New Year...New Beginnings

Sunrise over Devon

Summary of our first 2 weeks

We arrived in England on Tues., December 17.  Steve was scheduled to lead the worship for the mid-week study in Exeter on the 18th...so we jumped in right away!  The first week we concentrated on getting over jet-lag and sorting out details like exchanging dollars to pounds, getting our phones set up for here, remembering bus routes, and reuniting with friends from the summer.

The ministry school has been pushed back to start in the fall, so we are currently looking for a place to rent in the Plymouth area.  We are temporarily staying in Bittaford, a small village between Exeter and Plymouth, in the home of friends from the Wotter church.

Bittaford, Devon

Gracious friends in Bittaford

The Wotter fellowship started as a Bible study in a home in Plymouth when we were here this summer and has now grown and moved into a church building in Wotter...a very small village up on the moor just outside of Plymouth.  This is the one I talked about in my last post.  The Lord has blessed this little group and new people come almost every week.  They are excited to hear of a Bible-teaching church close to them.

Wotter church

First service

We had a Christmas Carol service in Sunday, Dec. 22 there and 4 new families from surrounding villages came!  One family lives right next door to the church but had not attended it yet. There were about 60 there for the service.

On the Thursday before the service, we went house to house in Wotter and the two closest villages delivering flyers and inviting people to come.  The weather forecast was ominous but the Lord graciously held off the wind, rain and hail until we were finished and back in the cars!  Then it came in full force! On Saturday we went out to cut fresh greens and decorated for the service.  

Friday was a girls' lunch in Plymouth in an old building that was part of the Naval base.  We had a great time of fellowship and sharing..and eating!

Sunday morning, Dec. 22, we rode with friends up to Exeter to the service and then back to get ready for the service in Wotter in the evening.   The person who was supposed to do most of the music got sick so we had to jump in at the last. We found out that they have totally different tunes to almost all of the Christmas songs...so that was a small panic for us!  But the Lord was good and all went well....they just needed someone to get them started on the songs. The service was joyful and people came from all around!  It was such a blessing to worship with these sweet people.  They were all so welcoming to us and gracious.  

Short video of Christmas Carol service in Wotter

Monday the 23rd, it rained and hailed and blew up to 70 mi. an hour...we stayed in all day and rested.  Tuesday we decided to take the bus into Ivybridge, the town down the road from Bittaford. As we waited at the bus stop, the bus went right by us.....on the other side of the road....we were waiting on the wrong side...silly Americans...so we walked to town (2 1/2 miles) and got familiar with the village center and the shops....met some folks who wanted to know why we were there..so we told them.  The standard answer is usually, "Oh....right then!  jolly good!"  and then they change the subject  :-)  

There is a small church across the street from the house here that has an average of 4 people attending.  They had a carol service on Christmas Eve so we walked over and they had a full house...about 30 people.  It was very traditional. We are beginning to see more of the spiritual attitude here...and why the churches are not relating to the people.  Alot of singing about Jesus...several verses..and reading some scriptures...The pastor talked about loving each other and community...missed the boat of the "why" Jesus came.  It really is just tradition with most folks here...I guess it is that way in the states, also.

On Christmas day, we had a really nice meal with friends in Ivybridge who are part of the Exeter church and also the one in Wotter. It was pretty much the same as Christmas in the states...except they don't watch football...LOL!!

Friday, Dec. 27, we took the bus up to Exeter and walked around downtown.  We hadn't done that yet since we returned here and were anxious to re-familiarize ourselves with the city.  It was busy, as usual, with people in every direction.  We stopped in at the McDonald's for lunch and found out that most of the city had the same idea!  I have never seen so many people in a McDonald's all at the same time! Later on, we stopped for tea in the cafe at the cathedral.

Shoppers on High Street

Tea at Cathedral Cafe

McDonald's lunch crowd..stacked to the door!

Saturday we shopped for groceries, visited friends and looked at a couple of cottages for rent.  Sunday we led worship at the Exeter church in the morning and then went to the Wotter church in the evening.

Monday was a resting day and then Tuesday night, Dec. 31, we were treated to a wonderful evening of ballroom dancing and great food until after midnight.  We actually did the waltz!  (sort of...LOL)

New Year's Eve 2013

It has been a very full couple of weeks and now we are looking forward to settling into our own place, finding a routine and seeing what things the Lord is going to direct us to.  Our prayer is to find a place to rent soon where we will have access to the bus routes so we can be available for ministry in Exeter and also in the Plymouth/Wotter area.

We are happy to be back and to see the growth in the people and in both churches.  They are excited about what God is doing in the SW of England and it is so uplifting to be around them.

