Time of Time of Refreshing

Thank You New Life Covenant Church!

Thank You notes from Missionaries and Pastors that participated in the 2016 T.O.R.

Dear New Life Covenant Church

 

For twenty-two years we’ve wanted to attend but children, schedules and travel costs made it impossible. This year we made it. How amazing, to worship in English, understand the humor at the table and have no responsibilities. We work among Roma/Gypsies in an area of dark poverty. It was so “refreshing” for us to get away from the spirit of hopelessness and spend time in His presence.

 

Thank you for making this possible.

Mark and Valerie Zechin

Dear partners of Bill Kaiser Ministry,

 

We want to express our THANKFULNESS to you! My wife and I are missionaries from Franklin, Indiana in Zurich, Switzerland at PowerHouse International Church. This was our first time to attend the Time Of Refreshing (TOR). We came because of the encouragement to attend from our pastors at PowerHouse, Desmond and Sandy Frey, who have attended many TORs themselves. The email from Jim Blum for registration contained these words, “We want you to come expecting to renew old friendships, create new ones and, most importantly, to meet God! The Alps are beautiful, the hotel will be wonderful, the food will be amazing, but genuine refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord.” All this is what transpired.

 

The four days and three nights of being together with the other missionaries brought such an encounter with God and each other. I felt a closeness to people I didn’t know because we all have a similar calling upon our lives. We are comrades in the same army. I can only compare it to what we read about in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit was first poured out. God was bringing all of us into one accord. I have rarely felt God’s presence and love in a room like we experienced and I have been a Christian for 45 years. It truly was a time of refreshing.

 

I believe the key for this presence happened because the only agenda each time we met was to allow the Holy Spirit to have His way. This was the very same instructions Jesus gave His first disciples before the Holy Spirit was poured out; to wait together in the upper room.

 

None of this would have been possible without your partnership with Bill Kaiser Ministry. I tried to express to Bill the importance of this time together and he said it is a God thing. It truly is a God thing and pleasing to Christ Himself to encourage His laborers in the fields and bring them a Time of Refreshing. (Matthew 25:40 NLT) And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ All of us together will share in Christ’s reward.

 

Refreshed and back to the field,
Robert and Nancy Ver Beek

Dear New Life Covenant Church,

 

Greetings from Germany! We were able to attend “Time of Refreshing” in Switzerland last week and were deeply blessed. This was our first year at the conference and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We met many missionaries from all over Europe and even a few that live close to us in Germany. Friendships were forged and connections for further ministry were made. The volunteers that came from the U.S. worked diligently to give us the wonderful gifts, encourage us, and give us time for rest and fellowship. The meals that were provided were excellent – we felt very well taken care of.

 

Throughout the three days we were able to hear from the Lord and connect with His Spirit. We are so thankful that you sacrificed your finances to bless us and so many other missionaries through this ministry. Your generosity truly is overwhelming. This was the first time since we have been on the field that we have been offered such a wonderful gift! Thank you!

 

Grace & Peace,

Karl & Laurel

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Dear NLCC,

 

Thank you so much for your financial and prayerful contribution for the 2016 Time of Refreshing (TOR). As an American missionary (originally from Virginia) living in Prague, Czech Republic, it was amazing to have been invited to attend TOR. I admit that I was skeptical at first about a completely free conference, but this turned out to be one of the best experiences for me while on the mission field. I felt so loved on and celebrated by TOR staff. I felt I could truly just be myself and have a time of receiving after many years of giving so much in my ministry in Central Europe. I left the conference feeling refreshed, lighter, and more joyful.

 

I will soon travel back to the States for a furlough and while praying about my transition back to the States for a while, God placed this scripture on my heart and in my mind:

 

“For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
~Isaiah 55:12

 

I was meditating on this very scripture one morning at TOR and then happened to glance at the scripture sheet that had been handed to me the day before by TOR staff. This very same scripture was listed there. At this point I felt such confirmation that God was very close to me and was speaking to me so clearly through this conference. Thank you for giving to provide spaces for such moments like this to happen to many missionaries there.

 

I pray God blesses you mightily for your sacrificial heart. Please know how much TOR 2016 affected me. I hope to attend again in the future and continually be refreshed as God works through your Time of Refreshing.

