Dear Friends and Prayers:

This was one of the scenes on Saturday night when things were hopping in the bright lights of downtown Cardigan. I was part of this group of three "Teifi Pastors" while another threesome was in another part of town. We are now "regulars" in town and find ourselves accepted in the night life here.

These lollipops that we give away are almost always welcome, and are a good conversation starter. We also carry a supply of flip-flops when girls' enormous high heels become an obstacle to their mobility after they've had one too many. When people ask us why we are just giving things away, we simply say that we are showing them God's love in practical way.

People wonder if there is a trick to it somewhere. It is hard for them to understand why we do it. Many of these young people tell us, "The fact that you guys are out here volunteering your time when you could be home in bed is amazing!" "We really think that is great!"

Conversations are as different as the people we deal with, and inevitably they come around to each one's ideas about God. Lots of them have difficult questions, like "If God is love, why does he let bad things happen, like in Pakistan?" There are not easy answers and we have to trust the Lord for wisdom. While we are out on the streets, there is a group of people back at our base of operations praying for us, and that makes a great difference.

There is some superficial chit-chat, and sometimes things can get a little uncomfortable, but there are also times when people really open their hearts and we can minister to them and even pray with them. Many of these young people have real difficulties in life - drug or drink problems, sickness and loss of loved ones, heartbreak from wrong relationships, the list goes on. Others are just out having a "good time" and life seems to be treating them fine, but they still have questions.

It is hard to see so many of them floundering around with such aimless abandon. The "party spirit" and "good times" don't last very long or run very deep. The happiness and satisfaction they are looking for can only be found in a right relationship with God. And we have the privilege of offering them a listening ear, and words of truth. There is such hope in Christ, and such joy. If they could only see!

A night's partying in town brings a hangover the following morning, or worse. But the promise that "His mercies are new every morning" is an amazing treasure! There is nothing that compares with the newness of life and the love that come through Jesus Christ and a life grounded in Him.

What Paul says in Romans 15:13 is a wonderful prayer for the people we meet. "Now may the God of hope fill you [them] with all joy and peace in believing, that you [they] may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Would you please join us in praying for these young people? And not only these, but the ones in your areas as well, young and old alike!

Ever thankful for His endless mercies,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

One morning last week in the chapel I received a wonderful impression from the Lord while I was reading Jeremiah 32. This is when God tells him that he is to buy a field from his cousin Hanamel who is going to come and offer it to him. And then in the very next verse his cousin shows up, and Jeremiah says then he knew it was the word of the Lord. (verses 6-8)

After the transaction when the money was exchanged and they signed two copies of the deed in front of witnesses, verses 13-15 Jeremiah says, "Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days." For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."'"

Immediately my spirit lept as I realized that means us, the church, here in Wales (and elsewhere for that matter). It sure looks like everyone has been dragged off already to Babylon, in the sense of the body of Christ not having any real tenancy or influence in this land. Less than 4 % of the population here are Christians. But God says that "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." This will be the fruit of the coming revival! Here is this amazing promise!

Wales once was a large majority of believers, and so most of the houses, fields and vineyards belonged to His church, but because they all bailed out of His love and communion to serve other gods - finance, entertainment, status, etc. - they were all carried away to the world, and now most of the real estate belongs to unbelievers! BUT, possession (stewardship) will be returned to His kingdom when the throngs come running back to the Lord in the midst of widespread revival! Now that is fuel for some prayer and tearful, joyful crying out to God!

And just minutes later while still at the chapel, I got an email from an old friend who I'd just seen in June. His message said, "First I want you to know that several people have spoken to me that your story as related by me has inspired them. They along with myself are praying hopefully, holding up your arms in the battle to bring revival to Wales and Great Britain. Thank you for your obediance to the call."

So I recognized this as the Lord confirming this word to me immediately after I received it. It was just like Jeremiah hearing the word and then it coming to pass just as God had said.

So we are encouraged continually as the Lord brings things into position around this land. Unlike this beautiful chapel in Aberystwyth where we visited last week, many churches and chapels are currently struggling to stay open because of declining membership. But that is soon going to change! I believe we will see God move across this land with power and grace as never before, and "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."

