I had to laugh when I came out the other morning and saw this spikey hail all over my car! The endless creativity of God's handiwork is so amazing! The most wonderful though is that if our eyes are open to see beyond nature itself, everything points to Him!

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of February already! Seems like we just started, and now it's all but gone. "Lord, teach us to number our days, and redeem the time!"

I got the following text message from a friend this week. "Dear Dick: I must tell you this to encourage you. A friend was at church tonight and was sitting alone when she was approached by a lady and engaged in a conversation. When the subject of Wales crept in, she said to my friend, 'I must tell you that I have been told that revival is about to break out in Wales and it is going to spread across the land. I must also tell you I have been compelled today to listen to a song that has blessed me: Dyma Gariad Fel Y Moroedd - Here Is Love Vast As The Ocean. She also mentioned a piece of Welsh coal.' Awesome" - It is so encouraging as we continue to hear things like this!

Next Saturday is the National Prayer Breakfast of Wales very near here. There will be about 200 people present from all over Wales who are committed to seeing God bless this nation. The theme for the Breakfast and morning of prayer comes from Matthew 9:36, "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them." It is His compassion which through the Holy Spirit can break our own hearts and empower us in prayer and intercession.

And so I would like to ask you to pray especially for this event. And specifically, please ask the Lord that His heart of compassion and tender mercies would saturate the entire morning, and that each person that participates would receive a profound impartation from God Himself. And then, as each one returns to their place, that this impartation would not just fade away into a pleasant memorable event, but rather that Jesus' compassion for the lost would inflame their hearts and draw them more and more into His presence and that place of power in prayer.

It seems particularly significant to us that the Breakfast is taking place just under a mile from the chapel where we pray! This morning in prayer I found myself getting excited about the potential of this event being a real breakthrough event. I could see how if the Lord were really to visit each of us in supernatural power, then everyone would return like burning lumps of spiritual Welsh coal and spread His visitation to their home and communities. "Pour it out, Lord!" as in Joel 2:28-29,"And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

Anticipating His goodness in the land of the living,

Dick & Gladys

Over the past two weeks we've been to the four points of the compass here. Blessed by busyness is one way to put it! Our friends from Singapore came to the area, and we spent time taking them to some important places here in West Wales.

Blaenannerch Chapel, close to our house and Cardigan Bay, was the first stop where we spent some precious time praying together. Then off we went to the south coast of Pembrokeshire to St. Govan's chapel. It was a beautiful sunny day and the surf was the biggest I've ever seen it. (click here to have a look) What an envigorating place to pray!

St. Davids Cathedral lies at the most westerly point of Wales and was our next stop. There one can get an idea of the dominance of the Church of England during the Middle Ages. Taking people around to significant places for prayer has been a special part of our mission here. There is a valuable "deposit" made in their spirits that they take with them back to their own lands. We invariably take them to "our" chapel, and so included in that "deposit" is a hunger for the coming revival that we are praying for here. It is a sowing of seed into the winds blowing through the church in our times.

Tuesday the 9th we headed north to Blaenau Ffestiniog via Harlech where we stayed with friends who are involved with us in the monthly meetings in Blaenau. They live practically in the shadows of Harlech castle, a remaining stronghold of the Norman conquest of North Wales in the 13th century. Our meeting that night was a fruitful time getting to know one another a bit more and praying about the Lord's plans for the area, and then Wednesday we drove the 3 1/2 hours home again.

Thursday we were joined by friends in the afternoon for an awesome and encouraging time of prayer in the chapel. And then Friday we headed to South Wales for the much anticipated visit of our daughter Grace from Rome!

She came in on a late flight to the Bristol airport, across the channel in England, and we were very graciously hosted by friends on their beautiful farm on the hills overlooking Cardiff. Much to our delight, there were lambs born that night, so we got to see these cute little Jacob Sheep in the morning. The name refers to the Biblical story of Jacob in Genesis 30:31-70. After a delicious farm-fresh breakfast and brief visit with our intercessor friends, we headed off with Grace for a winding and adventurous route home to Cilgerran!

We headed north past the Brecon Beacons, not far from the English border with Wales, and hiked a short way into a still sunny but very windy and cold valley! From there we drove into the small city of Brecon itself, and then on westwards through the valleys and home.

It was such a treat to have Grace with us, and the three and a half days raced by way too fast. Of course we'd have preferred a week or two, but this was a lot better than not seeing her at all! Now it seems that Rome is not so far away after all! Her current internship with Save The Children finishes in May, and she hopes to find another position there in Rome for her next assignment. We appreciate your prayers for her finding and following God's leadings!

Thank you also for continuing your prayers for Gladys' health. She has been slowly improving, and that makes a great difference to how we accomplish what the Lord has called us to do here. And thank you also for your continued interest and prayers for Wales!

Re-discovering His goodness day by day,

Dick & Gladys

The daffodils broke through the ground before January was gone, and that is a welcome surprise for us! Since the snow melted two weeks ago, it has been typically rainy, windy and cold. So just the sight of these cheerful shoots lifts our hopes and hearts with thoughts of springtime again.

The many voices of nature that surround us are always such clear signposts of the Lord's presence and His care for us. It doesn't matter what season it is, each one is filled with evidence of His handiwork. Romans 1:20 makes it very clear - "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, ..."

I find that in the middle of the envigorating enjoyment that I always get from nature's variety, there is a curious sort of duality that goes with it. While on one hand I find myself inspired with a worshipful gratitude towards our Heavenly Father, I am also aware of the frightening numbers of people that don't (or won't) see His goodness. The rest of that verse says, "...so that men are without excuse."

And so ever present with the beauty around us is the awareness of a longing also. At the same time as these shoots are reaching upwards toward heaven, like ourselves by God's grace, the fallen leaves and twigs are moldering into the ground like so many for whom Jesus died and don't know His love and forgiveness. And so if we open the eyes of our hearts, the call for prayer is never far from us.

Along with the approach of spring also is an increase in activities for us. We have a visit with friends from Singapore tomorrow who want to spend time praying with us, and that will be a blessing. Then on Tuesday we head up once again to Blaenau Ffestiniog for another prayer meeting. We had to cancel the January meeting because of the snow, and hope to make up for lost time. We also anticipate a few new faces, and are curious to see what the Lord develops there in the north.

Perhaps most exciting for us though is Friday night when our daughter Grace flies in for a long weekend from Rome! After the disappointment of having to cancel her visit at Christmas time, it will be wonderful to have her with us, even if just briefly. So we are countinng the days!

We also have a special request for your prayers. Gladys has been struggling again with stomach and intestinal problems, similar to what she had last year. Thankfully it is not as severe, but she has had to limit her eating to very bland foods, and be super careful what she eats. We haven't been able to establish if it is related to something particular that she eats or whether there is actually something wrong somewhere. Also she has been having problems with her neck and back, causing unpleasant bouts of pain and resultant loss of sleep, etc.

Together these have been taking their toll, although she has been very brave, and staying as hopeful for healing as these daffodils hoping for warmer weather! We would sincerely appreciate your prayers on her behalf.

As always, thank you for your continued interest and support,

Dick & Gladys