 

Many blessings,
Kelly Myers
Career Missionary, Church of God World Missions
Prague, Czech Republic

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Dear Times of Refreshing supporters,

 

T.O.R is a base that, in the sea of ministry, provides a great harbour for refreshing and filling up. We have appreciated it for several years. We always come weary and are so blessed by the days together and always return blessed, with fresh vision and strength to continue. We get so encouraged by the team who minister to us, the words said and worship as well as meeting like-minded people who are all awesome and share our struggles but we all are encouraged to persevere on. Many of us can testify that we keep going because of the encouragements we receive at TOR.

 

To think we won’t meet many of the people who have given so generously, until eternity, gives us something to look forward to! We are truly thankful for all your generosity and efforts to provide this for us!

 

May the Lord bless you abundantly for strengthening the workers in the harvest field.

 

With much love in Christ,

 

Greg and Teresa Ellis
(Were ministering in Turkey but as from July this year, are now ministering in the UK)

Dear friends,

 

It has been a few days since the end of the Time of Refreshing 2016 in Leysin, Switzerland and my wife Ulrike and i would like to say Thank you to you for making this possible for us to attend and be refreshed along with many other like minded missionaries across the world.

 

This TOR was once again a time of renewal and blessing. The Kaisers and the whole team that served us made this year’s TOR a great blessing to our spirits, souls and bodies and we left for home encouraged and reminded that we are not alone.

 

We have attended the TORs since 1988 and though we were not able to attend every year, the years we did were always divine appointments. I shared something with Bill Kaiser before we left that I hope encourages each of you and lets you know how important your part has been to the work of God in this part of the world.

 

The Lord spoke to me years ago (we have been on the mission field since 1984) and asked me a question, “How long in advance do you think I must begin to move the pieces (God’s servants) of my plan around before I begin to do a greater work?” He also said to me that many of the first parts will have to endure and wait a long time till all the pieces are in place.

 

At this TOR as the testimonies were being shared at the end, particularly from many young new to the field missionaries I felt the Lord telling me that these TORs have been the glue to keep many missionaries on the field and in their places till all the other pieces arrived.
As I looked around the room I was blessed to see other missionaries as well as team members whom have become friends since the earliest TORs and how these meetings have contributed to keep all of us connected and out here doing what God has called us to do. And believe me I know there were times when it would have been easier to quit and go back to the USA.

 

So in closing I want to thank each and everyone of you whether you have given once or regularly, you have been instrumental in this region of the world, in this ministry and in our personal lives.

 

Blessings
Jerry and Ulrike Lillard
Prague, Czech Republic

Dear Pastor Kit & New Life,

 

This year’s TOR was fantastic from start to finish. Upon our arrival at the hotel, we were greeted with such and outpouring of love and hugs. I am sure just like all of the other missionaries who attended, a lot has transpired in our lives and ministry since the last time we gathered together. It is simply a great feeling to be together with so many wonderful people who truly care about us. The acts of kindness and expressions of genuine interest in our well- being means more than we can say.

 

This year’s theme, “The Spirit and the Bride say come”, taken from the book of Revelations was so fitting for the times in which we are now living. Every input and testimony highlighted different aspects of this topic and served to remind us of what is truly important. The fathers who shared about giving their daughters away at their weddings impacted me deeply. Although we do not have any daughters, it reminded us again concerning the Holy Spirit’s work in preparing the bride for the coming of the bridegroom. Also, Diahann and Dan Cofflin’s ministry in the Word lifted and encouraged my heart anew as I reflected on the love that our Father has for us.

 

Oliver and I were so blessed to attend TOR. We want to extend our gratitude to all of you who made this possible by supporting Bill and Emogene Kaiser’s vision to minister to those of us who are serving away from home. For us, it is so much more than a conference where you sit and hear good teaching. It is an opportunity to slow down and meditate on Him through the wonderful times of worship and prayer. It is a time to encourage and be encouraged by each other’s stories. It is a time to come aside and be refreshed.

 

Thank you for your faithful service and support,
Oliver and Lisa Frischknecht

Dear Friends,

 

What an incredible gift it was for us to attend the Time of Refreshing last week! It was our first time! In our 16 years of ministry in Europe, we have NEVER been blessed in such a sweet way as we were by the staff at TOR. We want to say a huge thank you to YOU, for your support of this much needed, most valuable ministry. From the very warm welcome to the parting good-byes, it was an encouraging time for us!

