Gary and Gail Cooper

Winter in Bosnia!

2012-01-24T17:48:00.000-05:00

This is the view we have out our window most days this winter. It seems to snow non-stop.

The Bosnian people love to ski. Since Sarajevo is ringed by mountains that are full of snow in the wintertime, they have plenty of opportunity to do so. Below is in a mountain resort area called "Jahorina", where the 1984 Winter Olympics were held.

2012-01-23T17:08:00.002-05:00

Flashback to our Guatemala days - where it all began!

Before transitioning our ministry to Europe twenty three years ago, we spent four years in Guatemala with Living Water Teaching (LWT) where our missionary journey began. Gary and our daughter, Sheilah, recently visited the LWT campus. Gary was invited to teach in the LWT Bible Institute and participate in the graduation, plus preach at the church.

The pictures above are from the beginning days of what was to be our new life as missionaries, working with Living Water Teaching (LWT) in Guatemala where we lived from 1984-1988. In the far left photo, we're packed up and ready to move to the mission field in 1984 with daughters Sheilah and Terah. In the middle photo, Gary is on the right by an LWT plane during a ministry trip to Belize. In the far right photo, Gary is helping to build a church in the Darien Jungle in Panama.

Walking along the streets of the city of Quetzaltenango these many years later caused us to relive some wonderful memories of the time when our family lived there (in fact, our son, Adam, was born there.) The city has tripled in size since we left and the LWT campus has also grown. Some of the same local employees still work on campus and remembered our family.

With 85 Bible extension schools located throughout Guatemala and an institute on their campus, the ministry of Living Water Teaching is reaching into the heart of the nation. Gary took part in the graduation ceremony held in the LWT Church and though all could not attend the service in the city of Quetzaltenango, there were 525 graduates and their families who were able to come from all over the country to participate in the all-day ceremony.

Guatemala has the highest indigenous population of all Central America. These colorfully dressed ladies were curiously peeking into the church while we were holding the graduation services.

We were blessed to be back in the company of good ministry friends during our visit. Gary (far left) with Clarence and Marion Zirkle Wright (LWT founder), our daughter, Sheilah, and the LWT Bible Institute Director, Carol Schlimmer Ruano. We send our heartfelt thanks to LWT!

Gary got to teach in a two-day seminar on the Book of Acts with a Bible school student from Bolivia as his interpreter. This is reminiscent of when Gary taught in the same Bible school over twenty five years ago.

December 2011 Report!

2012-01-01T15:59:00.001-05:00

Here are some ministry highlights from December 2011!

People Served Food: 750
Ministry Victories: We completed our first humanitarian aid distribution the last week of December in Sarajevo, distributing 170 large food packets to families of deaf children, refugees, children recovering from cancer, and others in need.
Goals for the Next Months: Ministry trip to Croatia, plans for further humanitarian aid distribution in Bosnia, trip to the U.S. in April.

Food Distribution!

2012-01-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Gary and Gail completed their first humanitarian aid distribution in Sarajevo on December 27th, distributing food packets to 750 deaf children, refugees, children recovering from cancer, and others in need.

Report from the North Caucus Region of Russia & the Southern Area of Ukraine!

2011-11-30T16:15:00.005-05:00

Gary ministered to the participants of a Mentoring Seminar, hosted by International Christian Ministries in the Russian North Caucus region in October.

With over 50 church plants in the Russian North Caucus region, these pastors and leaders discuss concepts and strategies for future regional church structure and expansion.

Gary sharing principals of "finishing well in the ministry" to those attending a Mentoring Seminar in a city in the North Caucus Region of Russia, hosted by International Christian Ministries.

Several questionnaires have been developed by Phil Jeske, president of International Christian Ministries, to help give an individual a mentoring assessment from a leader and organizational perspective. This one is being filled out by a Russian pastor.

The port city of Sevastopol is located on the Black Sea in the Crimean Peninsula of Southern Ukraine. Even though it still hosts a Russian naval base, the port is enjoyed today by tourists and local fishermen.

"Chilled to the bone" could be used to describe the effect of our room where we stayed at a church in Sevastopol, Ukraine, this fall. An elderly lady, who we affectionately called "Grandma," was kind enough to give us a small electric heater to take the cold edge off during the evening.

Gary ministered on Sunday morning at this church in Sevastopol, Ukraine. The church is perched on a hill, overlooking the Black Sea.

Hard to heat in winter, this Ukrainian church building where Gary is pictured preaching was a stark reminder of our "chilly" services we periodically had in Berlin when the heat was not properly operating and we had to keep our coats on to try and stay warm.