Again, thank you all for your encouragement, prayers and support.  We do hope you feel that you are very much a part of our ministry here.  You are in our hearts and prayers.

We will try to update our blog more often to keep you informed about what God is doing here.  God bless all of you greatly!

Prayer

1.  Finding a place to rent that is in our budget, near the bus stop and near the city center where we can meet and engage people.

2.  Good health

3.  Divine appointments with people who need to know the love of the Lord in their lives.

4.  Direction and focus for ministry and outreach in Devon.

5.  Wisdom and discernment in counselling and encouraging believers.

Devon county


Isaiah 65:24  "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."

'Ordinary' Times

"The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight."  Oswald Chambers

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We have been back in Washington for 2 months now and I must say that this time period seems to be the hardest yet for us.  When we were getting ready to go to England, it was exciting and very busy...so much to do.  While we were there, it was an adventure..everything was a new experience...we had a sense of awe every day, seeing the ways the Lord would direct us in opportunities to share His love, grace and encouragement to others. 

Steve sharing with young man on High Street

Coming back to the states has been like coming back from a really inspiring retreat or conference and realizing you are back to your normal routine again.  At first you are still excited and are sharing with everyone all that you learned and what the Lord did.  Then after awhile, they have heard your stories, and you come back to earth...and find yourself settling back in to "ordinary" life.  It is kind of like a reverse 'culture shock'.

We returned to Washington on a Tuesday night...and Steve went to work on Wednesday morning..and has been working ever since.  God has amazingly blessed him with jobs that seemed to come out of nowhere.  He hasn't been this busy in a few years!  We are so thankful for the work and the income it is providing.

We were glad to be back to our 'family' on Monday nights for meals together and feeding on the Word.  This is always a highlight of our week.  We LOVE these people!

ON THE ROAD

Since we returned, we have had many opportunities to lead worship at several churches and share about the ministry in England.  It has been a privilege to help people here in the states understand the spiritual emptiness over there.

Calvary Chapel Sheridan, OR

Oct. 11-14 we were able to make a trip up to northern Idaho to visit long-time friends Scott and Val Douglas.  Scott was on the worship team with us many years ago in Phoenix and now is pastoring Calvary Chapel Cabinet Mountain, near Sandpoint.  It was a very special and encouraging time for us.

Cabinet Mt. Calvary Chapel

We have also been helping out at a small church in Ridgefield, WA - Bethel Community Church.  They don't have anyone to lead worship for them so different people have been taking turns going up there to help.  It is a blessing to have the opportunities to use the giftings the Lord has given us to serve in some of these smaller, out of the way churches. 

Next on our agenda is a trip to Phoenix, AZ, Oct. 24-28, to visit with our many dear friends there who are always such an encouragement to us.  On Nov. 3 we will be sharing at our home church here, Calvary Chapel Vancouver.

Moving forward

The process in obtaining our visas has been a trial, to say the least.  They really don't give you any help on exactly how to answer all the questions and provide all the right documents....you are pretty much on your own.  Trying to make sense of the pages and pages of instructions on the website is like learning a new language.  But the Lord has graciously helped and we finally have completed the online process and have our appointments to have our 'biometric' photos and fingerprints done.  After that, we have to put together all the right documents and mail them off...and pray!  It feels like this big weight is finally starting to lift!

PRAISE!

1.  The Bible study in Plymouth has grown and has been given a building in a small village, just outside of Plymouth, to use for services on Sundays and Thursday nights!  This is a really awesome thing that the Lord is doing in that part of Devon county.  These blessed people are so excited and praying for the area to be reached for the Lord. We can't wait to get back and be a part of all He is doing there.

Calvary Chapel in Wotter

2.  Part 1 of our visa application process is completed!
3.  Many opportunities to share with people about the need for spiritual help in England.
4.  God has graciously provided for all we have needed at every turn..we are thankful.

Prayer requests:

1.  Finalizing our visa applications and favor with the UK govt. to be accepted.
2.  Wise use of our time and good health.
3.  Steve to have the strength to finish the jobs still ahead.
4.  Raising necessary ongoing financial support.

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Once again we want to say how very thankful we are for all of you...your prayers and support mean so much to us. We do see this as a team effort. We are just the arms and legs....and you all make it possible for the Lord to use these arms and legs to encourage and share His love and grace in a place that so desperately needs it.


1Cor. 12:12-14  For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 
For the body is not one member, but many.




 

Intermissions

 

Village of Christow, Devon

This morning we heard a message on the radio about “intermissions” in our life….times where God gives us a “selah” or a pause…a change point….  we really identified with what was being said…that God gives us those times for refreshment and rest.  Often these will come at the end of a chapter in our life so we can get new direction for the next one.  So that is why the title of this post is “intermissions”.  That is exactly where we are right now.

