Dear Friends of Wales Awakening:

Saturday was the yearly Welsh-language prayer breakfast here in Pembrokeshire. There was a very good turnout for what started off as a very cold morning, complete with a beautiful but short-lived snow flurry just as things were getting underway. Not a common occurrence here for a February 29th!

As you might readily notice, the average age of those present was towards the upper end of the scale. In that respect, we fitted right in, but I must admit we were way above our heads as to the Welsh language. People are friendly and pleased that we try to speak their mother tongue. It is a real challenge but we enjoy engaging as best we can.

The Welsh love to sing, which made for some wonderful worship. And this set the tone for segments of directed prayer and then prayer around the tables. It was during this time that Gladys received a beautiful impression from the Lord about these dear saints. He gave her a word that they were his base or foundation, and that they have been faithful through the years and he has been faithful to them, and that He honors and treasures them for their faithfulness. And this not just about those present, but all of the long-time faithful ones throughout Wales.

It is this foundation that we and countless others are building on. Interestingly enough, en route to the breakfast venue, we could see this massive rock outcropping lit up by the sun against the dark clouds, and I stopped to take this picture. It is about two miles away so you can get an idea of how big it actually is.   Deuteronomy 34:2 says, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He."

A young Welsh pastor from the North brought an encouraging and important message. He underscored the fact that despite the appearances, God has not "finished" with Wales, but that He is actually doing a new thing. (We've suspected this all along!) He took Isaiah 43:18-19, "Don't think about the things before, don't stay with the old history. Look, I'm doing a new thing; it originates now; can't you recognize it?" He finished with a strong exhortation to take every possible opportunity to talk to others about the Good News of Jesus and his gift of fullness of life in the present and eternal life to come.

We continue to enjoy a fairly steady stream of visitors that come to "investigate" what exactly it is that we do. It is always a privilege to take people to the chapel and share this special place. We make time to pray together and exchange stories of God's goodness, and that usually also involves drinks or a light meal back at the house to warm us all up, especially this time of year.

Sometimes it seems we live such an idyllic life here, and in many ways, we are extremely blessed. But we also know that our call to prayer is shared by many people around the world in more difficult places, and that helps keep us on track.

Speaking of which, we are all facing a serious challenge with the growing threat of the coronavirus that is now dominating world concern. We've just learned that March 3rd, has been set as a "Call for Global Day of Prayer to End Coronavirus." There is ample information at this link to CBN's website.

May God grant us peace, wisdom, safety, and hope to share with others, as may He provide comfort to the many thousands around the world affected by the virus. In the midst of whatever comes, we know that "He is the Rock" and we pray that multitudes come to know Him as Lord and Eternal Savior.

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

We have started through the story of Moses recently, and many portions have been highlighted to me and energized our times of prayer. This particular verse in Exodus 4:31 triggered something beautifully."Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped." How precious that they discovered God's concern about them.

This a wonderfully amplified and reflected  in Jesus' own words of concern and invitation centuries later. He says in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He's saying we can come in out of the raging winds and storms of life and find rest for our souls.

A little farther into the story of the Hebrews departure from Egypt, Exodus 12:22-23 tells us, "So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings."

Once again this provides a great picture of being born again and transferred into His kingdom of light. This doesn't mean we won't have storms and trials. In fact, Jesus warns that indeed they will come. But He promises us peace and hope in the midst of them, and freedom and fullness of joy where we are headed in His eternal kingdom.

Last week I mentioned The Send that took place in Brazil the weekend before last. I've since seen some of the results that are extraordinary and very exciting. Of the mostly young people that attended, these are the statistics. 7,008 made commitments to do missions within the universities, and 5,027 for missions into the schools. 14,072 committed to helping with the vast number of orphaned children—including singles promising to only marry someone willing to adopt in their future together. On top of this,  another 14,010 made a commitment to go into world missions, both short and long term!

Another development on a local level, I heard from a friend a few days ago about an evangelistic activity that took place in some schools last week in North Wales. She sent me a report that said, "Last week, the first Higher Tour of the year took place across North Wales. Our teams visited schools, sharing the gospel and inviting the students to a gig (concert) in Llandudno on that Friday night. 1,213 young people showed up to hear the truth of Jesus, and an amazing 452 responded." That's over one-third of all that attended!

Also last week we had the chance to participate in a meeting at the Bible College of Wales to commemorate the Legacy of Rees Howells 70 years after the date of his "homecoming" to the heavenly kingdom. It was marvelous to hear first-hand stories from a student who was there during the time when Samuel Howells, Rees and Elizabeth's son, was the director. There is an excellent overview of the story at the link above.

The previous night there was a tremendous rainstorm over Swansea, complete with resounding thunder and flashing lightning. Some of those present commented on how there had been similar manifestations prior to or during some key prayer meetings in the college's early years. Needless to say, this empowered our times of prayer as well. During one brief interval, the sky lightened up considerably and I hurried outside to capture this picture. Looking out over the Italian Garden and Swansea bay the sun had made its breakthrough in the dark cloud cover—it was as if the Lord was saying He was listening and responding to our prayers.

If you have never taken the opportunity to read the book, Rees Howells, Intercessor, I highly recommend that you do so. It will change your prayer life dramatically and challenge you to go deeper. You can read it online at this link, or if you prefer a physical copy, you can find one easily if you just search for it by the title, Rees Howells, Intercessor with any online bookseller.

This morning while reading and praying through God's word, I found this little nugget to fuel our prayers in Mark 4:24. "Then he added, ‘Pay close attention to what you hear. [of God's secrets. See vs.22] The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.’" (NLT)

May God bless you with multiplied grace, wisdom, and power in your prayers,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Saints: 

On Saturday we enjoyed a wonderful visit by a small group of friends who brought along some of their friends also for a time of worship and prayer at the chapel. From the beginning, there was such beautiful freedom and spontaneity that we were all swept into a marvelous flow in God's presence.

