Warners' October 2007--Prayer Letter

Hello to all our friends and family!

Here's our latest prayer letter.

Charley and Cheryl
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October 2007
Vol. 21, No. 10
Dear Family and Friends,

In mid-September we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our arrival on the mission field. We thank God for His faithfulness and for allowing us to continue in ministry in Europe. The next benchmark anniversary comes October 22nd, the date Charley became a Christian 30 years ago.

Vienna, Prague, and Next Door
The girls have all gone back to school, and Cheryl has literally joined them this year. She has taken a part-time job in the communications area at Vienna Christian School, working with publications and special editing assignments. This gives us a substantial tuition reduction, helping with our budget, and she enjoys the work and the bonus of being near the girls. Laura and Emily are new to this school and have adjusted well. Emily spent a few weeks in second grade but just moved into third grade, and we pray that this new challenge continues to go well for her. (Cheryl is also seeking additional freelance editing work. She would appreciate any leads for editing or proofreading jobs. Contact her at cheryl@barnabas.org.)

Charley spent a few days in September in Prague with a missionary family who have been battered by many trials. He was able to help them think through their situation and bring encouragement to them.

One Sunday evening in September, Cheryl had an unprecedented opportunity to share Christ with our neighbor, who resides next door only sporadically. She went to retrieve a volleyball that went over the fence, and stayed for a long, in-depth conversation. This single woman is seeking and was surprisingly open. Please pray for Karin’s eyes to be open to the truth of the gospel and for her to embrace Christ.

Member Care Conference in Budapest
Charley helped organize the 2nd Central European Member Care Conference, which was held September 27-30 in Budapest. He also gave a talk on “The Role of the Local Church in Caring for Missionaries,” focusing especially on furlough. This conference was designed to help equip missionaries and nationals from Central Europe for their own ministries of encouragement.

Future Ministry Travel/Activities
Oct. 20-27 Charley in Kiev for the 10th anniversary meetings of the Euro-Asian Accrediting Association.

Nov. 14-18 Charley in Budapest for the European Evangelical Missions Association meetings.

Ukraine in October
October 22-25, 2007, will mark the 10th anniversary conference of the Euro-Asian Accrediting Association (EAAA). Charley is the International Assistant for the EAAA, which accredits evangelical theological schools in the countries of the former Soviet Union, translates and publishes theological textbooks from German and English into Russian, conducts faculty development seminars, and promotes online theological education, among other important projects. This year's conference will be held in Irpin, Ukraine, just outside of Kiev. Pray for Charley as he organizes and attends this event. Melissa will travel with him to Ukraine, visiting Odessa (where half her childhood was spent), Kiev and Cherkassy, and enjoying some father-daughter time.

Financial Update
Although we are not quite at 100 percent of our support target, we are in a much better position than we were in a year ago. We do, however, fight discouragement when we look at the still declining value of the dollar. As of the end of September the exchange rate is $1.42 to 1 Euro, an all-time high. When Cheryl recently visited a dentist after breaking a tooth and was told the necessary crown would cost 700 Euros (about $1,000) not covered by insurance, she joked that it would be cheaper to fly to the U.S. to have the work done. (We did find a much cheaper option in Hungary, about an hour away, with a dentist who is highly recommended.) But the high Euro is really a serious matter for all U.S.-sent missionaries living in the Euro-zone. Please pray for us to continue to trust in the Lord God, our Provider, and not be discouraged by the high cost of living.

Airline miles needed to get to wedding anniversaryNext summer is Charley’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The celebrations will be in Venice, Florida, the first week of August 2008. For our entire family to go would cost over $7,500, coming from Europe at the height of the summer season. This cost is prohibitive for us, yet we want to honor Charley's parents with our presence on such an important occasion. Maybe you can help us.

Right now the cheapest airline is Austrian Air which is part of the “Star Alliance” with United. It takes 50,000 miles to purchase one round-trip overseas ticket, so we need a total of 300,000 miles. If you are interested in donating some miles toward the purchase of our tickets, we would greatly appreciate it. Just contact us at either of our email addresses below.

Thanksgiving and prayer items
1. Praise God for 20 years overseas and 30 years of knowing Christ for Charley.
2. Pray for our personal walks with the Lord to be fresh and vital, and for our children’s growth as well.
3. Pray for the US Dollar to strengthen against the Euro.
4. Pray for our oldest daughter, Melissa, as she finishes her senior year at VCS and applies to colleges in the US. Pray for the Lord to direct her to the right place and for the finances she'll need.
5. Pray for Cheryl as she adjusts to working again both at Vienna Christian School and in freelance editing. Pray for more paid editing work to come her way.

Thank you for prayers and partnership with us. Blessings to you.


Charley and Cheryl Warner
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Communicating with the Warners
Warner family blog--www.ccwarner.blogspot.com
Warners’ Electronic Updates--Send us your e-mail address and we’ll include you.
Skype over the Internet--Our Skype contact ID is: ccwarner (For more information www.skype.com)

FIELD ADDRESS:
Pröpstlgasse 9
A-1220 Vienna
Austria

Home phone from the US: (011) 43-1-734-5541
Charley’s cell from the US: (011) 43-664-546-3314
Cheryl’s cell from the US: (011) 43-664-546-6289
Skype phone: 630-687-1426

warner@barnabas.org (general)
cheryl@barnabas.org (personal)


Tax-deductible gifts for the Warners’ ministry may be sent to:
Barnabas International
PO Box 11211
Rockford, IL 61126-1211
USA