So be blessed and encouraged as you pray for the unfolding of God's marvelous promises!

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends & Prayers:

Thanks to the Lord's goodness, we were given the opportunity to take a week's holiday in the home of friends in Northwest Wales during their absence. We had a wonderful time exploring the beautiful Snowdonia mountains and parts of the coast of the Isle of Anglesey.

It wasn't the warmest of August weather, but there was very little rain and we did have opportunities to see some sunshine! Just being out in the middle of such wide open areas was so very refreshing, and we were glad to have such a relaxing time.

On the Saturday we were away, our usual monthly evening meeting in Blaenau Ffestiniog was canceled because of a conflicting meeting elsewhere, but the Lord was one step ahead of us. It turned out that the Korean mobile team from the Celebration for the Nations was in the area, and so we had an inpromtu meeting in the town center. Open worship and vigorous praying raised more than a few eyebrows, and special blessings and declarations were deposited in that place that has grown dear to our hearts.

From there we went to Eric and Jane's home where we regularly meet, and shared some tea and also some special prayer time for Jane's health. I talked with Eric earlier this morning, and he said that she is showing some real improvement and is greatly encouraged in her faith. Please continue your prayers for her, and for Blaenau Ffestiniog as well!

Back to the birds!

After June's batch of swallows took to the air, a new nest was built next to the old one and these little guys took off for their first flight on Friday morning. As I watched they were zooming and swooping around overhead with obvious excitement and joy! (I must confess to an almost paternal sense of pride here ;o) Then a while later, reading and praying in the cemetery, they continued flying around perfecting their new, graceful and enviable art.

As I observed them some more, I got the impression of seeing souls loosed at last from the bondage of sin and rejoicing in their newfound freedom and joy of the Lord! And suddenly I found myself overwhelmed in a prayer of longing for this land of Wales, that its people would brought into the knowledge of their Savior and be able to revel in the newness of life like these joyous young aerial acrobats!

My readings in the book of Acts reflect a similar joy and excitement in the discovery of new life in Christ. The following portions among many others are especially encouraging. Chapter 2:46-47, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." and 13:47-48 "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region." And even in the face of persecution and troubles we see in verse 52, "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."

This health and vigor of new life in the church throughout Wales is the heart of our mission here. Thank you for joining us in joyful and expectant prayers for His outpouring!

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

While reading in Judges early last week, I was stopped in my tracks by chapter 2, verse 4. "So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept." Isn't that amazing?

They even named that place Bochim, which means "weeping!" God spoke to all of them about their sin of disobedience. And when they heard God's voice directly, they were cut to the heart and wept. They knew they had gone off course and were severely convicted. They all wept!

How did He speak to them all? This is a fascinating question to me and I wonder how exactly that took place? The scriptures aren't clear with those details, but they are very clear about the results of God's speaking to His people. There was a broken-hearted repentance that led to their serving the Lord for quite a few years afterwards.

That sure sounds like what we're praying and believing God for - That HE would speak directly to the hearts of all the people. More than once I have heard it said that in the coming revival, the Lord is not just coming for 100,000 like in 1904, but that He is coming for a nation.

It will take a mighty intervention of God indeed to see an entire nation in tears! But should we be praying for anything less? He has done it before, and He can do it again. In fact, we believe that He will!

Last Wednesday I went to the last few days of Celebration for the Nations. This is was the fourth year it has been held, and it was a wonderfully encouraging time once again. The fervor and exhuberance of these young Korean worshiping warriors is both inspiring and challenging. Gladys joined me for the last day and just that brief contact was a blessing for her also.

Tonight the two hundred or so Koreans finished their third day of mission in London, and tomorrow they leave for different assignments around the UK. Please pray for them as they take their enthusiasm for Jesus into churches and communities.

Hopefully one of the groups will be spending a few hours on the streets of Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales. This is where we have been going each month for a prayer meeting. It's hard to believe that it was a year ago that we spent a few days there with three of these wonderful saints and servants. You can read more about that visit in the August 14, '09 update here.

