God spoke to us about stiring our spirits up on Monday night. If we stir ourselves in our zeal we will find that we begin to splash onto our friends around us. Even more than that we discvoer bubbles start drifting up and popping on people around us.

The word efferverse means to ‘issue forth bubbles’ and ‘to exhibit fervour, excitment and liveliness’.

God has done amazing things for us. When we think of the amazing way he showed us his love and the wonderful miracle he has done inside us our hearts will be stirred. If we keep our hearts thankful and our mouths full of praise our hearts soon will be splashing and overflowing. Our lives will be popping bubbles of life all over people.

here is some of the e-mail my sister sent

Hi

Journey was long but fine. Kids all coped really well, and are amazing us at every step how well they are adjusting. They do not like the thunderstorms but we did have the loudest clap of thunder ever heard. Eleanor has been stung by a bee which is much worse than our bees. they are angry unkind bees which have now all died coz they got sprayed!!! Food is yummy and have all reamined well although am trying to be careful. People give them carrots to eat in the market, and I have to quietly wash in water from the bottle without causing offence. All love the kids. Real novelty for all. All are friendly and welcoming, and much effort has gone into our bungalow. but the poverty is harsh. So much that when driving through Kumassi it is impossible to tell what is slum and what is not!! all looks like slum.

How great it was to go up to Lancaster and see the youth from the Kings Community Church. I love having a mini bus and being able to pop off and visit other ‘brothers and sisters’.

I feel it is vital to be committed to a local congregation. In order to grow as individuals and as a church we need to learn from each other, serve each other and help one another. it is good though to open our eyes occasionally to the fact that although it is one church there are many congregations and we are in special relationship with some of those. Each congregation will be different.

Keri and the team of apostles who work with him are building many congregations all over the world. We have special relationships with these congregations because we are all building from the same pattern. We run with the same vision and work together to build what we see. This brings a closeness in relationships between people from all the congregations and a special bond of committment is formed - called covenant relationships. It is especially strong because these relationships are formed in the love of Jesus - the strongest thing going!

The Lancaster congregation has many of our close friends in it and it is great to see what they are building and encourage them in what they are doing. It is also a great laugh to spend time with them DJin and playing on the drums!! How fun is it to build relationships that we can keep for eternity?!! Go GOD!!

Wow I really can not believe that it has been over a week since I last put up a blog. I was more shattered than I thought from Fort Rocky!

Last Thursday I decided to ring my sister. She who was leaving for Ghana on Saturday for a couple of years. We had a nice chat and she didn’t ask for help but when I put the phone down I felt an immediate urge that I had to  go down and help her.

As some of the schools had Friday as a teachers’ training day I rang round the youth and gathered the troops. I managed to raise 10 teenagers out of their beds, pick them up and we headed off towards Nottingham in the mini bus.

When we arrived it was clear that she was in no way ready to leave for Ghana and needed our help. The teenagers (and Jackie) washed the car, cleared the garden, help pack, washed all the windows, stacked boxes in the attic, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, painted two walls, swept outside and mended the Wendy house.

This is a quote from an e-mail just recieved from my sister to my parents:

“And God did provide some last minute angels who made it possible to do things. Otherwise it could not have happened.”

What one cannot do on their own the body of Christ can do together. What one finds impossible to do - another will be able to help. We all have things we can give that will be miracles for others in their everyday lives. DOn’t ever think that your contribution is invaluable because for someone else it may be a life saver.

While I am sorting out the photos from this years Fort Rocky here are the photos from last year….

“>.

This is us from Fort Rocky 2005.

12th-14th October 2007

41 youths and worker travelled down to Kidderminster to the Pioneer Centre for a weekend of fun, activites and God stuff. We got off to a great start on the Friday night, but the traffic around Manchester was, as always, very unforgiving and we arrived late to the Pioneer Centre. The Friday evening was a bit rushed and we all felt discombobulated when we arrived. We had to rush into a meeting, rush tea and then rush out to do a wide game after digging through our bags to get our torches.

