Hello Everyone.
Thanks for all your continual support. This year seems to be flying past quicker each month!
The last few months have been packed.
The month started with training in Bracknell where we had 3 days of teaching. Tuesday was on Hermeuntics, so how to read the Bible, in context and understanding it, was helpful. Wednesday we had Ben Davis on prayer, he taught on Mark 2 and told us we all have ‘mats’ (issues) and most people spend they’re whole life trying to pretend they don’t and to ‘mat manage’, was amazing. He then gave us useful tips in disciplines to keep us walking in step with God. Wednesday afternoon we went to the Oakwood Outdoor Centre for high ropes, the leap of faith, archery and low ropes team building activities. Thursday we had a day on Genesis 1-3 with Andrew Wilson, where we discussed the different views of creation, whether a day is really a day? It was a really interesting day. In this training I stayed with my Grandma, who’s not a Christian and was able to have some conversations about what I’d been learning and God, please pray these started off her thinking about God.
The evening service was officially launched in April, with one of the girl’s I’ve been discipling, baptism, which was great, she managed to bring 24 of her friends along, making the launch bursting with people, Praise God! It was a fantastic evening, with the Gospel preached and amazing testimony to God’s Grace; please pray all the visitors were impacted by Jesus. Some of the visitors have come back, which has been really encouraging, please pray God continues to impact them and they will come to know Him.
Last letter I shared how some of the girls from the local estate which we reach to in the group Y2K have really started to open up to me and to pray God would impact them. A massive answer to pray! They have been coming to the evening service every week, saying they find it ‘really interesting’, I’ve had many conversations with them about God, and God’s really put them on my heart. Please pray for Salvation, a couple have made commitments in the past, please pray they would want to live full-out for God and the things of this world would not sway them.
I was privileged to go on the FP trip to Romania, was definitely one my highlights of my year. A group of 19 of us went to Romania for a week. We spent the week doing various things; from helping build a house, to going up a mountain, to helping at the youth events and enjoying each others company in the presence of God. The city we were staying in, Brasov, was beautiful, it even had its own Hollywood style Brasov sign on the hill, which kept me amused all week! One thing I was really challenged on going out there was how servant hearted people were and how generous they were with the little they had, really made me want to be like that, and when I got back I prayed God would change me to have a servant heart.
In May we had our last ever training block in Wimbledon, this was filled with much enjoyment and teaching. On the Tuesday we had a day on Esctology, which is end times, Revelation, etc. Fascinating stuff but also quite head-aching! Wednesday was a day on Social Action to the Poor, which was really challenging, realising it’s our responsibility and one of the things God calls us to do. Thursday was teaching on Church Planting, which was a really impacting day and definitely excited me more to get involved in a church plant in the future, this is something I’m praying about with moving back to London. Please continue to pray God gives me guidance for next year, with where to live in London and God would provide for this and provide a job in which I can be a real witness to Jesus.
Last week I spent two days at Prayer and Fasting, which was another amazing time of meeting with God and being stirred up to have more of a hunger for prayer, literally! I’ve been more encouraged to use pray as the powerful weapon it is, be it through praying for my non-Christian friends, the nations and God’s Name would be Glorified through all this.
A big encouragement for me with one my best friends who’s not a Christian, is that this year at Uni she’s become good friends is a Christian, which is amazing. Please join me in praying for her, we’ve had so many conversations in the past from my lifestyle because of my relationship with God to why God allows suffering, and have shared the Gospel with her; please pray she accepts Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.
This weekend I’m going up to Birmingham to see another of my good friends who’s not a Christian, please pray God will give me an opportunity to bring Jesus to her Uni. I’m really seeking a chance to talk more about Jesus to her as back in January when I went to visit one my best friends at her Uni I asked God for opportunities to show Jesus light to her Uni before I went and the whole weekend was conversation after another about God and my lifestyle because of my relationship with God, was incredible. This friend I’m visiting we’ve had some conversations in the past about God and has really appreciated my prayers in tough times, please pray for more boldness for me and her heart would be open.
Finally as many of you know I’m going to Turkey this summer on a Life Change team, in which I will helping the Church out there and telling people about Jesus on the streets and helping with a kids camp. I have to raise £1000 to go; God has already amazingly provided some of this please continue to pray God will provide for this as I know humanly speaking it is impossible!
Thanks for all your love and support it means a lot to me.
Lots of love,
Rachel.
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