March, 2008

Dear Friends,

          This month has been one of mixed emotions. We bid farewell to Shpend and Linda who are moving back to their native Kosovo to plant a church. God has called them to share the Gospel in the same region where the apostle Paul traveled. In February, the people of Kosovo received their independence as a nation. Shpend and Linda will take the message of spiritual independence available in Christ. This has been an exciting process for our young church. We appreciate your prayers with our congregation for their efforts as they step out by faith to reach their homeland.
           We also will leave Austria in the next few weeks to return to the states. We have 2 major objectives on this furlough. We must raise the $350,000 needed to purchase the facilities we currently lease. We have until March, 2009 to raise these funds to continue in our current location. Although the devaluation of the US dollar is at an all time low, we still are trusting God to make this vision a reality. Since the first missionary to Austria with our group arrived more than 20 years ago, this is the first opportunity we have had as an organization to own a property which will house a permanent church.
          Our 2nd objective on this furlough will be to take our son Ben to Bible College. He is an integral part of our worship team and leads our music. It is difficult for a new church to lose such critical people, but we know that God will send replacements to continue His church. We appreciate your prayers for our family as we will be leaving Ben in the USA when we return to Austria in the fall.

Partners in His Service,

Curt & Melinda Brown