January 2015

Dear Ones,

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." Ecc. 3:1

What a wonderful Christmas season we had with our family, and a good start on this new year.

2015 has brought many changes our way; definitely a NEW SEASON! We feel like missionaries moving to America, with all the re-entry procedures that people from other countries go through! Things like registering our car, securing a new drivers license, getting phones, securing a new address, healthcare, etc, etc! This past month has been filled with taking care of all these details. It can be a bit wearisome at times; yet God has blessed us with much grace and favour.

Since being back, we've been able to connect with our grandchildren, and get to know them. (all seven of them!) They are a delight, and are learning how much Grandma and Grandpa love them. It's been precious seeing how God has given us such a sweet heritage.

God is opening many doors in ministry as well. We have been getting invites all over to lead worship and give worship seminars. Our first seminar was in Pacific Grove, CA, and "just happened" to be within a couple miles of where we are staying. Pastor Dave didn't even know we lived here when he invited us. How wonderful to start our new adventure, right in our "own 
backyard." We had such a delightful time, ministering to the team. On Sunday, we led worship, and Bruce taught on Worship from Heaven's Perspective. The church really responded, beyond our expectation. The entire church was kneeling before the Lord at the end song...wow! God is so amazing. His presence was so powerful in the meeting. We give Him all the glory and honor and praise for all He has done!

When we led worship for CC Mt. View, the pastor was so touched, he asked if we would come up and train his team. They have a lot of talented, young musicians, but he wants them to learn how to draw the congregation into worship. We were honored and blessed. We have churches asking us to come to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana, as well as California.

We are staying in our friend's studio apartment during this transition time. It has been such a gift to us, as we get our feet on the ground. Expenses here in the States, are proving to be more than in Germany. We didn't know how all this would work when we came back, but we knew God was leading and we were to follow. We are hoping to sell our house here in Seaside, and move to a less expensive area. But we are still in prayer about where to settle. Only God knows the best place, as we'd also like to locate within range of our family. Please join us in prayer for wisdom in this decision.

At times, it has been challenging, being in this new culture and circumstance. We feel like we have no home here, yet we didn't feel like our home was in Germany. We really understand Paul's words in the bible where he says we are citizens of heaven. We know someday, we will feel completely at home, and will be with our loved ones forever and ever! For now, we are His ambassadors of heaven, doing His work, and trusting His leading for our lives. We are completely dependent upon Him for all our needs, hopes and desires.

We want to thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts, for your partnership with us. So many of you have continued support and prayer for us during this transition. Without you, it wouldn't have been possible to even make this transition! Your love and care for us has kept our hearts encouraged. We will continue to do this ministry here, teaching, training, and raising up worship leaders. Saving grace world missions will continue to sponsor us. We look forward to see all that God will do.

 

May God pour out on you and fill you with His Spirit and joy, and His abundant life!

To God be the glory, for the things He has done!

"For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power, and is intended for his glory. Romans 11:36

Yours in Christ,

Bruce and Teresa

December 2014

Dear Loved Ones~

Even though we just celebrated “Thanksgiving”, our thanksgiving is not over. We are so grateful for all that God has done, and continues to do. Our hearts rejoice in Him, for He is good!

We left Siegen for the States on November 3^rd. However the Saturday before we left, the church gave us a going away party. It was a very moving and touching time for us. The church leaders and friends showered their love upon us…the words of appreciation they spoke brought tears to our eyes. We worshipped together, ate (of course), prayed, and fellowshipped the evening away. It was sad saying goodbye to this wonderful family we have grown to love. Being a missionary, means being caught between two worlds; they both feel like home, yet neither do at the same time. Someday, we will be in our forever home; It will be so good to be together forever in heaven, rejoicing in all God has done!

We spent the first part of trip back, with our son, Nathan, and his family. We met our new granddaughter, Gabby. She is so precious. Our grandson, Eli, has grown so much He is full of energy and interacted non-stop with grandma and grandpa! We appreciate Nate and Kamicca for their service in the Air Force. The sacrifice these men and women give is amazing. We were blessed to be with them.

