Dear Friends of Wales Awakening,

Here's a Call to Prayer, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NASB)
"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." We are certainly in a time of much need for prayer. I don't believe there are very many people in the whole world who would not like a tranquil and quiet life, and it seems that we couldn't be farther from that presently. So it is encouraging to see so much prayer going on in so many places.

The small and very old church across the road from our house, St. John's Church of Betws Ifan, has been open for prayer on Thursdays for the past couple of months. Yesterday we had a good time praying through some of the  Psalm 70s with the sister who was in charge of the day.

Last weekend we attended the "Heal the Land" conference in Bulth Wells as we did also last year. There were times of inspiring worship, anointed teaching, prayer together in groups, and some great workshops. One of the main teachings was about the concept of "sibling nations" and the responsibility of the believers in one nation praying for their neighboring nations, or other nations with which they have a special connection. Another key point was just the simple but all-important practice of just stopping our activities several times throughout the day and drawing ourselves into the presence of the Lord for a few moments of worship and prayer, silent or otherwise. This helps us keep our bearings, and our peace when circumstances pull us in other directions!

It was good to reconnect with old friends who we've known for many years and catch up on how God is moving in one another's lives. It was also a blessing to meet some new folks, especially a few younger ones who are very much engaged with and seeking the fullness of God's plans for Wales and the nations.

Speaking of old friends, this same past weekend there was another gathering of really old friends from Gospel Outreach. This was my family in the faith when I first came to Jesus, 51 years ago this past Monday on what had once been a hippie commune until they "saw the Light". It was the light of Christ in them that changed my life forever and launched us into an adventure, in faith that still surprises us! As much as we would have liked to have been there, the worship and prayer, and love and thankfulness for the Lord and His goodness transcends borders and decades, and we are all in this together!

Also this week, there is a huge event going on in South Korea, the 4th Lausanne Congress. This movement was started in 1974 by Billy Graham with the objective of uniting the church around the world to mobilize to fulfill the great commission. There are about 5000 people gathered together in this event, saturated in prayer and worship, to be equipped, energized, and motivated to see the body of Christ end into its Calling to "go you therefore and make disciples of all nations." We have a friend who is at this conference who will be with us in a couple of weeks and we are looking forward to hearing a firsthand report.

These are just four instances of the saints gathering for prayer, in groups both large and small. And we are sure that simultaneously there are hundreds and thousands of other groups around the world at this very hour that are praying for our needy world. And because we are one in Christ, it is really one massive reunion taking place in the kingdom of God, in its outposts around the globe, and that means the power of the Holy Spirit is being unleashed to bring change to the hearts of millions as we pray!

Perhaps the smallest of all of these groups is Gladys and myself—the one we know best! Here we are this morning in the vestry of our Cilfowyr Chapel. We have relocated here temporarily while some much-needed maintenance work is being done inside the main chapel. We love this little place because it is filled with old books and artifacts from the very early days of the chapel's beginnings in the late 18th century.

As we continue to pray with the multitudes worldwide from the place assigned for us, we encourage you to join us all as frequently as you're able. Our purpose is clear as we are reminded once again by Paul's letter in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

By His grace, together with you,

Dick & Gladys