One of the things that Becky and I like doing when we travel is to try the local cuisine. In the district of Singapore where we stayed overnight during our 20 hour layover, frog porridge (rice porridge with frog meat stew). The taste was actually quite nice - a mix between fish and chicken - in a very delicious sauce.
Tuesday, 3 May 2022
Frog porridge
Saturday, 30 April 2022
Saying farewell to Stockport (and England)
Thursday, 28 April 2022
Thank you, St Mary's, Luton!
It was so wonderful to be at St Mary's, Luton.
Luton is a place where, even though I didn't grow up there, I always feel like I'm coming home. Sadly we don't have a house in the town anymore, and during the pandemic finding accommodation was nigh-on impossible! Thankfully, as things are easing, we've been able to travel back to this wonderful place that sent us into missions in the first place.
As we process any change in our ministry work, we always seek advise and counsel from Luton first. St Mary's is where I got married to Becky and where I really deepened my faith and commitment to the Lord Jesus!
If you're interested, here's the talk I gave (underneath is the transcript for the sermon, if you prefer reading to listening).
Fear of the Lord only
We’ve been
part of St Mary’s church since 1999. I was a cell group leader and cell pastor. I love
Luton. It’s the place where I studied, it’s the place where I met Becky. This
church is where I got married, and it’s this church where we were sent into
missions 12 years ago. By God’s grace, He’s kept us going strong. And St Mary’s
has been a huge part of that. Thank you.
Becky is a
missionary kid, grew up in Nigeria. From the moment we met, she talked about travel and getting out there to share the gospel. It took me a few years to get on board!
After five years of marriage, we finally went into
missions in 2010. We served for 6½ years in Cape Town, South Africa before moving to the Philippines where
we are now. The move to the Philippines was a chance for us to expand the work
we’d been doing in South Africa and we felt it was the place with the greater
need for anti-trafficking work, especially in regard to children.
This is one of the ladies we help, her name is [name removed].
After 20
months of being away from the Philippines, due to covid travel restrictions,
the question came to our minds: is it safe to go back? Since January 2021,
we’ve been regularly checking the entry restrictions and trying many different
ways and means to get back to do the physical mission work, though we continued
working remotely with the help of staff on the ground. Every avenue we tried
didn’t work. Suddenly, at the end of February 2022, the Philippines announced
the opening up and allowance of foreigners to re-enter the country.
The question then comes to mind: the borders may be open, but is now the right time?
A typhoon in December hit Cebu hard. Our
house, thankfully, wasn’t affected so badly, but we still lost parts of our roof,
the water, electricity and internet connections.
After
consideration and prayer, we decided that just one of us should go out and
survey the land – is it possible and is it wise for us as a family to move back
at this time!? What about our budget – can we afford to live? How are prices now
and do we have enough support?
I had to go
to the airport without a ticket and trust the Lord that if it was right to go
that he would make it happen. There’s more to this story as to why I did that –
not my normal way of doing things, but it was to do with a step of obedience
and step of faith.
I had had a false positive covid test. I knew it was false positive, because I had recently recovered from the actual virus! The positive test result, even though false, caused my ticket to be invalidated by the airline (I called the airline with the news and they put my ticket on hold, until I could get a clarification of it being a false positive). Thankfully, I was able to confirm with the testing company that it was, indeed, a false positive and a repeat test showed a negative result. Going back to the airline, they'd already sold my ticket so someone else and there weren't any seats left at my price. On discussion with the agent and not having any easy option, I prayed about it and felt peace to go to the airport anyway without a ticket and trust that I could fly.
On arrival at the airport, Becky reminded me that we had been forced to pay for extra insurance by the Philippine government to cover covid-19 incidences. We discovered, to our surprise and delight, that this compulsory insurance covered false positive tests and they agreed to pay the fare difference. This was a miracle - we didn't have the money for a new ticket and for the provision to come at this point (just 3 hours before the flight) was amazing and so exciting. It's my first time going to the airport without a valid ticket! I was nervous, but somehow knew that God was going to get me back to Cebu!
