Were here!

It has been a week since we have arrived here in Ireland.  Though we are still on the hunt for a house, our friends here have been more than hospitable for letting us stay with them until then.  Two days ago we bought a car - getting used to driving it is an adventure in itself.
Sebastian will be leading worship this Sunday - he's excited to start this again, as he did once before.  He is also prepping to do building jobs for the church coffee shop - Portico - and others as well.
I will start training in Portico tomorrow - one who has never made coffee in her life and doesn't even drink it - that will be quite the job!
Were excited to be here - new friends, new place, new life - not to mention the weather- it's not easy but His burden is light..

Also, since we have been here we have witnessed two people in the church get saved and three people have gotten baptized - Amen!

Thank you for your continual prayers - we appreciate every single one of them..

    

 


Dear friends and family,

    It's been a year and a half since I left the shores of Ireland to move back to California. God had called me back to get to know and marry Chelsea Hales who is now, Chelsea Muller :). (Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father!)
     About 8 months ago, Chelsea and I began to pray and seek the Lord about returning to Ireland. We were married in May of this year and leaving for Waterford August 19th to serve with Calvary Chapel Waterford. As we prepare to leave, we ask for your prayers most of all, and anticipate what God is going to do through this venture.
    I am currently in the process of confirming my Swiss citizenship (dual) in order to be able to legally work in Ireland (as a part of the E.U.) if the opportunity (or need) arises. This process however, could take a couple of years so we are not going forward depending on this, but that God will provide. 
    We often think of Ireland as an idyllic vacation destination, but any one who spends more than two months in the country will soon find a deep darkness that is shrouded by empty cultural religion.  Irish Catholicism is unique in that it culturally divides the people. It has become more of a “political” question than a religion or belief. In short, the Irish people have a religion, a set of rules, a cultural identity in that religion, but are missing the most important part; the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ. We can't in good conscience, ignore the fact that millions of Irish people are dying believing they are saved, because they were baptized and confirmed into the church when they were twelve.  For "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:14-15

Things to Pray for -

Applying for a visa to work there part time and Swiss Citizenship would go smoothly.

As we wrap things up in California, the move etc. will all go well and easy.

God would provide for us our entire monthly support so that, as we serve we won't be a burden to the people.

That Chelsea and My marriage would be blessed and God would give us strength to love each other while we do ministry.

Provision for a good place for us to live and a good car for us to drive.

That Chelsea and I would have an easy time re-assimilating back into the culture.

That the Church and the School of Ministry would thrive; that more and more Irish believers would be discipled so they, in turn, go out and preach the gospel.

That we would continue to stay close to the Holy Spirit and always seek His guidance.

Not always sure where the stair leads, but if God is leading ya don't need to know.

    It’s been a year and a half since God called me to go to Ireland and minister alongside the people of Waterford City. In that time I can clearly see that God has changed so much---not only in myself but also here in the city. When I arrived, there was no Christian fellowship.  Now we have Christians living life with each other all over this city. God has started to break down the spiritual strongholds of this city and His light is shining in.  The heaviness that has enveloped this city has begun be peeled back and God has started to slowly revive people. Because of all of this there have been many heavy spiritual attacks against all of us over here, so prayer against that would be appreciated.
    A few weeks ago we had our quarterly prayer and fasting week and God revealed His heart and plan for the city. Many of us had visions and received words from the Lord declaring, “He is breaking the chains of the city.” and, “The prayers of past generations and ours today are going to be answered soon”.  These words are so encouraging to us as believers here! Its been such a battle and often times a battle with no real obvious results. But in the past few months God has shown us clearly that he is about to take wondrous action in the city of Waterford and in Ireland. In all of this God even gave me such a clear vision of what He will do in Waterford that my heart rejoices and praises Him because its a perfect answer to prayer! Revival is coming to Waterford.
    All of this to say, God called me here and now He is calling me on to other things. Through a lot of prayer and fasting and through some very clear prophetic words from God I am actually coming back to California to seek what He would have me do further in my life. It breaks my heart to be leaving Waterford and I begin to understand Paul’s sadness when he is continually leaving the churches that he planted. However I am leaving with the knowledge that God is going to do amazing things in this city and that comforts my heart.
    I do not know what God will have me do in the future I only know the next step that He has given me. I would ask for your continued prayer for that next step that He would reveal it in his time and that I would have the courage to accept it and do His will and not my own. I thank you all for your prayer and support over all my ministry here. I would have failed without it-- I am sure.
    God is so good in how His timing works and He has provided someone to take over every little facet of my responsibilities here in the church. So I am able to leave knowing that everything is in good hands.  From leading worship to teaching--God has fully and completely replaced me over here. Now I am simply looking forward to what He has for me in the future.
    I hope this all finds you well and that God is working in you as you seek His will for your lives everyday
To God be all the Glory.

