Dear Friends of Wales Awakening:

It has been such a privilege and encouragement for us to receive so many people that have come to join us in prayers for the nation of Wales. And it never just feels like the "same old, same old..." Each prayer offered is different and each person praying has unique anointing and sensitivity in their prayers, and we know heaven is touched and hearts are changed by each and every one.

Of course, many of our visitors do pray for us and bless us. But one of our greatest joys is to be able to pray for them and the nations they represent! Last week we had our dear friend Janet from Virginia with us, and her friend Sue from Wales, who work together with Community Bible Studies Int'l. Both of these nations are very close to our hearts for obvious reasons, and Gladys wrapped each of their flags around them as we prayed for renewed spiritual life and a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit into each one.

We have known Janet for close to ten years and have developed a special relationship with her that only God could orchestrate. Several years ago she phoned us up to say she had discovered, incredibly, in her husband's family history, that his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, had actually been the first pastor of the very same Cilfowyr Chapel where we have been praying all these years. Now, how amazing is that! Consequently, our times of prayer with her have had a precious significance and tenderness for us. The Lord is so wonderful indeed!

Each time we have the opportunity to pray with visitors from other nations, this verse in Isaiah 56:7 becomes very real and down-home to us,
"Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations."

So as we continue in our prayers for the coming Welsh Revival, all the flags we have now in the chapel remind us that God's desire is for more than just Wales, but that all the nations are on His heart. The prophetic word in Habakkuk 2:14 says, "For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea." And a quick glance at international news headlines reveals just what an overwhelming lack of this knowledge exists. It is a blessing to continually discover more and more people responding to this need for prayer. 

It is also refreshing to see people responding to God's call on their lives and putting it into action and outreach. A few weeks back we spent some time with the group from Iris Ministries. And the following week there was a group of young people from California that came to help out in a Christian camp here for teens from difficult family situations. There was great joy in the camp as several of the kids made the all-important decision to follow Jesus. We pray that His promises of "...newness of life." (Romans 6:4), and for "...a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11), will become the experience of each and every one. Let's pray also that they, in turn, will share with others.

May God's grace abound in each of our lives, and equip us to fulfill our own  specific part in making His glory known to the people around us each day,

Dick & Gladys

Dear Friends and Prayers:

Wow, the past two weeks of this best Welsh summer in forty years has flown by incredibly fast. Temperatures have started to cool off slightly now, and thankfully we've gotten some much-needed rain. And in the midst of so many goings-on, I've attempted to write a few times but it just hasn't happened until now.

The photo was taken last Monday when we had a spontaneous meeting at the chapel of folks that wanted to hear the story of how the Lord brought us here. There was a small group from Iris Ministries Harvest School of Missions doing their prayer and intercession outreach here, hosted by our friends Stan and Sue next door. Our friend Alan from North Wales brought three visitors from the US, and we also had another couple from Idaho that we had just met the week before.

Telling the story of how the Lord brought us here is always a good way to keep our focus clear. When people hear some of the details of how God showed us His plan for this coming great revival in Wales, and arranged things to enable us to move here, they are amazed and encouraged. And so are we! (I made a 30-minute video of our story if you'd like to watch it here.)

It is important for each of us to remember how God has called us, and to what. When we read how Paul exhorts his disciple in 2 Timothy 1:5-6, "...when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you... therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands...", it is a good exhortation for ourselves as well. And we find ourselves amazed once again at the gift and privilege it has been for us to be here praying for Wales and the nations.

As I arrived at the chapel to prepare for our guests, I felt the Lord speak the word "commissioning" to me. And again as I parked the car I heard a second time, "commissioning." By the time I had finished telling our story, it seemed clearer what this meant. In the first place, God has called each of us believers into His harvest as co-missioners—co-laborers with Him. And He is the one that does all the work, and we are like a co-pilot or an observer. Our part is to stay close to Him, and He does all the rest. This is the only way The Great Commission can only be carried out successfully.

In the second place, God calls us to be co-missioners with one another. In 1 Peter 2:5 He says, "...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood...", belonging to one another as we belong also to Him. We are all on the same team. And so our stories and testimonies serve to encourage and build us up as we open our hearts and share with one another.

The previous weekend we a great opportunity to do precisely that. We had been invited by a dear old friend to the annual gathering of the UK branch of The Fellowship Network, where we found several old friends and made many new ones. And the main emphasis was just to be encouraged and challenged by one another's stories.

Last Sunday we had the privilege of taking the group from the Harvest School to the very remote old chapel in Soar-y-Mynydd, near Tregaron. A friend of ours was preaching there, and it was fun to take the group to experience a traditional Welsh-language service. It was there when in 1779 Daniel Rowland had a transforming encounter with the Holy Spirit. Then after a marvelous visit with our pastor friend and his wife in their home, we went on to Daniel Rowland's own Gwynfil Chapel in Llangeitho where revival broke out and blazed across many parts of Wales in the 18th century.

Among the many others we've met in recent weeks, one thing that stands out is an increased dedication to prayer and a hunger for the coming outpouring of God's spirit both here and abroad. The pace seems to be gradually picking up, and we are thrilled to be here for such a time as this.

Thank you for your continued interest and prayers, and may God bless you mightily with more of His presence and anointing in your lives and may He spill out through you into the people whose lives you influence.

Dick & Gladys