So, I arrived in Cebu and met with colleagues and friends and began my work. It was such a wonderful time and full of God’s guidance and provision.
These are
some of the ladies with whom we work and I was able to meet some of them on my
trip. It was amazing to be back, to meet new members of the team
and to survey the land! Straightaway work began on fixing
the roof and it was completed in a few days. The internet was restored and inside the house was re-painted and
broken items fixed. Only the Lord could have made all these things happen so
quickly, because so much of it was out of my control. It really felt as though
the Lord had his hand on our return.
I spent my
time in Cebu visiting the projects where we work, putting things back together
and putting together a budget for the next year of work if we were to return as
a family.
I’m pleased
to say that: based on the kindness and support from St Mary’s and others, we’re
now up to about 90 per cent of our budget from donations and pledged gifts. This is
amazing and we’re so grateful for this support, especially in this time of
uncertainty and increased costs for all of us and for all of you. We really
appreciate the sacrifice that so many of you have made in supporting us –
especially supporting us through St Mary’s.
This gives us confidence to return, knowing things are ready for us, as a family, in Cebu and to continue the work and even expand on what we’ve already been doing. This is a really exciting time for the mission work and it’s so good to have a great team around us in YWAM at the House of Prayer.
Our next task will be to see if
we can raise enough to replace our car which is spending more time in the
garage than on the road. It’s a 22 year old Toyota and I think it’s pretty much
at the end of its useful life right now!
We will be
flying out as a family on Monday, 2nd May 2022. The children will
be homeschooled for a couple of months whilst we register them for the new
academic year in Cebu, when – finally – face to face instruction is expected to
return. Children in Cebu have been off face-to-face schooling for over 2 years
now.
The bible
passage we’re looking at this morning is from Matthew 18, which begins with the
disciples discussing with Jesus about who is the greatest. I’m not sure what
they were expecting, but I’m sure they never expected the response they got
from Jesus, as he invited little children to come and sit with him. Jesus
identified the pride in their hearts. If you think about it from the disciples’
perspectives – “hey Jesus, we left our entire lives to follow you – surely we
get a special place in your Kingdom?”. This is a very easy place for missionaries
to fall – we left our homes, family, comfort zone. Where is my reward? How
great will I be in the Kingdom of God.
The answer
is not so comfortable to read!
Jesus turned
their question on its head and shows examples of the Kingdom of God and how we
need to be childlike in our walk with God. Jesus talks then about how he will
bring severe judgement on those who cause the little children to sin. He then
concludes with a parable that says how he will persevere to protect his flock,
even if it means leaving those that are safe to find that 1 lost sheep. I’ll
come back to that 1 sheep in a bit, but let’s examine this childlike faith a
bit further first…
It’s really
only when we lay down our rights to these home comforts unconditionally –
without expectation of reward – do this passage becomes truly comforting. As I
lay down my own pride in what “I have achieved” and lean on Him, then this message
from Matthew’s gospel becomes so powerful. If we truly look at my own abilities
to do what God’s called us to do in the Philippines, the need seems
overwhelming. But…
…if we just
come to him, like a child, and have that willingness to just go, the
impossible task becomes possible. This has rung true in so many ways. We
often do not know how things will pan out and the work that God has called us
to do seems overwhelming and I certainly feel underqualified for it. But… his
faithfulness that we have seen over the years brings confidence to the unknown.
My flight out to the Philippines was impossible, but with God, it became
possible!
Thank you
for your prayers
OK, let’s move
on to look at the 1 lost sheep.
The need in
the Philippines is so great. Our work is to help survivors of human
trafficking. We feel led to expand that work to help the survivors of OSEC –
online exploitation of children – and it is a form of trafficking. With the
incredibly long lockdowns and with the closure of schools for 2 years now,
online abuse has grown exponentially, as families struggle to make ends meet
and seek increasingly desperate measures to survive. Within a few minutes, the
traffickers can earn a week’s wages.
