Dear Friends and Praying Saints,

Easter Week is always a significant time for millions around the globe. It is a celebration of God's victory of light over darkness, love over hate, and life over death. And in today's increasingly unstable world, John the Baptist's exhortation in John 1:29 to "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" makes a powerfully relevant appeal to a wider and wider audience. 

It is no coincidence, then, that the Gospel is being proclaimed in surprising new ways and places—from Hollywood to Capital Hill, from Kyiv to Rwanda. Christianity is making inroads into cultures that have been resistant for centuries until recent years. And even in some countries, such as Iran, people are experiencing supernatural encounters with Jesus without anyone evangelizing them. Yet at the same time, there are other places where there is violent and deadly resistance. The powers of darkness are outraged but it only makes the light of the Lamb shine brighter as in my friend Peter's painting here!

On the local front, last week I  heard from a friend about the "Quiet Revival" here in a report produced by the UK Bible Society. You can read the report in its entirety at this link, and it is very heartening to read. Because we are out in a very rural part of Wales we don't see at lot going on with our natural eyes, and it is good to get such great news! 

This chart included in the report shows statistics of church attendance over the last 6 years and much of the information is astonishing. I quote, "Co-author of The Quiet Revival Dr Rhiannon McAleer says the report shows that what people believe about Church decline is no longer true. ‘These are striking findings that completely reverse the widely held assumption that the Church in England and Wales is in terminal decline,’ she said. 'While some traditional denominations continue to face challenges, we’ve seen significant, broad-based growth among most expressions of Church.'"

Last Friday Gadys and I visited Ffald-y-Brenin, the nearby retreat center we've mentioned many times over the years. Sitting on a bench I was taking in this view with all the trees in the floor of the valley filling out the tops with the first of new leaves.  It just seemed to speak volumes of what we'd been hearing about the "Quiet Revival" going on. As so easily happens there, I got into a conversation with a young man who had come with his friend just the weekend there. And it turned out that they are both on staff at a large Anglican church in London.

He was saying that three years ago when he started, their youth group was all of about nine people strong, and they are now over 200. So there I was out there in this valley having a little revelation about this news, and then this young guy walks up and he is living that very experience in his church. They're just starting a three year school to train people for ministry and they're excited but tired and needed a little break.

We swapped a few stories, and you just thrill at what God is doing around not just the UK and Wales, but around the nations. He'd never heard of the 10,000 people getting baptized during Easter week a year ago in France, and was fascinated to hear about the 800 strong prayer meeting up in mid Wales, and on and on. And the more we hear these stories of glory, our hearts just swell with encouragement and excitement as God continues to do what He is so great at doing.

May God bless you and your loved ones as we behold the Lamb of God and His workings throughout the earth today,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Praying Friends,

March 1st is Saint David's Day, the patron saint of Wales, and we had the enormous privilege of gathering together at an event organized by Cant i Gymu (One Hundred for Wales, 100.cymru). Nearly 800 adults came, including many young families with children of all ages, from across the nation to pray for Wales and the advance of God's kingdom at the Royal Welsh Showgrounds in Builth Wells. It was an amazing and very significant time.

The heart of the Cant i Gymru team is to see 100 missional churches planted across Wales in the next ten years, and they are already off to a great start as many have joined in with them. It was wonderful to see so very many young people solidly committed to spreading the Gospel through lively church communities. Last year we went to their first meeting in Blaenau Ffestiniog when they were just getting started, and to experience this massive turnout was powerful, and much larger than they hoped for.

One of the highlights was a message from David Thomas, one of the leaders at Asbury College who helped behind the scenes at the outpouring that took place in early 2023. His message and challenge dovetailed perfectly with the scriptural theme that ran throughout the day from Psalm 126:5-6, "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." There is no shortcut to intercession, it has to become a lifestyle of dedication to spending time in fellowship with God through the word, worship, meditation, and prayer. One phrase that particularly touched me was, "When God hears His heart in our mouth, then He moves."

The following Saturday was the annual Welsh Prayer Breakfast which we have attended several times over the years. It was good to see some old friends and meet new ones. It is always a challenge for our limited Welsh, but we enjoy trying, and everyone can speak English to carry on a conversation when we get stuck, which doesn't take long! Different people lead segments of prayer for specific areas such as local government, health, education, agriculture, church life and outreach to the local communities. It was a fruitful time, and though numbers were smaller this year, there is a faithful remnant that is standing in the gap for their beloved Cymru bach, little Wales.

The following week we met with the current batch of students from the Bible College of Wales. A regular part of their curriculum is a visit to the nearby chapel in Blaenannerch where Evan Roberts received his calling and empowerment from the Holy Spirit in 1904. We frequently have the privilege to share with the students about our calling here as well as talking about the importance of what took place here and how it affected the nations.

Each group of students is different and precious, and it is always a joy to meet them. Most of their time here was dedicated to pouring out their hearts in worship and prayer that were deeply moved upon by the Spirit of God. There was great spontaneity and surrender as each one prayed aloud. It was very encouraging and inspiring, especially hearing the cry of many which was, "Lord, here I am, send me where you will."

All of these activities are still just a small part of what is the Lord is doing in many places. The words of Paul seem to paint the larger picture in Philippians 2:1-2, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind [and purpose]." And that the world may know "...this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27b)

May God's blessings abound in your life and may he give you daily opportunities to share this amazing hope with in you with those around you,

Dick & Gladys

(On a personal note, I would like to ask for your prayers for both Gladys and myself as we each deal with some health issues. Thank you, it is sincerely appreciated!)

