Hi everyone, just a another quick update to say that I am currently exploring accommodation options in York, one of which is the Calvary Chapel Bible College there. I have asked if they think they might have room for me after they have fit in all the students for this term. It starts soon but they sometimes they get late-comers so they might not be able to tell me until around the end of February. There are some other options I can look at too but nothing suitable has come up yet. I'll probably be crashing with the Kiriks when I first move up but I don't want to plague them with my presence for too long!

I should also say, I was speaking to someone who lives in York who told me that the spiritual attack in York is oddly intense! She had come back to York from being somewhere else and was experiencing attack and wondering what was going on - and then remembered that that was the norm in York. This is why I need my prayer team to protect me!

Hi again, just to say that with March being almost a mere month away I've had to think about handing my notice in at work. To leave before 1st March I'd have to hand in notice before 1st February, and I can still work past 1st March even if I do this but I'd be free to leave. Hence it made sense to do it asap so that I could be ready to go in case the Lord does something miraculous with the finances and accommodation, yet still being able to work while I wait. The only thing was I have been praying and hoping to receive voluntary redundancy, and I was afraid that handing in notice to officiate my departure from the company would disqualify me from any chance of that. I was praying about what to do, whether I should bite the bullet or if I should wait in faith for the hope of a redundancy pay-out. I concluded that the Lord wanted me to be more concerned about being available to Gospel For Asia as soon as possible, rather than a possible sum of money, so I had decided I was going to go ahead and write my notice letter.

A talk with my manager revealed that doing this does not affect my chances at the redundancy package! It seems I have been blessed with the best of both worlds. I was worrying about a decision and whether or not I was hearing the Lords voice and following His direction... and then He took the decision away, I don't have to make it at all! It may seem a small thing but these small things remind me that I am protected and cared for. I feel comforted and relaxed and can rest assured that I don't need to worry. And yet... I can see that I still worry! I really am a slow learner! Pray that I learn!

I handed in my notice letter on Friday and my team is making preparations for my departure, beginning to delegate tasks and spread the work I am handling.

Just a quick “me” update, I had the root canal yesterday and it was a textbook procedure. I didn’t take any pictures (!).

It’s funny, my dentist said she was puzzled as to why my tooth would become infected NOW seeing as I broke it five years ago.., why now? So I explained about my impending move to serve the Lord with GFA UK in York, and about spiritual attack from the enemy!

My team-to-be!

Hi everyone, some of you have never met the Gospel For Asia UK team in York, so here they are in technicolour!
Along the back starting left we have Tim, holding baby Martha, his wife Judy next to him, then... oh, you know what I don't know this lady in the middle (sorry!), I don't think she's there anymore. The guy on the far right is Brian the UK Co-ordinator, with wife Mindy next to him. Then along the front an the left there's Ange who answer most of the phone calls, Elijah in the middle (Brian and Mindy's son) and Helen on the right.

Please also remember these guys in prayer, who are serving the Lord by serving the lost in Asia, by serving our missionaries on the field there, by serving us in the UK here.

Sharing My Secret Place

I read Ezekiel 24 this morning in my quiet time and this section really struck me, and I want to share it with you guys:-

Ezekiel 24:15-18; Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, “Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.” So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

The Lord tells Ezekiel that He is going to take away that which he holds most dear – his wife. He also commands him not to mourn or bear any signs of grief, and Ezekiel does as he is commanded.

I remembered that in “Christ's Call” KP Yohannan mentions a missionary who leaves his job, takes his wife and children and moves into the disease and poverty stricken slums to live and witness there. I remembered thinking that maybe by the grace of God I might be able to bring myself to do that one day, to completely disregard my own life for the sake of the Gospel. Just maybe. One day. But my wife and children?? I seriously doubt it! Yet these verses show a man who accepted even the loss of his most beloved for the fulfilment of God's sovereign purposes, which are greater even than mortal life and death. Nothing was dearer to him than obedience to the Lord.

In this case the purpose is given in verse 24:-

Ezekiel 24:24; “Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”

...what happened to Ezekiel was to be a sign to the house of Israel, a message, that they would know that it was the Lord God at work. We too are meant to be signs, messengers, and our greatest goal should be that people come to know the Lord God, the Lord Jesus who loved us and gave His life for us... and for them.

I personally believe that Ezekiel's wife would have been an Old Testament believer, and that today they are with the Lord, fellowshipping in His glory! And I believe that Ezekiel knew and trusted that this would be the case. I am sealed with the holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of my inheritance and one day I also will be with the Lord in glory. Could there possibly be too great a price for me to take someone there with me?

Luke 18:28-30; Then Peter said, “Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.” And he said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”

Hi guys, just a quick update. I have about 35 people on the prayer team, and about £480 a month pledged, I am aiming for 60 pray-ers and £1,200 a month, by March (!) and I'm running out of people I know to contact! I'm starting to get a little anxious and worry, and see my own lack of faith, but I think unless I get to that place of utter helplessness (not quite there yet) I will not fully appreciate that it has to be the Lord that does this. Well, I'm on my way!