Trusting in His goodness alone,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

Once again time has rushed by in a blur, and I apologize for not having written in such a long time. (Or perhaps some of you are glad for a little pause! ;o) With nearly three weeks to cover, it makes it a challenge. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps I can make a long story short!

Some good news on the family front - our son Michael, 27, is getting married in late October to Lauren, his long time girlfriend! So of course we are excited and very pleased about that. We are planning to be back in the States for the wedding, and really look forward to seeing all of our kids together - it will be the first time in over 6 years! Also, Mike and Lauren were able to buy a house last month, so they will be the first ones to really "settle down". Gladys' sketch here bears the message, "Don't get all wild preparing for the wedding!"

We spent most of last week at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in the heart of mid-Wales. As I mentioned last time, we were part of the hospitality team that manned a booth among the nearly one thousand trade stands for the Christian Rural Network. There are a few other Christian organizations also present at the show, and that is a real blessing - it is a fertile field indeed. I understand this is now the largest event of it's kind in Europe. Builth Wells' normal population of about 3000 is flooded by about 60,000 visitors each of the four days of the show. It is quite an amazing production, and you can imagine the logistic challenges of parking, moving and feeding so many!

There was way more than I can describe, but here is link to a short video that gives you a great overview of all that goes on there. There were over a dozen people helping out in the tent, and lots of people drop by just to sit and rest a while and enjoy a cup of tea and a chat.

Small talk is easy, and there are always opportunities to share our faith with people as well as pray for their needs if they want. It was a blessing to see how different ones' gifts came into play. It was also especially fun to see how Gladys' natural ability to engage anyone in conversation opened so many doors for her. She roamed around from booth to booth meeting people, and even made some follow-up visits with fresh made corn tortillas!

With both Gladys and myself, people immediately notice our accents and inevitably ask what we are doing here in Wales. That is always an open door to talk about theLord's amazing love for this land, revivals past and future, and that we are here praying for them. It gets pretty interesting sometimes!

One of the things we easily notice is the amazing variety of nature and natural resources that Wales is blessed with. Although the copious amounts of rainfall can be tedious at times, but the beauty of the land and its natural wealth make up for it. And actually, we've been enjoying the best summer weather in three years!

In the midst of all God's beauty and bounty, it is still hard to understand why people resist the knowledge of He who made us! It seems the multitudes would overpower us with their unbelief, and I have to echo the question that Joshua puts to the Lord in chapter 7:9, "... Then what will You do for Your great name?”

As we press on in this privileged work the Lord has called us to, we rejoice in that His promises are true, as His word says in Joshua 21:45. "Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass."

May the God of all hope bless you abundantly,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

Once again the summer pace of activities seems to be accelerating here! The last Saturday in June we were in Bath about fifteen miles past across Severn River in England. Gladys was kindly invited by friends to attend a women's conference there. While she and another friend were enjoying a wonderful time in the Lord with about 700 other ladies, I did a little sightseeing.

Bath is a picturesque and historic old town, named after the Roman thermal baths that were built up here in the first three centuries A.D. Of all the photos I took, this one on the right seemed to be the most important. As I walked along the sidewalk (pavement in UK English!), this message came into view, transcending the centuries since Jesus times.

We are all just passing through this life. But because He did die for our sins, we are "through traffic" moving on towards eternal life. For those that don't follow the signs, life is an endless snarl of twisting turns that lead to frustration and eternal loss. And so we pray He show the Way to every passer by.

Just as we were checking in to our hotel near Bath, I got a call from some friends in Florida who were on their way to a prayer mission in Israel but had to change plans at the airport. So we helped arrange things for their time here, and even received them here in the cottage that was our first temporary home in Wales for a couple of nights. We shared some brief but precious times with them, and they blessed us greatly with their prayers and gifts.

The most special thing was only two days before going to Bath we learned that our daughter Grace was going to be able to visit! Her last visit in February was just too short, so we were delighted to have her for a longer visit. We picked her up last Monday night and she was with us until yesterday morning. We haven't had that kind of uninterrupted time with her since we shared an apartment with her in New Orleans before moving here five years ago.

