who was/is Jesus?? How much does God love us??...please read on........

Chris writes: lots going on at the moment, the new intake of our international students (ELCO) have now arrived...the last one a girl from Russia had visa problems but is now with us...they are settling in and I am enjoying leading the missional part of their programme.

We have just sent out our monthly prayer letter with some big prayer requests for us as a couple what we are praying to achieve for 2014.....if you have not received it/would like to please let me know and we will send it to you......we would really appreciate your prayers in these coming months!!

Someone once said: 'Faith is not believing that God can. It's knowing that He will'

We believe that God will.

Am still reading the wonderful book  'The Relentless Love Of Jesus' by Brennan Manning

Some people are happy to believe the lie that Jesus was a only prophet and nothing more. Or that He was merely a good guy. Look at the evidence.

We all know and believe He existed and walked this earth.......there is more evidence to prove that than many other people from history.

the Bible says that Jesus points us to God.......He is Son of God??

.....some people say that I look like my dad...no-one else does, I am in direct relationship with him...

Jesus said: "Anyone who has seen me has seen The Father"... i.e. God...in John 14:9 so Jesus is saying He is in direct relationship with God......so not just another guy or even a prophet then....and as CS Lewis says a good guy would not make claims like that anyway.

....and how do we know that The Father loves us..how much does He love us??......as the beautiful song by David Crowder band says oh how He loves us:

The truth is as Manning says:  

"...the torn, broken, lacerated, spit covered, blood drenched body of Jesus is only a hint of the Father's love."

How amazing!! Let those words go deep!!

God bless you

New Year...new start

Chris writes...well only 23 days into the new year and has been such a busy time We have now graduated our international students (ELCO programme).... and the new students are literally on their way....one from Bosnia just arrived this evening.....over an hour late!...the new term/intake starts on Monday....we also have a new church and I have some ideas for developing the ministry programme further......the prayer meeting for the night shelters which are going to be run every night in different churches around Birmingham was great and It was so good to see the churches across Birmingham from diverse physical locations and with equally diverse theologies meeting and sharing together. There was involvement from the URC Church, The Baptist Church and the Anglican Church. it was so exciting and inspiring to see all these people and churches praying together in unity!!

The night shelter itself has now started and the churches are impacting their communities.....people who last week slept rough now have a warm accommodation if they wish.

We had a great week off and felt really blessed, refreshed and strengthened for the busy few months ahead!!

We have been praying much about our future and feel God is saying to enjoy what we have and trust Him for the rest......

...........thanks so much for your prayers and support and hope you can keep up with us in 2014!!

....and so this in Christmas.....2013 into 2014........

Chris writes: so this is Christmas and as the song says 'another year over and a new one to begin'  so how was 2013 for you? What has changed in your life? What will change in 2014 for you?

For us this time last year it would have been hard to imagine that as a couple we would be celebrating Christmas back in the UK, having been living in the Midlands, still with OM and working for Lifehope for 4 months. We felt God was calling us back last winter; we took some time out to pray and fast; pack and close our home in Gjakova, say all our goodbyes; put the Lighthouse and our vision into the hands of the locals: it is now run by a local young guy who we employ and we also have a treasurer; we returned here in mid June and spent 2 1/2 months travelling, praying and resting before finally moving here.

Since we have been here and in such a short space of time it really feels like home, even though we do not have our own home. We have been house sitting so have been paying minimal rent which we are sooo grateful for! Lorraine has had a major operation and is recovering well. We are now part of both a global family of people who are based here from all over the world and a local family who have cooked and cleaned for us for three weeks. I have also completed training sessions in mentoring and training trainers.

I now have a job at Lifehope and am able to train and equip internationals who come here to improve their English in church life and mission work. I am also involved in a night shelter which the churches in Birmingham are running for 8 weeks from January. Last week my two roles came together when i was asked to provide some entertainment at a meal which was being put on for the homeless & vulnerable in Birmingham. The students loved it and gave a powerful message in the drama which really spoke to some people.

Lorraine has just returned to work after her rehabilitation so is open to her next direction.

Phew what a year!!

We cannot take credit for this, the transition and the journey, what we have achieved and how peaceful and rested we feel can only be down to the peace and  grace of the Lord God Almighty, whose earthly arrival and birth among us that we celebrate tomorrow. It is to Him that all the glory must go. Amen.

From us both and from the bottom of our hearts we are so grateful to Him for that and to you for journeying with us and for your support and prayers.

...and to 2014....we know it presents more challenges as we need to increase our finances, find our own home and look further into family and further transition into life back here in the UK...we know it won't be easy but we have our journey thus far to look back on and nothing to make us think He will not be with us every step of the way as He has been so far.

I hope like us you also can celebrate Christmas having that special relationship as we have and seeing Him work in your life. I hope this Christmas will for you, be a truly Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

With Much love from us both xx

Still asking: What is a missionary??

