Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 8

TOM & DEBBIE FOUST

50 Kidderminster Road Bromsgrove Worcestershire B61 7JU England

Aulunin, Angela. David, Tom, Debbie, dt Samuel

MISSIONARIES

TO

GREAT

BRITAIN

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter

January 1995
Dear Friends,

town. It was a chance for us to get to spend some fun


time with our teammates.

It was a beautiful fall in England. The temperatures were unseasonably warm with the highs in the 50s most of the time. The colors on the trees were the brightest we have seen in our four autumn seasons here. This was probably due to the combination of temperatures and little rain to
wash the leaves off the trees. With all the rain that

England gets, we don't usually end up with leaves on the trees for very long. Most of the time, before the leaves even get a chance to change, they have fallen to the ground. There were days, as I was driving, I said a special prayer of thanksgiving because of the beauty all around me. We have a great and awesome God. We have been busy at Bromsgrove Christian Church. Let me fill you in on a few items that have been going on and try to give you a feel for the work we are doing. Inadvertently, we forgot to tell you in our last newsletter
about the choir from Texas that visited us on the Fourth

The Bromsgrove Christian Church had a family evening that included eating and a lime to share our talents. This gave us a chance to take advantage of the stage in the church's hall... quite an experience. We had over 50 in attendance and a lot of participation. The visitors were welcomed into a friendly atmosphere; we hope to see them again. The youth did skits, the younger children played the piano and flutophones, and the adults gave readings, played instruments, and performed skits. It was a good time of fun and fellowship.

of July. They were here for a choir competition and made contact with the Bromsgrove Church through
teammates Donn and Joan Leach. There were over 100

people in attendance, and it was wonderful to hear God's Word proclaimed in song.

IL
_ 1

Also, we were glad to have a friend from our home congregation (Bethany Christian Church Anderson, Indiana) visit with us in June. It was fun to spend time with John Longnaker III while he was traveling in Great
Britain. John had made friends here when he attended

Family Fun Night. Some of the children sang a couple of songs. Samuel is the secondfrom the right.

Glasgow University in Scotland. He came over to attend the wedding of a friend and to see the Kinemans, the Fousts, and other friends in Great Britain. We spent time

with John catching up on how things were going in


Anderson. SEPTEMBER

Our newest addition to the Bromsgrove family is a young man named Clifford Cox. He was baptized in September. Clifford is very active in the youth program and helps in Sunday School. Please pray for him as he continues to grow in Christ. Derek Stancombe, who works with Tom and Larry, baptized Clifford and is discipling him.

Each year Springdale College hosts the College Rally, and, during that time, they also have their board meetings. As a result, there are many Americans who come to visit. The College Rally is a gathering for all the
Christian churches/churches of Christ in Great Britain. It

is a wonderful time of fellowship and learning. Bob Wetzel, who is on the board at Springdale, was here; so we took the opportunity to have him preach at Bromsgrove. The former Principal (or president) of Springdale College, Bob is now President of Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee. He helped to begin Bromsgrove Christian Church during his time in Britain. We were glad to see Bob again. We had the opportunity to visit an amusement park, Alton Towers, with Larry and Debbie Kineman and their family. We all got free tickets from a supermarket in

Clifford Cox was baptized by Derek Stancombe.

OCTOBER

We were blessed with the visit of Lanis Kineman

The youth had their second annual Autumn Retreat, which proved to be a big success with them. There were 25 in attendance, and the weather cooperated as it was a

Larry's father who was the preaching minister at Bethany Christian Church for 29 years. Lanis had the opportunity to participate in some of the activities at the church and was also able to preach at our Harvest Sunday Service. Harvest Sunday is a time to bring in food to show God of your appreciation for the blessings He has given you during harvest. (Harvest is similar to our Thanksgiving, but the English have no reason to celebrate the safe arrival to a new country, a plentiful crop, or the survival of a harsh winter!) It was a real joy to have Lanis with
us.

bit wanner this year than it was last year. Last year the temperatures were freezing during the night and only up to about 40 during the day. This year it stayed in the high 50s during the day. Everyone was pleased about
this.