 

Rob and I have served in Europe in Hungary (10 years) and now Germany (6 yrs). We come alongside church pastors and planters to support the growth of the Kingdom in their local context. We especially enjoy helping younger leaders find their calling in ministry.

 

There were many highlights of our Time of Refreshing. Two of the most significant for us were the privilege of worshiping in English and hearing the testimonies of fellow missionaries around Europe. The opportunity to stand with other missionaries and praise the Lord was a deeply enriching time. One of our German heroes of the faith, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, writes about this in his book, Life Together: “the companionship of a fellow Christian [is] a physical sign of the gracious presence of the Triune God.” We soaked up every minute. The other very encouraging time for us was hearing the testimonies of what our great God is doing in places such as Turkey, Romania, France, and England. God is moving and we must be ready!

 

Again, THANK YOU, for your partnership that enables this retreat for missionaries to happen! You play a vital role and we consider you partners of this Kingdom work that we are called to here in Europe. Blessings to you as we soon enter the Fall season of Thanksgiving!

 

In Christ,
Donna and Rob George

Greetings from Germany……

 

and many thanks for your support of the Time of Refreshing! Again this year, it was a wonderful four days of worship, the Word, and great fellowship.

 

TOR 2016 was also special because, along with those of us who have been blessed to be a part of the TOR family over the years, there were many first-timers in attendance. It’s exciting to see that the ministry of TOR continues to grow and reach even more missionaries in even more places. I enjoyed conversations with several young women and young couples who were new to the TOR experience, and was encouraged by their stories. I was reminded of God’s amazing creativity in seeing the diversity – missionaries using their giftings and training in counseling, music, film production, consulting, teaching, administration and more, within the framework of their ministries, all to further the Kingdom.

 

I admire Bill and Emogene Kaiser so much for being faithful to the vision that caused them to start this ministry. They’re sensitive to every detail as they minister to us, and they’ve gathered together anointed team of folks who are dedicated to that vision as well. Love them all!

 

The day before I left for Switzerland, I was feeling overwhelmed with everything I needed to do before the trip, a sure sign that the pause was much needed. No surprise – not everything got done! And when I got back from Leysin, it was clear that some of those things were really very unimportant, what needed done was still there to do, and life goes on and goes on well. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to stop, drop, and reset my priorities. Daily, the Spirit and the Bride bid me – bid us – to come into God’s presence and receive refreshing and renewed strength. Now, to heed that voice…

 

With gratitude and blessings,

Michelle

Hi New Life,

 

I am writing to you as your name was sent to my wife and I from the fine folks at TOR. You are the reason it happened this year and all I can say is, lives were changed and the King got the glory!

 

Boy, what a few days it was in the Swiss mountains! I gotta say, we were a bit sceptical about going when we first got word. A free retreat where we would get loved on, a free hotel and meals, and in the Swiss mountains? Surely there must be a catch? There was no catch and even as the time approached and road blocks appeared in our way, we resolved to honour the commitment and turn up.

 

We were the first to arrive at 2:00 pm sharp and were greeted like long lost friends. The hospitality and warmth we were shown right off the bat was an indication of what was to come. Plus, they were all wearing name tags which is useful if you’re as frightfully forgetful with names as I am. As the day passed, we met more and more people who made us feel part of the family. At the meal on Tuesday evening we were stunned at the effort put into the decoration and the banquet. It truly was like being at a wedding.

 

Having slept well and being told to prepare ourselves for a diet of bread and Swiss cheese for the week, we got stuck into deep, transformative times of worship. The Holy Spirit refreshing and renewing us. I myself saw a vision of a man who had suffered a trauma as a child, and after sharing it with the group was approached by the very man the Spirit had laid on my heart. He was healed right there and then and talking to him in the ensuing days, it was clear that God was in our midst and setting people free.

 

One of the highlights for me was getting to hike a mountain behind our hotel. Breaking through the clouds to see Alpine peaks jutting up through a billowing fog that carpeted the valley below, I was so thankful to our Creator for both His genius and His generosity. Other highlights for us as a couple were meeting with and being inspired by people serving the Lord all over the world. What I took away from these meetings was that God uses all people and there truly is strength in diversity. So many folks from Team USA ministered to us and I found myself soaking up all their years of experience.

