October Update

On The Road Again!

Wedding Bells

A good winter, now spring is here

Cyprus: an unexpected adventure

Ukrainians, heating, and family life

 

Heading to Canada!

 

Women are good at teamwork… not that men aren’t, but it’s possible we have more fun!

(Intern Nathalie & I baking Easter Angel cookies to remember Luke 1:19 & 26 – click here to watch my video about remembering God’s love

 

In the midst of every day life, with coffee cup in hand, we help each other grow as leaders.

Women who influence and enable people to accomplish tasks. (Think moms, project managers, older sisters, volunteer organizers, youth workers, Entrepreneurs…)

How is that possible you ask? While baking cookies, at the playground, in Bible study, at our workplace…we share ideas, successes & failures with our friends and coworkers. We also encourage each other to live out what we learn. We naturally combine teaching, modeling and coaching in a way that impacts every area of our lives. It fits perfectly with the relational way God made us to be, which makes it not feel like work!

(Emma & I at a Langham training seminar pre covid. She loves teaching women how to study the Bible.)

 

Did you know that this is biblical? Read Titus 2.
It’s about older women doing exactly what I described. Of course, women old and young are encouraging each other. But in Titus 2 older women are called to share their years of experience by intentionally investing in younger women.
Older women can be a loving caring anchor for younger women who experience, sometimes abruptly, many different and intense new life phases. (And then add in the pandemic!)
This is why I started a zoom Titus 2 Bible study for women in my church. We look at women in the Bible to learn from them, pray for each other and share ideas on how we can invest. Already two multi-generational Bible studies have grown out of this group as well as many life giving conversations! We are having a great time being leaders training leaders in everyday life.

WOULD YOU PRAY THAT THESE TITUS 2 BIBLE STUDIES MULTIPLY ACROSS AUSTRIA?

 

On the family front…

David is moving to Canada this summer! He has been accepted at Redeemer University to study Business Marketing. A perfect fit for my bright ‘out of the box thinking’ son! Wonderful too that he can be close to lots of family for the first time in his life.

Jonathan & Miriam got the keys to their first apartment! Just 5 minutes from me, his work & great public transit! Yay! Jonathan is a kindergarten teacher and Miriam is doing her masters in TESSL online. They are VERY happy newlyweds!

PLEASE PRAY FOR:

  1. Safe and uncomplicated travel, quarantine, and university prep for David and I as we go to Canada midsummer.  I will fly back to Austria the end of September.
  2. Our denominations annual leader training conference in June where I will be teaching a workshop twice on developing women as leaders. 

Praise:

Thanking the Lord for three new supporters.  A marvelous start to help me move towards a needed support level. Would you pray for more to join in financially to help see women grow as leaders?

 

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing here!

Leanne

Step by step, growing as leaders

 

I have a dream. Yes, I do. I imagine more and more older women across Austria walking alongside younger women in everyday life. My example of this type of mentorship comes from the book of Titus – older women leading, guiding, and teaching younger women.

Just yesterday I had an amazing conversation with one of the older women in our church about the definition of leadership based on Jesus as the shepherd. This definition was life-changing for me. I realized I was a leader in so many areas of my life. I knew that I want to lead deliberately and well. Every woman has 1000 things on their to-do list each day, and my passion is to help them be intentional in accomplishing their daily responsibilities. Today my working definition of leadership is, “Intentionally influencing and enabling people to accomplish a given task.”

The evangelical church in Austria is young and has so much potential to grow. My church alone is overflowing with young families. The younger women have voiced their longing for more older women to walk alongside them. I discussed with my friend how to make a plan for celebrating Christmas in these very strange times, using principles derived from Jesus’s example that can be applied in every area of life.

Just imagine the ripple effect of older women teaching the younger women and what it will do in their families, workplace, churches, and ultimately reaching the lost for Christ?! (The Apostle Paul certainly saw it as key for the health of the church and God‘s kingdom!)

How will we work together to accomplish this vision? By connecting with and teaching women one on one, in group settings, in leadership development seminars, webinars, and on my YouTube channel.

My heartfelt thanks to each one of you who pray for us and support us financially!

I am asking God for $15,000 in additional annual support so that I can focus on the work here, and I need your help:

1. I am seeking new contributors who can make a monthly contribution in the support of this vital work. Do you know any women in your church, Bible study group, knitting circle, Pilates classes… who would have a heart for helping their sister’s across the globe? Would you pass this letter on to them?

2. If you are already supporting me, wherever possible, would you consider an increase of 20% in the coming year. If that increase is too much of a burden, any additional amount is so greatly appreciated.

3. Would you pray with me that God supplies the support and that more and more older women will invest in younger women and help them to flourish.

Thank you so much!

Leanne

Loving people in crisis

Would you also pray for our LEAD DEVELOP CARE online training happening November 19.
Thank you so much for praying!

Austria is on a gentle lockdown that will hopefully bring our numbers down (but not our economy).
Right before lockdown started our country experienced a horrendous terror attack in Vienna. It was shocking and brought us to our knees in prayer.

In the midst of all of this, wedding plans are moving forward for Jonathan and Miriam.

December 5, 2020, at 2:30 CET

It will be a small wedding but one that will OVERFLOW WITH JOY!!!

You can register to watch the live stream here on their website:

www.mjcarter-wedding.de

We love you and we are praying that you know deeply God’s love and peace in these challenging times.

Leanne, Jonathan, and David
Discipling the Nations
Action Canada

Farsi Translation