really somebody! We’re with you! We’re proud of you! God be with you brother!’

The world seems to offer two kinds of support: ‘Wait till you get out into that cold, cruel world. It’s rough!’ And those who exude a contagious, confident ‘Bon voyage!’

There are dozens of thoughtless ways to burst the balloon of your aspiring missionary. But there are also plenty of ways you can buoy up his enthusiasm with solid moral support."      Neal Pirolo, Serving as Senders

Being a true encourager is not as easy as it sounds. I think a lot of what we consider to be "encouraging words or actions" often don’t achieve the desired effect. Because true encouragement looks solely at the person that is to receive it and doesn’t measure them against our own ideals. Encouragement for the sake of encouragement, not because I think they deserve it. I myself find it much easier to criticise and find fault than to applaud and encourage another person.

But I want to say a big THANK YOU! to all those of you who have encouraged us in these last few months! Thank you for taking time out to talk to us, for sharing ideas and Bible verses, for being the contrast to all the "just wait …!" and "It’s going to be hard" comments. Without it we might have lost our enthusiasm and our focus.

And please continue to do so in the future, we need it!

For now we just want to say to you too:

You’re really somebody!

We’re with you!

We’re proud of you!

God be with you!

K

That’s what we are! We are preparing for our work in Germany, but we are also still here and have to deal with the "busyness" of everyday life. Sometimes it feels as if we are being pulled into opposite directions and there are just not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done.

On a practical level it means that during the week Justin leaves the house at 7.30am and returns 12 hours later. Emeline’s school runs, homework, house work and Emilia’s care take up most of my time. So when the evening comes we are pretty exhausted. But then we also want to plan further networking and supporter events, write blogs and newsletters, meet with people, update our board, keep in contact with the team in Rostock, be part of the work of our church …. you get the picture.

And that’s part of our struggle at the moment. We would love to tell you about all the great things, that are happening in our lives and how we move towards Germany in giant leaps, but it’s all rather small scale and a big balancing act.

So, the challenge is now to plan, prioritise, work out a schedule, but not in our own strength, but by trusting in God’s guidance and empowering. Which sounds very glib and spiritual, but is a hard learning curve. It’s about letting go, waiting, trusting and listening, when all we want to do is to push ahead.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3, 5&6  

That’s what it’s all about!!! Thank you Ian for sharing this verse with us!

So, even "inbetween" God is still at work. Maybe the results are not as obvious, but they are nevertheless invaluable for our personal growth and for our relationship with God and others.

You know that verse don’t you in Matthew 6 verse 8 "Your Father knows what you need before you ask"?  It’s one of those very familiar verses, an obvious statement if ever there was one………but when something happens and you reflect that God does indeed know what you need before you ask (maybe you don’t even ask but you acknowledge you need it), then it becomes a little more real.  Combine that with a God who is not only interested in the big things in our lives where we feel we need to pray in order for him to help us with decisions but actually, we have a God who’s also wanting to help us on the small things, the minor detail, perhaps on things you wouldn’t ever dream about asking him.  Why?  Well, because he’s got other more important things to do hasn’t he?  Hasn’t he?  Well yes………….but he’s still interested and more than perfectly able to deal with the BIG things AND the small things……….keep reading……….

As normal I got my train into London at 7.50am.  While travelling I normally like to check my emails to make sure there are no nasty surprises at work and so I got out my Iphone (rather snazzy phone given to my by my work) to check.  Only this time I couldn’t because my phone display read "No SIM" meaning that my SIM card (for those who think I am speaking a foreign language, my apologies - a SIM card enables you to make and receive calls via a network such as 02 or Orange - if you still don’t know what I am talking about you may want to give up here.  For those fully on board, my apologies for this diversion……) had some kind of error.  Easy to resolve in theory but those of you who have an Iphone will know that you cannot just open up the SIM tray.  You need a specially shaped and somewhat unique pin (a sim eject tool!) which comes with your Iphone (and no doubt still lives in the box at home in a drawer somewhere) to open it up.  In this case I only needed to open and shut it again and the SIM would reset itself  and I would be able to access those pesky emails but I didn’t have my little pin with me (yep, in a box in a drawer at home……..25 miles away…………26 miles away etc).  A little trick though is that you can use an unfolded paper clip instead.  Second problem - despite turning my bag upside down I couldn’t find a paper clip either (and to be honest I hadn’t prayed about this, I mean, is God really interested in me needing a paper clip to reset my Iphone??).  Maybe there was one on the floor?  Alas none discarded (But I didn’t pray for one to be discarded arggghhh!)