 

We drove back to France after the retreat and had six hours of a drive to discuss and pray and marvel at being spoiled by a group of people we now count as lifelong friends. The experience has changed our ministry, our intimacy with Jesus, and our love for the Lord’s people. Your contribution made that happen! Please take a moment to read that again. Your contribution made that happen! You provided an opportunity for a married couple in Paris, a couple you have never met and know nothing about, to go and be refreshed in every sense of the word. In a year that has had it’s ups and downs for us, as well as ministering to so many people, we were allowed to rest and leave the world behind for a few days.

 

From Valary and myself we offer you profound thanks! We would love to sit down and say it to you face to face, but all we have to offer are these words and our prayers.

 

In Gratitude,

Malcolm and Valary McLoughlin
Paris, France.

Hello, let me introduce my husband and I, (John and Doris Storey from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) We had the extreme pleasure of being loved on by the Times of Refreshing team this October. My husband and I are new on the mission field. God called us to leave family and home behind and join with another couple from our church who are missionaries serving in southern Romania. So last Sept, 2015 we arrived with 2 suitcases each to our name and began this exciting journey of our lives. We are 54 years old, married 34 years and been walking with God for 36+yrs.

 

TOR felt like God provided a safe net for me to land in. I wept for 3 days during our time of worship. The Holy Spirit was giving me a much needed drink of His glorious presence. I was very excited to meet other like minded Christians ministering across Europe. It was encouraging to hear their personal stories and how they have over come many struggles at sharing the faith. It’s spiritually dark all over Europe and much prayer and workers are needed to fulfill the great commission. Your vision in supporting such a project as Times of Refreshing is so vitally important. Often we as missionaries feel abandoned on the field with little family and or neighboring support. So this type of gathering allows up time to make new family members and connect with others by exchanging emails or even planning to visit one another when possible.
Our calendars are marked for next years TOR and we pray God’s blessing on you for your generous heart towards us. Thank-you !!!

From your co-workers in Christ,

John and Doris Storey.

Hello beautiful people of God, who love to give and bless missionaries like us!
Greetings from Marius and Jenny Pop in Arad, Romania!

 

We want to thank you once again for making it possible for TOR to happen this year. It was a great blessing to attend, like it is every single time, every time it has it own nuances.

 

What impacted us a lot this year was the Theme: “The Spirit and the Bride say Come.” And we had a missionary couple by the name of Robert and Kathryn Baxter from France who shared about their recent daughter’s wedding. It was a beautiful parallel of just how the preparations in the natural are taking place so it is in the spiritual we are being cleansed, purified, getting rid of all our wrinkles so that we can be looking perfect for our Groom Jesus Christ. It was beautiful; it brought the reality of heaven closer to us and left us with a longing to get there.
There were some great teachings along those lines by Bill Kaiser, Dan and Diane Coffland and Dan Cooper.

 

Food and accommodations are great as usual. It is always refreshing to be away with your spouse and no children for a few days. But its nice that after we get pampered and refreshed we get to bring goodies home to our children and make it more understandable for them to let mom and dad go away knowing they will be blessed with peanut butter, all kinds of American chocolate, cookies, and other blessings from US. we receive at the amazing boutique.

 

Another highlight of TOR this year was connecting and reconnecting with other missionaries. We were impressed to see so many new missionaries attend, it was by far the biggest group we were part of. But even more amazing than that, was the fact that we met wonderful missionaries in other parts of Romania whom we loved and connected deeply. Some have the same kind of ministry like us so it will be a blessing to continue to network and support each other.

 

So, we thank you and we bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus.
Much Love,
Marius and Jenny Pop
Arad, Romania.

Dear Families at New Life Covenant Church,
We are writing to you to thank you for your financial investment in the Times of Refreshing conference that we recently attended in Switzerland.

 

We are first time attendees and found the experience an amazing time of refreshing, encouragement and friendship. It was wonderful to come away from the front lines and spend time with fellow gospel workers for that encouragement and friendship, alongside large doses of fun. On one of the free afternoons we were able to ascend by cable car to the top of one of the nearby mountains. In doing so we went from an overcast valley through the clouds into beautiful sunshine. We were reminded that although it seems grey, once we get above our circumstances the sun shines and everything is going to be ok.

 

We have returned to Wales with renewed vigor and enthusiasm for the challenges ahead.

 

Thank you so much for your contribution to this conference, it will make an eternal difference.

Every Blessing,
Alex & Jane Ashton

Dear Pastor Kit & Vicki,

 

Thank you for blessing us by giving to Bill Kaisers’ TOR. My wife and I were so excited to return to TOR this year and see familiar guest/hosts as well as meeting new people and there were a lot of new missionaries this year.

