From Brussels with love

Ed Houghton recently received a grant from the Emmanuel mission budget to enable him to visit friends in Belgium. Heres an explanation from him as to why he went. I am so thankful for the money I was given to fund my trip to Belgium at the end of May! The reason for going was to reconnect with friends I made on my year abroad (2009-10) during which I studied at a Bible school in Brussels, an experience which has got me thinking about the possibility of long term mission in French-speaking Europe. Aside from eating waffles and Belgian chocolate, it was a brilliant few days mainly because it reminded me of the big need for gospel workers in that part of the world and allowed me to deepen friendships with people I might get the opportunity to work with in the future. The photo taken shows some of the friends I made at the Institut Biblique Belge: Medhi, Alex and Michael (left to right). Alex and Michael are about to enter full time Christian ministry in churches in Brussels and Geneva respectively. According to Operation World, 1.2 per cent of Belgians are Evangelical Christians and when I lived there I found only two French-speaking, Bible teaching churches in Brussels plus a real lack of role models. Please pray for Ed as he considers whether the LORD might want him to work in French-speaking Europe long-term. And please remember Alex and Michael in your prayers and the region as a whole. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Matthew 9:37-38