Sebastian

Just wanted to Throw out a quick post for my buddy James we just dropped him off at the Rehab I would just ask you guys to all pray for him. Pray that he can get clean and change his life in a new way, that he would truthfully and wholly just turn to Jesus in this trial.

I also have an appointment to enable me to stay and work in Ireland permanently by getting my Swiss citizenship renewed. The process is going though very quickly but I need about 470 Euro for the Application fee so please also pray that this process goes smoothly and the God Provides the money.

God is sufficient. As I reflect on this past year I can say with out any doubt that this is what I’ve learned. So in light of this year’s revelation I have decided to make a list of how he has been sufficient in my life during the past year. At the end of this very short update you can read if you like (to the glory of God) how he is sufficient.
    My last update was a video update that I made before I found out that I was going to be able to come home for Christmas. If you watched that, you would not know that I am back in the States till January 16th. I was so blessed that my family (mainly my mother) decided that they wanted to see me. It meant a lot to be able to come home and have a bit of a rest before heading back to Waterford. I was very exhausted and really feeling the strain of the ministry and did not think I would make it back. But God always knows our breaking point and is gracious enough to not let us get there. I now have a huge respect for people that are called to the ministry. It might be a “walk in the park” but that park is Central park... at midnight. I really did not know what I was getting into this year but by the grace of God and through a lot of humbling experiences God brought me though...closer to Him and I would not trade that for anything.
    Now a little update on the current state of the our church in Waterford. As you will see in my list at the end of this letter it has been an extraordinary year for us all. Outreaches have come and gone, people have come and gone but God in all of this has been working. We started 2011 off with about 6 people in the congregation and now, at the end of 2011 God has brought together about 40 to 50 people. Might not seem like much but as I said before a mega church in Ireland is about 400 people so its a huge deal to us. The amazing thing about all of this is that the people are not only growing in numbers they are growing spiritually.
    So now that is my short little monthly update I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and I pray that this New Year will be blessed. Much love from me and every body in Waterford.

