March-April 2008

Vol. 22, No. 3-4

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve been keeping our travel agent busy. Charley is headed to Ukraine in April for an accreditation visit at a seminary, and a few days later to Armenia to teach a missions course at the Armenian Baptist Seminary. Here’s a look at where he has been lately and what’s ahead for all of us for the summer.

European Member Care Consultation in France

From February 26 to March 2 Charley attended the European Member Care Consultation near Lille, France. He organized the small groups, facilitated the evening session on “Burning Issues” in Member Care and rejoined the Member Care Europe steering group as the representative for Central and Eastern Europe. Please pray for him as he seeks to find a national from Eastern Europe who can be on the Steering Group. Even though there is much interest and involvement in mission work in our part of the world, interest in taking care of missionaries is only beginning.

At the same conference Charley was asked to be one of the liaisons to mission movements in Central and Eastern Europe for the European Evangelical Missionary Alliance (EEMA). Over the next few years Charley will be traveling to visit new mission movements throughout the region, bringing encouragement and counsel. Charley will also be on the Organizing Committee for the EEMA’s next conference in November 2009. Please pray for Charley in this new role.

Financial update

Our Barnabas International support account is still in the black thanks to several generous donations we received in November and December 2007. Thank you! However, that surplus is slowly dwindling as the US Dollar loses value. As of April 8th the US Dollar is $1.57 to 1 Euro. When we planned our annual budget last year the exchange rate was $1.30 to 1 Euro. So over the course of the last year the US Dollar has dropped by 20% in value. Please pray that the US Dollar will strengthen against the Euro.

Ministry and hospitality in Vienna

Charley will soon begin his service on the Vienna Christian School (VCS) School Board. With his experience in educational accreditation in the former Soviet Union, he will be able to assist in the reaccreditation process that VCS will go through next year with ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International). Cheryl will continue her part-time work next year producing publications for VCS, and will also assist in producing written reports for accreditation requirements.

Missionary friends who go way back with us to early days in Odessa (1991) recently spent several days in our home, giving us the joy of catching up and of extending hospitality. Although we had both moved and had not seen each other for many years, Charley “happened” to contact these friends just a few weeks before their planned trip to Vienna. Their 11-year-old niece, who recently came to live with them in Europe following the death of her father, also stayed with us. It was sweet to watch a friendship bloom between her and our own dear 11-year-old Laura. We want to continue to encourage this girl, who is grieving the loss of a parent, adjusting to a new family situation, living in a foreign country, and finding out what it means to live as a child of missionaries. Pray for Priscilla. We thank God for the opportunities He brings us to encourage missionaries on the field.

Family updates

Melissa is deciding this month which college she will attend in the fall. Please pray for her to know God’s leading. She is also playing a lead role in the school production of Disney’s High School Musical. She graduates June 11.

Elizabeth is also in the musical at school. She is taking guitar lessons and is studying for an AP exam in World History to be taken May 15^th. She is preparing for her summer mission trip to Nicaragua with Teen Missions, and is raising financial and prayer support for that. If you are interested in supporting her for that trip, we can send you information on how to make a contribution to Teen Missions. Donations can also be sent to Barnabas International, which is operating an account for her to cover additional expenses (visa, immunizations, airfare). A separate note should be included indicating the check is for Elizabeth. Thank you to the many individuals who have prayed for Elizabeth and supported her last year on her trip to Tanzania, and this year as well. She also went to Bosnia in January on a school mission trip.

Laura is finishing up fifth grade. She loves to read, cook, email her friends in America and drink tea with mom. She is in drama club at school and sings with the worship team for chapel.

Emily has just joined a baseball team for boys and girls, but turned out to be the only girl! She loves horses, reading and talking. Her third-grade teacher just got engaged, and Emily can tell you all about the ring and wedding plans.

Cancellation of airline miles idea
Unfortunately, we have had to cancel the idea of friends and family donating miles for tickets this summer. Thank you to those who offered miles. However, in the end the combined amount of miles was not enough to buy a ticket. In addition, we discovered the number of award mileage seats available in the “Star Alliance” is minimal for summer travel and such seats were booked up until September.

We are thankful to those who have donated money to buy four of the six tickets we need for the summer to attend the 50^th anniversary celebration for Charley’s parents. If you are interested in donating money for our tickets, please contact us.

Thanksgiving and prayer items

1. Pray for Charley as he works on his English-Russian Glossary of Theological Terminology.

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. It now is at $ 1.57 USD to 1 Euro.

4. Pray for our oldest daughter, Melissa, as she finishes her senior year at VCS and decides where to attend college 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 is working at Vienna Christian School.

6. Pray for Charley in his new role working with the European Evangelical Missionary Alliance.

7. Pray that Russia will reverse its new visa regulations for foreigners.

8. Pray for our family’s busy spring/summer schedule especially in June (See “Future Ministry Travel/Activities” at the end of this post).

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 - http://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) Skype phone: 630-687-1426

FIELD ADDRESS:
Pröpstlgasse 9
A-1220 Vienna
Austria

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

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

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

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Future Ministry/Travel Activities:

April/May

April 13-19 Charley has EAAA meetings in Lviv, Ukraine, visiting seminaries, a missionary training school (where he might be involved in training national missionaries), and missionaries.

April 24 - May 3 Charley teaching a missions course at the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Armenia; also visiting missionaries and national church leaders.

June

June 5-10 Charley at the Barnabas International staff and Board meetings in Elgin, IL. Possibly arriving in the States in late May in order to visit a supporting church.

June 11 Melissa graduates from Vienna Christian School in Vienna, Austria.

June 13 Elizabeth leaves for the States to begin her summer ministry with Teen Missions in Nicaragua.

June 14-20 Charley in Lviv, Ukraine, for EAAA Board meetings and Faculty Development Seminar.

June 22 Melissa leaves for the States and the Barnabas International “Reentry Seminar” at Biola.

July

July 18 Charley, Cheryl, Laura and Emily to the USA for meetings with individual supporters and supporting churches in both Illinois and Florida; also Charley’s parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary.

--July 18-25 in Wheaton, IL and also, possibly, in Minnesota visiting family and supporters.

--July 25-August 5 in Fort Myers and Venice, Florida, visiting family and supporters.

August

August 5-14 Cheryl, Melissa, Laura and Emily in Fort Worth, Texas (Charley stays until August 8^th).

August 9 Charley returns to Vienna.

August 14 Elizabeth ends her summer mission experience with Teen Missions in Nicaragua and then flies to Chicago, meeting Cheryl and the girls at O’Hare.

August 16-22 Charley attends the International Association of Mission Studies (IAMS) Triennial Meetings in Hungary.

August 22 Melissa begins college…where ???

August 24 Cheryl, Elizabeth, Laura and Emily return to Vienna.

August 25 VCS school begins again for Elizabeth, Laura and Emily. Cheryl resumes work at VCS.

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