The past 8 months have been filled with new things from every aspect.  Believing God was telling us to let go of all that was weighing us down and be free to move out in new avenues (Hebrews 12:1-2), we sold most of our worldly ‘stuff’, moved out of our house, stepped out in faith to see what He would do and took off for England.  In the 7 weeks that we were there, we saw the Lord open many new doors of ministry and faith to us.  We could literally write a book about it…but we won’t attempt that on this blog!  Briefly we will touch on the highlights of our time there and try to give you a small taste of our experiences.

 

Plymouth

We came to truly love the people God has brought together in the Plymouth area.  They are meeting in a home on Tuesday nights to fellowship, worship and study the Word; and they drive up to Exeter for church on Sundays…some even are driving up on Wednesday nights, also.   Every one of them has a heart for God and a desire to see Him do something in their own lives and also where they live.  They have been grieved in the past several years that the churches they attended have drifted away from the solid teaching of God’s Word….and they are hungry for that.  Some actually live in the city of Plymouth and some drive from nearby smaller towns and villages.  Devon and Cornwall counties have for centuries been very strong centers of witchcraft and satanic worship.  Ministering the gospel there is hard and discouraging.  But these believers sense that God is at work and beginning to move and they are excited to be a part of what He is doing.  Almost all of them were involved with volunteering at Creation Fest in August….truly a group of servants who are fervent in their desire to follow the Lord.

 

Citadel at Plymouth harbor

Plymouth Bible study worship

 

Bumper sticker in Devon

bumper stickers

Creation Fest UK

Creation Fest UK is a giant music and Bible week in Cornwall that Calvary Chapel puts on every year with the help of other churches from the area.  They have bands and teaching sessions all during the day and night.  People camp out and bring their families.  It is a great time of reaching out to unbelievers and encouragement to believers.  We were volunteers at Creation Fest this year.  I worked in the kitchen, washing dishes and helping with food prep and Steve mostly did security. We stayed at a local farm guest house and had several opportunities to talk about the Lord with our host who came from a Muslim background but believed all religions are the same.  We left him with a copy of C. S. Lewis’s book “Mere Christianity”. 

Steve doing security

Barb and friend Jan in kitchen

Mark and Ingrid from Plymouth

Our host at guest house in Cornwall

Exeter
 

Since we were living in the city of Exeter and walking to town almost daily, we had many opportunities to meet people and interact with them.  The fact that we had an ‘accent’ made people take notice of us; and they often would ask us where in America (or Canada…ha) we were from and why we were in England.  This gave us an open door and a chance to share about the Lord….sometimes just briefly and other times a longer conversation…but all seeds that were being planted.  Steve found a local diner where a lot of contractors and blue collar workers hang out and he was able to share the gospel with 2 of the regulars. 

 

Diner

 

 

Street Kids

In our emails and on Facebook I shared about the chances we had to minister to some of the street kids.  If you didn’t get a chance to read about those experiences you can read about them by clicking on "Street Kids" at the top of this page.  I think this was truly the highlight of our time there, in terms of actual ministry.  The privilege of reaching out in compassion to these kids with the love of Jesus…being His hands and feet….was something I can’t even put into words.  This is one thing we hope to continue to do when we return. 

High Street where we ministered to street kids in the evenings

Shop on High Street

Shop on High Street

Shop on High Street

Calvary Chapel

The people in the church in Exeter are a wonderful, loving body who welcomed us with open arms…spending time with us and inviting us into their homes and lives.   We quickly came to love them and can’t wait to see them again.  Steve, especially, connected with some of the guys and was able to lend an ear, give counsel and be a friend to them.  One of the young men sent a message saying they missed us and asked when we were going to ‘come home’…that was special.

Sunday at Calvary Chapel

 

 

Our main area of ministry  centered around relationships...encouraging people to draw close to the Lord, love His Word, walk with Him passionately and step out in faith to share with others.  Over and over again they told us how grateful they were that we would leave our lives back home to come and encourage them in the Lord.  Because of the many decades of spiritual drought in that country, they do need much encouragement.  In his prayer one night, one brother was thanking the Lord for what He is beginning to do in England and for sending people from America to re-ignite the fires that have grown cold.  He said it was like “a fresh new wave has washed upon our shores” and he was so thankful. 