Dear Friends and Intercessory Saints,

It's amazing that tomorrow is the 1st of March, and spring is in the air and on its way. We see changes in where and how early the sun comes, we see changes in the budding plants and trees and early flowers. The hopefulness it all represents after such a wet and grey winter is wonderful. A very welcome change indeed! Romans 15:12 paints an amazing picture which we see reflected around us everywhere. "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Another welcome change is that we have found ourselves very busy with visitors and especially people that have come to pray and visit the revival sites nearby. Two weeks ago we were in visited by a very "energetic" brother and his mom and dad who are probably in my age category, and we had an amazing time together. He has been called to starting a prayer ministry focused specifically on revival.

We also had a wonderful visit from a group of people from Singapore, 18 wonderful saints, who came with the specific purpose to pray for the nation of Wales and the Welsh speaking people in particular. We had a remarkable time at the chapel at Blaenannerch that you may will be familiar with by now where Evan Roberts had his life changing "baptism of fire" when he cried out, "Bend me, Lord!"

It was just such a sweet time of fellowship and powerful prayers and worship. There were some amazing prophetic words given, which I will try to encapsulate a bit later and put onto my words for Wales page, the link is on walesawakening.org. It truly was an exceptional time and I know there was a huge and triumphant impact made in the heavenly realms.

They braved crazy winds and pouring rain to come up here and bless Wales with their time here. I think their assignment was six days that was totally dedicated to praying for the nation and its people, and they were all changed through their experience as well.

One word in particular that was very encouraging to us was the following that I encapsulate very briefly. "Wales, it is time to open your eyes and hearts to the vision beyond your own borders. Wales has a global assignment, and a new chapter has begun." This is precisely what the Lord showed my in the vision in 1999 that began our journey here 26 years ago!

There is so much more to share, but time and space have come closing in on me as tomorrow early we leave for a wonderful prayer gathering in Builth Wells at the Royal Welsh Showgrounds which I will share about next time. The hope God's glory and grace that lies before us is filled with his countless mighty promises.

May the Holy Spirit continue to empower you for world-changing prayer. In His wonderful Name above all names,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Praying Friends:

A supernatural Christian revival is stirring up once again on American college campuses through Unite US – an evangelistic movement marked by salvations, water baptisms, and worship. Last night at the University of Kentucky, more than 2,000 students responded to the gospel message of Jesus Christ and many took part in spontaneous baptisms.

"It's hard to believe. This keeps happening. It is insane," said Unite US speaker and founder of IF:Gathering Jennie Allen (@jennieallen) Unite US was birthed out of a desire to "lift the name of Jesus."

It all began at Auburn University's Neville Arena in September 2023 where 5,000 students showed up to worship Jesus and 200 were spontaneously baptized in a nearby lake. And now, the organization hosts massive worship events making waves on college campuses across the country. Collectively, those events have brought in more than 70,000 college students. Their first stop in 2025 was the University of Kentucky. This time, more than 8,000 students packed Rupp Arena to worship Jesus and to hear a powerful message on the Gospel.

"Every time they are confessing their sin, they are yelling it out. They are responding to the gospel in herds. Like droves of kids are coming forward to receive Jesus," said Allen. "We are baptizing kids for an hour and a half. [They are] giving their lives to Jesus. It is only God," she added. "There is a movement amongst students that you can't believe. And even when you see it, you can't believe it!"

CBN's Abigail Robertson was there, and she attests to the almost indescribable move of God that took place on the campus. "I've never seen anything like what happened last night. Kids lining up to get baptized in 30-degree weather –  it's truly amazing what's happening," she shared. According to the event's organizers, it is an event that they have been praying about for months. "We've been praying for this night for months, and God met us here again," reads a post on social media. "We know it's just the beginning of all He has in store."

A post shared by Jonathan Pokluda (@jpokluda) The founder and visionary behind Unite US, Tonya Prewett, shared a powerful message with the crowd about giving it all to Jesus. "You get so tired of the enemy and his attacks, that you will do anything. Even if it costs everything. Many times God will use our deepest pain to propel us into our deepest purpose," she shared. The night ended with hundreds of students making a public declaration for Jesus Christ, followed by water baptisms. And as each person rose out of the cool waters, cheers erupted from the crowd because another life was counted for the Kingdom of God. "He did it again. Except for He did it bigger than He's ever done it," said Unite US speaker and Pastor Jonathan Pokluda of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.

"It was just crazy," he said. "All the aisles and the altars [were] just full of people. Literally thousands [of] college students came forward to give their lives to Jesus. My legs are sore, my arm is sore from baptizing people. And we say thanks to God. Praise be His Name."

Unite US is bucking the claims that GenZ is spiritually apathetic. "I think we're a generation of critical thinkers, and I think we're a generation of authenticity, and we're a generation of vulnerability," Trosper Buchanan, a junior at UK, told NBC News affiliate LEX-18. "I've seen and, and experienced firsthand, the death and the depravity that is disguised as the college experience. We're just taught like this is what fulfills you and then this is life and then we, we take it and it kills us, and we're like, 'Well I guess, I guess something's wrong with me,'" he continued.

Dr. Sarah Baldwin, Vice President of Student Life at Asbury University, was at Asbury two years ago when a revival hit the campus that lasted several weeks. She told the outlet that GenZ is waking up to their true identity in Christ. "The students are recognizing that like, 'no, this is what I was designed for; this is the purpose that was set aside for me, this is the life... this is the love that Jesus has for me.'"

And events like Unite US are serving as a catalyst across many of those college campuses.  "Revival is here," Allen said. "We're not pulling teeth. We're not doing magic tricks. We are just there responding to the gospel. They want God. And it is so beautiful."

This was so encouraging I wanted to pass it on to fire up our prayers even more. May God continue to bless and empower the young people of the earth who hunger for truth and righteousness,

Dick & Gladys