8/6/2019 Siggi's Prayer Letter July/August 2011

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Today, the first of August 2011, is the 720th

  birthday of Switzerland. In the year 1291, the

three founding fathers were men from different

origins, different generations, different trades or 

social classes (a farmer, an aristocrat and a crafts-

man). Although it is uncertain whether this really

happened, these three men represented the first

three states of Switzerland. They gave an oath

 before God and even lay aside their differences

for the sake of unity. 

My country has four official languages(German, French, Italian and Romansh),

accommodates one of the highest rate of 

foreign-  born people in Europe and has

seven women and men as our head of 

state. 

Please pray for the leaders of this state. A

country that started as a Christian nation

  just like the USA, but depends on their 

decisions to be according to the will of 

God. 

SWITZERLAND!

Higher Walking Higher Walking  

in this issue

 July / August 2011 July / August 2011

HAPY BIRTDAY  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

SWITZERLAND!!!

FROM GOOD TO

GOD’S BEST! 

LET’S PRAY FOR

EUROPE

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From good to GOD’S BESTFrom good to GOD’S BEST!

Being back home from being in my other homes is a

good feeling. Probably not many people understand what I

feel right now, but I did just return from visiting my first

(Philippines), second (Germany) and third (Switzerland)

home countries. Besides that I feel home everywhere God

calls me to be… That definitely makes everything easier. 

On these many routes, I had two stopovers in Tokyo and

Los Angeles to visit more family and friends. 

I already talked about my first half of the journey to the

Philippines and Japan. The spiritual situation in Asia or other 

similar continents like Africa or South America are more or 

less well-known. Many missionaries take it as their calling to

go to those popular places where miracles happen and people

easily grasp an all-giving and all-loving God. 

Those were my thoughts too as I decided to go to

Mozambique this summer to Mama Heidi’s famous camp of 

miracle healings and other wonders. Then as the door was

shut on me for this opportunity and another one in Guatema-

la, I started asking the Lord what He wanted. He called me to

go back to my home of homes… Switzerland. 

Although at first grudgingly, but then later on as I real-

ized that He always wants our best and the best for others, I

grew fond of the idea going back home. 

When I finally got there, God did not wait long until He

showed me why He called me there. Not only did I see the

momentary spiritual condition of Switzerland or Europe in

general, but I was also given a glimpse of the future to come. 

One story shows clearly the state of Switzerland con-

cerning faith in general. A friend told me that a Korean mis-

sionary visited him wanting to evangelize out in the streets of my hometown. After only a day apparently, he gave up and

asked his church if they could send him to Germany instead. 

Indeed speaking to Swiss people about religion or Jesus

is particularly difficult, because they are becoming more and

more self -reliant especially in spiritual matters. A former 

friend of mine asked me what she needed God for, after all

she had her family, a car, a job and insurance. I was a fresh

 believer back then and I probably did not respond well at

all. 

As I evangelized to a tall Caribbean man at the train

station, he told me that he did study the Bible but started to

make his own religion out of it. Another old man was run-

ning away from me and told me rather furiously that he

was a protestant and that was good enough for him. “Leaveme alone!” he barked at me. 

 Now that was all the first and rather frustrating part of 

my excursions in Europe. God helped me see what he was

 building up in the background of all this. He gave me hope

where I was slowly losing the little hope I had for Europe.

 Not only did I receive divine appointments and meet new

and strong brothers and sisters in Christ, but He also

showed me what He wanted for Switzerland (well actually

for all countries in the world)… Prayer! 

I know it seems like a no- brainer, but in a country like

Switzerland where pastors are constantly in danger of 

 burning out and churches are relying more on programs

than falling face down on the floor first and asking the

Lord for help, the Christians have to be reminded to start

calling out for the Almighty God once again. 

Please pray with me for this rich country and the conti-

nent of Europe as they are getting spiritually poorer and

 poorer. I attached some guidelines for you. Thank you!  

In this journey, there are also personal testimonies I

would like to share. God has granted me valuable time

with my precious family and friends and blessed me evenwith a business class flight back to the USA!

Looking back, surely Africa would have been a good

trip, but there’s nothing like God’s best! It’s always worth

it to wait on the Lord... Choosing God’s best over what we

think is good for us, is a wise thing to do.  

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From Operation World

DVD-ROM 2010,

www.operationworld.org: 

Massive cultural shifts are

occurring right across the conti-

nent as Europe finally reaps the

harvest sown from the Enlight-

enment through WWI up to

today. Christianity was effec-

tively replaced by humanist

 philosophies and nationalism.

Europe can be regarded not

only as postmodern, but also

 post-rational and certainly post-

Christian. It is no accident that

the regions of the world whererelativism, individualism and

existentialism reign supreme

are also spiritually the bleakest.

This has had several debilitating

effects: 

a) Cynicism is now appar-

ently the “-ism” of choice, as

the younger generation increas-

ingly disengages from tradition-

al civic responsibilities, such as

 politics and community service,

and feels alienated from older generations. The elevation of 

who is siggi? 

People call me Siggi and I am currently 34 years of age. Born in the Philippines, growing

up in different parts of the world, God probably prepared me to be His missionary longbefore I accepted Him (Jeremiah 1:5).

Seeing and living in poverty at a young age, I have spent the last 20 years of my life inone of the wealthiest countries in the world. I gave up my existence in Switzerland twoyears ago, which included a very good job, a cozy apartment and all that belongs to thematerialistic ideal (Matt. 19:21). He called and I am following (Mark 1:17).People all over the world need to experience His Love that I have received (John 15:9-17)!

Nothing comes even close to this new life everyone of us could have (John 10:10 b)!I don’t regret a single second! (Just look at my smile  )

the individual and instant grat-

ification spur on hedonistic,

nihilistic lifestyles that often

end in dysfunction, emptiness,

loneliness and despair. 

 b) Moral uncertainty.

With transcendent authority

undermined (and the authority

of the Bible dismissed long

ago), right and wrong are de-

termined by consensual bu-

reaucracy or individual incli-

nation, leading to a morass of 

relativism. 

c) Societal disintegration.

Traditional values regarding

the family, childbirth, mar-

riage, sexuality, sanctity of 

life and community are being

dismantled not just culturally,

 but also legally. These have

severe repercussions in the

areas of demographic decline,

future economic burdens and

 psychological and social

health. As traditional founda-

tions of healthy societies are

deconstructed in Europe, some

suggest the term “sociocide”,

self -aware civilizational sui-

cide, as an adequate description. 

Pray that Europe’s so-

 phisticated societies might turn

 back from the brink, affirming

and working out together the

Judeo-Christian values that so

 profoundly shaped them and

gave them the freedoms they

now misplace. 

Freedom of public religious

expression continues to erode,

largely due to insistent secular-

ism. It is acceptable to have

religious faith – as long as it

remains a thoroughly private

affair that is not inflicted upon

the secular public. 

Pray that believers

might proclaim the good

news regardless of the cost.

 Networks that represent the

Church – such as the Euro- pean Evangelical Alliance – 

need to negotiate the shifting

currents of laws and culture

with the shrewdness of ser-

 pents, while remaining as

innocent as doves in living

out pure and blameless lives

that glorify Jesus and com-

 pel others to do the same. 

 back2church@gmail.comhttp://www.facebook.com/siggi.winkler 

http://higherwalking.wordpress.com/find me