From Florida, we flew to Vancouver, Washington to visit our son Simeon and his family. We met our new little Eleanor…she is so tiny and precious! This makes the third girl in our family, and the seventh grandchild! We have enjoyed spending time with Jamin (4) and Caleb (2). Our son, Jonny, drove up to be with us all for Thanksgiving. We feel so blessed to be around our family again.

While here in Washington, we led worship at CCVancouver Sunday morning, and the following week, led worship for a night of prayer and worship. The church here is growing, and people are desiring to go deeper in worship. It’s such an honor to be helping in this way.

Wednesday evening, we drove north to CCLongview, to lead worship for their mid week service.. There are a lot of zealous believers there, very open to the Spirit of God. Longview is known for drug traffic, prostitution, and “down and outs.” How wonderful to see God raising up a church there that is reaching out. We played with Chris, the worship leader from CCVancouver, and had a wonderful time.

We are working on our schedule for our upcoming worship seminars. We have several lined up in the coming months. If you know of anyone who would like us to come to their church, you can contact us. We’d love to come!

It’s been strange being back here in the States, knowing we will live here again. We are adjusting to the culture, the food, the water, the expenses and the way of life. We know God is good and has good plans for us. Our hearts are expectant in what He will do. We’ll be staying with our good friends in Pacific Grove for a while, as God directs our steps with the details of where to live, etc. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

This Christmas season, may you be reminded of why Jesus came; to heal the broken hearted, to lift the burdens, to give life and hope to every person….and to free us from death and grant eternal life to those who believe in Him. May this season remind you of the wonderful treasures awaiting you, not only in this life, but in the future as well…all because of Emmanuel…"God with us!"

Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support. You are so precious to us

Bruce and Teresa

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:4

October 2014 Blog

Dear Ones,

God is good and His ways are good. Because we know just how good He is, we can trust Him with all that’s ahead of us! I’ll backtrack a month to catch up on everything!

In early September, Bruce went to Turkey to get some dental work done by a referred dentist. He not only received three new crowns, but also had amazing ministry opportunities. The dentist was from a Mormon background, and was married to a Muslim woman. He had lots of confusion about Jesus and lots of questions for Bruce. In the end, Bruce ended up praying with Him to receive Christ and when He was filled with the Spirit, God poured out His presence in a powerful way. Bruce also was able to pray with several Muslims for various conditions. It was a very fruitful trip both economically and spiritually.

At CC Siegen, we led a worship night for the young adult group. A good-sized crowd came out and God really blessed it! People were saying they hadn’t experienced God’s presence like that in a long time. We are so excited to see what God is doing with the young people in this church. We also have been working with their youth group ( Teens) and showing them various things about worship. They are hungry to learn and worship God with all their hearts.

In October, Bruce went to Amman, Jordan to lead worship for the Middle East Pastor’s Conference. There were people there from Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. In spite of the fear tactics and horrendous assaults from ISIS, God’s people are coming together in prayer, crossing denominational lines, and standing for Christ. Many Muslims are now open to the gospel because of what is going on. Bruce also went to a Syrian/Iraqi refugee camp. Hundreds of thousands of refugees are flooding Jordan’s borders and it is the body of Christ on earh, the churc
h, that is taking care of them, and sharing the love of Jesus. Bruce was really touched by the many stories he heard, especially from Iraqi Christians. Our hearts are full of compassion for what they are experiencing. We were glad he made it back safe and sound!

While Bruce was gone, Teresa led worship at CC Lippstadt, 2 hrs north of Siegen. The church there was very grateful, as they don’t have a regular worship leader. She was up there attending a pre-wedding celebration for a bible college couple that received pre-marital counselling from us. She’s German and he’s American!!

In mid October, Teresa led worship for the Pastor’s wife’s retreat in Herborn, Germany. The night before the retreat, she injured her foot and couldn’t walk. But God did a wonderful work, and the next morning it was much better. She pressed through and did the retreat. It was such a refreshing time for the ladies as they gathered!

On August 28^th, we were blessed with “Gabriella Lynn Eden Muller”, our new granddaughter! Nate and Kamicca were blessed with a beautiful, healthy girl. And soon, sometime in early November, we are expecting “Eleanor” from our oldest son Simeon and his wife Alli.