Romans 8:6 "...but to be spiritually minded is life and peace"

Went to the dentist today because my gum has been severely swollen. About five years ago I broke one of my front teeth and although they patched it up they said there was a chance it could get infected. I was hoping that this swelling was unrelated but my dentist looked at it (and poked it too, I was like “hey, that hurts!”) and said I'd probably need a root canal. Now logically you're all thinking I am going to ask for prayer for this, and while I would welcome them I ask that if anything in you moves you to pray for my tooth, please let that be secondary to your prayers for my support to be raised and accommodation found for my move to York in March. Jesus said: Matthew 5:29 “...if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell...” and I may be stretching the context a bit (and to my knowledge my tooth hasn't offended anyone) but I think He's pushing the point that anything that happens to your body here on earth is nothing compared to it being cast into hell, by using some illustrations that we can attempt to empathise with. Likewise anything that happens to MY body on earth is also nothing compared to someone ELSE ending up there. In my case I could say “it's better for me to lose my tooth entirely than for thousands in Asia to be cast into hell...” and while that may seem silly I have to say that my poor little tooth has occupied a large amount of my thoughts and attention, and all for a bone that will only serve me for another seventy years if I am lucky anyway! How spiritual am I, eh? So anyway please pray that the Lord provides the support I need and accommodation for me to be in York in March. I am counting on it!

When thou saidst "Seek ye my face"... Psalms 27:8

I had been listening to Gospel For Asia's core value teachings and something that KP said really convicted me. He said every member of staff must be consistently in the word, have a systematic method of reading through the Bible, NOT just reading now and then when tempted or sinning, reading lots one day and none the next, no! They must have a STEADY devotional life. I shamefully have to admit that I am falling short in this area, and KP affirms that without this consistency with the Lord no staff member will make it.

I went with Dave Jones to visit a good friend of his called Karl, a wonderful brother in the Lord who is unable to get about much. I had never met the man but we had a great time of fellowship, friendship, and food! I had neglected to bring my Bible :-O so Karl offered me one – a King James wide margin study Bible. It was beautiful – and it was a spare! He offered it to me, on the condition that I would actually use it as it was meant to be used. He didn't want me to take it if I didn't think I would. This was interesting, the Lord and I both know that I hate responsibility and making commitments, I much prefer when someone gives me something regardless of whether or not I will get around to using it, so that there is no pressure. This wasn't like that. I could almost perceive the Lord asking me if I wanted to take this Bible devotion stuff seriously, instead of doing it “when I had time” or “when I felt like it”.

I said yes! So far the Lord has enabled me to beat my body into subjection and get up around 7am (I need a lot of sleep ok?!?) to have some regular quiet time. I am in Ezekiel which is really tripping me out, though I think I found the Lord in chapter 9! Please pray that the Lord has His hand heavy upon me to seek His face early every morning. I cannot build unless the foundation is set. Thanks guys!

...my heart said unto thee "Thy face LORD will I seek" Psalm 27:8

Then said I "Lord how long?" Isaiah 6:11

It's funny how stuff happens when you pray, and I don't mean that tongue in cheek! I genuinely am surprised at the effect that prayer has. The week before last I had been getting restless about not already being in York, still sitting at my Norwich Union office and not lifting a finger to help while thousands perish during each of my working days, slipping into an eternity without Jesus. I know it has to be when the Lord says go, but I was getting impatient. I asked the Lord when I would be going, and asked Him to make it soon, if not right now. Brian called on Monday and asked me to pray about believing on the Lord to have me arrive in York in March, and act accordingly. I didn't say anything to Brian but it was like music to my ears. I wanted to go home and pray before I said anything but I couldn't help but “feel” that it was right. “Feel” is not the word I want to use but I have no others! I didn't hear a voice either, I just had an understanding that this is what I was supposed to do. There's no earthly reason to think it will happen, but I think that's part of this lesson.

My department is considering voluntary redundancies to reduce staff, giving people the option of volunteering to be made redundant. A person would receive four weeks pay for each year they have worked here, and I have worked here for three years. I have been praying about whether I was supposed to express interest in that or not, and also when. I can cope without it but it would certainly be handy, and a great encouraging confirmation. After praying on Tuesday and asking the Lord to let this work out I finally talked to my manager on the Wednesday, who said he would put my name down, but there were no guarantees. They have until next year to lose fifteen people, so there may not be any going soon. That's fine, I don't mind, and I told him I would be praying about it. On Thursday an announcement happened to come out clarifying the current redundancy packages. Not sure if that means anything. Certainly not a definite sign, but possibly the Lord grabbing our attention. Please pray that I would be offered a redundancy package to take effect in March. It would be very tidy!

Psalms 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Hi, welcome to my blog! Those of you on my support team can keep in touch with how I'm doing, what I'm doing, what's going well, what's not, what's happening, and what I need prayer for, while I make preparations for moving to York to serve with Gospel For Asia, and when the Lord has finally brought me there!

It's been an interesting ride so far, the Lord has taught me lessons that I really thought I had already learnt, brought me through all my wrong motives, and showed me that contrary to what I say I actually don't have a lot of trust in Him! Sometimes I wonder if His calling me as a mission was more for my own benefit than the billions in Asia.

I am currently still approaching believers I know, believers I have just met and believers I have not spoken to for years (!) intending to share my heart about the need of mission field in Asia, how the Lord has called me to have a part in it, and how the Lord may be calling them. Please pray for me as a seek wisdom for every step, please pray that I hear His voice, and continue to lift up my voice to Him.

Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.