Welcome to Wales Awakening

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Untimely Signs of Spring

Spring is Coming to Wales!

Dear Friends & Prayers:

This morning I awoke from a dream that seemed to have particular significance, and so am just passing it along with the hope that you are encouraged by it as well.

I dreamt I had gone to leave off a small garden tractor for repairs at the local farm shop. There were several other tractors in line in front of me, and I resisted the momentarily temptation to nip into a space in front of a larger tractor. As the line advanced, I overheard the owner make the comment that there was something unusual about this winter. He was saying that in spite of it still being quite cold, there were some flowers coming out unseasonably early this year, and in unexpected places. And at that point I woke up.

As I came awake, I began to pray and seek the Lord about the meaning. It seemed somehow that I had heard those words from a a prophetic source, and I began to get spiritual understanding into the dream as it pertained to Wales and elsewhere. The state of the church in general here for many decades has been very "wintery" indeed. Most of the chapels have been shrinking, and many have closed. And the main denominational churches have not fared any better, having to share ministers between congregations because there is not enough membership to support someone full time.

 A frosty 25 degree morning!

But as we have also become aware over the years, there are small pockets of activity where the Holy Spirit is moving and quickening people into relationship with Himself and one another. There are prayer groups springing up to intercede for a new move of God in many parts of Wales. Many congregations are having a new breath of His presence stirring in their midst. These are those "untimely flowers" that speak of the coming revival and more and more people are seeing these encouraging signs.

 Plenty of getting ready for the harvest!

Last Friday we had tea with a friend who is a retired Welsh pastor. Sharing from his experience of over 40 years in ministry, he said he that all he had seen was the slow agonizing process of shrinking and closing chapels and churches. He has managed to cling onto the hope of seeing a move of God, but his experience has not been joyful. He said he would love to see any sign at all of God doing something.

There are many such mature servants of God here with a similar experience. I believe the Lord has a great purpose and use for them yet. When the revival harvest starts to pour into the fold, there will be abundant and joyous labor enough for all available. Would you please help us pray for them, that they too would see the Untimely Signs of Spring!

His for the harvest,

Dick & Gladys Funnell

For information on our mission to Wales, please visit http://walesawakening.org

Home: 011-44-1239-810825 Mobile: 011-44-7796-316626

Our new home address is: Genaur Glyn Beulah Newcastle Emlyn, SA38 9QB Wales, U.K.

Support can be mailed to: Verbo Ministries - Wales (Please write "Wales" clearly in Memo area) P.O.Box 190 Kenner, LA 70063

Office: 877-723-4129 Toll Free


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Friday, January 27, 2006

Upcoming visit to USA, and a special request

Dear Friends:

     We are making plans to be in the USA from early March to mid-April, and are really looking forward to seeing our family, and as many friends as possible. Another of the main reasons for our visit is to try and raise financial support. We know that the Lord is our supply, and that all this is in His hands. But we also have learned that He uses others as instruments through which that supply comes.

     We have seen through this past year how faithful He has been to provide not only for us, but to enable us to help cover our children's needs also. Especially through the trying times of Hurricane Katrina His grace was made manifest, and we are extremely grateful to Him, and you for your prayers and support.

     My request is that if you have any ideas of people or churches who may be interested in joining our support team, or if you think your church leadership might be interested in having us come and speak, please let us know as soon as possible. We want to start setting up our itinerary, and need to begin putting things into place and so arrange travel while in the U.S. 

     Thanks to a few extraordinary gifts, we have been able to make ends meet. And again I know that this is the Lord's domain. However, having been a church administrator for over 30 years obliges me to think about budgets and numbers. So in a nutshell, since living in Wales we've received an average of 50% of our budgeted income, and so hope to be able to improve this figure. If you feel inclined to help us directly, please let us know. And if you know others who may be interested, please tell them about us, and refer them to our website.