As we look at
this growing problem of human trafficking, we can easily feel overwhelmed by
the need. However, as we discussed this issue with one of our mentors, they said
“focus on the one”. If you can start with helping one person or one family,
then things can grow from there. This encouragement has inspired us to think –
and reminded us of the parable of the lost sheep – that Jesus would go after
the one. If we can bring the gospel to the one, share the love of Jesus to that
one – if they respond and give their lives to Jesus – then we have helped that
one.
In our
mission work, we have a vision of 4 freedoms:
Freedom in Christ – bringing the gospel to the poor
Freedom from slavery – giving people a hope away from control and abuse
Freedom from pollution – of the body, soul and mind. Bringing an environment of
clean, healthy living.
Freedom from poverty – bringing sustainable income, to remove the snare that
brought them into bondage in the first place.
So, as we go
back, even though we’ll be developing strategies to help whole communities
escape from poverty, we will always look to celebrate each one we help.
Back to
Pete:
The
stumbling block for me on sharing the gospel over the years is fear. Fear of
being mocked, being laughed at. Fear of rejection. Fear of how it would look to
be a bible basher! For people I’m close to, my fear is based around losing the relationship
– being rejected. I have really struggled to share my faith with my family,
especially, as I’m scared to lose my relationship with them! It stopped me from
going into missions for many years, much to Becky’s frustration! I’ve seen
other Christian friends who have become isolated from those close to them, as
they share their faith, people pull away from having a relationship with them.
In today’s Old Testament reading, we had Proverbs 9:10, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. In 2nd Timothy 1vs7 it says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” So, if I’m afraid of sharing my faith – the bible tells us that that doesn’t come from a fear of the Lord, it is a fear of man. It’s very sobering and it has motivated me to step out of my comfort zone and say: Lord, if you didn’t give me a spirit of fear, then help me to be bold, even in the face of rejection!
Supernaturally, God has given me boldness in the Philippines to share my faith in places I never have before – with bus conductors, or the mechanic fixing my car. Even foreigners I see in the malls. I’m still a work in progress – I still shy away, especially in my own culture and with my own family – and I need to ask God continuously to help me lay down my own fears and submit to the fear of the Lord!
Whilst praying on what to share today, the Holy Spirit is speaking to me about fear of man. Fear of man is simply allowing what others think (or even worse, what we think they think) to shape our actions, rather than leaning on what the Lord is telling us to do.
It’s
something which I fall into very often and something which the Lord has been
working on in my life over the past 20 years or so. And it’s not just limited
to sharing the gospel. I still find myself making life decisions based on what
others would think or say.
But when we
think about eternity, that never ending life that we know exists for those who
trust in the Lord, isn’t it worth it? Our walk with the Lord is a daily process
of looking to him and him alone.
In today’s
passage, Jesus compared obedience in the Kingdom to being like a little child.
In many ways, we overcomplicate our walk with God, don’t we. We try and justify
our actions as being the sensible way to do things. But our ‘sensible’ way,
isn’t always the way the Lord leads. My experience has been sometimes that the
Lord will take me halfway across the world, just to highlight an area of my
life he wants to deal with.
I think that’s possibly our challenge for you: if you look at your community where you live, where you work, where you study…who is the one you could make a difference to?
Who is the one that’s never heard the gospel that you could share with?
A whole movement can start with the life of just one person being transformed by the gospel. And you could be that one that shared with them.
Friday, 22 April 2022
On the road to recovery
Thank you so much for your prayers and support over the past few weeks. I am resting at Becky's parents house at the moment. It has been frustrating, knowing that we leave the country for the Philippines in 10 days and not being able to do any kind of heavy lifting. However Becky has been a superstar, connecting in with friends and physically sorting many of the things needed to be shipped to Cebu!
