Work Needed on Us

Bitter Sweet

On Thursday, February 18th, I (Joey) had my Orientierungskurs Prüfung (Orientation Class Test). This was a test on the history and politics of Germany. I will be honest with you. I had a lot of interest in studying this, but it was really hard doing it in the German language, because there were now so many words that I did not know and would have to learn in this short two week class. Within in this two week class I missed 3 days of the total 9 day class since our kids were sick and Aliyah was in the hospital. So I did have a little bit of fear going into the test that I would not pass and would have to do the class all over again. So I did what I could and I just studied over the 300 questions that were given to us, of which we would only have 25 of them on the test. To say the least, after studying for hours about the German politics and history in German, my head hurt! So I decided that I would get a good nights sleep and wake up in the morning, do a little bit more studying and then go do the test. This day officially my last day in my German Class! So I was really excited to get over with the class, but a little bummed because I knew that my moments with my classmates was coming to an end. More on that later...

Once I was given my test, I was so stoked because most of the questions that were on my particular test were the ones the I did know and understand. There were a few that I wasn't to sure on, but it didn't matter, I knew that I had passed and I was so stoked! After leaving the class early, to go pick up my mom at the airport (more on that later), I immediately called Rebecca with excitement and told her, "I Definitely Passed!" She was really excited for me as well.

Right before leaving the class I talked with my teacher for a little bit and let her know that I would see her later that evening for the dinner that our whole class would have together. I shared with her once again how excited I was that the class was over, but how I was bummed because I was really going to miss seeing everyone. She then shared with me how she would also miss this class alot because although she has many classes, there are none like ours. I am not just saying that because it is my class, I am saying this because this is what my teacher and the director of the school had said about our class! They had truly said that there has never been a class like ours! So while I was talking to my teacher, she even began to get teared up in her eyes, which really showed how much she loves us as a class! I then said goodbye to some of the Russian women and let them know that I would see them later. They then asked if I was bringing my kids, to which I replied, "No I am not." They then asked if I was bringing my wife and encouraged me to do so since my mom would be with us! I was super stoked with the idea, since I had not really thought about it!

So later on that evening, we as a class met at a local Chinese Restaurant and had a great time together! The women were really excited to meet Rebecca, which was really a blessing! As I have said before, I really see how this class has become a family! In fact, as the night went on, there were many of them who did not want to leave at all. They were completely sad because they knew that this was it! This would be the last time that we would see each other until our final test, which takes place on March 12. PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL OF US!
Rebecca had the opportunity to talk with one of the Russian women for about 10-15 minutes, just the two of them, which was really funny, because I know that this Russian lady doesn't know any English and Rebecca doesn't know any Russian, so the only common language was German. So I was so proud of Rebecca to be able to understand and speak with this woman for that long!

We then went on outside and said our goodbyes. When Rebecca, my teacher, and I had sat in our car, I said that it would be great if we could get some cocoa and coffee (for those who like coffee). So the night continued. There were a few of us who went down the street to a little coffee bar that was opened, which is not normal for the late hour that it was, and spent more time enjoying each others company!

That whole day and evening was bitter sweet! Sweet, because I am really excited to be done with my class, but bitter, because I am going to really miss seeing all of my "new family members" everyday in the class. The good thing is that we all have each others contact numbers and emails and so I do pray that we can stay in contact with each other!

I do ask you all to pray for us all! On March 12 we will be taking our big test! This is what it all comes down too! Please pray that we all do good! Also do pray as we will be getting together that evening also for dinner, but this time at a Turkish Restaurant in Herborn.

Delusions of Man

Tonight I will be teaching on our current series that is entitled "The Delusions of Man." Pastor Edmund has taught the past three studies and they have really been challenging, cutting to the heart, and so much more. Tonight I believe that the Lord is really going to continue that work in us. We are going to be looking at a portion of Scripture where Jesus is really going to "say it like it is." He is going to be speaking the truth and holding nothing back. So I ask all of you who may read this today, to please be praying for me as I study and also be praying for those who will be coming tonight, that the Lord would prepare their hearts, draw them near unto Him, and that we as His people will respond to the what HE speaks to us!
I want to encourage all of you who may read this today from CC Herborn to come tonight, and come with that prepared heart to hear from the LORD, not from me!
I am praying for you!

