Hello Everyone

Many thanks for your continual support, it really encourages me.

 

I have now been here just over 3 months and am feeling more settled into life in Izmir and am enjoying making new friends here.  I have felt great intimacy and peace with the Lord and have been greatly encouraged and blessed, and as I tuck more into Him and develop a deeper dependence on Him I see His love and hear His voice more clearly. 

 

Recently I have been looking at some Old Testament characters and have been challenged in particular by the faith of Moses when He trusted the Lord to part the Red Sea.  I pray that I'd have the same faith to see the Lord part the ‘red sea’ in my life. 

Exodus 14: 21-22: Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

I have been really enjoying being part of the youth work and getting to know the young people here.  Please pray for good relationships to develop.

 

Life group has been a massive encouragement, with one lady giving her life to Christ.  The ladies in the life group prayed for her, and it has been exciting seeing her come back to life group and church prayer meetings since. Please pray for her and our life group to be a light of the Lord.

The new Alpha & Beta course is currently running at Church and we have an advert on Facebook for it.  Please pray many would come and hear the Good News of Jesus.

One of the many things I have been challenged about in being here is to be more expectant for the Holy Spirit.  I have been blown away by the power of the Holy Spirit when I have been involved in praying for ladies, as the person I pray for is knocked off their feet by the Holy Spirit.  I don’t know why I am so surprised when the Lord answers my prayers to come powerfully, but it has made me more expectant that this should be the norm!

At the end of March there was a Prayer & Fasting conference in Turkey which I was able to go to. It was a really encouraging and uplifting couple of days with all the newfrontier churches in Turkey joining together. There were many words and prophecies about the Lord’s heart for Turkey and a great time coming here in this land.  I was greatly encouraged by a prophecy I brought about a flood coming to Turkey, which reminded some church leaders of a prophecy they were given when they first left to come to Turkey.  Please pray for Turkey, that many would come to know our King Jesus.

I recently celebrated my 22nd birthday here !  Many thanks for all your messages, card and presents, I felt very loved.  It was the first birthday I’d ever had away from all my family and friends, so it was hard, but the Lord was with me and helped me overcome feelings of homesickness.

In mid-April we finished our first term and had a very welcome 2 week break! Please pray for me with the language, it can be very frustrating, and pray for a good second term and continued good relationships in the team.

 

I greatly enjoyed my 2 week break. The first week I headed down to the coast to spend some times with some friends from last summer. During this time I met many of their relatives and friends and even got to pray for their ill Grandma for healing. Please pray for them, that they’d come to know the Lord.

For the second week I went to Istanbul where my parents came out to see me.  It was so lovely spending time with them again and we had a great time in Istanbul seeing all the tourist sites, shopping and catching up.

Finally, please pray that I grow in the Lord more, that I would be a light here and that I would seek Him more in all I do. Amen!

Keep in touch,

Rachel  :D