The second song we sang was one that has been close to my heart for decades, but I hadn't heard it for many years apart from the few times that Gladys and I have sung it by ourselves. I had never heard it in English, and I found myself suddenly overcome with such a mixture of joy and nostalgia that couldn't hold back my tears. I could have stayed there forever!

As I wept, I realized that what was affecting me so profoundly was the realization that most people in the world simply don't know the joy of being enveloped by the Holy Spirit. And more than this, I realized that far too many people in Christ's own church rarely, if ever, have experienced the glorious joy of God's embrace.

This week I've been reading the story of Joseph again, and Genesis 46:29 describes the following scene. "So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.'" What an amazing picture this presents—so similar to what I experienced on Saturday. It is this embrace of the Father that this world is desperately needing and longing for, and yet they haven't a clue where or how to find Him!

After an amazing time together in the chapel, we all went into the vestry next door for lunch and hot drinks. It was such fun to get acquainted with new friends and discover some of each other's stories and backgrounds. This is the family of God. And as I have mentioned in my last two updates, the more we learn Him through one another, and more thankful we are and the stronger our faith grows.

At the same time we were together on Saturday, there was another much larger and significant event going on in Brazil. You may recall that I mentioned The Send last February that took place in Orlando, Florida. That was the first one that they've had, and it was amazing. But this past Saturday went way beyond that.

There were 140,000 mostly young people from Brazil, and many other nations, gathered together to respond to God's calling. Jesus made very clear what God's plan was in Matthew 28:19-20. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." The great commission to make disciples among the nations, and take personal responsibility to reach out to a world that is in dire straits without any moral compass, hit home with a depth and on a scale not seen before. Thousands responded to the call to reach out to schools, universities, and the nations.

We are living in truly exciting times. I believe we are seeing  the beginnings of the answers to the prayers of the church down through the ages. These are not isolated events, but all are part of the fulfillment of God's longing to see people run to Him for that incomparable embrace of acceptance, forgiveness, and the eternal salvation of their souls.

With so many uncertainties in the world around us today, the prospect of a massive mobilization of God's people into obedience to His word is a massive encouragement, as well as a challenge. We need only to step outside our own front door to be surrounded by a mission field! And what a blessed privilege we have been given to extend God's invitation to a needy world—"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

 May God bless you, and thank you for your continued interest in and prayers for Wales, and the nations,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Praying Friends:

Some of the earliest signs of the coming of spring are snowdrops. Somehow they always bring smiles and warm feelings, in spite of the cold winter weather. There is no holding them under the ground, and like brave and stalwart little soldiers, their annual appearance is as sure as is the sun to come up every day.

This ever reaching upwards of the plant world is always a good reminder for us to do the same. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." And with an even greater surety than the rising of the sun and the coming of springtime, we know that God's kingdom will outlast the earth itself and that His promises are true forever.

While visiting our old friends in California last month, Francis asked me if we ever had any misgivings about our assignment, or felt any sense of disillusionment. I told him that we do, of course, have momentary doubts from time to time, but that the Lord has been amazing in building and sustaining our faith. In fact, I said, we are actually more encouraged and excited now than ever. And we are not the only ones to feel this expectancy by any means.

We hadn't even been back home for a week when we went to a small gathering of praying saints on a nearby farm. There were a few young people that had come from the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California for a short-term mission. They all felt a very clear impression that God has Wales poised on the verge of a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and revival.

And then yesterday a friend in North Wales emailed us to say that she had heard from a friend who goes frequently to prayer meetings at Pisgah Chapel in Loughor. (This is the very chapel Evan Roberts helped build in 1895 shortly before the outbreak of the 1904 Welsh Revival, and was one of his favorite places of prayer.) Her friend told her that they been having "some wonderful times of prayer in Pisgah Chapel.

"Two months ago on a Wednesday evening, just before the meeting commenced, a car arrived with three passengers. They hadn't been with us before. One of the ladies was from Texas and she had a word for us. Just before she left the States she had a vision of a wall of water crashing over the UK, I think starting in Wales. A few minutes later, another car arrived with three visitors, once again this was their first visit. They were from the Oxford area. One of the ladies then shared a vision with me. A few weeks earlier she had a vision of a tsunami breaking over Wales and spreading over the UK."

So as you can see, we are continually hearing things like this from people both in Wales and around the nations. I send an update about one of these occasions nearly two years ago when a man wrote to me about his remarkable experience as a 13-year-old while visiting Wales with his father in 1998. You can read his description (again) at this link. I'm sure it will encourage and invigorate your prayers.

This little pool on the edge of the Teifi Marsh looks isolated and insignificant when viewed by itself. If you lift your eyes for a wider look, all you see right now is dry reeds. However, it is part of a much larger tidal system that is sustained by a constant flow of fresh and brackish water.

In the same way, one might not think much of this little nation of Wales. It really is just a drop in the bucket as far as the nations of the world go—just a shade larger than Lake Ontario, between Canada and the USA. But Wales too is part of a far greater system. In the correct order of things, in the Kingdom of God, its wide-area network spans the entire globe and is sustained by rivers of living water from  heaven itself and through connections around the world.

This is the vital and eternal context of where we are and what we do as part of the body of Christ in Wales. There are prayers for the nations going out from here, and there are prayers from the nations for Wales and the coming move of God. Missionaries go out from here to the nations, and missionaries come from many nations to pray and minister here, much like the natural tides flowing in and out.

I am reminded of Jeremiah 31:12 that says, "Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, ...and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all."

May His truth and grace uphold you and His mercy sustain you as we press on together for His glory and kingdom,

Dick & Gladys