I was worried about my emails…………..was there a nasty surprise waiting for me?  Would I get to work and the first thing I read is about some awful problem that I would’ve preferred to have been mentally prepared for?  From Euston station I walked to Warren Street and get the tube, 4 stops later I get off at Victoria.  8.55am I walk along Vauxhall Bridge Road - a particularly busy road and depending on the traffic I will cross over it in any of 20 different places to get onto the other side - I will then be 2 minutes from my workplace.   I cross over.  Once, when I walked along this stretch of the road,  I walked past David Dimbleby - he doesn’t know me (why would he?) but I always remember the day I saw him, as you do with famous people, but this day, as I reached the other side, I will remember quite clearly for quite different reasons, and not a celebrity in sight!  As I stepped onto the kerb I saw in the middle of the pavement………….guess what?  NOT a paper clip because God doesn’t do things by halves.  No, it was one of those unique Iphone pins whose only purpose is to open up Iphone SIM trays and which are normally left in the box in a drawer at home.  I have never found one in the street before and have never found one since either, but the day I needed one, I found one.  If I had crossed the road at a different place I would never have seen it and if it had been a paper clip, well, those things are used for more than just one purpose so you might expect to see one on the street.   I remember smiling to myself as I picked it up and marvelling.  First, because I need not worry about what’s around the corner as I have a God in charge who can be relied upon to take control and to provide, even for the small details of my life.  Second, I didn’t specifically pray but God knew my need and provided (not advocating not praying here!).   He is a God who knows what we require before we even ask but for me the main thing is that God is interested in the smaller detail of our lives just as much as the big things.

Last night Emeline told me to write in the blog that there was no prayer needed for her anymore as she had already found friends in school. Simple child’s logic - prayer request achieved, let’s move on to the next subject. But it’s not just children who think this way. I guess I do exactly the same thing. I have a long list of prayer requests (or should I call them worries?), which I faithfully present to God. As God answers those prayers or changes cirumstances I tick things off, move on and worry about the next thing.

Of course I told Emeline, that we can still pray and thank God that she has found new friends and enjoys going to school. I just wish I would remember this part myself. I’m sure if I was to focus more on the way in which God has so faithfully guided me to this point in my life and often answered prayers in ways that I could never have imagined my current worries and stresses would lose some of their importance and would have less of a negative influence on my life.

So, today some thank you notes instead of requests.

 Emilia’s birth and development   Justin’s job Emeline’s school   steadily increasing finacial support holiday in Germany   relationships and friendships that have been formed, renewed and strengthened during these last few months  the ongoing work in Rostock and the arrival of Family Libuda

Please feel free to add your own thank you notes in the comments below!

Emeline started School on Monday! She now attends a smallish Lower School in a nearby village (10 min by car). She had to start in Year 1 as the school considered our circumstances not exceptional enough to allow her to go into Reception Class. Therefore she has a bit of catching up to do. Luckily there are only 19 children in her class, which should help her not to get lost. So far she has enjoyed herself and the only real complaint was not liking the school dinner. We are very happy with her school, especially when we found out that Emeline knows some of the children there already through church and nursery. God has definitely provided the right school place for Emeline and we are very thankful for that!

Apart from sorting out Emeline’s school we had a very busy week with various church activities Men’s night, Leaders Day, Church BBQ … But Justin’s highlight of the week was watching England beat Croatia 5-1 live at Wembley! His voice had suffered considerably ….

Emilia in the meantime continues to grow and has now started to chuckle, which is just adorable

Exciting things have also been happening in Rostock where on Sunday Family Libuda was officially welcomed as team leaders of the church plant in Rostock! We pray that the whole family will settle in quickly and are looking forward to hopefully meeting them soon in person!

And lastly could you please pray for our friends Ron and Irma who are Missionaries is Mozambique. Irma has been very poorly and had to be medically evacuated to South Africa. The doctors are still doing tests to determine the cause of this illness.