Autumn in the Balkans!

2011-10-30T18:38:00.014-04:00

The country of Bosnia and Herzegovina is full of quaint villages in the mountains. Today we drove into the mountains to enjoy the brilliant fall colors and see ruins of Bobovac Castle, the capital of medieval Bosnia, where Bosnian royalty lived in the 1400s. The ruins weren't too exciting but the brilliant fall colors and the view of the valley were certainly breathtaking. This is our first fall in a few years! Passing through small villages on narrow roads, we saw old-fashioned haystacks, freshly hung laundry blowing in the breeze, herds of sheep, men chopping wood for the winter, and a lady picking the last of the rose hip berries by the side of the road.

Gary in Russia & Ukraine!

2011-10-14T12:40:00.001-04:00

Gary is teaching in leadership conferences this week in Russia and Ukraine!

Our First Three Months in Sarajevo!

2011-10-11T17:54:00.003-04:00

After arriving to Sarajevo the end of June, we immediately began learning our way around the city that we are now calling home. Since our entrance into the country, we have now received the shipment of our personal items that were in transit from Abu Dhabi and have also begun to meet new friends and contacts in the missionary and church communities.

With our current inability to speak Bosnian, we have been in "survival mode," using our English or German for limited communication with locals. But we have now enrolled in lessons and are enjoying learning this Slavic-based language. Bog je dobar!

Pigeon Square in Old Town Sarajevo

With its centuries of history, Sarajevo is still recovering from the events and affects of the Balkan War in the 1990's that drove many of its people to seek refuge in other nations.

A mosque in front of one of many buildings in the city withmortar gashes and bullet holes, remnants of the Balkan war

Bosnian Factoids:

The effects of the 1992-95 Balkan war are still prevalent as it is a frequent topic of conversation and many still hurt from its devastation. The numerous bullet holes in the sides of many existing buildings are also visible reminders of the recent past.
The majority of people in Bosnia-Herzegovina are comprised of the Bosniak, Serb, and Croat ethnic people groups.
Over 80% of Sarajevo's residents are Muslim.
There are six independent churches in Sarajevo, each under 50 members.

Bosnian Cuisine

A favorite local food is a pita, a savory pie shaped in a round spiral. It comes with different fillings, such as meat, potato, cheese and spinach.

Also tasty cevapi, a fast food made from small sausages with a large side of diced onions and a flat bread, is a national dish.

LWM Missionary Retreat

Every two years the missionary affiliates of Living Word Missions gather from around the world, coming together for a retreat in the Boston area. Gary was able to attend this year's week of refreshing meetings (we could not attend LWM's last retreat because of our move to Abu Dhabi).

LWM missionaries gathered from around the globe to reconnect with each other, receive ministry and hear wonderful testimonies of what the Lord is doing in their respective nations.

The Berlin Connection

Bosnia is a "hop, skip and jump" away from Berlin (by air) and Gary has traveled there twice since arriving to Sarajevo. On his most recent trip, he was invited to speak for at the Berlin International Church where friends Steve and Karen Mack are pastors.
The Macks' hold their services in a cinema located in the heart of Berlin's modern and well known city center called Potsdamer Platz. They have an international congregation with over 50 nationalities represented.

August 2011 Report!

2011-09-01T14:52:00.001-04:00

Here are some ministry highlights from August 2011!

Services or Meetings Held: 3
Goal for the Next Months: Trip to Berlin, conference in Russia and Ukraine, seminar in Guatemala.

June 2011 Report!

2011-07-01T14:48:00.000-04:00

Here are some ministry highlights from June 2011!

Goal for the Next Months: Trip to Berlin, setting up a new home in Sarajevo, LWM Family Retreat in Boston, trip to Russia and Ukraine.
Comments: During the month of June we completed our move to Sarajevo and now setting up our new home and office.

Sarajevo in June!

2011-06-02T18:06:00.002-04:00

Our time in the United Arab Emirates has come to an end after nearly two years living in the capitol city of Abu Dhabi. While living in the Arab Gulf Region, we made many new friends and became involved with a wonderful church congregation. In April we said our "goodbyes," not only to our friends, but also to the 40 million date palm trees, the extreme temperatures, the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula as we packed and prepared for our next two year destination: the mountains of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, located in the Balkans of Eastern Europe. We've enjoyed a month in the U.S. visiting family, friends, and churches. Now we are finalizing the preparations for our move.

With its centuries of history, Sarajevo is still recovering from the events and effects of the Balkan War in the 1990's that drove many of its people to seek refuge in other nations.

