MARCH 2011

Ifor and Penny’s Prayer Letter March 2011

As we move from Feb into March there are signs of Spring bursting forth after a cold winter, and signs too of spiritual life coming into bud.

Since our last letter the Baptist Union have published a 9 min film of our work entitled ‘There is a light in the valley’- http//:www.youtube.com/baptistuniongb The film focuses on a local farmer called Mervyn, whose life has been transformed by his new relationship with God. This was not our doing, but it’s a wonderful sign of the spiritual new life which is beginning to happen in Breconshire. The film has already had over 2000 viewings on Youtube, as well as being shown in churches all over the country. I often spend a day working with Mervyn on the farm, doing informal discipleship. Six months after his experience of God, his faith grows stronger day by day. Last week he was witnessing to his accountant and the bank manager!

Anne Roberts is now working alongside us, doing a wonderful job ministering to the local Baptist churches, and we meet regularly to talk and pray. Her ministry releases us to focus more on the unchurched. In that context, Penny is receiving more and more invitations to speak to WI, Young Farmers, schools, and other groups about the work we support in Uganda. It opens up so many opportunities to talk about God and the church. Her talks are being very well received and she is fast becoming a popular speaker on the local ‘circuit’. We are going out to Kenya and Uganda in May on a New Wine mission trip and hope to come back with lots of fresh material and stories to share.

In January I spoke at a meeting where a Christian lady came forward for prayer. She suffers from a long standing illness and came to our home a few days later for more prayer. She knew of a non-Christian lady with a similar illness and a week later brought her and her non-Christian husband to our house for prayer. Although there is no definite sign of long term healing, their experience of God’s presence through prayer was such that they are now meeting with us weekly and at their own request we have started a Discovery Bible Study. Both non-Christians are hungry to find out more. This is exactly the scenario we were looking for when we felt led to seek out ‘people of peace’ who would be spiritually open. Watch this space!

Another opening occurred at the end of Feb when I was asked to compere a Young Farmers Drama festival, involving half a dozen local Young Farmers clubs and a packed audience in our local Village Hall. It was not appropriate to share the Gospel, but it was a wonderful opportunity to raise our profile in the local community. We had a similar opportunity at a New Year’s Eve party in the Village Hall, where a local farmer I had not met before, came up to me and told me we were doing ‘a good job’. Sometimes we think not much is happening, but local people watch and listen, and many seeds are being sown.

The teenagers group which meets in our home monthly was postponed a couple of times because of the weather and clashes with Young Farmers events, but we met again at the end of Feb and had a really encouraging time.

Another encouragement was the Cath Woolridge concert which we hosted in Brecon on Feb 15^th. Over 100 people turned up and Cath shared her passion for Jesus in a way that inspired everyone there. We showed Mervyn’s film, I shared some more testimonies, and a number of people came forward for prayer, two of whom have made appointments to see us. I know many of you were praying for this event, and I thank you because your prayers really made the difference. Talking of prayer, we are greatly encouraged by the monthly prayer group that ‘goes around the hills’ praying for whatever village or town that lies beneath us. This morning about a dozen of us climbed a hill overlooking Talgarth, and soaked the area in prayer.

Penny and I are out preaching most Sundays, and we also meet with several Christian groups in the area, seeking to help and encourage where we can.

In all the above, we both value and depend on your prayers. Please pray for…..

 Our daughter Mary, who is now in China teaching English with BMS

 Mervyn and his family, that they will grow in Christ

 The Discovery Bible Study group, that they will discover Christ

 The many speaking opportunities, that seeds will be sown and a spiritual harvest will result

 More openings with community groups, especially the Young Farmers

 That God will lead us to more and more ‘people of peace’

We particularly appreciate the ongoing support of the Baptist Union, as well as our home church in Broad Haven, who have just called Ben and Helen Dare to be joint pastors. We rejoice with them at all that God is doing.