Our youth enjoy getting together for whatever reason, and this just cemented their friendships even more. There were two youth who went on the retreat who had been sporadic in their attendance at events until this retreat. They have both been very active since.
Alan Marshall, a friend of ours who ministers in Streatham, London, came with us on the retreat to lead

We started a new program with the Sunday School. We had previously been having Sunday School at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. Worship service now starts at
10:30 a.m. with the children in the service with us. We

the worship time and to preach. Alan's wife Luz and


their son Jake were able to be with us for the weekend as

sing, have announcements, greet one another, and have a special time of singing for the children. At about 11, just after the singing and just before the quiet times of prayers and communion, the children and teachers are excused and go to their Sunday School rooms. This new arrangement has been well received. Also, we have increased in the number of children attending; the children and the teachers enjoy this new format.

well. The youth retreat took place from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Following the retreat, Alan and his family came back to Bromsgrove Christian Church with us, and he gave a concert for the whole congregation.

To meet the need of educating the adults, we have begun CELL (Christians Evangelizing, Learning, and Loving)

groups. There are five of these groups, and they meet in


different homes. We have four adult groups and one older youth group. By meeting during the week, the Sunday School teachers get to be in a Bible study.

Please pray for Tom as he has a major project going on along with the church work: He is finishing his PhD! He should have it done by the end of 1995. It will mean a lot of work for him, but. I think we will both be glad when it is finished. Please pray that all would go well as he writes up his research.
Love,

Attendance has been exceptionally good; we are pleased with the growth in numbers and in spiritual maturity. Please pray for God to raise up spiritual leaders of the ^romsgrove Christian Church through these CELL
groups. NOVEMBER

Debbie Foust

I'.S. I know that there have been many prayers said on our behalf concerning our housing situation. Our
landlords decided to sell the house and to live in

Australia. We may have found another four-bedroom

We were pleased to have my parents, Larry and Dixie Gibson, come for a visit. They came for one reason and one reason only: to spoil their grandchildren! They did a

house to rent! It is a little older than the house we are

presently living in, but many of the rooms are a lot bigger. Please continue to pray for us as we search for
new housing.

wonderful job ofthat. Our children were able to t^e the


week off school, and they thoroughly enjoyed the indulgence of their grandparents. It had been two years since we had seen them. Samuel was a little shy at first, but he soon came around and was giving hugs and

kisses. It was a quick visit (only seven days), but it was


so good to see them.

1/95

Tom and Debbie Foust

Nonproni Orguni/aiion
U.S. Postage

Christian Missionary Fellowship


P.O. BOX 501020

PAID
Permit Nil. 2975

INDIANAPOLIS. IN 46250-6020
Indianapolis, Indiana

Address Correction Requested

Horizons Magazine
Rnv P4P7

Knoxville IN 37901-47

Tom & Debbie Foust


22 Melbourne Road Sidemoor, Bromsgrove Worcestershire B6J 8PE England

0>
Autumn, Angela, David, Tom, Debbie, < Samuel MISSIONARIES TO GREAT BRITAIN

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter

March 1995

Dear Friends,

he was a bit young to be having this problem, but that


it wasn't unheard of

Tom and I want to share with you some items that we

know you have been praying about.


We moved into our new house on February4, 1995! We have a four-bedroom house, plus an office for Tom. It is an older house where the front ground
floor had been converted into a convenience store. A lot of work had to been done to convert this area into

Tom had been exercising regularly, so this is probably why he didn't have problems earlier. (He played soccer with some high school kids at camp when someone
tripped him, and he landed hard. This is when he started feeling the pain.) The doctor told him that he

had very good back muscles, and, with regular exercise, he should be able to live without much pain, avoiding
an operation. He feels much better.

a living room. We had a lot of help from people at


Bromsgrove Christian Church and CMF co-workers.

The people have been wonderful helping us move, paint, and do repairs. Many hours were spent getting
this house ready to live in.

We would like to thank you for all your prayers and financial giving that made it possible for us to move
into this house.