     May God bless you with His great love,

    Praying for Wales at His bidding, 


Dick & Gladys Funnell



For information on our mission to Wales, please visit

    http://walesawakening.org  



Home: 011-44-1239-810825

Mobile: 011-44-7796-316626


    Our new home address is:

Genaur Glyn

Beulah

Newcastle Emlyn,  SA38 9QB  

Wales, U.K.


Support can be mailed to:

Verbo Ministries - Wales  (Please write "Wales" clearly in Memo area)

P.O.Box 190

Kenner, LA  70063


Office: 877-723-4129 Toll Free




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Friday, January 20, 2006

Just say "Amen!"

Dear Friends:

Just a quick note to say "Sut Mae", (Hi!) and share something I latched onto today while praying in the cemetery. We had some real sunshine so I took the opportunity to spend time outside. I like to meander among the gravestones as I pray, reading the scriptures and epitaphs on them. One said "Canys byw i mi yw Grist a marw sydd elw." (For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.)

As I was standing in front of a set of a Williams family graves, I noticed that there were several generations of this family buried here since the 1800's. Then it suddenly dawned on me that each of them surely prayed many times for their own children, and also for their grandchildren, and perhaps even their grandchildren's children. Like every loving parent, they surely prayed for safety and health and blessings for their kids, but also many of them most certainly prayed that they would have a genuine relationship with God.

And then I considered that many of the people living around here today living without Christ in their lives are the very children and grandchildren and grandchildren's children that these departed souls prayed for when they were alive. So I realized that I could just say "Amen" to their prayers. Every prayer ever prayed is still ringing around in heaven where God never forgets. So we can just add our "Amen" to those petitions and requests for salvation, healing, etc. No doubt these people will be among the throngs that the Lord will bring into the fold when revival breaks out in the land. 

So in your own prayer times, just say "Amen" to all the righteous prayers that have been said on behalf of so many people around you each day that need to have Jesus in their lives!

God bless you greatly!

In His love,


Dick & Gladys Funnell



For information on our mission to Wales, please visit

    http://walesawakening.org  



Home: 011-44-1239-810825

Mobile: 011-44-7796-316626


    Our new home address is:

Genaur Glyn

Beulah

Newcastle Emlyn,  SA38 9QB  

Wales, U.K.


Support can be mailed to:

Verbo Ministries - Wales  (Please write "Wales" clearly in Memo area)

P.O.Box 190

Kenner, LA  70063


Office: 877-723-4129 Toll Free




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Sunday, January 15, 2006

Back to Beulah from Seville!

Jan.15, 2006 Home again in Beulah

Dear Friends:

Thursday night we arrived home after a trip to Seville, Spain, where we spent a week with mostly sunny days. That was a very welcome break after the incessant cold and wet of the Welsh winter. We had recently re-connected with our friend Dagnia Duran from the Spirit Ship who is living there with her family temporarily, and with airfares for us both for under $100, we went for it!

After our meager beginnings in Welsh, it was refreshing to find ourselves surrounded by Spanish speakers again! It was interesting to visit some of the historical places there, and make the connection with the "mother country" of Latin America. We visited a small church last Sunday and to our delight found we knew the words and music of almost every song. It was wonderful to meet new friends and find the same desire to see the name of Jesus exalted in that land. Among them was a young school teacher from New Zealand who had left her career and family to follow a special calling to come and pray for revival in Spain!

I had an interesting experience there I'd like to share with you. We went up to the rooftop terrace at a friend of Dagnia's house to spend some time together, and my eyes and heart were drawn to this modern bridge built 10 years ago. It stood out in stark contrast by both size and design, and immediately the Lord impressed me with its significance.  (Gladys & Dagnia)

I saw how this huge structure represented God's provision for us to cross over from death into life through what Jesus did for us at Calvary. And yet as the vast majority of the people of this city go through their daily lives never using this bridge, so also do they live out their lives never even giving thought to their eternal destiny. In spite of this nation's long history of Catholic Christian influence, there are reminders everywhere with so many churches and monuments, interest in the things of God seem minimal at best in this modern consumer society. I found my heart broken by the yearning of God's heart for these people to come to Him. The toll for this crossing has been freely paid by His own Son, and yet people could care less. So we prayed and wept, and know the Lord has plans for this nation also, and is raising up people to pray here for His move.

