Ropers In Germany: Today Marks 2 Years in Deutschland!

Hello Everyone!
Today, September 5, 2010, marks two years for us as a family here in Deutschland! We cannot believe it! It is amazing to think that it has already been two years since we landed at the Frankfurt airport, with all of our lives packed in somewhere between 15-20 pieces of luggage. Rebecca was pregnant with Noah, Katie was 3, Aliyah 1 1/2, and I was completely unaware of what the Lord would be doing in and through us! It seems as times that the time has gone by so fast, and yet at times as seems as though we have been here so much longer, since so much has taken place in our lives over the past two years. Here is a little sample of what has taken place both in our family and also in the ministry...

FAMILY

Noah was born! We say that Noah is "unsere Deutsche junge" - our German boy, because he was born "punktlich" - on time. He was born on his due date.
Aliyah will be celebrating her 3rd birthday here in Germany next month and has had a few trips to the hospital over these past years due to different health problems. She is now in kindergarten at the age of 3 and is beginning to learn German
Katie is now entering her second year of kindergarten, has learned quite a bit of German (so we hear when she plays with the other kids in her school or at church), has loved being the older sister to Aliyah and Noah, and cannot wait until she drive the car like mommy and daddy.
Rebecca has grown so much in her cooking abilities (she is an amazing cook!). So many people have enjoyed her desserts or dinners when they come over to our house and eat. She has as well been used in an awesome way with hospitality to whomever will come to our house. She is now beginning to decorate our new apartment where we live and has completely impressed me and many others with her ability to speak the German language without even a class! Though she misses her friends back home, the Lord has really blessed her with a group of friends her that she often connects with and at times goes shopping with, while I (Joey) watch the kids.
I am not exactly sure what to say about myself. I have learned so much in these past two years and I do believe that I have grown in my walk with the Lord, I do believe that I have also grown in my love for Him, my wife, my kids, and His Church! One thing that I can say was a huge thing that I did, was taking, finishing, and passing my German class. If you know me, I am not one for school and all that goes with it, and yet, through the help of my wife, I pressed on and finished my class. Although at times it was hard, it is such a blessing to be able to communicate so much more in the German language and it is my prayer that one day in the near future I will be able to teach in German. Some say that will be impossible, some say that I can do it, all I know is - IT HAS GOT TO BE GOD!!!
Through these past two years, we have learned so much as a family. We have learned more and more how to work together in everything that we do, how to live in a foreign country with a foreign language, and a different culture. We have gone through some great times. We have gone through some tough times. The enemy has definitely tried us in new areas and has many times tried to get us to give up. But I do believe that through this all we have experienced the love, patience, grace, mercy, longsuffering, and kindness of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ! He has proved Himself faithful to us time and time again!

MINISTRY

Coming here, we knew that one of the tasks that was on our heart was to come alongside Pastor Edmund and his wife Martha to assist them in the work that the Lord called them to start around 7 years ago. One thing that we didn't know was....what that would look like!
There have been so many different things that we have learned about ourselves and about ministry while being here in Herborn.
For me personally, there have been many different ministries that I have been involved in over the past two years that I didn't plan on being a part of, and yet through them all, the Lord has been molding me and shaping me as a potter does with the clay.
I will be the first one to say that I have made many mistakes. and yet the Lord continues to allow me to be a part of His work here in Herborn!
Not that we have arrived or think that we have got things down now, but we do look forward to what the Lord wants to do in the future!

LOOKING AHEAD

As we now look ahead, we think upon the verses in Philippians chapter 3 where Paul said,

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

We know that God has worked many things in and out of our lives over these past two years, and yet we know that He is not finished, for He will be faithful to complete the work that He has started in us, and He is not done! So we look ahead! We are now beginning a new year, in a new house, with Jesus before our eyes, seeking to do what He desires in this place, FOR HIS GLORY!

KEEP PRAYING
We know that many of you have been faithfully been praying for us over these past two years and we want to thank you so much! We do want to ask you to please continue to pray as we do believe that the Lord still has so much more to do IN and THROUGH us! We do believe that there is so much more that Europe needs, so much more that Deutschland needs. THEY NEED MORE OF JESUS! So please do continue to labor in prayer for the work that He is doing here in Herborn, Germany and for the Gospel to continue to go out in power and in truth!

Here are a few pictures of the beautiful day that the Lord blessed us with!