Chris writes: having a really busy time at mo....currently on an OM course from last Tuesday until next Wednesday...really intense and long days...I really struggled with doing the course leaving Lorraine for so long on her own but she has supported me in it...am really glad that I did it and yes it is stretching me in all sorts of ways...really appreciate your prayers for me and for Lorraine on her own at home...pray that i can give and get the max out of it for the last three days.....really hope and pray that this will equip me further in my role at Lifehope as Team Life and Missions Coordinator....sounds very grand!

From previous blogs you will have read my thoughts regarding missionaries so this was a great quote some of you might know:

'A Missionary is not one who Crosses the seas but one who sees the Cross.'

Be blessed as you work out what that means for you!!  xx

Relentless love

Chris writes: over the summer have been (and indeed still am I'm afraid!) reading a  potentially life changing book. The book is by Brennan Manning who died earlier this year. The book is entitled: 'The Relentless Love of Jesus'.

For those that have not read it here are just a few of his words that I wanted to share with you:

'Jesus Says "You did not choose me; no, I chose you." These are phenomenal statements! What deity of any great world religion has ever spoken with such breathtaking tenderness, incredible familiarity, indomitable confidence, and spellbinding power!'

He writes that the Gospel is 'Scandalous'

He says: 'What Christian in his right mind would dare to speak of God in such human, earthly terms unless God Himself had used them first?'

'...God who cherishes and graces all people without qualification, a God whose whole and only desire is our happiness and fulfillment....our awareness of God is so flawed'

'Open yourself to my God whose passionate love is unreasonable and trust Him wholeheartedly.'

'Our life in Christ is not an easy thing to grasp. Maybe you only understand it by living it'.

And finally

'....B.C. 'Before Christ' and A.D. 'Anno Domini' - the year of the Lord - expresses a truth: the life of Jesus is the central event in human history according to which that entire history must be evaluated and judged.
The truth of Christianity is not a doctrine but a person. It is the reality of Jesus Christ......'

Do you know Him?

Be Blessed

..........not Missionaries!!??!!!

Chris writes: we have now been at Lifehope for almost two months and we are settling in and enjoying life being back in the UK and also being part of a larger team....Lifehope is one happy family (usually!) of people gathered from all over the world and with the different languages, people groups and cultures it represents it is amazing just how happy it is......that can only be God bringing all these people together........

.............. it seems that there is one word which is unhelpful for us to use however in our new stage of our journey: missionary!!  what is a missionary? Well, according to google: 'someone sent on a religious mission' especially 'one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country' or another one: 'someone sent by Jesus'....hopefully that rings true to many of you.....no? then look at the end of at least the first three Gospels...the last words spoken by Jesus was to send His disciples....so....the truth is we are all called to be missionaries...over the garden fence, in our homes, in our schools, in our places of work, on the street...infact wherever we are.......

Understandably therefore it is hard for people to get the picture when we use this word to describe our role now that we feel we have been called back to the UK.....some people have asked when we will be getting a job..??...a paid job.....but the truth is we do have jobs....so what are we doing in Halesowen with OM???

I am working with the International Students who are in Halesowen to improve their English and am involved in the outreach side of their programme....facilitating the missionaries of the future... and yes it is a privilege!!

I hope to show you more pictures in the future but for now meet Ginny:

http://news.om.org/feature-article/r37944

..........this week we were on the streets in the centre of Birmingham doing outreach and evangelism with the students...now I am really out of my comfort zone ....how do our students feel!!

.....and Kosova...we are still praying and supporting and this month was given £1000 from a trust                  Praise God!!!

Lorraine will fill you all in on what she is up to in a later blog.......

...and to the future....we are looking firstly to change the name above to reflect that we still have Kosova in our hearts and yet are now continuing our adventures in UK.....we are also praying about our future in UK

..........please, please do pray and share any thoughts you have with us on any of the above......the ministry we have established in Kosova during our time there is built on your prayers and support...it is no different now we are back in UK....

Many blessings and thanks for praying and supporting us as we support and invest in what God is doing in Kosova and the UK

In Him

the Future....Missionaries in UK??

Chris writes: Port Issac is now a distant memory...we are in North Wales this weekend for a few days break visiting Lorraine's Father. We have had such a fantastic summer and have visited so many of our family, friends/supporters....but not all of them yet!! We have traveled from one side of UK to the other and back again.......to OM Birmingham, Halesowen....or the West Midlands (!!)..so we are now praying and trying to work out how our future is going to look here....of course only God knows the real answer to that one!!

We have now been in Halesowen for 2 weeks and are currently on an induction programme with a number of other singles and families joining at the same time....once again we have amazing provision...a house we can live in rent free....but that is a much longer story we will tell you sometime.

Meanwhile back in Kosova at Lighthouse we are hearing amazing stories of how God is blessing the work their...of kids clubs, movie nights and most excitingly of people becoming Christians!! WOW!!

So what of the future for us??? This is something we are praying about this weekend....can we both continue to work with OM as missionaries and be based in UK??? It seems that this is the path God is pointing us too....but more about that later .....hope you enjoy this from Rend Collective...MY Lighthouse........that is certainly our testimony....thanks for listening and praying....please do keep us up to date with what God is doing in your life

God Bless you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fiE5J_wwmY