She has finished her time in Rome with Save the Children/World Food Program, and is on her way back to Washington DC in hopes landing a new job soon. There is a possible short-term position there, and then she hopes to get a longer assignment with the World Food Program's Latin American regional office in Panama City, which would be ideal! So can you please pray again for her, that God would guide her steps and strengthen her faith in these uncertain times.

We had mostly sunny weather and enjoyed some short excursions in our local area, as well as taking in a few games of the World Cup soccer championship. We also had a special opportunity, thanks to the generosity of our friends from Florida, to take a day trip with Grace to Skomer Island off the southwestern Pembrokeshire.

This is a seabird sanctuary, and home to thousands of puffins, and it was fascinating to watch them moving around among their burrows where they raise their young, and diving off the cliffs into what looked like pretty awkward flight and then plunging into the sea! So we all had a great time, hiking around the precipitous edge of the island and enjoying amazing close-up views of these curious and cute little birds. There were lots of other species, but puffins have always been favorites of mine ever since I was a child, so I just may have enjoyed myself more than Grace and Gladys!

As I said, summer is now underway with a rush of activities. Grace left yesterday morning, and next week we're back up to Blaenau Ffestiniog once again for our monthly prayer meeting there. The following week we will be going again to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in Builth Wells. Like last year, we will be part of a hospitality and prayer team that reaches out to the nearly 250,000 people that visit the show from all over the UK and some other countries as well. So we appreciate your prayers for these different activities. We know that "...in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9)

As always, we earnestly thank you for your continued interest, prayers, and gifts of support!

Bound by the wondrous love of Christ,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends & Prayers:

I've taken this series of pictures in the ground floor of the vestry, which used to stable the horses that brought people to the chapel in years gone by. Almost every year the swallows come and hatch their young in the same nest where they were born. It has been incredible to document have fast they have grown. They were still in their eggs at the end of May!

Yesterday morning in the chapel I was stopped by this verse in Psalm 119:20 that says, "My soul breaks with longing for Your judgements at all times." It seemed to capture something of what happens during times of prayer when things really get moved in the spiritual realms.

The idea of our soul "breaking" may sound drastic, but I think it really means just coming to that place beyond ourselves where we know we can do nothing on our own! We are taught in life to try to do everything for ourselves, and our souls don't like to fail at it. And so this place of "breaking" runs against our nature, but it is exactly where we need to be for prevailing prayer.

Paul states very clearly in 2 Corinthians 12:10 "... for when I am weak, then I am strong." He also says in Galations 2:20, ".. it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;" And we are reminded again in 1 John 4:4, "because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." So we know Who takes over when our own soul is broken in prayer.

As we look at the world around us and see how broken it is, that is when we can cry out for God's judgements to prevail. Every area of life in today's world is in desperate need of God's righteousness and judgment. Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit in John 16:8, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." He is the only one that can bring change to a desperate world.

Listening to the news of current world events is like looking at a tapestry of man's failures to manage the world's affairs. He can't manage his own personal affairs because of this failure to submit to the laws and judgements of our Creator. Even those of us who know Him must struggle with our human nature. "Help, Lord!"

If you'd like to see how they managed to fit in the nest take a look at this video link. Watching the growth of these young fledglings - from hatching out of their eggs to young "teenagers" - is such a statement of God's amazing ability! It also seems like a great picture of how things can progress when we are willing to come to Him and live with "broken" souls - longing for His judgments to rule in our hearts, and our world, rather than the judgments and decisions of fallen man.

When I went to the chapel yesterday morning I took this last picture, with the bravest of them out of the nest and perched on the wires. And this morning when I looked, they were gone. Probably out for their first flying lesson!

All of nature is just filled with awesome reminders of God's power and greatness. Isn't it wonderful to know that when we come to Him in humble longing for His righteousness, our prayers can take flight to much greater heights than any other His creatures ever could!

Inspired and encouraged by Who He is,

Dick & Gladys