Dear Friends and Prayers:

Last week we had the opportunity to spend some time on the campus of the Bible College of Wales in Swansea. It was a profound joy to be there to pray on the grounds again and to connect with the prayers of the saints over the past nearly 100 years. As I walked out into the gardens at night I was overcome by the presence of God and the depths of His yearning for the lost that has propelled intercessory prayer here for so many years and with such great power and anointing.

So much good seed of both students and staff was birthed and nurtured in prayer. It has gone out from here to the nations during all this time and is still bearing fruit, and its ongoing influence is still tangible here. We can actually transcend our earthly limitations add the cry of our hearts to the"...golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." of Revelation 5:8.

On another walk around the grounds I noticed this interesting old tree. It immediately brought to mind about how the Bible college is now in a new phase of growth after an apparent dying back. Once again we are thrilled to see how the Lord has done such a wonderful new thing here. I was reminded of the verse from Isaiah 11:1 which declares,        "Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. "

Roughly 300 students from many nations have now graduated from the 10 three-month-long courses of intensive studies that have taken place here since the college re-opened in 2015. And the beat goes on. After a forced shutdown due to the pandemic, they are hoping to be able to start up again In the spring. Your prayers would be much appreciated for this matter. This is just one more of so many things going on in our world today, and I'm sure that we all desire to understand God's timing through it all.

As we carry on with our specific prayer assignment here, it is always a very special blessing to come to the chapel and connect with the prayers with so many that have joined us from the nations to pray with in this special place. At times we still find it a hard to believe that we have been given this astonishing privilege be here praying for revival. And the lack of visitors this year has given us a wonderful opportunity for reflection and appreciation of God's faithfulness.

We just found out on Sunday that there have been some cases of COVID-19 right here in our area. In fact, the school here in Cilgerran has had to close for two weeks because one of the staff had tested positivesadly there have been some indiscretions in our area and over 60 cases have now been registered locally. for the virus. Sadly there have been some indiscretions in our area and over 60 cases have now been registered locally.

Thank you so much for your continued interest and prayer support of our work here. Especially in the current situation there are so many uncertainties, including our search for a new home which is ongoing. But again in all of this, we know without a doubt that God is working in incredible ways around the world today in the church and beyond. What a blessing and strength are the words from Isaiah 30:15, " For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.'"

May the prayers of the saints be your joy and strength,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Praying Friends and Saints:

I had to laugh this morning when I found this picture that I took at Cymdonkin Park in Swansea on Wednesday, because I had jotted down the title and theme of this update on Monday morning. I didn't have that in mind when I snapped the photo but it seems like too perfect a fit to not share with you!

Our Monday readings included Philippians 4:8-9 that says,
       "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,
        whatever things are noble,
        whatever things are just,
        whatever things are pure,
        whatever things are lovely,
        whatever things are of good report,
        if there is any virtue and
        if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
        The things which you learned and received and heard and saw
        in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

With all the hoopla about Tuesday's U.S. Presidential Election and attention drawn to it from around the world, the Lord impressed on me the centrality of these verses. And now we find ourselves four days later and things have gotten even more disjointed. Speculation, distrust, and confusion reign supreme, and the importance of these words is even greater. Jesus Christ is our rock and stronghold.

Some doubters of the faith might say, "Aren't you Christians just brainwashing yourselves?" Well actually, it says in Ephesians 5:25-27, "…just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

So yes, it is important that we keep our soulish impulses and brain-powered judgments in check by measuring them up against the truth of the word of God. It is so important in times like these to keep our focus on the big picture, and to remember that we are like the grass the springs up in the morning fades away in the afternoon. But the word of our God abides forever.

When we stop breathing at last in this life, that is not the end of us, but it is the end of the world full of vanity and foolishness. That will indeed be an awesome day, but meanwhile we need to not only keep ourselves sane, but speak sanity into a world that is falling apart. Kings and kingdoms, politics and politicians, theories and philosophies will  all pass away but there's something about the name of Jesus.

He is our bedrock and unmovable foundation. Let's keep that truth and living hope in the forefront of our day-to-day experience. And let's also do our best to make that evident to those around us who are swept into the free-for-all of ideas and theories and expectations so totally centered on the things of this world.

Our prayer during this time of uncertainty is that people come to discover the solid and eternal foundation for our human experience. Jesus said in John 14:6, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." And in John 6:37 he says, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."