The accommodation was fantastic and I was very impressed with the spaciousness and the high standard. The beds were very comfortable and after a nights sleep ahum! we were ready for all the activities the following day.

From 7.45am until 12.25pm we were kept busy. The activities included high ropes, abseiling, wall climbing, zip wire, archery, asault course, football, dance, drama, song writing, drama, hair straightening, nail painting, netball, basket ball, bouncy asault course and slide, team challenge games and tuck shop breaks!! In between all this we had to find some time to eat and to have the road show events. (more…)

I would just like to offer my congratulations to Gavin White for receiving his award in London just over a week ago. It was the premier radio Christian blog awards. He won runner up prize for best leaders blog. The Manchester Church which are part of us, also won a prize for the best church web site. Well done to all you guys we are well impressed and hope you inspire more people to excellence on the web in sharing Gods goodness.

To see the other top sites click here - they are worth a look at. There are some youth blog top sites you should browse over.

A 12-year old boy who flicked an elastic band at a classmate was celebrating this week after charges of grievous bodily harm were dropped. The unnamed boy was charged with GBH - on of the most serious violent offences - after hitting his victim in the eye. But when it transpiried that the eye was only bruised, the charge was downgraded to assault; then dropped altogether.

I thought it was fantastic on Sunday during the meeting to hear Chris’s testimony about his healing. He has been suffering for a year now with a very nasty stomach problem. He has really been in pain with discomfort with it and has lost a lot of weight. The doctors have been trying to treat it but nothing so far has seemed to work. He testified to his miraculous healing and obviously thought it was fantastic by the height of his jumping during the praise and worship!!!

‘He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with joyful shouting’ Job 8:21

Job is not a happy book. It is about a guy who looses his home, children, wealth, servants, crops and herds. He is left with a miserable wife and less than sympathetic friends. Through the book though there are lovely nuggets of truth and glorious revelations about the character of God.

God is not about making people miserable. Holiness does not equal misery in a maths equation. He is into fun and happiness, laughing and shouting. He wants our lives to be full and content.

Oct. 8: Prov 30:10-Eccl 1; Eph 6
Oct. 9: Eccl 2:1-5:9; Phil 1
Oct. 10: Eccl 5:10-8:17; Phil 2:1-18
Oct. 11: Eccl 9-12; Phil 2:19-3:13
Oct. 12: Song 1-6; Phil 3:14-21
Oct. 13: Song 7-8; Isa 1:1-2:11; Phil 4
Oct. 14: Isa 2:12-5:30; Col 1:1-23

On Sunday morning there were two healings during the end of the meeting. A man who had a pain in his eye and couldn’t see out of it properly was healed. Also another lady who had been in pain in her shoulder for years  was healed.

A guy in the Wednesday night meeting with Orson who was suffering from a pain in his shoulder was healed and another lady who had pain in her back and shoulders for 2 years was also healed. 

Gloria a Dios!!

“The easiest sins to condemn are the ones that do not tempt you.”

C.S.Lewis

What a wonderful honour for us to have Orson Vila and his wife Naomi and Miguel his interpreter to come and spend an evening with us.

He is the leader of a chuch in Cuba of 5,000 people. They have 5 sevices on a Sunday and 2 on Saturday to fit everybody in. They queue right round the block to sit in on the next service. So that everyone can be packed in they have no chairs but people have to stand up all the way through shoulder to shoulder. Orson has been put into prison several times for his faith. Once because he would not close the church down and another time because he healed a paralysed woman without a medicine permit.

The story he has to tell of the hunger of the Cuban people for God is fantastic. Whole cities being at a gridlock as people queue up to come and hear the gospel.

He has many amazing stories about healing but I think my favourite is of a man who fell out of a tree. He fractured nearly every bone in his body and his legs had to be pinned together. After God and many operations aided his recovery he went to a meeting and asked Orson to pray for him. Orson enquired as to the reason he wanted prayer and the man replied that he did not want surgery again so could he ask God to take his pins out of his leg. The next day he went to hospital and confounded the doctors as his new xray revealed no pins in his leg any more.

Gloria a Dios!