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

June 2014

Greetings in the name of our wonderful Lord and Savior!

We are back in Siegen, after having a very fruitful time in the UK. We praise God for the work that was done, and the hearts that were encouraged by the teaching of His Word and the demonstration of His Spirit in worship.

We’ll pick up where we left off last time.

From York, England, we traveled over to Waterford, Ireland. At the airport, we were met by John Golightly and Danny Keating, two former bible college students. They are now in full time ministry in Waterford. What a joy seeing them and their growth in the Lord!

The church booked a “holiday” house for the weekend, and we met with their worship team and leaders. God moved in hearts the first night, as we worshipped and prayed together. Bruce taught during the weekend on God’s heart in worship, and towards us.

It was a precious time of meeting with these dear saints.That Sunday, we led worship at CCWaterford, with the worship team. They told us how much freedom they experienced in their worship.

 From Waterford, we flew to Swansea, Wales. We took a train from the airport, and was met by Rhoda Pickins, the pastor’s wife. We stayed at their home, and they were so gracious to give us their bedroom. What wonderful servants!

Teresa picked up a virus in Waterford, that left her with Laryngitis and a sore throat. During most of our time in Wales, she was recuperating. Bruce did the worship seminar by himself, and it was well attended. Both the pastor and worship team responded with great enthusiasm in what they learned as biblical worship. Bruce taught the sermon on Sunday and led their worship team as well.

Afterwards, we took a train to S. London to stay with Tim McBryan. He was such a blessing to us.We stayed in his lovely home, in his bedroom, as matter of fact! We had a couple of days before the conference to see London . He was a great tour guide! It was good to catch up on some down time for Teresa, as she was just getting over being sick

.

 

On Friday and Saturday, we met with the worship team, as Bruce taught on why we respond to God in Worship and Praise. In the afternoon, we did workshops on various topics. Two former CCBC students, Lydia Mae Warren and Andre De Haan come down from York to help us. Pastor Efrem Buckle was so impressed with the Bublical forms of worship, that he said he wanted his whole church to hear it. Hence, Bruce ended up teaching the Sunday morning service. Many came up afterwards to him, and shared how his message had impacted their view of God's heart towards them. It was a very encouraging time!

After being in the UK almost 6 seeks, we flew back to Siegen, DE. It was nice to be in our own bed again! We love ministry, however, traveling cn be exhausting! We spent the next week getting back into the groove of things.

We taught the youth group musicians at CCSiegen the next Saturday. They enjoyed learning the different forms of worship the bible includes.

The following week, we helped out at the annual Mitarbeiter conference at CCSiegen. Church leaders from all over the UK and EU attended. There was a packed house. Bruce did airport runs, chauffered people around, while Teresa helped with the worship team. We hosted two people attending the conference. It was a wonderful conference. Pastors from the US taught the sessions. It was a 4 day blessing of rich fellowship, teaching, worship, and ministry.

 

During our time here in Siegen, Bruce will be working on a book he is writing. It will be on all God has shown us through the scriptures about God’s heart towards worship, as well as practical ways to develop in worship, etc. We are excited about this!

The house we are renting is for sale. We don’t know the timing of it all, but please join us in prayer for our next season. We will have to make some decisions about our next steps when it sells. God has been so faithful to us, and will continue to be. We are encouraged by the many open doors in ministry here, and the fruit we see.

May God continue to pour out His Spirit on your lives. We look forward to Christ’s return as well as His work through His people while we are here!!!

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” 1Cor.15:58

Bruce and Teresa

April 2014

Because He Lives!

We just celebrated Easter, or as we like to call it, Resurrection Sunday~ to recall that Jesus rose from the dead. What a glorious hope we have because of Him. We spent Easter in York, England and led worship with three bible college students from CCBC Siegen..It was a joy to worship with them again…it’s so encouraging to see the fruit of our labors in these students. They have a passion for God and love worshiping Him. They are now students in CCBC York.

 Since we last wrote, lots of things have happened. We moved into our new house in March, with Karen Holdcraft, who was on staff with us at the college. It’s a big house and we thought it best to share the expense and expanse!

We put on a worship seminar for a State Church near Siegen, with Olli, the worship leader at CCSiegen. There were a lot of people there, and we had a great response. Again, we see such a hunger in people to know more about God and how to worship Him in every denomination.

At CC Siegen, we played at a night of worship. About 100+ young people came out, and responded to God ~ They plan to do this every month. Bruce was asked to teach and lead an afterglow for the men’s group. They want to learn how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit; God really blessed their time.

The following week, we led an afterglow for the youth group. These young people want to learn how God’s Spirit works, and so many want to be filled and overflowing with Him.

Bruce was asked to teach and lead an afterglow for the men’s group. They want to learn how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit; God really blessed their time.

The following week, we led an afterglow for the youth group. These young people want to learn how God’s Spirit works, and so many want to be filled and overflowing with Him.

We came over to the UK to do a ministry tour. There are several churches that have asked us to come and teach on worship, lead worship, and lead afterglows. The first church we visited was in Hastings, the southern part of England. We had a delightful time there, giving a weekend conference. On Sunday morning, we led worship, and people responded with kneeling, lifting their hands, their hearts, and tears. It was really precious to behold.

  

Then we went to Exeter, to stay with our friends, the Claycamps. Bob pastors in CCExeter, and Wotter. We met the university kids they are discipling and were able to interact with them one evening. Their congregation is hungry for more of Jesus. We enjoyed leading worship there. They are presently praying for a worship leader. If you know of anyone interested in being a worship missionary, let us know~ many churches are in need of worship leaders; they can’t afford to pay anyone, so it’s difficult to find. 

From there, we came to York, via the Lake District in Northern England …it’s their national park, filled with mountains and lakes…so beautiful!

We are now in York at the bible college. We had the opportunity to lead an afterglow for the students and staff. Then on Wednesday, we taught the students on Worship and on Marriage. On Thursday, we will be heading to Waterford, Ireland, then Wales, then S. London. ..then back to Siegen.

We feel so privileged to be able to do what we are doing. Going around to different nations and teaching them about God’s love, His Spirit, and worship has been so exciting…seeing lives changed is worth it all. We give God all the glory for the work He is doing. We praise Him for using us in our older age!!!

What the church needs more than anything else is the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Without that, the church is weak and ineffective. We pray that God pours out His Spirit on this generation, and equips them to be a powerful force in this dark world..

Fill us, O God!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8