We are due to 'set sail' on May 2nd. Looking forward to checking in with folk in Luton when we visit St Mary's on April 24th and Emmanuel Community Church on May 1st. We have also been blessed by great fellowship with members of the Trinity Church in Offerton who befriended us during the lockdown when we didn't know anyone in Stockport. We are so grateful for the community we have seen here in Stockport which has sustained us!
Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Unexpected turn of events
After a wonderful time at St Michaels Church in Warfield who have been faithfully supporting our work, we headed down to my (Peter's) mums for the kids to see grandma and for us to say our goodbyes to her before venturing off to Cebu. However, maybe the goodbye will be slightly longer than anticipated, as on arrival I came down with acute stomach pains and was rushed to hospital and was diagnosed with appendicitis. I'm out of surgery now and I'm the recovery suite.
Two weeks rest might mean longer at Grandma's than I had anticipated!
Sunday, 10 April 2022
Encouraging words
It's always exciting to get words of knowledge from friends. We visited Warfield Church North (aka St Michael's) in Berkshire on Sunday 10th April 2022. This was our second attempt at visiting the church, as last time I (Peter) tested positive for COVID just before leaving!
As we met with the wonderful people at the church, we were so excited to hear how many had been praying for us before and during our visit. They had pictures and images that were shared with us - more than one had the same image in their mind. Even after all these years in YWAM, it is exciting to hear people hearing the voice of God and being willing to share it so openly. May God bless this church and enable it to grow strong in the Warfield and Bracknell area. More importantly, may they know that their partnership means that the work of Warfield Church spreads strong the world, as they invest in God's mission work globally!
Thank you to all who shared and encouraged us! Bless you!
We also got a sneak peak up the tower to see the view across Bracknell!
Sunday, 13 March 2022
Arrived in Cebu after such a long time!
Greetings from Cebu, Philippines. Getting here was nothing short of a miracle!
After having had covid a few weeks ago, I was sure that not only did I have the antibodies from the vaccine, but also the antibodies from the actual virus. Having consistently tested negative, I confidently went for my PCR test the day before I was due to fly, only to receive a positive result! I contacted the airline and they told me that I could not fly, but they would put my ticket on hold until I tested negative. On leaving the airport with this disappointing news, I felt sure that I was Covid negative and the test must be showing falsely, as I had fully recovered some time ago from the disease. I felt the prompting (which I think was the Holy Spirit) to go back and get another PCR test. I went, was seen straight away (even though I didn't have a prior appointment) and got a 3-hour express PCR test. We prayed ... and this came back negative! I then contacted the airline again, but they had sold my seat to someone else and told me that only higher priced economy tickets were available (meaning an extra £279). I still felt strongly that I was supposed to fly the following day, but didn't have peace about forking out all that money! Becky and I prayed about it again. We contacted the airline, and the price had gone up to over £340! After praying about it, and still sensing God's peace that I would fly the following day, we decided to sleep on it and return to the airport the next day (March 8th) to see if I could get the flight. In the morning, we contacted the travel insurance company to explain. Miraculously, they said that, in principle, as long as the difference is less than the cost of the flight, I would be covered! So, we went to the airport in faith, the desk told me the £279 ticket was available again and I booked it and flew out to Cebu on the overnight flight.
Here I am on board the Qatar flight, still a bit shell-shocked by the fact that I was there!
Now that I'm here I can see how devastated the city was from the typhoon. So many buildings have been damaged and the whole infrastructure torn apart by the strong winds. One colleague described it as the worst storm he'd ever seen. Grace and Ann-Ann who have been taking care of the house described cowering on the upstairs landing, which is in the middle of the house, petrified as the wind started ripping off gutters, parts of the roof and screen doors. Water was pouring in from all angles. The Philippine economy is still suffering the effects of the Covid pandemic, and with limited resources and manpower, there is still so much devastation to so many buildings that may take years to rectify.
You may remember we talked about the home of a poor family (the mother works as a cook at the YWAM base) whose roof was destroyed. I was able to visit today. Here it is now, under reconstruction, this time with concrete blocks instead of wood:
Saturday, 12 March 2022
The final countdown
I'm back from my 3 week trip to the Philippines. It was a success and the way is now paved for the whole family to go to Cebu in 3 weeks.
