Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                     November 2009

Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” What a blessed time of year to be reminded to give thanks to our God. In this prayer letter I would like to mention some of the things I am thankful for.

First, I am thankful for my family. Olivia will be four on January 26, 2010. She is a blessing.  Sarah is doing great. She is about six months along. At her latest doctor’s appointment, the doctor said that all is well. According to the ultrasound, this baby will be a boy. We plan on naming him Michael Powell Stevens. The middle name “Powell” is after the President Emeritus of our Mission Board (BMFP), Dr. Garland Powell, who passed away a year and a half ago. Michael Powell is expected toward the end of January. We will be coming to America for his birth. We fly out on December 8, 2009, and will return to Slovakia on March 18, 2010. Please be in prayer concerning our travels and Michael Powell’s birth.

Secondly, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord. Please pray for our ministry in Rakusy. Praise the Lord we have been allowed to continue to meet in the school. Attendance has been down the past few Sundays. Pray for the Gypsies of Rakusy. After two years of working among them, we see very very little spiritual growth among the people. Pray for Miro. He has not been to church in about a month. Continue to pray for Zuzana. She has been faithful and enjoys the services. Pray for her husband Dusan that he would start coming to the services. Recently while talking with the Lord, I realized that although He wants Gypsies in Rakusy to be saved, baptized and discipled, the Gypsies in Rakusy have a free will and must decide to let Him work in their hearts. That is my prayer for Rakusy – that they will start letting the Lord work in their lives. Please pray this prayer with me!

Thirdly, I am thankful for the home God has blessed us with. We have recently moved to a four bedroom house from a small three bedroom apartment. This house also has a basement and a garage. We are paying the same amount of rent as we were for the apartment. I am so thankful that God found this house for us.

Fourthly, I am thankful for friends. The Brenenstuhls recently moved to Albania to help the Drusts. We worked together for six months, and they are missed. The Waites return to Slovakia on November 20, 2009. Please pray for these two families.

Finally, I am thankful for all those who support our ministry with prayer and finances. Thank you all so much for co-laboring with us. Please pray with us, as financially, things are becoming more difficult due to a weak dollar.

Thankful to the Lord,
Michael, Sarah and Olivia Stevens