Many of us at Heartland have had the joy of knowing the Fergusons as friends and the honor to have Bro. Ledgel as pastor for a few years until they were called back into the mission field, please keep them both in your prayers daily as the Lord continues to lead and bless them,  below is a update of their current ministry.  At the bottom of the page is a link to their mission web site and a brief video from them both.


Below is an e-mail I recently received from Sis. Sharon telling of the work her and Bro. Ledgel is doing.


Ledgel and Sharon are back in the France as of Dec. 08. We was honored to have them at the Church on 8/10/08. Click here to listen to what they had to say about their mission in France.

If you are interested in helping support them finacially, you can click here for the site to set up your donation.





           






Dear Friends,
The following is an excerpt from a letter which Steve Riggs sent to supporters:
"Thank you for your prayers concerning the meeting with the Mayor of Ch*teaubriant yesterday. The first news to share is that I did make it this time. And when I got there I found out I had "made it" along with a lot of other people waiting patiently outside his office. The 45 minute wait to see him made me wish I had sat across the street at a caf* and enjoyed a cup of coffee! But he is the Mayor, so you wait.
The visit was brief and very official, (meaning for me "uncomfortable") but hopefully accomplished much for the years ahead. I was able to introduce myself and give a short explanation of our desire to see a Protestant place of worship in the area of Ch*teaubriant. It certainly helped to be able to say to him that we are here at the request of some families living in the area who desire to have a Protestant church they can attend. (remember that less than 2% of the population in France is Protestant) He asked if we had found a meeting place yet, and I replied that we are presently meeting in homes but are actively looking for a place to meet. He did not offer any assistance, but at least he did ask. I was also able to present a Conference/Exposition we would like to offer in town at a later date. He seemed open to our proposal and suggested I contact his office later to see about scheduling a date for the event. I felt this was a major step that already shows there was at least some level of confidence established. The entire meeting lasted less than 10 minutes, but I thank the Lord for those 10 minutes that may have an impact on years to come. We may not always have good relations with government officials, but certainly we must aim for that as much as possible."
We join with Steve in thanking you for your prayers. We know that without them, nothing would be accomplished here.
Today we had our weekly team meeting with Steve, Becky and Cathy Crawford. With the meeting with the major over, we began to plan for the next official step. The mayor already has the Statutes (by laws) for the Association of Free Will Baptist Churches in France. We now, as a church, must request the right to organize. One thing we have learned about the French is that they love paperwork and complicate the simplest things. We have heard several French people bemoan this fact. Again, we ask you to pray with our church group that we present the application in the right manner.
Pray as we continue to look for a meeting place. We are anxious to have room to invite our new French friends to church.
Again, thank you for your prayers, support and letters of encouragement.
Ledgel and Sharon *

God's Grace is sufficient

 Thank you beyond measure for your prayers and notes of  encouragement.  We continue to face annoying obstacles, especially  with technical equipment.  We praise the Lord that His grace is  always sufficient.  Just when nothing seems to work right, God sends  relief and for no apparent reason, equipment starts working.  I have  decided that the computer is my "thorn in the flesh".  I did drive  our car to Nantes this week without incident.
 
We praise the Lord for an increase in giving to our account in  December and January.  With moving expenses, some furniture  purchases, advance rent payments, etc, our account will be hit hard  this month.  We are thankful that the Lord spoke to you before the  bills came.
 
We also thank the Lord for our little church family in  Chateaubriant.  We are growing closer each week.  Last week Jean  (John) Charles shared a special request for his family.  His wife,  Magalie is expecting their third child.  With two of her pregnancies  the babies had spinabiffida.  One did not survive.  The other has  difficulty walking.  Magalie was fearful for this baby but an ultra  sound this week showed a healthy baby boy.  Praying and rejoicing  together has strengthened the bond in our group.  The other french  couple, Jonathan and Simmone, have a computer business that is  struggling.  Pray for guidance in their decisions.

Today, after Ledgel's message, we discussed the requirements for  becoming recognized by the city as a church and starting to look for  a regular meeting place.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance as  Steve Riggs and Jean Charles take care of all the legal requirements.
 
Continue to pray for the contacts we have:
 
Leon Hervey who is allowing Ledgel to use part of his field for a  garden.  It gives Ledgel a
reason to visit him often.
 
For his son Noel who works with Jean Charles.  Pray that Jean  Charles will have    opportunities to witness to him.
 
Continue to pray for our landlord and his wife, our realtor, our car  dealer who says she will visit the church when we have a building  and for our neighbors.
 
May God bless you and you serve the Lord in your corner of the world.
 
Ledgel and Sharon