Dear Friends,

I've been sporadically reading through a book called The Welsh Revival of 1904 by Eifion Evans. I recently read Chapter 8, titled "The Inspired Itinerary." He mentions many travelled to Wales to experience the revival firsthand, but also some who were unable to travel to see it for themselves.

Among those was R. A. Torrey, who you may have heard of. He was used greatly by the Lord in Australia and the southern Pacific area years ago around the same time. And curiously, Gladys had just run across something about him the other day and mentioned his name to me. And so when I picked up the book and read this portion, I thought it was worth passing along here.

"R. A. Torrey was unable to make the journey to the Principality, confined to Liverpool by his mission activities. On reading of the revival he wrote the following letter to Roberts, dated 29th November, 1904:

" 'I have heard with great joy of the way in which God has been using you as the instrument of his power in different places in Wales. I simply write you this letter to let you know of my interest in you, and to tell you that I am praying for you I have been praying for a long time that God would raise up men of his own choosing in different parts of the world, and mightily anoint them with the Holy Spirit, and bring in a mighty revival of his work. It is so sadly needed in these times.

" 'I cannot tell you the joy that has come to my heart, as I have read of the mighty work of God in Wales. I am praying that God will keep you, simply trusting in him, and obedient to him, going not where men shall call you, but going where he shall lead you, and that he may keep you humble. It is easy for us to become exalted when God uses us as the instruments of his power. It is so easy to think that we are something ourselves, and when we get to thinking that, God will set us aside. May God keep you humble, and fill you more and more with his mighty power.' "

That is an important lesson that we see illustrated throughout the scriptures time and time again. When Jesus also gave it special emphasis when he said in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." and verse 5, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." God is the center and the source of it all, and without him we can do nothing.

In the midst of my recent illness, the fact that He was all I had became very real. I'm relieved and happy to report that the Lord has been restoring my strength and I'm able to do some work in the garden with Gladys. But here too is the lesson repeated. We can dig and plant and pull weeds, but only He is the one that sends rain and sunshine makes things grow.

I find that pulling weeds and trying to get all the roots out is hard but good exercise, both physical and spiritual. It is an ideal medium for prayer and meditation. I liken the weeds to my own stubborn ways of thinking, and how important it is to allow God's word to be the judge of all that. During these recent months, time and time again I find that His word or worship song lyrics easily bring me to the point of tears as I realize it is only His goodness that's kept me in the land of the living.

God's word and time with Him in prayer are the source of our strength and hope. And we delight to see Him moving in hearts and lives in the challenging world around us. We find powerful fuel for prayer in David's words in Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Dick and Gladys

Dear Praying Friends,

The onset of spring presents us with wildly vivid displays of color and innumerable shades of fresh green growth. Everywhere we go, the roads are lined with white flowering hedges and houses’ gardens are ablaze with colours and textures that take your breath away!

This newness of life has been of great encouragement to us as it seems to speak of healing and wholeness. That is good news we’ve been waiting and praying for, and now we are seeing improvement. It is slow in coming, but it is sure on the way. The scripture in the subject line from Malachi 4:2 is such a glorious declaration. "But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings."

Even through this prolonged recovery, we have thankfully been able to get out and about to enjoy the beauty of nature around us. It has been very good medicine. We have also been able to visit some friends and even get back to our chapel a few times, though the unseasonably cold weather has been a challenge. But the beginning taste of “normal” is wonderful. I have kept more details on the dedicated webpage at “salud.walesawakening.org” for those interested.

You may or may not be familiar with Pete Greig, who was instrumental in starting the 24/7 prayer movement here in London in 1999. He is a 3-minute video clip taken from one of his messages that is just brilliant, and I felt impressed to pass it along. I believe it highlights a key element to the growth of Christ’s church that we are praying for. You can enjoy it at this link.

Again we would like to express our enormous thanks for your prayers for us during this challenging time. And our prayer for you is according to 2 Peter 2:2, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

Dick and Gladys

Dear Friends and praying Saints,

I just want to say a big thank you to all who've been praying for my latest "health adventure!" I will be posting things at the link below, as I can't answer individually and be resting up at the same time!

It certainly wouldn’t have been my choice of mission fields, but the amount of divine appointments and opportunities for both Gladys and I was beyond belief. No wonder the writer of the gospel said in the end of John 21:25, “Jesus did many other things as well... I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

Please visit: salud.walesawakening.org

Blessings in Jesus' Name above them all,

Dick and Gladys

Dear Friends and Saints,

It was with great  joy that I went to pray in the chapel again after a month of limited mobility. We are so thankful to the Lord for seeing me through this time, and thank you for your prayers. I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by God’s goodness as I reflected on all that He has done over the years—His amazing faithfulness in sustaining us, all the wonderful saints from around the world that have come to pray with us here, and things we see happening now in Wales and the nations.

Last week, we had the opportunity to meet with a small group of intercessors from a missions training school in America at the nearby Blaenannerch Chapel. They are being hosted here by old friends, and it was great to meet them and hear about their hunger and dedication to serve the Lord with their lives, especially the ones in their early twenties. This was the first such visit of the year and it was great to feel like we are getting back to normal again.

The coming of spring is also a great encouragement after what has been another extremely wet winter. A string of three or four sunny days has cheered everyone up, and new life is bursting out everywhere. Early flowers having paved the way for new leaves, flowering trees and shrubs, the hedgerows coming alive with bright yellow gorse and white hawthorn, everything seems quite unstoppable now. In spite of grey skies and cold temperatures still prevailing for now, the change of seasons is here to stay.

As we look abroad at the ever more turbulent world, it is also looking bleak and grey, but the change is coming there as well. There are exceptional things going on that are also unstoppable. Just one example of many more than I can include here is this recent campaign that Franklin Graham had in Peru just two weeks ago. Over 90,000 filled this stadium for two nights, where many gave their hearts to Jesus. The movement continues across college campuses that started a few years ago in the USA, and now in Europe, similar things are happening. There was a massive event in London recently where the Gospel was preached to thousands, and again, the number of lives changed is wonderful to behold.

We are reminded as Paul says in Ephesians 3:17-18, "And I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend together with all the saints what is the width and depth and length and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;” And as we communicate with friends in many places around the world, God’s love is moving in unprecedented ways and His Kingdom is changing lives for eternity. This is the fruit of both the growing intensity of prayer and the deeper level of commitment to service among the Body of Christ worldwide. As Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18, “…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

May we all continue to press into the heart of God to hear His guidance for each of our lives, that we be equipped for the challenging times in which we live,

Dick and Gladys