Dear sisters, In March when I was in Switzerland we went to visit one sister from the Swiss Women's Committee to have the meeting together. We passed field of ugly stumps. Looking at them I could hardly imagine what they really were so I asked Christa: What are these? Are they grapevines? Yes, they are our grapevines - she answered. I looked at them in silence. In my heart arose the question addressed to God: "Father am I so ugly before you prune me?"

Ewa Gutkowska EBWU president

And at once very well known words came to my mind from John 15:1-2: "I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener (vinedresser). He breaks of every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and he prunes every brunch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit".

Jesus said that it is the Father, who holds the pruning knife in His hand and prunes those who belongs to Him. I thought about it and suddenly the next question arose in my mind. Father prunes those of us who are already bearing fruit. So what is the pruning process for? The answer is simple: that we can bear more fruit.

It was winter season. From men's point of view it is important to cut and to prune all the branches. What about our life? There is also winter season when we can not bear fruit. Of course we like more the glorious fruit-bearing season. But when the winter season comes than Father's sharp knife mercilessly prunes away the abundant leaves of pride and long stems of independency from God of our past time of productivity. It is very easy to start to think that fruit-bearing season is our own achievement, that we are really good, that this is our success, our work...

God knows everything and He knows that the only way to produce more fruit is to get out His pruning knife and to do important gardener's work. This is very painful when God does it but His heart bleeds and it hurts Him even more, I think, than it hurts us. It wasn't easy for me to go through surgeries, sufferings, sorrows, family difficulties, problems with hyperactive child... Many of them had occurred because God had put His pruning knife to work. I could imagine myself as naked, ugly, bleeding stump after those experiences. But consciousness that I have been pruned by Father is very comforting, I can trust Him absolutely.

Now we have spring season. The nature is vibrant with life in full. I suppose that many of us could tell it about the service they are engaged in.

For me personally, participation in the conference of sisters from Switzerland in which 100 women from almost all churches participated was a nice experience. The theme of the meeting "Who is my neighbour?" presented in a lecture and a drama was a big inspiration to see our neighbour in a new way.

The EBWU committee had annual business meeting in Cyprus at the beginning of April and soon after that there took place, planned long before, conference for Middle East women. Among participants there were women from Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. It was the first time when God brought them together and for Iraqi and Egyptian sisters it was the first contact with EBWU. "Working together for Christ" was the theme of this meeting. Through the Bible Study, workshops, testimonies we realized again that we are God's co-workers and how important is the ministry in unity. The testimonies about how God works in this part of the world also during the wartime, particularly from Iraqi sisters were very moving. We could pray for each other and for the peace in this area. All participants were inspired to continue area meetings.

Next, very important and very moving event was in Budapest April 14-16. The EBF with cooperation of the Hungarian Baptist Aid organized Consultation on Human Trafficking. In these conferences participated Baptist delegates (men and women) from 29 European and the Middle East countries and also those who are involved in Non-Governmental Organizations that to help the victims of the trafficked women. The purposes of the Consultation to unite the European Baptist in a network to move against the evil and destructive forces involved in the trafficking of women and children across our European borders and to work towards the creation of a network of partners were achieved. You can read more about it in the Conference Message.

Through this meeting we could see the importance of prayer. In reply for two years prayer Hungarian Baptist Aid received from the government Shelter house for victims of the trafficking and violence in the family. This is new, renovated and well equipped place for about 150 persons. We could visit this place and met the first woman, who had found there help and asylum. I will remember her smiling face for a long time. Please pray for this special place and women who can find the freedom in Jesus Christ.

There are big world events before us - the Leadership Conference and the Congress in Birmingham. There are a lot of preparations also for the EBWU committee. Please pray for all work concerning the meetings and that God will use us to see Him and our life with New Eyes and to experience Jesus Christ as the Living Water. My hope is to see many of you in Birmingham. "May peace be with all of you who belong to Christ."

Prayerfully,
Ewa Gutkowska, EBWU President

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