Our son David and his wife Lana also bore our latest grandson “Aman” earlier this year We are so thankful for these three new grandchildren and very excited to meet them for the first time!!

We are getting ready to move our things back to the States. So much has to be done, as we are shipping our car, fully loaded with musical instruments, etc, as well as two pallets of things we brought here and are bringing back. When we arrive, we’ll be visiting with our kids and see our new grandchildren before we come back to Monterey. We leave November 3^rd. Please keep our flight in your prayers.

Many churches have already contacted us about doing worship seminars. We are excited to see God’s hand already preparing the way before us, to be able to continue in this ministry. He is SO FAITHUL!

Please keep us in your prayers as we transition back to the States. There will be many new things to face, but we know that we have such a wonderful, good and faithful God!

We are so grateful to all of you who have stood with us in prayer and support. Our time here has been an incredible season of fruitfulness, laboring in the harvest and building up the saints. We are expectant that it will continue, as we move from “glory to glory” until the “new day dawns.”

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, since you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:58

Serving Christ with you,

Bruce and Teresa

Future Update 2015

Dear Family, Friends, Loved Ones~

In February 2010, we set out from California to teach worship at CCBC in Siegen, Germany. God has blessed our time here these past few years (almost 5). We were able to mentor and train many students, yet so many more were unable to attend from the many churches sprinkled throughout the EU and UK. When the bible college closed in June, 2013, we received many invitations to bring our classes and training to churches

We received that as a direction from the Lord, and for this last year and a half, we have had the opportunity to travel to many churches and nations, leading and teaching on worship. God has blessed us over and over again, as we have seen the fruit and response growing. A fire was definitely lit here, and the hunger for God in this young generation is increasing.

However, that’s not the only thing increasing. Since we have been here, God has blessed us with 6 more grandchildren! Although we see them for a week or two when we visit the States each year, we haven’t been able to really know them. God has been speaking to us, confirming in various ways, to return to the States and invest in our family. Family is important to God; He even reveals Himself as our “Father.”

Because we have seen fruit in the ministry God has given us here, we desire to continue in it. We plan to minister to the churches and youth in the US, as well as abroad when occasion allows. We will be stationed Stateside instead of in Germany. We still have a vision to travel to different churches and fellowships, bringing worship seminars, teachings, and mentoring. Our hope is to stay connected with the churches in the EU and UK, and periodically follow up with them and encourage them.

Our lives aren’t our own...we gave them to Christ years ago to accomplish His will. It has been a great adventure of faith over here, and it will be sad to leave the people we have grown to love. Yet, we are following where we know God is leading. God has encouraged us to see this as not going “back” to the States, but “forward.” We will continue to live as missionaries, but are changing our place of residence. We will still be connected with Saving Grace World missions, if you feel led to help support our continuing ministry. It would be a great encouragement and blessing.

We covet your prayers in this new adventure. There is so much to do in this transition, as we get ready to depart. We plan to leave towards the end of the year, sometime in November. There is also the challenge of changing cultures, and adapting to the demands of life in the US. Thank you for standing with us in your faithful love, prayers, and support. Words can’t express our gratitude.

In Christ’s love and service,

Bruce and Teresa

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth!

Sing the Glory of His Name

Make His praise glorious.” Ps. 66:1-2

August 2014

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night.” Ps. 92:1,2

Praise God we are back in Siegen, after traveling for a few weeks! God kept us safe, healthy, and poured out His favor! We left for Stockholm to lead worship for the annual Scandinavian Conference at the end of July. The saints gathered from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and even America to be built up in their faith. Scandinavia is a very atheistic region, and the few Christians there have very little fellowship, if any at all. So they look forward with great anticipation for this conference. God was faithful and poured out His refreshment and encouragement.

Two days after we returned to Siegen, we were off to Kaiserslautern, Germany, to help with worship at CCKtown. We have been there many times before, and always love to encourage and support the US military stationed there. It is the largest US presence outside of America in the world. The church mainly ministers to our military personnel.