Yes, we are back in wet and windy Britain! After an 18 1/2 hour drive we arrived back in Milton Keynes without being held up on the M25 for once! The girls did great, although Emeline has made it clear that she wants to fly next time! But the real hero of the day was Justin who drove us safely all the way!

Our time in Germany was just the break we needed. Thanks to my parents we could just rest and enjoy the lovely summer weather, not having to worry about cooking or cleaning. Danke Mutti und Vati!!! 

And now we are back to reality. School start for Milton Keynes is tomorrow. We have not heard yet if Emeline has got a place in any of our chosen schools. Emeline seems undaunted by the uncertainties and is looking forward to going to school wherever that maybe. I on the other hand worry about having to buy all the school kit, sewing in name labels and doing all the other stuff mums of school kids do but with considerably less time.

Over the last weeks we have been reminded how this preparation time for our work in Rostock is a learning and growing experience for us and those who support us. We want to thank all of you for sharing your questions and concerns as well as giving help and encouragement. Thank you for your continued interest in our progress and for your concern for us as a family. We really appreciate your calls, chats and e-mails!!!!

We are travelling back tomorrow (Tuesday), leaving Falkenstein at 7.30am and hopefully reaching Dunkirk at 7.15pm at the latest.  A 2 hour crossing to Dover will take it to 11pm local time, and then 2 hours to return to Milton Keynes (1am!), M25 permitting!  Please pray for us if you read this before we get home!

We’re presently in Germany enjoying a 10 day summer break, staying with Kristin’s parents in the eastern part of the country.  On Saturday 22 August we set off from Milton Keynes at 6.30am and arrived at Dover at 8.30am.  Our sailing was at 10am across to Dunkirk where we arrived at 1pm local time.  It takes about 4 hours to get to Aachen on the West German border (5pm) having driven through France, Belgium and Holland, and we eventually arrived at 11.45pm in Kristin’s home town (Falkenstein).  It’s a long journey with 2 children but flying is unthinkable with such a young baby and both girls did very well with the journey.  However, at 40 years of age it is taking me longer to recover after 16 hours of driving so I am just about there 2 days after we arrived!  We return to Milton Keynes on 1 September.  We used SKYPE to speak to our friends in MK and it works really well, something we will use a lot more once we are here permanently in Germany, so if you are thinking about getting SKYPE we’d certainly encourage you.  Actually, if you already have SKYPE please let us know as we can add you to our contacts. 

Lastly for this posting………if you click on the ECM link to the right of this page, you will be taken to the ECM website, choose the ECM Britain site and click on the June 2009 Edition of "Millions".  Inside you will be able to read an article about Rostock where we will be working.

The Sismeys

As most folk will know, we were originally planning to start our work church planting in Rostock, North Germany by the end of September, 2009.  We are extremely grateful for those who have committed to supporting us specifically in prayer and/or financially.  The birth of Emilia at the end of May meant that we have not been able to devote as much time to raising the profile of Rostock and our work as we had been previously but we have continued to be amazed and blessed with folk who have indicated that they would like to support us.
 
Our current level of funding commitment stands at about 35% which means, realistically, that we will not be able to go to Germany at the end of September as originally planned.  While disappointing, nevertheless we are acutely aware that the timeframe was always going to be tight and that God’s timing is rarely our timing.  Our next focus, therefore will be to leave for Germany as early as possible, this will only be once we have achieved 100% financial support.
 
There are a number of areas where we would appreciate your prayer support.  Firstly, for the team currently working in Rostock who have been praying for us, please pray that they would not be terribly disappointed that we are not coming at the time that they and we were hoping for.  

Secondly, please pray that we would be able to get Emeline into a suitable school from September until we are able to leave.  We had applied for her to attend a school in Broughton but we heard that they are full so we are having to look elsewhere and will probably not know about arrangements until the start of term.
 
Clearly we are still looking for additional funding so if you are able or would like to support us on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly or yearly), from as little as £5,  please contact us or complete one of the forms which we can also send to you by email.
 
Again, we are grateful for your interest and we are extremely privileged to have so many friends interested in the call on our lives to the church planting work in North Germany.
 
Justin, Kristin, Emeline and Emilia