 

This was our third TOR and we are so grateful that we were included. The time we spent there was encouraging and as the title says, refreshing! We invited four couples to come this year and three were able to make it. They loved it and are looking forward to returning next year. The worship, the love shown to us spoke to both my wife and I.

 

Our ministry is missionary soul care in Kandern, Germany. There are 300 some missionaries living in our town because of the Black Forest Academy. In our ministry we give and give and give and it’s so wonderful to be given to and loved on by the TOR team.

 

As part of our ministry we have unofficially adopted 5 single young ladies, (most work at the BFA as teaches). We eat twice a week together, we walk life together as well as help them out with any basic physical needs, such as changing tires on their cars, driving them to Dr. appointments and so on, basically we are their family away from home. This is just a small part of what we do in our ministry.

 

What a blessing you are as you sponsor TOR. Whether it’s through funds or physical gifts to make this happen or your prayers, we appreciate you! We love to share the gifts we get from TOR with our family and ministry family. They love getting the gifts.

 

I want you to know that your financial gifts was used well and for the advancement of Kingdom of Heaven. Having times like TOR set aside for encouragement, refreshment and motivating missionaries on the field is vital! We need it and your gifts are cherished! Thank you!

 

Bless you, and please know, the kingdom of heaven will not be the same because of you,

David and Anna Mansfield
www.more2L.org

Dear “Time of Refreshing” Sponsor,

 

We would like to express our most grateful thanks for your generosity and love for missionaries in Europe! We have been missionaries in Romania for 7 years and this is the first time we have been to a TOR – it was amazing! We were so blessed to be cared for, loved and appreciated in the time with Bill & Emogene Kaiser and the Team. Because of your donations, we were able to meet many missionaries that shared the same passion for missions and we were refreshed spiritually, physically and mentally with wonderful worship and the sharing of testimonies and the Word.

 

Many times in the past we have felt very alone in the mission field, and this TOR was a gift from the Lord in just the right time! We know that we are never alone because brothers and sisters like you are on our side! Thank you again for all your love and support.

 

Much Love from Romania,
Reinhard & Darcey Neufeld
Rasa, Romania

NLCC,

 

It has been a few weeks since the retreat ended and I will have to say it was such a needed and blessed time. I am a son of full time missionaries (49 years on the field in Mexico) and I have been a missionary in Mexico and now in Italy for 16 years total. Even though I have been in missions all of my life nearly, these last 4 years here in Italy has been so much fun but challenging, so yes, it was a huge blessing to be able to stop everything and go rest and get refreshed. This was my first year, and I was blown away by the generosity and serving hearts the TOR team had. It was a huge blessing to hear the teaching and the music from the leaders. Also being blessed with such an incredible hotel, food, gifts, groceries from Boutique and having a trained team to pray for us and encourage us personally. Thank you all so much for your financial support and prayers to make this retreat happen and if you were a part of the team there, thank you for taking the time to come and spend it on us. May God continue to bless each and every person who were a part of this. A special thanks to Bill and Emogene Kaiser and Randy for continuing these retreats and being faithful to God’s calling on your lives. You all were a huge blessing!

 

Sonny Daniel

Hello from Romania,

 

Greetings and trust that your cups are full and running over.

 

My wife and I are truly grateful for the passion you have for us
missionaries who are burning out in the trenches so far away from home.

 

The demands on our energy coupled with the many disappointing outcomes has
tried us to point where it has affected our marriage relationship. TOR has
been a great lift and has empowered us to keep moving forward.

 

Meeting others with similar callings, passions and challenges created an
excellent environment to make new friends and to network.

 

The TOR team was an inspiration to all of us as they led in spiritual
worship and ministry. The level of this leadership is at an altitude rarely
found these days.

 

The gifts of the Holy Spirit were in evidence in every meeting and many
needs were met as burdens, some of many years standing were cut loose.

 

Our cost of getting to Leysin is quite expensive but well worth the cost, we
hope to be able to attend next year again.

 

The Lord bless you one hundred times over for your sacrificial giving and
love for us ambassadors of His Kingdom.

 

We also thank you for your ongoing prayers and we will do the same for you.

 

Most sincerely,

E.Hardi & Beti Kubassek

Open Doors Foundation
Medgidia, Romania