Alles Gesund

Thank You
We want to thank all of you who faithfully prayed for us through this past week. We know that the Lord definitely heard all of the prayers and that there was a difference through your prayers. This past week was definitely a hard week dealing with all of our kids being sick, but praise the Lord, we are on the other side of it all.
Aliyah & Rebecca
Aliyah spent 5 days in the hospital recovering from being dehydrated and having diarrhea. This past Wednesday she was finally able to come out of the hospital! Rebecca had her opportunity to use all of the German that she knew as she and Aliyah roomed with another mother and son. I am so proud of my wife as she did so well.
Katie
Katie was only sick a few days and was able to recover very fast and we are very thankful for that. She was so excited in this midst of all of this because she was able to sleep in the bed with daddy and even wear one of his t-shirts to bed. We had a lot of fun together.
Noah
Noah is finally back to normal with his health. He is as cute as ever and loves to crawl around the house chasing his sisters once again.

Thank you all once again for being there with us and praying for us!
Love the Roper Family

Katie's first sleepover

Last weekend, Katie had her first ever sleepover. She was able to sleep over at Edmund and Martha's house with some of her friends, Karis and Anna. She was so excited to be able to do this. Martha said that they had so much fun. The only bummer was that Katie threw up in the middle of the night, which was an after fact of catching the sickness from Aliyah and Noah. Luckily, none of the other girls got sick from Katie. We felt so bad when we heard that this happened. But besides this situation, Katie said that she had so much fun!!! Here are some pics from the evening...

A little Update

Here is a little update with the health in our family:

ALIYAH
She is still in the hospital. She has started to get diarrhea early this morning. So please pray for that. She did throw up a little bit last night, but has not done so since then. They did take her off of the IV, but then when she started to get a little worse, they put her on the IV once again. She is eating a little more and drinking a little more, so that is good. Rebecca has been able to stay with her all throughout last night, today, and will stay there once again with her in the hospital tonight.

KATIE
She has been doing a lot better. No fever. No diarrhea. No throwing up. Seems pretty normal. Has been drinking water all day and eating a little bit more throughout the day.

NOAH
We did bring him to the hospital this morning. They did check on him and take some of his blood to test it. All the numbers were good. Even the doctor checked him out and said he was good. He has not had as much diarrhea today which is a pretty big deal. Please do continue to be praying for him to get 100%. He has also been eating more and drinking more today.

REBECCA
She has been blessed to stay with Aliyah there in the hospital. Do pray that she can even be refreshed while there. It has been a good chance for her to be out of the house and away from all of the things she does at the house.

THANK YOU
We want to thank all of you who have continued to pray for us. Please do continue to pray. God is working in our midst in all of this. We love you and are blessed by you!

PSALM 34
" I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. ”

What God is Doing!

Hello all of our family and friends!
It is around 8:45pm Saturday night and I want to give all of you an update of what is taking place with the Roper Family. First of all, I want to say that I am sorry if I frightened any of you over pasts blogs. That is the hard part with blogging, you are not able to hear the tone of voice, which would be important. But I just want to let you know that we are doing this so that you can all know what is going on with us whether it be family or ministry matters. I want to share with all of you how your prayers have really been affecting today!
ALIYAH
So this morning I took Aliyah to the hospital. We hoped that they would admit her since we believed that she was really dehydrated. We got there around 30 minutes before the doctor arrived, which was good, so we were the first one to be seen. Sure enough, they did admit her and hooked her up to an IV. They brought us into a room and she was able to sleep and rest. As the day continued, she continued to eat more, drink more, and feel better. I left the hospital around 4pm to switch with Rebecca. As I have talked with Rebecca a few times this evening, she has only continued to say positive statements about Aliyah. Lord willing, she will be good to come home by tomorrow.
KATIE
Katie, as we shared with you threw up early this morning and one other time before I took Aliyah to the hospital. Since that time she has not thrown up any more and has slowly been drinking water and eating bread. When I came home, she did look pretty sick, but after I gave her some more water and bread, it was as if everything changed. She started to play around the house, her and I watched a little movie together and I put her to sleep by 8:30pm. Continue to pray for her that she would fully regain health.
NOAH
Little Noah, the one who was the first in all of this has continued with his diarrhea. After Rebecca and I switched, he really wanted to be in daddy's arms. After awhile, I fed him some dinner, changed his diaper and he fell asleep right away. Do be praying for him as tomorrow we are going to bring him to the hospital and see what the doctor says. He really needs to break through with all of this diarrhea.
REBECCA & I
Rebecca and I are staying healthy - praise the LORD - and I am really glad that she can be at the hospital with Aliyah. A chance to get out of the house, away from the laundry, be able to really focus and relax with Aliyah, and get a good night's sleep.