We are grateful to be able to find cost effective flights (£400 each, one way) which will give us an overnight stop in Singapore, leaving the UK on Monday 2nd May.
While in Cebu I was able to visit some of the IJM ladies we have been working with for these years while there. They are struggling with home.
Today was the children's last day at their school, Covenant Christian School, which they (and we) are all very sad about leaving. Becky's mum Jenny also shed a few tears, as she has been teaching most of Becky's allocation of classes and we have all fallen in love with the families there! They will be missed. To help the kids keep in touch with friends, we are planning to let them make short videos - so if you have a question for them, please send it to us!
Friday photo on 8-4-2022 WhatsApp Image 2022-04-08 at 13.26.22.jpeg
This was our last day with the school. They threw a little goodbye party for us, with gifts, which was so moving!
One of the things I was looking at when I visited in March was the ability to continue to do our work. That included the state of our home after the typhoon, the status of the schools (whether they are opening), transport links and ability to reach those we minister to. I'm pleased to say that the trip was an overwhelming success and all is ready for us to return. One of the areas that I highlighted as a need was to replace our car. Twice it was in the garage whilst I was there and they struggled to fix the ongoing problems with the steering and oil leaks. The bodywork of the car has deteriorated since we left significantly. Therefore we are getting ready to sell it. At 22 years old and being used every day for the last 6 years, it has served us well.
If you know of anyone interested in supporting us to buy another car, we're running a fundraiser on GoFundMe. A replacement of a car about 8-10 years old will cost in the region of £5,000 to £6,000 (cars are expensive in the Philippines!), but the more we raise the better the car we can purchase and the longer we can use it for. Our last car was already 16 years old when we bought it and the previous owner felt it was 'on its last legs' when we bought it! Praise God that it lasted this long! Hugs thanks to those who helped us bluy 'The White Warrior' (as it is known).
Here's the gofundme link: GoFundMe
( https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-replace-our-aging-car?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1 )
More info can be found on our blog fundraising page.
Sunday, 7 March 2021
Chatting on Radio Berkshire
Saturday, 6 February 2021
Leadership Development
For the past two weeks, we have been attending a leadership development seminar held online and spanning the entire world, from Hawaii to the Philippines. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, we have been trained by very experienced missionaries from across the world without any of us having to leave the comfort of our own home!
Tuesday, 6 October 2020
New Baby girl!
We're delighted to announce the birth of our daughter, Faith Abigail Ruth, born on 6th October 2020! She came in weighing 3.050kg. Both mum and baby doing well. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Saturday, 13 May 2017
Family dynamics
We have only been in full time Christian service for 7 years, yet in that time we have gone from being a married couple to being a family of four. Budgets have had to increase and at times stretched. During the hard times, we saw God's provision amazingly break through our needs so that the children were always fed and the rent was always paid!
So, as I journey in missions, I see many missionaries who have struggled with their children. The confusion about being different from the others in their home country, the questions of the work of their parents and the confusion related to growing up overseas means that I'm eager to 'get it right' for my family. If anybody's got any ideas on how to do this right, then I'd love to know.
Right now, we're just aware that it's an issue that may become big for my children in 10-15 years. We are investing heavily in them now, homeschooling them at times and bringing them into our decision making processes, where appropriate.
I know that there's no perfect way to parent, but I want to strive towards helping my kids have a healthy and happy childhood that will prepare them for their adult lives, however they choose to live them! And I pray that their faith will be strong too!
Monday, 1 August 2016
Trusting God in the unknown
How do we deal with the unknown?

We don’t need to be afraid, if we are walking by faith, even in the unknown.
Faith gives us hope.
In Genesis 12 God chose one man, Abraham, to begin his redemption plan for the whole world. Abraham had to make great sacrifices in this world to be obedient to God. Abraham had to step into the unknown to be obedient to God. In this story, we see how God was faithful to fulfil his promises and more through Abraham and ultimately our saviour, Jesus Christ. And we see an example of the value of trusting God even when our present circumstances looks bleak.