Visiting in Ivybridge

Visiting in Bittaford

 

These are just few of the things we experienced in our time in England.  We hope to be able to share more with each of you in the near future, as the Lord allows

 

School of Ministry

Exeter seems to be a ‘hub’ of things the Lord is beginning to do in England.  With the university there, the opportunities to reach many with the gospel is exciting.  There have been several pastors of other churches who are seeing the need to teach the Bible in an expository manner…line by line through the whole Bible.  They have approached Bob and asked him to teach them how to study and teach the Bible the way the Calvary Chapels do.   So Calvary is currently in the planning stages of putting together a School of Ministry in Exeter.  This will be a three month program for both single and married men who sense the call of God upon their life to step into pastoring. The single men will live in a dorm house and have regular morning classes, and the married men will be taking a couple of night classes as well as Saturday mornings.

Steve and I have been asked to be the ‘house parents’, so to speak, for the single men.  We see this as an exciting opportunity to be an encouragement to these young men and hopefully have an impact on their lives and future ministry.  

So that brings us back to the “intermission” we are in right now.

We have been back in WA since the middle of August and are hoping to be able to return to England sometime in November, Lord willing.  We are working on obtaining our visas and raising the rest of the financial support we will need to be able to live there for a minimum of 2 years.  While we are here, we will be ministering in a few churches in Oregon and Idaho, sharing at some home fellowships and also heading down to Phoenix to visit friends and supporters there.  Our schedule is filling up so if you would like to visit with us, please let us know soon.  We would love to spend time with as many as we can.

Praise

1.  The Lord gave us many divine appointments to sharing His love with people and many seeds were planted.

2.   We had opportunities to minister in worship and teaching and encouraging the body.

3.  Our health remained good the whole time.

 4.  Many wonderful relationships were built in the short time we were there.

 

 Prayer

1.  Divine guidance in visa applications and favor with the British government…it is complicated!

 

2.  Wisdom in many decisions that need to be made for this move.

 

3.  Good use of our time here ….and spending time with family and friends.

 

4.  Continued good health and getting doctor, dentist and eye check-ups.

 

5.  Prayer for all those we were able to share the gospel with….the street kids, contractors, our host in Cornwall…that the seeds that were planted would find good ground and take root.

 

6.  Raising the rest of our financial support before we leave. 

 

We are continually thankful for all of you and are very aware that this is not just ‘our’ ministry to the people in England….we are just the extension…the ‘arm’ of the ‘body’ of those who are praying and supporting us in this.

 

Teaching women

2Co 3:5-6  “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. “

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Horizons

Landing in London

We have now been in England for only 2 weeks, but it seems like home already.  It took almost exactly one week to finally be over the jet lag problems.  The first week we mostly walked around the town to get familiar with it, met many of the university students and a few folks from the church here.  We have found the people in this part of England to be very friendly.  The uni students have opened their arms to us and we love them already. Bob and Jeanne have taken the time to show us around and give us a true British experience. The history here is amazing and we have gazed in awe at buildings that have been here for several hundreds of years..trying to imagine what life was like for those people...if only the walls could talk!

People gather at the Exeter Cathedral Square every day

 

Medieval buildings still in use in Exeter

 

 

 

The first Sunday, we were blessed be able to lead the worship at church and then head off to York for the annual UK Pastor's/leader's conference.  What a blessing to meet and worship with many of those who are serving the Lord here...some from the UK and some from the states.  We were encouraged by the teaching and by those who shared their testimonies with us and reached out to us to make us feel so welcome. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been able to find ways to help out and are praying daily that the Lord will guide our steps and make us a blessing here.  We have led worship on  2 Sundays and  a Wednesday night so far.  I (Barb) helped with the first women's brunch, leading worship, and Jeanne has asked me to teach at the next one at the end of this month.  We have spent time hanging out with some of the students and getting to know them and Steve is helping one of the girls with the guitar.  He also has been able to help Bob and Jeanne with quite a few things around the house....handyman Steve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We go on Tuesday nights to Plymouth (on the coast SW of here) for a home Bible study that Bob is teaching and the people there are just wonderful.  It is something we look forward to each week as they are so hungry for the fellowship and feeding on the Word.  The reports we get are that they haven't been able to find good teaching of the Word of God for years and the prayer of their hearts is that the Lord will move in a fresh way in this country and in their individual towns.
 

 

Our prayer is continually that the Lord will show us His will for us here and open up many doors of opportunity to share His love and grace.  We are so thankful to all of you for your support and prayers and encouragement.  You are truly here with us in our hearts and we pray that you think of this as your ministry also to the people of England and the UK. 

 

Prayer requests:

1.  Daily direction for how the Lord wants to use us here - divine appointments for sharing the Lord's love 
2.  Open doors to minister in some of the smaller towns and villages
3.  Continued good health-relief from Barb's hayfever that has kicked in over here
4.  Building relationships
5.  Continuing financial support

 

Romans 10:14-15  But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"

Old Roman Wall