THANK YOU
We want to thank all of you who have faithfully been praying for us through all of this. We know that this is not over yet and we still have some other things to deal with after the health issues, but it is such a blessing to know that so many of you are faithfully laboring in prayer for our family. Please continue to do so! May the LORD richly bless you!
We continue to look to Him in all of this. He is good! He is faithful!

Now Katie

Hello Everyone,
Well last night was a pretty rough night. Rebecca and I were up many times in the night with Noah and Aliyah. Aliyah threw up a few more times. She has been so thirsty but is unable to hold anything down. I am going to be bringing her to the hospital today and hopefully we can get her admitted and hooked up to an IV. Around 6am this morning, I woke up to Aliyah half way laying on the couch and halfway standing. She was awake and had gone to the bathroom in her underwear. So as I went to go clean her up, I step away from her for a few seconds and then she threw up again. I came back to clean it up and noticed that something was definitely different. Basically, she was so thirsty that she woke up and got into the refrigerator and drank some milk all on her own. Bummer. After getting everything cleaned up and putting Aliyah in the bathtub, I went to go get my phone (for some reason). Anyways, there was a message from Martha that sure enough, Katie had thrown up:( So I have now picked her up and she has pains in her stomach but has only thrown up one time.
We will be leaving soon to go to the hospital to see what happens.
Please do continue to pray for us. We know you are and are very thankful for all of you praying for us! You are all truly a blessing!
Love the Roper Family

Our Current Situation

Hey Everyone,
This morning while I was spending time in the Word, in Prayer, and in writing down some thoughts, some things took place that I want to share with you. Here is what I began to write in my journal or the book of "Documenting my Journey:"

Noah is still sick -(4 days now). He is lightly crying in the background as I write this. Aliyah has been struggling with her health for about a week now. Coughing throughout the day. Sometimes she has trouble breathing during the night. We have never dealt with so much sickness as in this past year. Is it normal? So much? Is it spiritual attack? Is it the mold that we continue to fight against? Some say YES, some say NO. What can we do?.......
(Some time in between)
.... Rebecca just came running out with Aliyah and brought her to the bathroom. Aliyah just threw up in our bed. So I quickly went to go help. The look in my wife's eyes were as if to say, "When is this going to stop? Not again... and so much more......"

It is now later in the day and Aliyah has thrown up well over 10 times. She is laying on the couch next to me completely tired and trying to keep down the water that I just gave to her. Noah is with Rebecca as he just got up from his nap. He has had bad diarrhea throughout the past 3 days. I took him to the doctor office yesterday to get him checked up on. He has definitely caught a "bug" and has passed it on to his sister. Rebecca has been such an amazing trooper and has continued to do all of the laundry that has been continuously piling up from all of the mishaps that have taken place. Praise the Lord that Katie is healthy and doing strong. She is actually over at Edmund and Martha's house right now playing with Karis (one of her friends) and is going to spend the night for her first ever sleep over.
We are and have been dealing with this situation of mold in our house and have done what we can to keep on top of it. We are looking into some more details about it right now and hopefully will come up with some kind of solution to go over with our land lords. We are praying for wisdom in what to do with all of this. Yes, we are blessed with the place that we live in, but we have never dealt with so much sickness as in this past year. Of course sickness is normal, especially with three little kids who can easily pass it around to each other. But is it from the mold? What are we to do?
Also, we are currently dealing with a situation with our car. We have had it for over a year now and have poured more money into it than any other car that I think I previously owned. We need to get something else fixed on it again and I really do not want to put any more money into it! We need to get a new car, we are praying over this also, asking for wisdom in what to do in this situation also; as we do need to respond soon.
In the midst of all of this, here are some verses that we will choose to hold on to:

"And ​whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matt. 21:22
(I read this today in my devotions)

"My brethren, ​count it all joy ​​when you fall into various trials, ​knowing that the testing of your faith produces ​patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be ​​perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ​If any of you lacks wisdom, ​let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and ​​it will be given to him. ​But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is ​i​a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:2-8

"Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You." Psalm 33:20-22

We do ask you to please join us in prayer for health, wisdom, and direction with these next steps that we need to take soon! Thank you all! God Bless you!
Love the Roper Family

Noah Sick

Hello Everyone
We are writing to ask all of you to please be praying for Noah! He has been sick all day!

• He has thrown up at lest 7 times and has diarrhea.
  
• Please pray that the fluids that we give him will stay down and also the food.
  
• Please pray that that he will sleep through the night without throwing up so that we can have a peaceful night.
• please pray for the rest of us not to catch this bug that he has

thank you all very much
Love the Ropers!

Family Time. Train Rides. The Gospel

Family Time
Today we decided to take a train to Siegen. For multiple reasons. (1) The kids have not been on a train yet and so we thought it would be fun. (2) To get Noah some birthday presents. (3) We need to get our car fixed and so we don't want to do too much driving. (4) To get out of the house.
Needless to say, the kids were totally excited to go on the train. Although the train was only going to be a 30 minute ride, it would be enough time for the kids.
Train Ride
One of the greatest parts about the train ride was the fact that we all got to relax and be able to look around. One of the great moments was when Aliyah was looking out of the train window and said, "UUUUUUHHHHH Mommy! I just saw a castle! Hey Katie! I just saw the castle!" That was great! On our train ride back, Katie said, "Why is the train going backwards?" That was pretty hilarious too!
Family Time. Shopping for Noah
Our little boy is going to be one year old this coming Thursday, so we had to take advantage of being by the shopping stores and mall in Siegen to get Noah some gifts for his birthday. So for any of you who know about shopping with women, especially when in Siegen, there is one store you know that you will end up at. What is it? H&M! When we got up to the kids section, I saw this pair of glasses that I knew that I needed one of my girls to take a picture with them on. So here is our little rockstar - Katie!

The Gospel
It is amazing now looking back at this day to see how the Lord truly ordained it in many ways. Not only for some of the reasons stated above, but for the very fact that we had the opportunity to talk with and pray with some people waiting for the train and another lady on the train. So let me give you some of the story.
Towards the end of the day, we headed back to the Bahnhof (train station) to get there in time to get our tickets and make sure that we were not rushed. Well, after buying the tickets, we still had about 30 minutes before our train would leave. If you know me, I love to be early. Anyways, while we were waiting for the train, there was a gentleman that was sitting on the bench right next to us. Aliyah was standing at that bench and was kind of starring at him. So I decided to sit next to him and ask him where he was from. We discovered that he was from Congo. He has lived in Deutschland for 20 years. He was a refugee from Congo and now has German citizenship. At the time, I was holding Noah in my arms while talking to him. We continued to go back and forth was a lot of small talk. (Oh yeah, this was all in German!) He then was asking me questions about myself and my family. So I began to share with him how we are missionaries here and how we are part of a church here in Germany. He knew where Herborn was, so I continued to talk to him and ask him questions on what he believed in regards to Jesus. For the next 5- 10 minutes we talked about some topics in regard to the Gospel and before we had to leave I had the opportunity to pray with him! It wasn't to pray with him to accept the Lord for he said that he already had Jesus in his life, but I was able to pray for him and his health!
We then headed over to the train, and at the same moment that we were getting on, there was another lady who was getting on at the same time. We ended up sitting right next to her and spent the next 40 minutes (in German) talking to her. We found out that she is from the Dominican Republic and she has been living here in Deutschland for about 18 years. Rebecca and I were going back and forth with her just getting to know her and sharing about who were are. Then there came a man whose name is Noman who is from Pakistan who said that he spoke English, so Rebecca started to talk with him and I continued to talk with this lady from the Dominican Republic. It was amazing how the time flew by, but it was also shocking that we talked for the whole 40 minutes in German. I was able to share with this lady some of the Gospel and began to share how important that it is that we don't just have this belief in our minds, but that it has got to be in our hearts.
So there are more details than that, but it is late and I want to go to bed and be rested for tomorrow, for church. But I just had to share this with all of you! Please do pray for these individuals. The Lord knows who they are, what their names are, and so much more. We do praise the Lord for the opportunity that He gave to us and it made us think how we would want to use the trains more often. This is a great place to meet people, from all over the world, and share the Gospel. It is amazing! We are Americans, living in Germany, who were able to speak with a man from Congo, a man from Pakistan, and a lady from the Domincan Republic, all in German! How amazing is our God!