Abram, later known as Abraham, lived in a place called Ur.
This was one of the most developed areas of its time. Life was pretty sweet and Abram was rich with land, livestock and many servants. He had status in the community and was highly respected. The land of Mesopotamia was rich, fertile, and fruitful. They had buildings and even hot and cold running water. If anyone was in a comfort zone, it was Abram. It is here that we begin the story where God first calls Abram to leave his home land.
In verse 1, it says:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
First call of Abram was not a promise, it was a command. Action was demanded of Abram, even though God was scant on details.
I’m a planner. I love to know exactly what we’re doing, when and how. I hate it when I feel things are unorganised and not thought through. And if we’ve made a plan, let’s stick to it, whether that’s what I’m doing in life, generally, or even just what we’re eating tonight for dinner. I don’t know about you, but my nature is one of wanting to know what is coming next and if I don’t know, I get quite stressed and anxious. If we’ve planned on having pizza for dinner, I will move heaven and earth to make sure that it’s pizza and woe betide anyone who dares suggest to change the plan.
So, when I read in Genesis of Abram being told by God to simply leave what he knows and step into the unknown with a “don’t worry, I’ll show you along the way….” makes me anxious just reading it.
Yet that is exactly where I am at right now. We’ve heard the call of God to move to the Philippines.
We took a step of faith and obedience.
We reserved tickets to Cebu, not having the funds to pay for it, but trusting that God would provide.
And he did.
This has happened to us three times now, in the last year. This seems to be the way that God works with us:
1. Hear the call and decide to act.
2. Act (ie. Commit to going/booking tickets etc).
3. God provides the means.
This pattern of walk with the Lord has happened to us countless times over the 6 ½ years we’ve been in missions, since we quit our jobs. We made ourselves vulnerable, but God has always come through.
But it’s not always easy. Right now, we haven’t yet got a place to live, we don’t know who we’re going to be working with and how we’re going to be doing it. The call is there but the details are scant. Usually this would freak me out and I would be having sleepless nights worried about what the future might hold.
Yet in a strange way, we have peace. Having seen God provide and guide all these years has given us confidence and assurance in His leadership and provision over our lives. Once again we have stepped off the cliff edge of surety into the unknown. I don’t’ think this makes us special or wonderful – but maybe a bit crazy. There isn’t some special magic that God does to missionaries to make us super human. We have our fears, issues and problems. We have kids who don’t always do what we ask them to do. We get sick and tired. We have mis-understandings with others and each other.
I think if anyone were to ask how we got to this point in our walk, it is through baby steps in the past, and God has always been there for us. We have seen many miracles which each time strengthens our faith and helps us to take the next step.
OK, so let’s look at the next bit of Genesis 12.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
OK, so God has told Abram to go, not told him where to go or what he’s going to do. But…he has given him a great promise. And what a promise it is. This is a man without any children at this stage. He’s got wealth but no descendants.
He didn’t start by giving him Isaac.
He started by sending him out into the unknown. Abram had to trust God’s promise in the midst of the unknown.
I don’t know your circumstance. I don’t know what you’re facing in life. But I do know one thing: God is faithful and trustworthy. He is big enough to carry your burdens with you and walk with you in your journey, in your story, your song. You can trust him that he is good and true.
But do you trust him, even when things look bleak, even when you don’t know exactly where you’re going?
Let’s just have a look at that verse for a minute. That’s quite a promise to Abram. This man who seemingly has everything he needs, except a family of his own. Yet at this stage, God doesn’t promise him children. He goes way beyond that. He promises so much more. This is not feel good, pithy promises from God. These are true statements that actually came true.