From Ktown, we traveled down to Uzwill, Switzerland to host a worship seminar. Pastor Ted Allen booked a place high in the Alps, where we worshipped and taught Friday night and Saturday.

On Friday night before the conference, we were greeted with a brilliant rainbow; then driving home, we saw another one. It was like God was saying, “My promises never fail.” Sunday morning, we led worship with their team at their church in St. Gallen.

Sunday, we drove through a spectacular display of beauty, as we headed for the EU Missions Conference in Millstatt, Austria. We gathered with saints from all over the EU, UK, US, Russia, Serbia, and a few other places. Many pastors came from the US to teach, as well as a team from Costa Mesa to help with the many needs. There were over 300 people attending. We led two sessions on Tuesday, joined with a pastor from France who plays clarinet. What a joy we had! God really encouraged the saints that week, as many are facing very difficult trials. The suffering and persecution for Christians and Jews is exponentially increasing. One of our fellow family missionaries barely escaped Iraq before ISIS came. We pray continually for our brothers and sisters around the world who are experiencing horrendous acts of violence. We say, “Come Lord Jesus, Come.”

Now that we are home, we have a month to pack our things and move out of our house, as the owners sold it. We will be living with a friend of ours here in Siegen, with her family.

We continually thank and praise God for you, our friends and family. You are our encouragement, and refreshment in the Lord. We are so grateful for your faithful prayers and support. We need to stand strong in this ever increasing dark world. As the world gets darker, Jesus shines brighter, as the only hope for the nations and mankind.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your work is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

July 2014

The name of the Lord is a high tower…the righteous run into it and they are safe~  Pro. 18:10

Praise be to God for all His wonderful works! He has been so good to us and faithful!

June and July have been filled with blessed opportunities to teach, train, and lead in worship, and boast of God’s goodness!

We were invited to host a worship training seminar again in Hannover. We had a great time with the folks there! We also led on Sunday morning with their team. They said they experienced a lot of freedom in their worship afterwards.

On June 30^th , we celebrated our 40^th wedding anniversary in Portugal. There is a Calvary Chapel retreat there, with a swimming pool, gardens, and close to the gorgeous coastline. They help people in ministry by offering inexpensive housing. While we were there, we also helped them with their worship at church.

The pastor has a 14 year old daughter who plays guitar. Bruce asked her to join us, and she agreed. Pastor John couldn’t believe it! He had tried to get her to play in worship but she never would. We found out after we left, that now she is playing on the worship team. What a joy to hear! This is our heart, to bring young people into a confidence and desire to lead worship! How special that the pastor’s own daughter is now playing!!!! We are so proud of her!

 Also, Bruce performed a marriage renewal service for the pastor’s 10 year anniversary! We had a big celebration at the retreat center. God loves marriage and it was a joy to see their hearts more committed than ever!

Of course, celebrating our 40^th was such a blessing. Seeing God’s faithfulness to us over the years has been amazing. If two people love and fear God, He will keep them together. It’s all His doing and we boast in His goodness!!!

 We were asked to bring a message on worship to the young adult group here in Siegen. We had a glorious time of worship, and Bruce gave a great word; “What are you waiting for, asks God”? He desires us to come to Him with a sacrifice of praise and sometimes we hold back, waiting. So the challenge was, what are we waiting for? Feelings? Circumstances? God is worthy of our praise and worship despite all these things. Let’s not wait, but dive into His goodness and exalt Him~

We are leaving next week for Sweden. We will be heading up the worship for the yearly Scandinavian conference there. We’ve never been to that part of the world, and are looking forward to gathering with all the nordic saints!

In August, we will drive to Switzerland to host a worship seminar. Then we will be at the Missions Conference in Austria. We have been invited to lead worship in Jordan for their Middle Eastern conference. Please pray for us in all these things, for God’s strength, health, anointing and finances. We are honored to be able to be used during this time of our lives. We are blown away that God has allowed us to bring His people into His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy, life, and healing.

We love you and thank you for your continual support in prayer and provision. His work is being done around the world, and we rejoice to be able to do our part! You have partnered with us in this ministry, and have made it possible.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. Ps. 57:11