God bless

Now for my list of Gods beautiful provision

He gave me the money to be able to get to Ireland and the exact amount I needed.
I was in the worst financial situation I have ever been in.
But He said he would take care of the money and he did.
He provided me with a place to live that was literally a 10 second walk from church
He provided a good buddy to come and help build and keep Me and Clay from killing each other.
He provided the Church building and gave us the means to finish the building
Interior wall, electrical, plumbing, carpet, tools, man power, drywall, wood, nails, paint, glue, tile, countertops, doors, windows, chairs, scaffolding,  there is a story behind pretty much every item on this list.
We were able to do 30,000 euros of work on a budget of about 2000.
And for some odd reason God gave me the confidence to think I could actually oversee and complete this building.
Gave it to us for a much cheaper price.
Provided people who volunteered their work and service out of the blue--even non Christians.
I ran out of money in June because I was only supposed to stay 6 months. He provided food and a place for me to stay the summer thanks to the Tucson and Denver mission teams. I had loads of fun hanging out with you guys.
He then provided a car very inexpensively--300 euros for my 1996 Nissan Micra with a one-liter engine.  :)
I then was able to move into a house just outside of town that was half the price of my last place and 3 times the size. Thanks to the great people at the United Beach Mission and the Kennedy family.
At that time I was also praying that I could live outside of town so as not to be stuck in the city all day---every day. I am a “mountain boy” after all.
He then provided my cousin and a friend who wanted a bodyguard while they traveled so I was able to do a little traveling over here--thanks to them.
He provided a way for me to stay in the country longer legally by letting me get a missionary visa.
He provided me throughout the year with jackets, shoes and clothing from my Irish friends. He only knows how cold it is over here.
 He provided an amazing “care package” at a time when everything looked very dreary.
He provided a family in the church who lived just down the street to bring over food every day.
I have not gone hungry since.
He provided another great friend to come over when I was burned out to encourage me and lift me up.
He has provided time after time just enough money when I needed it.  When I had no idea how I was going to pay my bills He always provided.
He provided when I prayed for friends--a great and amazing group of Irish friends.
He provided small odd jobs that I could do to earn a bit here and there.
He provided an amazing friend to give me some work, and then gave me the strength to survive when he took him away to heaven.
He provided a brand new and very, VERY nice guitar when I needed one.
above and beyond my expectations.
He has provided me with the will and the strength to go back and serve in Ireland for another year.



There are countless other ways He has provided for me, grown me and shown me His strength but the list is a bit long now. (I’m sure you have found this true in your life as well!)  If you want more just ask!

I will be working In Ireland on a long term basis.

Our Church at the Ireland Conference

Dear Friends,
 I have recorded a more detailed video update, but it is a bit long so if you don't have time to watch it, the following is a brief synopsis. It’s been about a month and a half since my last update and a good few things have happened. We are still seeing more people coming to church and for the first time the church is supporting itself! By “self-supporting”, I mean, “paying for rent/bills and toilet paper”. We as church staff are not receiving anything from the church.) What a blessing to have the church becoming financially independent!  We thank God!
The city is still in the depths of darkness and we continually see people wrecking their lives on heroin/alcohol. You begin to realize how dead a place is and how bright a light we are when you find a “heroin house” a few doors down and a couple of prostitutes living in an apartment above the church. Please pray that Waterford’s  “open market” for heroin is shut down.  There are rival gangs moving into town, each striving for dominance of this “open market”. There is a potential for Waterford to explode in a much more intense version of violence.
     We are starting a Friday night “Coffee Shop-Concert” to provide a positive, alternative “hang out” besides the pubs. We are praying that this will bring more non-Christians in contact with the “strange cultish Christians”.  (This is no joke! The Waterford Irish think if you’re not Catholic, you’re a cult member.)
      I don’t know if many of you are aware, but I am here permanently.  How long I don’t know-- could be a year could be ten!  In light of that, would you please pray for financial provision for me?  I have also lost my wallet---yes, Driver’s License, cards, etc.  Please pray that I will find it!
 I love you all--- there is a list of prayerful concerns on my last update.  Your prayers make a difference!

Making coffee at Calvary Cafe

Ireland For the long Haul.

  Hello Everyone!

 My update this month is a bit late and I apologize for that-- my excuse is that I was working with three different teams, two of which came from the states and one from Northern Ireland. So it’s been a very busy summer, we have seen a lot happen in the spiritual realm here in Ireland.  All the teams were a wonderful encouragement to us and we saw the word of God spread over Ireland and lives changed.

Leading the teams around Waterford we did Activities like VBS’s and street ministry and litter picking. One of my favorites of these was the litter picking, It’s a funny thing when you walk though a neighborhood that has been forgotten by the City Council and pick up litter how your numbers double. By the time we walked half way though the neighborhood we had a team of small Irish kids wanting to help us and wondering why we were picking up trash. It’s a beautiful way to show Gods love and we had the chance to tell about 15 different kids about who Jesus was. One little boy about 6 years old, the first to join us, even ran inside and got his own gloves to help.