May you know His peace and living hope, and be a beacon of hope and stability to those around you,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

Last Friday at 6 pm, Wales went into a new "Firebreak Lockdown" to try and break the climbing rate of COVID-19 cases here. So we made the most of our last chance to get out and about for the next few weeks. Our route took us by one of our favorite places to stop for lunch and enjoy the glorious views over this beautiful land.

A new motivation for the drive around our area was to check out some properties currently on the market. As you no doubt recall, we are on the lookout for a new place to live. So our day was reminiscent of our explorations 13 years ago when we needed to find a new rental property. The difference this time is that we get to choose the place through God's amazing provision!

Because of His provision, we know there is a place somewhere, but it is proving to be a bit of a challenge. As I mentioned earlier, we need to be relatively close to the chapel, which is the hub of our activities, and in an area where we can have some space to ourselves and our guests, so your continued prayers on that front are very much appreciated. By faith we are holding fast to the word given to us from Exodus 23:20-21 that says, "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says."

A few months ago I started noticing some of our friends on Facebook were posting very positive reviews of The Chosen. Having watched the first eight episodes, now we understand why. There are several powerful scenes that are profoundly touching and bring back my first revelations of who Jesus is when I got so radically saved 47 years ago on that September 23rd.

This first-ever multi-season series based on the biblical stories of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a typical Hollywood style production but it the product of applied faith. Through crowd-funding it has been made to freely give away, and has now been viewed by nearly 50 million people in 180 countries and translated into over 50 languages. You can watch the whole first season free of charge here at: www.thechosen.tv.

Besides the main episodes, the backstories of their journey of faith in producing the series is very interesting and encouraging. And the testimonies of the actors and other crew involved are really faith-fuilding as well.

As each of us apply ourselves to the particular tasks assigned to us by the Lord, we are in good company around the world. Paul's prayer in Phillipians 1:9-11 comes to mind. "For...that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."

Dick & Gladys

Dear Praying Friends:

I was invited to share the devotional thought and prayer with "The Church across Pembrokeshire" Facebook group this morning. These are short daily videos from different people speaking into the context of today's crazy world. So when I awoke with Jesus' words in my heart about the mystery of how plants grow, I had the text for what I would share this morning.

In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus taught, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

We have been in the COVID-19 crisis for seven months now, and this whole time God has been doing things that we can't see or really understand. I mean of course there are things that we do see and appreciate, but just how they have actually come to pass remains sort of a mystery.

I think the application covers much more than just the virus situation, and much more than just Wales. With all that is going on around us and throughout the world, our faith in God's sovereignty not only will see us through, but it is extending to many others. You can watch part or all of the 7-minute video at this link.

As we target our prayers this week, let's keep in mind the words of Jesus in verse 29, "But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." The turbulence in the world around us is like a plow turning over the soil for planting the unseen seed. This is the time to earnestly pray for the incoming harvest. Every day people are coming to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Be encouraged, each one of us were born for such a time as this,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends of Wales Awakening:

Several weeks ago the Lord impressed on my heart the need to set aside time to pray specifically for America. The election is now only three weeks away, and the political heat is turned up as never before. And the current selection of a new justice to the U.S. Supreme Court adds more fuel to the already raging fire.

In the midst of all the noise, the words of a favorite old Bill & Gloria Gaither song have consistently come to mind...
     "Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
         But there's something about that name."

On Saturday we were reading about the time when the Assyrian king Sennacherib was threatening Judah and Jerusalem in 2 Kings 18-19. The taunts and shouting described therein have a familiar contemporary ring to them with two sides fighting against one another.

When Sennacherib sent a letter to Judah's king, 2 Kings 19:14-15,19 says, "And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: 'O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth... Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.' "

Whatever be the outcome of this election and its implications for the near future, there is a far more important matter at hand. And this is where Hezekiah's prayer absolutely nails it. "...that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone."

All the kingdoms of the earth, be they political parties, ideologies, or actual nations, will all pass away. And it is the same for our brief physical existence on earth. Only God's eternal Kingdom will remain forever, and all those elect Him to be our King and Lord and Savior.

 Psalm 95:7 says, "For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice…" Our prayer is that people will indeed wake up to this reality and live accordingly. That is the only election that really matters in the long term.

Trusting in His abundant grace for our lives and yours,

Dick & Gladys