I would like to update you on the church's cell groups. We started the groups in October; they were going very well. In January, we decided to change the groups around to make them a little more even. They have been a wonderful source of learning and encourage ment. The people love to get together, laugh, study, eat, and fellowship. Thank you for praying for your brothers and sisters in Christ in England.
pur new address is:
Tom and Debbie Foust 22 Melbourne Road
Sidemoor

Recently, I made a two-week trip back to the US for


my grandfather's funeral. Samuel went with me, while

Tom and the older three children stayed in England. Since I came to the States only ten days after moving into the new house, I left a lot of the unpacking undone. So, I still have sorting and arranging to do a month after moving. Another item that I would like to give you some information on is Tom's back. Many people have prayed for Tom and his back pain. For aboutone year now, Tom has been having back pain. He had been under a doctor's care during this time, but he was unable to determine the cause of the pain. He finally went to a back specialist. They did an MRI and found
out that he has a degenerative disc in the lower lumbar region (the lower back). The doctors said that

Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
B61 8PE ENGLAND

Our phone number, also, has been changed by ont


number: 011-44-1527-832272. ^

Thanks again for your prayers concerning our house.


Love,

Debbie Foust

A5L.

Hz I&GO

lu

Tom & DEBBE FOUST


22 Melbourne Road Sidemoor, Bromsgrove Worcestershire B6l 8PE England

Autumn, Angela. David. Tom, Debbie. & Samuel

MISSIONARIES

TO

GREAT

BRITAIN

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter

September 1995

THE WATER HOLES HAVE ALL DRIED UP,


AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY BUFFALO IN
WEEKS

prayers and financial support thathelped to pay for


repairs to the car.
APRIL

This summer has been the warmest, driest summer

since 1727, which is when they started keeping weather records in Great Britain. Temperatures have

April always brings a bright note into England. The


clocks go forward one hour, which means we have

been in the 80s and higher since June. The English all have tans! Of course, we are also having grass fires
andhosepipe (garden hose) bans. We have ticen

one extra hour of daylight in theevening. After a long, dark winter, this is a welcome sight.
Easter is also a bright spot in April. Tom was asked to do an Easter program for the Sidemoor FirstSchool.
We did a little skit for the children that included

advantage ofthe weather by going to the park orout to the back yard to play orto sunbathe every chance we get. We have had several cookouts and enjoyed
good fellowship. We are having a true summer and
thoroughly enjoy it.

I apologize for the length of time it has been since my last prayer newsletter. We have been very busy and have had a lot ofcompany, so I will try to fill you in on a few ofthe things that have been happening.
MARCH

Harvey and Zelda from Skituations. The children enjoyed themselves, and Tom and I had a fun time getting to act like children for a few minutes.

Tom was also invited to preach atAll Saints Church

ofEngland for the Bromsgrove community Good

The major event in March: our car wasstolen. It was in the parking lot of the leisure centerwhere Tom

exercises. He had to run into town for a quick errand before going in to exercise; when he came back, he couldn t find the car. He quickly made a few checks
to make sure that I didn't have it and that it hadn't

been towed away, then he reported the theft to the


poHce. We went for a month without a car. The

police recovered it, and, after major repairs, we got


the car back.

CMF-Great Britain Team Retreat 1995: (back row) TimAho,


Larry Kineman & Rebecca & Michael, Ruth Walls, Debbie

Because we had to walk or depend on rides from


others wherever we went, I was thankful that we lived

Kineman &Kirsten, Will Walls, Tammy Aho &Andrew, Debbie, Tom, Minnie Phillips, Woody Phillips, Teresa Fittro;
(front row) Samuel, DavidFittro & NathanaeU Aaron Lincoln, Autumn,Jessica Aho, Angela, Diane Lincoln, and David.

close to town and the church. Thank you for your

Friday worship service. It was good to worship with people from nearly all ofthe congregations in
Bromsgrove.
The week after Easter is also the time when we have
our annual CMF-Great Britain Field Team Retreat.

bottle some and keep it for the long winter ahead.) In


June, we said goodbye to Angela and her friend Kate
Allardice as they headed for America.
JULY

At the retreat this year, we welcomed new teammates


Will and Ruth Walls. We are excited to add this

In July, we welcomed the Christ in Youth (CIY)

couple to our team as they bring a much-needed dimension. Will has a counseling background and years of experience working with churches. Also at the retreat, we were honored with the presence of
Woody and Minnie Phillips who spoke and shared

group, a wonderful group of young people led by


Steve Sigler and Brenda Hawkins who came over and

helped us. They did many things for us. They started outby helping us do some much-needed cleaning
around the church building, which had not had a

their wisdom with us. Our family was able to enjoy


their company for a few days after the retreat.
MAY

good spring cleaning since ourarrival three years ago.