It was nice to have a break, but even nicer to come back to what now is our home in Beulah! We are so thankful to be where we are, and glad to be walking and praying in the chapel again. It is such a privilege to be here and labor in the harvest. 2nd Corinthians 4:18 says, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." And so with joy we watch and pray for the things of God's invisible realm to break into and take dominion over the natural realm of men.

Thank you as always for your prayers and support,

Dick & Gladys Funnell

For information on our mission to Wales, please visit http://walesawakening.org

Home: 011-44-1239-810825 Mobile: 011-44-7796-316626

Our new home address is: Genaur Glyn Beulah Newcastle Emlyn, SA38 9QB Wales, U.K.

Support can be mailed to: Verbo Ministries - Wales (Please write "Wales" clearly in Memo area) P.O.Box 190 Kenner, LA 70063

Office: 877-723-4129 Toll Free


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Sunday, January 01, 2006

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

    Happy New Year 2006! 

Dear Friends and Prayers:

    Two years ago on January 1st Gladys and I climbed to a high vantage point in the Preseli Mountains amid cold winds and racing bunches of clouds. From there we  enjoyed a spectacular view of the coastline of Southwest Wales jutting out into the Irish Sea.We had come to see just how harsh the cold wet winters really were as part of preparations for our eventual permanent move here. I remember as our eyes took in the extensive landscape spread out before us all around, I could feel how God's spirit seemed to hover over the countryside and beckon us on to follow His call to come and stand in the gap and pray for this land.

    Now, incredibly, this January 1st of 2006 finds us living here for nearly eight months! The seemingly impossible challenge of leaving our children and home and everything to come and pray for the next Welsh revival is behind us now. And sitting here in the chapel as night falls and the wind whistles through the windows, I have to say, "Lord it is only through Your grace were we able to take this giant step, and now we are really here. We wait on You, we rely completely on You, and we are still amazed at Your goodness in enabling us to experience this extraordinary privilege and calling. Thank you Jesus."

    A few days ago we were here praying with friends, and huddled around a small electric heater in the cold and darkness. As we prayed, I realized how the light and warmth of the glowing elements were drawing us in. And the cold surrounding us seemed to press us closer together and closer toward the "electric fire" as they call it here. This suddenly gave a clear direction to our prayer as I saw that in the eternal scheme of things, the people of this land need to realize that they are really cold and naked and without hope in this world as long as they ignore their Creator. So our prayers were focused on the need for them to be drawn to God's presence through whatever circumstances obliges their hearts to do so.

    We have been blessed over these holidays with the many friends the Lord has given us . . probably even putting on a few extras calories to help us through the Welsh winter. The other day we had our second snowfall, only to be washed away by rain the next. 

    Please keep our old friend Alex in your prayers as he is recovering from an appendectomy. He had to spend Christmas in the hospital but is home now and regaining strength. 

    God bless each and every one through the coming year. We deeply appreciate your continued prayers, friendship and support.

In the joy of His great love,

Dick & Gladys Funnell



For information on our mission to Wales, please visit

    http://walesawakening.org  



Home: 011-44-1239-810825

Mobile: 011-44-7796-316626


    Our new home address is:

Genaur Glyn

Beulah

Newcastle Emlyn,  SA38 9QB  

Wales, U.K.


Support can be mailed to:

Verbo Ministries - Wales  (Please write "Wales" clearly in Memo area)

P.O.Box 190

Kenner, LA  70063


Office: 877-723-4129 Toll Free




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