As you know, I was only supposed to be in Ireland until July and then my time was extended to September, and now I strongly feel that God has called me here on a long-term basis. How “long-term” that is I have no idea, I am just trusting in the Lord day by day. By God’s grace, He has continued to open doors for me to be able to stay here inexpensively. I had my own plans for the future, however, God showed me that His work here is much more important than my future “career” that I was planning on going back to University for. Let me just say though, that God really does supply all my needs, He is such a good God and it’s a true privilege to have the opportunity to serve him here.

            Now, just to update you on the future vision of the church and our mission over here… It’s been such a busy summer and every day for the past two months we have been doing team ministry, yet God seems to want to keep us going full on. For quite some time, it has been the vision of Pastor Clay and all the Calvary Pastors in Ireland to start a Bible college here in Waterford. Over the past few months God has been lining up a team of men to lead the college and we are already starting the fund raising and groundwork for the college. We are looking into potential facilities that we could be leasing as early as the summer of next year. The beautiful thing about all of this is we are seeing God’s hand in many ways already in bringing the team together and even securing the prospective building.  It’s amazing to be a part of Gods work here. He “blows my mind” on a daily basis as I see Him move!  I hope I never get used to this.

"good clean fun" our Friday night Fellowship. For the first time there is Fellowship for Christians in the city, 4 Churches are represented in this picture

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching Thursday night bible study. Denver team

            One thing that has been very stressful on me while over here is working with the local addicts. Ministering to them is an up and down emotional rollercoaster when you are daily trying to encourage them and keep them away from the drink and drugs.  I have been trying to surrender these people to the Lord in my heart, but tend to take on a lot of the stress, so if you could all pray for me that I would learn how to give these things up to Christ I would be grateful. On a lighter note, one of the men that I have been working with was clean for a month, went back on the drink and drugs for a week and is now is clean again. Please pray that he will keep it up and will have the wisdom and diligence to make the call and get into a rehab, preferably Teen Challenge. There is a lot more to his story that I will keep private for his sake.  Please just keep praying for strength and peace for him.

Some of the Girls from the Arizona Team with one of our Irish Guess what one is Irish.

            Since I will be staying in Ireland long term I will need some long-term support. It’s always uncomfortable asking people for support and it’s not my favorite thing to do. But since God did not choose to bless me with a bottomless bank account I must ask you, the kind people back home, to support me over here in the work that God has called me to. So if you would like to support me or feel that God is leading you to, that would be a HUGE blessing. I have outlined my basic needs in a spreadsheet so you can get an idea what my needs are while I am over here. I am excited to see what God is going to do in supporting me because He has already met so many of my needs for me to stay here long term. One of my prayers was that if I stayed I could live out side of the city. God just so happened to provide a place for half the cost of my last place that is about 4 times the size and about ten minutes outside of the city. God also set me up to work in a farmer’s market twice a week that should pay for my rent.  He also provided through the Worrells, a car that I can drive so I am not longer stuck and can get around. After I made the decision to stay God really opened up so many doors for me to be able to stay here and I am so thankful for what He has done so far.

            I hope you are all well back home and I hope one of these days you can come and visit over here or I can, if the Lord wills, make it back home for a visit. Also, once again, thank you for all your support and prayer in the past. Please keep praying for me I need it! I love all of you so much and pray that God is blessing you and keeping you well.

Sebastian 

 

Waterford Tall Ships Festival. We did a huge ministry during the festival and thousands heard the Gospel

The Arizona Team finishing painting the Church ceiling

Arizona Team and Calvary Waterford with couch surfers.

Expenses	monthly		Current support
			Monthly	USD 250
House	200
Car	50
Utilities	75
food	200
Living Expenses	50
Phone	30
Sub Total	Euro. 605	USD. 860
school Loans in US	600
Sub Total	Euro. 425	USD. 600
Total	Euro. 1,030	USD. 1,460