In Galatians 3 we see the end of the story:
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify[c] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Paul, here, nicely unpacks for us the fulfilment of that promise to Abraham. Our saviour, Jesus Christ, was a direct descendent of Abraham. All who have faith in Jesus are blessed, along with Abraham. There is no doubt here, that God fulfilled his promise to Abraham. He didn’t fill Abraham in on the details. Abraham had to trust God, take that leap into the unknown. He had to have faith in God. It’s that faith that Jesus is referring to, when he says in Matthew 17, with the power that faith as small as a mustard seed can have. Abram’s faith to walk in obedience with God, made him righteous before the Father in Heaven.
What is God calling you to do, which is a leap into the unknown? What areas of your life are you holding back from him, because you’re afraid of losing them? Allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you, even whilst I’m speaking.
For us, stepping into the unknown is easier. Back in those days when you left your household to follow the call of God, you probably never saw your extended family again.
But now… …with social media and the internet, home never feels that far away. We can see pictures and watch videos of our god children. We can skype with Grandma and Grandad. We can tweet the queen, if we so choose!
However, it doesn’t make it comfortable, or even easy, to move 6,754 miles away. Yes, I googled it! We are all experiencing varying levels of culture shock in our family right now. Having lived out of suitcases since May, our lives have been continuously disrupted and we’re ready to settle somewhere as soon as possible. Our promised land may be different to that of Abraham…but we know that it will be good.
Abram was, at the age of 75, to make this long journey towards Canaan. He was to leave everything behind. Yet he was obedient. He continued to trust God along the way and didn’t complain when God told him to keep moving.
Our journey and our experience is different to that of Abram, all those years ago.
Living in the 21st Century, we have the joy of the knowledge that Jesus has already come. He has already died for us. He descended to the dead and rose again on the third day. He is alive today! And he’s coming back! The curtain is torn. There is no need for an earthly intercessor or priest. We, yes all of us, have access to the Father through the Son. And as we step into his throneroom, we have a freedom to dance with him, to run with him, to enjoy life with him.
Walking in obedience to Christ is no burden. As we release the hold that worldly values keep us enslaved to (and there are plenty of them that I still need to release), we find a new freedom that means that the unknown is no longer scary. The Joy that comes from knowing that He loves us, no matter what our circumstances may be, is immense.
Abram was righteous. He was brave. He chose to trust God, even when what God was offering him seemed impossible and even laughable.
Have a think about your own life. What is your story?
It has been said that there is no testimony without a test. A test from God is not put there to put us down, or humiliate us. It is there to purify us – just like when you’re purifying a precious metal, it’s held under the fire, so that all the rubbish falls away. God purifies us, tests us, and nurtures us, so that we may be Kingdom fit and heaven-ready.
For me, I am not brave or bold, or clever, or rich.
As a family, we do not go out into the mission field feeling like we’ve got it all together. We choose to go, because we know He is the one going before us. He is the one who provided the clothes I’m wearing today.
He is my true father and I want my story and my song to be his.
This text is taken from a talk given at St Mary's Church, Luton on 31st July 2016
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
Leaving Muizenberg
It is today that we say farewell to Muizenberg, South Africa. We leave on a high. We're not leaving because our time here has come to an end per se. If we stayed, there would be plenty of work for us to do. And we have great relationships here which we've built over the past 6 years. God has blessed our time in South Africa, and it's with a heavy heart that we leave this beautiful country. But leave we must if we are to pursue our dream to adopt.
We feel the Lord is with us as we made this decision, even giving us the space to decide when, and where to go. As we presented Phillipines to Him, we felt His peace and providence. We didn't need to fundraise or send out an appeal, God just put it on a few people's heart to give extra support in this time of extra need. We are so grateful to God and the friends for their amazing faithfulness and generosity.
So now here we are. About to check in to our flight to cebu, not going home to they uk first but stepping straight into the unknown!
Please pray for us.
Wednesday, 6 January 2016
A new year, the beginning of a new season
Over the next few months, Pete will be winding down his work with AfriCom and handing the ministry over to the eldership for them to consider its future. Becky will train up staff at S-Cape with her skills and knowledge so that they can continue the work that she started.