I will go ahead and say that this was the BEST trip I have had to Germany since I have been going and I look forward to my next trip!
Dear Friends,
I must start this letter with a confession. While in Germany discussing my trip to
Malaysia the previous summer and the relationship I built with my Vietnamese
friend, I realized I had not done this in Germany. The Lord convicted me, as I had been to
Germany for 3 years prior to my trip to Malaysia and I had not invested my life
by discipling and investing time with anyone in Germany. I asked the Lord to place someone in my life
with whom I could invest my life. He did
and I am continuing to do so from the States
I must say that this past trip to Germany was the best trip
I have had since I started going in 2008.
This was due in part to the relationships I was able to build. In the past my main focus during these
mission trips was staying busy with work and looking for other opportunities to
serve. This trip has opened my eyes to
show me that there is more to mission trips than just working; that
relationships are essential. I am
excited to see what the Lord has in store in the future.
During this past summer I was able to help the Church outside of Stuttgart during a 5 day camp outside of Munich.
It was an incredible week and really shows how the Lord is using this
Church to share the Gospel among the community and how the communities even
though not all are believers; trust the church.
I say this because many of the kids on this retreat are Muslims, yet
their parents allowed their children to go, knowing that they would hear
Christian beliefs. The Lord is working
among the kids in this community as many of the kids have gone home talking
about how Jesus forgives their sins. We
must stay in prayer for the work the church is doing and for the lives that
they are ministering to.
My last week in Germany was spent helping the International
Baptist Church (IBC) during their VBS week.
They set a goal to raise 2,500€ for missions, supporting an
organization called OneVerse that translates the Bible. Many kids were concerned about such a high
goal, but at the last VBS they had a goal of 2,000€ and raised 2,500€, so why
not match last year’s goal? There was a
challenge presented to the kids that if they raised 3,000€ three leaders would
shave their heads. Praise God in 1 week they
raised over 4,000€!!! We can also praise God for the 4 kids who gave their life
and trusted in Christ!!!
There is another answer to prayer. Steffen, the pastor of the Church outside of Stuttgart and Sindlefingen, will be coming to Alabama in October to talk
with the mission department at my home church.
This will help get the ball rolling to accelerate me getting to the
mission field in Germany. Steffen is one
of the individuals I partnered with while serving in Germany. When on the field I will be serving
side-by-side with him.
I am planning my next trip to Germany for February to March. The final dates are not set in stone. I will also try to make it to Germany 2 times
next year, once during the dates listed and then again later in the year. My heart yearns to serve in Germany. I thank you for your continued faithfulness
to the Lord’s work not only in Germany but also around the world.
In Christ,
Tyler A. Bowman
I am thankful for the many of those that support me during my ministry endeavors to Germany and various other places the Lord allows me to serve.