News > Europe

by Maria M.

M. Maria M. from Dresden, Germany, shared her mission report at Chicago UBF on Sunday, August 27. Please read her report below and pray for the work of God at Dresden UBF.

My name is Maria M. from Dresden, Germany. Dresden is in the south of Berlin in East Germany, a music and art city like Florence in Italy. In 2000, I received Genesis 12:1-2 and came to Germany as a student missionary. In 2003, God established a house church with a faithful man of God, Harm M. We lived in Kiel for 11 years, but we were mostly busy with school and work. We did not know how to serve the ministry well. But during that time, God trained us and sanctified our faith. I thank God for blessing us with two sons, Johannes and Jacobus, who have personal faith in Jesus. In 2014, Harm got a job in Dresden, six hours away from Kiel. For one year, my husband came home only on the weekend. During this time, I suffered from anxiety and insomnia. God told me to pray and invited me as Jesus invited Zacchaeus in Luke 19:5, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." I was born again for the second time. God filled me with the joy of meeting Jesus every dawn. I felt so loved by God, who met me personally. God gave me Isaiah 43:19, "Behold, I am doing a new thing." I praise God for leading my family to start something new at Dresden. In 2015, God helped us build a house near the campus to use as the house church. God gave me 1 King about Solomon's temple. I held onto God's promise to make it as God's house for his glory. I want to share four points about God's work in Dresden.

First, Dresden's ministry is centered on the Word of God. In starting the new ministry, I held on to the Word of God as a matter of life and death. When I meditated on the Word of God, he gave me a clear direction for Dresden's ministry. I brought all my concerns to God and could find all the solutions in the Word of God. Danbi is my first sheep. She was a music student who heard about us and came to us independently. When I met her, God gave me John 15:13. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." Jesus asked me to lay down my life for one soul as Jesus did. I decided to quit my job to serve God's sheep as a full-time missionary. God worked in Danbi's heart and led her boyfriend to Christ, as well as her mother and siblings. Through the study of the book of Acts, God raised Danbi, Sol, and Priska as warriors of faith. They heard God's voice, repented of sins, and received God's calling to serve Dresden's ministry. In 2016, I began daily bread at 8 a.m. every day with two members. Soon, many people were blessed through our daily bread ministry. The Word of God we receive in the morning became our lifeline and north star.

God's abundant and gracious Word captured whoever attended our daily bread meetings. Even during the pandemic, we continually met in the morning, heard God's voice, and lived by the Word of God. My family met in the evening to share daily bread. Thank God for growing our sons, Johannes and Jacobus, with the Word of God. Johannes is 19 and is already serving his friend one to one. My husband Harm is growing as a Sunday messenger. The Word of God is the center of my life and our house church. Whenever I served daily bread meetings and one-to-one, God blessed me so much to experience his presence personally and vividly. God guided me through the annual key verses each year. God protected, convicted, and helped me make decisions through the guidance of the Word of God.

Second, Dresden's ministry is centered on prayer. In February 2021, Daily Bread was based on Exodus. I learned that victory depended solely on prayer. I observed that Aaron and Hur supported Moses in prayer. I learned the importance of united prayer. The next day, we started a prayer meeting every evening at 8:30 p.m. We made an environment by dimming the light and putting on the praise music in the living room. Through daily bread, we received specific prayer topics from God. We fought the spiritual battle against our unbelief and impossible situations through nightly prayer. It was foolish to rely only on the Word and our passion for serving God. When we depended on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer, God demonstrated his mighty power by answering all our prayers. God solved visa problems, security problems, and family problems. Most of all, God led us to repentance and a new birth and helped each one of us to accept God's calling personally.

Third, Dresden's ministry is the ministry of praise. Most members majored in voice, musical instrument, painting, or ballet. As artists, they enjoyed receiving praise from others. Miraculously, God changed their hearts to use their talents for the glory of God. They put coming to God through daily bread more important than their opera performances, auditions, and school exams. They put the duty to serve food or clean sanctuary for Sunday service before their performance. They considered the stage an altar to worship God and a place to encounter God. They prepared their stage performance, looking forward to meeting Jesus on the stage. One student was criticized and persecuted by her professor. But God blessed her faith to put God first. Later, she was recognized by her professor and received a scholarship and an award in a competition. Her example became a living testimony to God. Thank God our members could use all our energy, time, and talent to praise God. Every Christmas, Easter, and conference, we prepared dance and special music to perform for the glory of God. We started a monthly concert in our living room two years ago as an outreach. In 2019, we performed a musical about a woman caught in adultery. This year, we went to the Middle East conference to serve praise. When we were invited to serve praise for the ISBC, we prayed and practiced for two months. We sincerely prayed to have the attitude of Levi, who gave praise to God. Whenever we are invited to serve praise, it's an opportunity to encounter Christ. Through ISBC, we saw God's glory.

Fourth, Dresden's ministry is about self-denial. Jeremiah 33:2: "Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known," 1 Samuel 14:7 "Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul," Luke 2:15 "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us," Acts 18:9 "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent," Matt 21:2 "Untie them and bring them to me. The Lord needs them," John 18:11 "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?" Job 1:21 "And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." These are the eight verses God gave me during the eight years of ministry at Dresden. Through the yearly key verse, God challenged me to deny myself and submit to God alone. God helped me to repent of my stubbornness, my thinking, and my way and obey God. Instead of fighting against people around me or trying to change my situation, God guided me to fight against my sins. I am stubborn, and my coworkers are stubborn. We cannot deny ourselves, carry the cross, and follow Jesus on our own. God trained us to deny ourselves and humble ourselves. Through humbleness training, we became one. Praise Jesus!

In conclusion, God was with us through His words, prayer, praise, and self-denial. By God's grace, Dresden's ministry is a joyful, dynamic ministry of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your love and prayer for me and Dresden's ministry. Through the ISBC and post-conference trips to Washington, New York, and Chicago, I met many sacrificial servants of God and second gens. God enlarged my heart and vision to see what God is doing around the world. I want to keep up with what God is doing and be a prayer servant for the world. When I return to Dresden, I want to go to campus and witness the power of God.

Prayer topics for Dresden UBF are:
1. Each member may be dedicated to words, prayer, praise, and evangelism.
2. My husband Harm and I may serve Mark's gospel messages.
3. God may pioneer 12 campuses in Dresden and raise 50 committed disciples of Jesus.
4. Please pray for Sol, Priska, and Frank to establish house churches.