Factoids:

Sarajevo was first established in the 11th century.
The Austrian Arch Duke, Francis Ferdinand, and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, leading to the outbreak of World War 1.
Sarajevo was the host of the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 as a result of the fall of the Berlin wall.
The siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare, lasting from 1994 to 1996.
Neighboring countries to Bosnia are Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro.
Bosnia was called Illyricum and Dalmatia in ancient times and was mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:19, and was visited by Titus, according to II Timothy 4:10.

Farewell, "Off-Island" Church

One of our last farewells before deaprting from Abu Dhabi was a lovely time of fellowship with many of the church members who were part of the "off-island" congegation where Gary often ministered. We gathered together in a model city that is still under construction, called Masdar City. The concept is to build a city that relies entirely on solar energy and other renewable resources with a sustainable, no carbon, no waste ecology.

During the farewell luncheon, the church leadership team made a special presentation and prayed for us. We appreciate this wonderful congregation and will miss them.

Gospel "Car Ferry"- Logos Hope

Operation Mobilization owns and operates a ship called "Logos Hope" that sails around the world carrying the gospel message of hope. There is an on-board book fair of over 5,000 educational and Christian titles of carefully chosen books that are made available to the people who come aboard and visit while the ship is docked in port.

This spring, the ship visited Abu Dhabi. We were privileged to be able to meet one of the staff members who gave us an extensive tour and invited Gary to minister in one of their daily staff devotions, held on board. The ship is operated by a crew of over 400 international volunteers.

The ship, a former car ferry that sailed in Northern Europe, was purchased and restored by OM, who now uses it to bring the message of hope to millions around the world. During its short stay in the port of Abu Dhabi, thousands of visitors climbed up the gangway and shopped in the book fair before exiting through an area that has a pictorial presentation of the Bible.

Prayer Request

Please pray for a smooth transition, for the safe arrival of our belongings, for new friends, and for open doors to minister. "And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ..." Col 4:3 NIV

May 2011 Update!

2011-06-01T18:04:00.000-04:00

Goal for the Next Months: Move to Sarajevo.

Services or Meetings Held: 3

Additional Goals: Trip to Berlin, LWM Retreat in Boston, Trip to Russia and Ukraine.

Coopers in US!

2011-05-03T19:47:00.000-04:00

The Coopers are currently in the US. They will itinerate for a few weeks before Gail receives training for her next post in Sarajevo. Their scheduled departure for Sarajevo is June 22nd.

March 2011 Update!

2011-04-01T15:12:00.001-04:00

Goal for the Next Months: Ministering in an "off-island" church.

Average Church Attendance: 70 (in the church we assist)

Services or Meetings Held: 6

Additional Goals: Trip to Berlin April 1st, itineration in May and June, move to Sarajevo in June, LWM Family Retreat in August, Berlin in September, Russia in October.

February 2011 Update!

2011-03-01T11:27:00.001-05:00

Goal for the Next Months: Ministering in an "off-island" church.

Average Church Attendance: 70 (in the church we assist)

Services or Meetings Held: 7

Additional Goals: Trip to Berlin April 1st, trip to the US April 25th, preparing for our move to Sarajevo on June 22nd.

Logos Hope!

2011-02-17T12:35:00.002-05:00

We had a private tour of the Logos Hope ship and then had dinner on board with some of the crew. Gary was also invited to speak to the crew during morning devotion time the following Tuesday.

Christmas BBQ!

2010-12-18T12:20:00.000-05:00

A bunch of us went out to the desert for a BBQ, then caroling around the fire after dark.

Arabian Days!

2010-11-19T11:53:00.002-05:00

New Assignment!

2010-10-10T11:59:00.000-04:00

We just got our new placement from Gail's employer! Summer of 2011 we move to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina for two years!

October Update!

2010-10-03T15:30:00.003-04:00

Greetings from the Middle East! We have now been here for over one year and are thankful for the doors that have opened up for ministry. We would love to hear from you. - Gary & Gail

MINISTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
After pastoring in Berlin for nearly 15 years, Gary has been blessed to have the opportunity during the summer months to regularly preach in a new church plant, a branch of the church that we currently attend in our city. There is tremendous growth in this region of the world: new apartment buildings are springing up everywhere you look and people from all over the world are moving here. We believe that this new work is poised for growth in the days ahead. A strong local church can be an oasis in the desert.

PREACHING "OFF-ISLAND"

Because the city we live in is literally an island, we refer to things being off-island when we cross over one of two bridges that connect us to the mainland.

This photo is the inside of the restaurant where the new church plant is located. Services have been held here for the past 18 months and we have enjoyed having a part in helping with a new work.

