Some of the gang at our house for Megs 17th birthday. 

Meg and Darien....is there "Bible Space" here?? 

Isabelle and Darien enjoying supper on a Wednesday night at the Corps. 

Eric (better known as "THE THINKER") from the Pioneer Corps! 

Danielle (our niece) Emma and Sarah all dressed up for "High Tea". 

Stacy (our niece), Emma and Sarah at "High Tea" at the Talking Tea Cup!! 

Erin, far left, works at "Build a Bear". On a visit to Washington D.C. Emma built a princess pony and Jacob a dog...My sister Cyndy is next to Erin. 

The lovely Susan makes a point during Worship recently! 

Pray...that the deep well of Salvation will overflow into the streets as the Gospel is preached each Sunday afternoon. 

Every Sunday afternoon The Body of Christ reaches out to the Kensington neighborhood with it "Soup and Salvation" (program). We engage together in honest Worship and Testimony and then go downstairs for some lunch. The overused phrase "this is what its all about" works here! 

Gods people, the household of Faith, "entering into" worship on a Sunday Morning at the Pioneer Corps! That is John Copelenad leading on the guitar. 

From our Welcome Sunday, March 5. Dont let the looks on our faces fool you...It was a great and joyful day!!! 

This is Phils brother Larry on the left. Phil had the privledge of teaching from Exodus 33..a great text of God's presence...look it up! 

This Sunday, Feb 26th we travelled to Reading Pennsylvania, where Phils brother Larry and his wife Lynne pastor the Salvation Army church. These are the "cousins" Jacob, Sarah, Meaghan, Adam (Just back from Iraq with the US Army, David and Christopher....Susan and Em are in the next row. 

Jacob and Phils brother Dan, what caption should we give this one?? "Should I have one more piece of pizza or not?" What do you think?? 

Susan and Phils mom Sara enjoying a slice of pizza and a coke together on a recent outing! 

Our Emma being her cute self in our kitchen!! She continues to amaze us with her spiritual insight and sensitivity....what does God have in mind for this little one?? 

From our Farewell Sunday at the Tallinn Kopli Corps.....Even as God The Holy Spirit sheds His love abroad in our hearts for our new church....He still causes to remain love for those represented in this picture. I think this is the New Testament pattern as seen in Pauls journeys and travels!  

Meet the newest member of the Wittenberg family....Niya...a Shi Tzu we got for Jacob from the Montgomery County SPCA...she is fitting in very well! Due to her deadly bark we call her Niya lator!! 

Jacob has lived outside the last two days, enjoying the snow...and there was no school today in Abington!! 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! This is our new house in Philadelpha the morning after we had about 18 inches of snow! A winter wonderland. 

The Mercy Seat

In our reading of the One Year Bible, in Exodus, it says that the Mercy Seat is the same size as the Altar, the place of the presence of God....So wherever the presence of God is, so is His mercy! You cannot be in the presence of God without His mercy being there! We should be destroyed by being in His presence, instead we find mercy! Wow! We are all doing well, everone is in school and adjusting. The International School of Estonia had 110 kids, grades k-12. Sarahs Junior High has 2000 students, Meaghans High School almost the same and Jacobs and Emma Elementary School has about 650, so its quite an adjustment! Of course we are still in grief over leaving Tallinn, the process of grieving our loss bears a strong resemblance to other forms of grieving.....but we are also feeling very welcome in our new city and Church, excited about how God, through His Holy Spirit very much at work there. "But where we cannot see, we'll trust, for then we know He surely must, be still, our all in all. Christ is all, yes all in all, our Christ is all in all"

We are back!

Well, we having been living in Philadelphia for almost two weeks...so much change in all of our lives we cannot begin to grasp it all....things have been moving so fast! We have felt so welcome here in Philly...everyone has been so warm and good to us....yet we still so miss everyone in Tallinn...If you are reading this...you are thought of and prayed for EVERYDAY and are never forgotten. Keep in touch. God enlarges our hearts to love the people He has given us here in our new home and those we left behind in a land that captured our hearts.

Precious few days

It seems impossible, but we are in our last days of ministry here in Tallinn. Really, all we can ask for, pray for, believe God for is FRUIT THAT REMAINS. In our weakness, trembling and inadequacy, seed was planted..and we ask the Holy Spirit for watering, roots, weeding, protection and growth, FRUIT THAT REMAINS. The great thing about His vineyard...the need for seed...is that it is needed just as much in Philadelphia as it is Tallinn. Different soil, different soil conditions, maybe a variance of tools, but still His vineyard. Enjoy the pictures below....we have loved working with the children...and thank God for those who worked and labored beside us. We will continue to be bloggers, can you blog for His Glory and His Glory alone....lets try.

This is a picture of our Social Work Gospel Party...the day after the picture below....January 5...32 new kids...maybe the fields are white unto harvest?! 

The church, each Thursday, visit the Armys Lasnamae Youth Center (Russian sector, east of Tallinn) for ministry and fellowhip. We thought we should have the kids and leadership to the Corps for a Gospel Party...I great time! 

On the coldest day (so far) on the way into work Jacob and I stopped for this picture. Susan loves it so I decided to post it....Every season has its own form of unique beauty. 

OK....who is the 41 year old in this picture...I honestly cant tell!...Please take note of Whitney and Meaghans red faces...they spent 8 minutes in the solarium instead of the recommended 8!!....Can you say aloe!! 

Living in two worlds.

These are unique days for us....a roller coaster really, of emotions, feelings, nostalgia, memories, anticipation, hope, faith, heartache, thankfulness, certainty, uncertainty.....etc. To the beloved here in Tallinn...how we miss you already...these days we know we are doing and experiencing many things with you for maybe the last time...but how we will ALWAYS remember you...love you and miss you...treasure the season God, by His great grace gave us together...And if you are ever visiting Philadelphia you will always have welcome in our home....To our new Church family in Philadephia...for many reasons that we will explain..we know that Gods hand is all over this move! To come back to Philadelphia after all these years (Phil went to training from Philly in 1983) is "beyond all we could ask or think"...an inner city appointment... and so much more give us a deep assurance that this is ALL of HIM. Living in two worlds...glad it doesnt happen too often..But actually, that is the call of Scripture isnt it! To be in but not of the world...strangers and aliens...to pitch our tents for a season. Grace and peace in fullest measure....Phil and Susan