They also painted some children's chairs and
refinished some children's tables. The Three-to-Five-

year-old Sunday School class now fights over who gets to sit in the two silver chairs! As the group was
painting-thcm, they-alMaugked-and-said there-weuW

May is always filled with color as the flowers are in

probably be arguments over who got those chairs.

full bloom. Along with the newlife that the earth brought forth, we welcomed several people into new life with Christ. On May 14, 1995, Ryan Taibert, Colin Young, and Michael Kineman were all baptized. Also, on May 21, 1995, Phil and Cathy Drabble placed their membership with the Bromsgrove Christian Church. Please keep these people in your prayers.

Theirprediction came true. The bad part is thatour son Samuel is usually the one yelling the loudest for one of the silver chairs. He has had a lot of practice in fighting with his oldersiblings to getwhat he wants. The CIY group also helped us do a Holiday Bible
Club (HBC is like VBS). We had a tremendous
turnout with a total of 54 difi^erent children

attending, ranging in ages from two to ten. Sunday School averages 20 on Sunday mornings with these
same agegroups. A couple of families began

worshiping with us because of HBC. Please keep


these people in your prayers.

Baptism ofRyan Taibert.

JUNE

Almost overnight, our weather in England went from temperatures in the 60s to temperatures in the 80s. I was sure that after just the first few days, we would go back to our good 'ole English weather. But, it didn't happen. We crammed a whole summer's worth of activities into one week because that is all the longer you can guarantee beautiftil weather here. I guess God must have taken me seriouslywhen I asked for
more of that beautiful weather! I have not failed to

The Bromsgrove youthgatheredfar afun night.

thank Him daily for the sunshine. (I just wish I could

Also in July, we had a couple of special visitors. Jack Ballard, who was traveling back from Zimbabwe after visiting his brother, stopped in England to visit us. Jack is from Evergreen, Colorado, but we met Jack in

Norfolk, Nebraska, where his son Jeff attended

Nebraska Christian College. We had a good visit with Jack; I put him to work doing repairs around the house. We did let him go sightseeing some!
Our other visitors were Jim and Sandy Garrison from Bethany Christian Church in Anderson, Indiana. It
was wonderful to visit with the Garrisons and to show

them around the beautiful country of England.


FAMILY

Our family is doing fine. As I said earlier, we enjoyed the weather this summer and took advantage of it as much as possible. Angela was in America for seven weeks and had a wonderful time. I hope some of you were able to see and visit with her. We are glad to have her back with us chough. School began September 5, and we have been trying to get everything together for that. Life is not so quiet at the
moment.

We are making plans for our furlough nextyear. We plan to be in the States sometime in the summer of 1996 and will be in contact with you as soon as our
plans become more definite.
PRAISES

The Foust children.

Thank God with us for:

Angela's safety in her travels.

Newfamilies in attendance at Bromsgrove church.


Baptisms of Ryan, Colin, and Michael.

The Drabbles placing their membership with


Bromsgrove Christian Church.
REQUESTS Pray with us for:

Ryan Talbert, Colin Young, and Michael Kineman all recently baptized. Angela, Autumn, and David as they begin school. Tom and I as we begin to plan for our furlough.

Debbie Foust

Tom & DEBBIE FOUST


22 Melbourne Road Sidemoor, Bromsgrove Worcestershire B61 8PE England

Autumn. Angela. David, Tom, Debbie, & Samuel


MISSIONARIES TO GREAT BRITAIN

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter December 1995

Dear Friends,

I would like to take this opportunity to bring you up-to-date on a specific group within the Bromsgrove Christian Church: the Youth Bible Study. A lot has been happening with this group.

Twelve youth, four sponsors, and Samuel attended the retreat. Although Samuel was the group's mascot, the boys {lads) in the youth group decided that Samuel was bigenough to run around with them. They officially made him a lad! The young people had a
wonderful time as they ate, sang, worshiped, and played. This was the first majorevent that interns Cyndi Vest and Michelle Kakac led. They did a wonderful job.