Vision gives birth to many great things in the Kingdom of God. Church planting is certainly one area that has many challenges but at the same time it is a very exciting work to be involved in as you see God initiate a new thing. This body of believers has come from many ethnic and diverse backgrounds, so English is the primary means of communication.

The church receives many requests for weddings and Gary was asked to perform a wedding for this couple. The bride grew up in Germany and the groom is from Zambia. Because they had guests coming from both nations, they desired a bilingual ceremony. Gary ended up being his own interpreter, performing the service in both English and German. The ceremony was held on a beautiful island right on the beach facing the water.

BERLIN CHURCH & CAFE DEDICATION

Our former church in Berlin continues to move forward. After many years of plans and prayer, they recently relocated to a new facility. One of the last projects that we worked on before moving from Germany was opening a Christian cafe. Formerly we had a separate location for the cafe but the desire and goal was to eventually merge the church facilities and cafe into one location. The new location enabled them to do so. In June, Gary travelled to Berlin to minister in a special dedication service.

Cultural Event!

2010-09-25T12:08:00.004-04:00

Gail filmed this at a cultural event: traditional men's dance.

Camel Auction!

2010-09-24T12:13:00.001-04:00

Gail filmed this at a camel auction we saw at a cultural event this weekend. This young camel sold for $55,000!

Sheilah's Wedding!

2010-08-22T17:48:00.004-04:00

Our daughter, Sheilah got married on August 22nd in Denver, CO!

25 Years!

2010-08-16T11:42:00.016-04:00

We hope you enjoy this pictorial history of the past 25 years of our full-time overseas missions ministry. To say the least, it has been a wonderful journey having had the opportunity to travel to nearly 60 countries, preach to small and large crowds of people, see many lives ministered to through our efforts of establishing and physically building churches, assisting in crusade evangelism, holding medical clinics, transporting and distributing humanitarian aid, providing Bible training and holding leadership training seminars. We are thankful to serve God in this call and especially grateful for all who have helped make it possible for us to continue taking the Good News of the Gospel around the globe.

Ethiopia Crusade!

2010-07-09T17:40:00.034-04:00

Ethiopia Crusade

"And the multitude with one accord heeded the things spoken...hearing and seeing the miracles...and there was great joy in that city." Acts 8:7-8

Warmth, open arms, expectation, salvation, healing, and deliverance are all words that describe Gary's trip earlier this year to Ethiopia - to Chuko, a city of 30,000. Our good friend from Germany, Ekkehard Hornburg, sponsored this city's first-ever Gospel crusade and invited Gary to come minister with him. They saw many people give their lives to the Lord and there were testimonies of healing from deafness, paralysis, and other ailments. As the Bible verse above states, we witnessed "great joy in the city!"

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Watch video footage of the crusade!

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Gary taught leadership principles to 200 church leaders and pastors from 11 churches who hosted the crusade in the city of Chuko.

These well-structured grass huts are scattered throughout the region.

Part of the crusade team enjoying the daily meal we had at the Green Restaurant. Mounds of local specialties are served on a large flat bread. Everyone eats with their right hand from the common platter, using pieces of the bread to pick up bits of entree or side dishes. Once the cafe staff found out Ekkehard and Gary also liked eggs, they served them platefuls of eggs every meal.

A local church choir leading worship. Unbridled excitement stirred the worshippers, who were jumping, praising, singing, and dancing. The first night we had 500 and by the end of the week the crowd had grown to over 10,000! At night the dust would be so thick from people jumping, you could hardly see. If you look closely at the photo on the right, you can see the amazingly sturdy platform the team had constructed from wood and woven tree branches.

This elderly man, who said he is over 100 years old, slowly walked barefoot with a cane to the crusade each day. On the ground are branches and leaves which attendees stripped from the trees each night to sit on, to avoid sitting on the dust.

Gary preached with two interpreters, one in Amharic and the other in a local dialect.

It became so unbearably hot during the day that the day services were moved to the nearby wooded area in order to have more shade. Several thousand were scattered throughout the woods, listening to the Bible message.

Our hearts were moved with compassion at the spiritual hunger and physical needs. After teaching, as we went to the car, people ran toward us wanting to be prayed for. We came to understand what it is to be thronged by people in need and reaching out for prayer. Medical attention is unaffordable for most and sickness and disease is common. But God heard their prayers and many were healed.

Multi-purpose use of umbrellas - protection from rain and sun and used to receive an offering!

Curious and attentive, the children crowded in to see and hear what the Lord was doing in their town.