CCH Prophecy Conference 2010

The first thing that I want to do is to thank all of you who joined in and were praying for this past prophecy conference that just took place this past weekend. It is so awesome that the Lord stirred your hearts to faithfully be a part of the work of the Lord here in Herborn, Germany. So thank you once again!

I want to take this opportunity to share with you all what the Lord did this past weekend at our Prophecy Conference. This year we had three speakers. The first one was Amir Tsarfati, who is a dear brother in the Lord and a personal friend of ours. He taught the first two sessions. His first session was "Europe and the Middle East prepare for the rise of the Anti-Christ." It was amazing to see how many people came on Friday night especially since the weather was.... well... a lot of snow. Difficult with driving on the roads, and yet many people came to hear the Word. That first night, if I remember correctly, there was around 8-10 people that accepted the Lord. After the message, Pastor Edmund came up and offered the opportunity to receive the Lord and many responded! Praise the Lord! I believe that even if we ended just after the first night, everything that went into this years conference would have been worth it!
Amir then taught the next session on Saturday afternoon which was entitled, "Options of Israel in light of the current threats from a Biblical Perspective." Once again, many people were interested to hear what it was that Amir shared in this message. In fact, after this message, we had a time of Q & A with Amir. Many people had questions for him & the Lord continued to work in the hearts of the people. Amir really encouraged the people to get right with the Lord, which was so necessary. Once again, people responded to the message!
The second speaker for the conference was Pastor Edmund Coronel Sr. He taught on a message that was entitled, "Are You Ready?" I would have to say that this message was definitely one of my favorite messages of the weekend as Pastor Edmund really challenged us, as believers, to be living a life that is fully pleasing to the Lord in these last days.
The third speaker was Robert Congdon. He taught the last three sessions of the conference. His three topics were "Life in the Tribulation," "Life in the Millineum," and "Life in the New Heavens and Earth." I believe that he taught a clear and Biblical perspective of what Tribulation, Millineum, and the New Heavens and Earth are going to be like. You can really tell that Rob Congdon delights in teaching the Word of God. He had so much excitement in the pulpit. Once again, people responded to the messages that Rob brought forth and accepted Jesus and their Lord and Savior. After his three messages, we had another time of Q&A with Robert Congdon. Many people had questions for Robert. It was great!

All in all, it was great to be able to be a part of this year's prophecy conference. So many people in the church stepped up and were serving in so many ways. It was so great to see the body working together to get the Word of God out.

I want to end by sharing how awesome it is to be a part of a Prophecy Conference here in Germany. Coming from CC Chino Hills, were there is also many prophecy conferences, teachings on prophecy by Pastor Jack and guest speakers, you can kind of take it for granted. But now being here in Germany, it is great to be serving alongside Pastor Edmund who also has the desire to get the Word of God out and to teach on Eschatology. You see, here in Germany, there is not a push in this topic of Prophecy. Many people and churches out here try to avoid the whole topic, but yet the Lord has clearly put Pastor Edmund here to bring forth the Prophetic Word to the German people. So we praise the Lord for the work of His Spirit that He did this past weekend and we look forward to what He will continue to do!