So much to be done

Just back from France and taking stock of it all I realise that there are too many important things to be done to stand still.

It is always hard to come back from a place where you feel effective and that what you do has had an impact. It is necessary though to come back, to tell the story to those who are supporting you and are eager to hear what God has been doing.

The team I took were brilliant. No pretentions to be anything but servants. They were used in wonderful ways to bring the love of God to different people who needed to be assured, comforted or challenged to believe. They rose to every challenge and were honest and obedient in their response. We also had the biggest laughs! Some of the things that happened were hilarious.

We tried to compare last year's venture to this and there are some things that you can do that with but there were so many new things we did that it is difficult. The service we took at the same church was very different. A greater sense of acceptance meant we all felt freer to do what we felt we should. It was great to see that one guy prayed for last year who stood in dismal silence as he was ministered to for 45 minutes is now the worship leader. Certainly we were at another level. We must have prayed for dozens of people and the joy that resulted was on their faces.

The visit to the 'squats' was also different. Last year some of the team visited dark and dismal buildings with gipsy families on edge not knowing when they would be harassed to move on. This year the building was a palace in comparison with heat, light and washing facilities. They were squatting in the former offices of the local electricity board. Several of the families were christians and included a pastor and his wife and children. He gave us a salutation to bring back to our own church which was very moving. We prayed for most of the people there and shared the gospel of Jesus with them.

We did lots of other things that stretched us but we were vey aware of the prayers of others sustaining and protecting us. We truly became the aroma of Christ. We pushed many doors open and realised that it was the French leaders who are now propping them open to keep opportunities available to us for future trips.

One word spoken to us by an Apostle when there was that Annie and I would lead many teams to France and even into Europe and they would be very effective in the plan of God. Pray for us as we weigh and work this out.

So it is two weeks of rest before.... I go back to France. Actually it seems like it will be nearly two weeks of being busy. I am off to Honfleur (in November!!!) to speak at a Sunday service there then to input into their eldership the following evening. I know God is in this so I just need to obey His voice and He will do His thing. Again I hope that this will open effective doors for the work of the ministry.

So we move on, we stand firm but don't stand still. I am excited by all God is doing.