This study started in January 1993, initially attended by six youth plusTom, who led the group. They have met from that date to the present on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. They have been involved in many exciting
activities: retreats, camps, bike rides, concerts,

stringed orchestras, overnighters, and parties for EVERY imaginable thing! These activities have been very helpful in cementing their relationships with one another, as well as strengthening them spiritually.
On October 20-22, they went on their third annual fall retreat up north to

The Bible Studycontinues to meet on Thursday nights at our house, averaging about 14 youth with times of twenty-two in attendance. We are very pleased with the growth of this group. They listen intentlyand take notes on what issaid so they can be prepared to tell otherswhen needed.
An example of this is found in a young girl named
Allie Louch. She has been

' ^^ notes and was able


needed because of the
have been beautiful when

September, she went

Campus House/campus

the back row. coming of the industrial from from left; Joel issecondfrom is secondfrom the the > righton theback age. The building must

The Youth Youth Bible Bible Study, Study, September Septembi 1995-. Allie AUie isin is in thefront The thefront row, row, third third

Several students visited

the Union one night and discussed the subject of baptism whether they

it was first built, but went into disrepair as attendance


started to drop.

thought it was necessary or not. After the others had


put in their two cents' worth, Allie could stand it no longer. She spoke up and told them the biblical reasons for baptism and where to find those verses. The group got very quiet after that, then went on to other things. She was very pleased at being able to
back up what she said with Scripture. JoelMarshallis another person in the Youth Bible Study. He has been able to share his faith at school and started bringing another young man from school with him to Bible Study. It is wonderful to watch our youth grow in their relationship with Christ and to
share it with others.

About ten years ago, the church was no longer able to keep up the building. A coven of witches found out that the building was for sale and got the cash together to pay for the building in full. The people of the village found out that the witches had the money to purchase the building and got together to try and stop it. There was one man who was so concerned that he took his pension and life savings to pay for the building. This action kept the building out of the hands of the witches. The village was then able to applyfor grants; with this money, they restored the building and turned it into a retreat center.

Since we arrived in England, 11 youth have been baptized: Jerry Cline, Rebecca Crane, Richard Crane, Mark Ingram, Lucy Matthews, David (Gappy) Godwin, Kate Allardice, Joanne Allardice Banner, Joel Marshall, ClifF Cox, Ryan Talbert. Please keep them and the other Bromsgrove youth in your prayers.
SOME NEWS FROM THE HOME FRONT

PRAYER REQUESTS

Pray for: The youth of Bromsgrove Church, that they might continue to growin their relationships with Christ. Allie Louch as she adjusts to life at the University.
Joel Marshall as he continues to share his faith at
school. Tom as he finishes his Ph.D.

Our family is all doingwell. Tom is busy finishing his


Ph.D. That means that all the rest of us are trying to stay out of his wayso that he can have peace and quiet. We are not always successful!

The rest of the family as we attempt to keep sane


until the Ph.D. is done.

Love,

Angela now has her learners permit and has taken to the road. Learning to drive in a manual shift is much harder than learning to drive an automatic. Since the schools do not teach drivers education as a class, I go out with Angela for one hour, three times a week. She is doing very well. Wewill give her lessons with an instructor as well. Since this can be very expensive, though, we decided to do some of the lessons
ourselves.

Debbie Foust

P.S. Our car was stolen on November 23, 1995

(Thanksgiving Day!), for the SECOND time in just eight months. It was found on November 30, 1995 (oneweeklater). The car is now in the shop being repaired. Please keep us in your prayers as we need extra measures of patience, strength (as we do more walking), and understanding. Thanks!

Autumn, David, and Samuel are all fine. School

keeps Autumn and David busy as the work load increases with each year. Samuel is having a good time learning to play Nintendo. He and I play together, and he is almost as good as me. I guess that just about sums up my Nintendo ability.

12/95

Tom and Debbie Foust

Christian Missionary Fellowship


P.O. BOX 501020

Nonproiii Organization U.S. Poiuge

PAID
Permit No. 2975

INDIANAPOLIS. IN 46250-6020
Indianapolis, Indiana

Address Correction Requested

Horizons Box 4;7

Magaz ine
TN 37g01-4c:7

Knoxv i11e,

Вам также может понравиться