By Faith UK

Arrived here in UK 3 days ago now and time has been busy. Have been staying with friends, recovering from jet lag, 'mannying' (helping serve the family with household work, time with the kids, etc). Visited central London for a day and connecting and visiting with couple of contacts related to ministry among the travelers.

While walking to the train station 2 days ago to catch the ride to city centre, we 'happened to'pass by a Christian bookshop - several books were displayed in the shop window - one of which was the song book used by New Wine conference. This is the same conference referred to in the last blog post with which we were heading to, the one we felt God leading us to attend and with which we have been registered for, for several weeks already!!! Again, is this God's leading that we are on track with His plan, His itinerary. Even friend of the friends we've been staying with, are attending the same conference this week!

So what is ahead? What will result as we attend this conference? How will with what happens here and with whom we will get to meet and know, determine or affect the travels that lie ahead and what happens? We are looking forward in faith to see what happens. So, for now...the journey continues. I sensed God 'speaking' through some things I read from the Bible a few days ago, when first arriving here in the UK from the first book of Samuel from the Old Testament. Will 'see' and discover if this is significant.

On another note - a I was taking the city train to the airport in Vancouver to catch my flight to the UK, 3 stops before the airport, a man walks on to the train, sits opposite me - and I knew him! I first met him perhaps 6 years ago while working in a wilderness park as a 'ranger'. Then 3 weeks ago, while driving out of that same region 700 km away by road), I stopped off at a new tourist information kiosk to drop off some brochures for the company I work seasonally with, and this man 'happened' to walk in at that time also! Next time I am around in the area where he lives, I will plan to visit him.

What does God have planned in these coming days? Until next time

SIGNS OF GOD'S SPIRIT LEADING

Amazing things have begun to happen since the last update as travel planning continues and the departure date to head to Europe is now less than a week away. Plans have been committed for weeks already to travel with a friend in Europe; we met in September 2009 in New Zealand at the same missions training school we were at - he was a school leader, and I was one of the guest speakers and general staff for the base. We have only been in touch via emails and skype for the past few months as we are over 1000 km apart in distance here in North America.

During this planning process, I've been in touch with a good friend in the UK, and as things were shared about coming, she mentioned there was a large Christian conference scheduled a couple days after our planned arrival there. She was already booked in and invited us to join her and her church group to attend. So, I booked us in (via internet) and received the confirmation papers over a week ago.

A few days later, I received an email from G., the one traveling to Europe with me - he had been working in a restaurant in the state of Colorado in the US, and happened to meet a man from the UK. As a result of conversing with him, G. discovered that he was a Christian and had been a speaker at the exact same conference a year ago! And this man's friend is scheduled to be speaking there at the conference we are now booked into!

France has also been a destination we have been planning for - and on my list to try to contact and visit, was a French university student I had met back in early December 2008 while I was volunteering at a Christian hostel in Amsterdam. I could not remember her name or email address, and doing a search in my address book yielded nothing. BUT I had purchased an Apple iPod Touch a few days ago, and did a sample 'Mail' transfer from my laptop to it. Only just 8 mailboxes out of dozens were transferred ...and an email of this student 'happened' to be in one of these! How it got there, I have no idea.

After accessing my email on the web account and searching for the emails between A. and myself, I was SURPRISED in discovering that in a couple of G's newsletters to me months ago, A's name and email address also popped up in the cc list of his contacts!!! Same name, same email address!! How did G. know of this same person? I emailed G. about this and his reply: Back in December 2008, he was in France doing his Christian training and had a short break and traveled from the school with 2 staff members to the French city where A lived. One of these staff members was a friend of A's and the group wound up staying at A's place! And this is how G. met A!

So...are these two events just 'random' coincidences, or are they part of some divine (God) connections and leadings? Are we beginning to experience something of God's guidance here?
What will happen at the conference in the UK? And what about A? I have not been in touch with A. for almost 1 1/2 years. Will we meet A. in Europe, and if so, where and when, and what will result of that? And there have been a couple of other similar things that have already occurred.

Our heart is that this journey would bear witness to the God of the Bible, the one who does promise to lead and guide people into His plans and purposes. He is our 'travel' guide. The adventure is in stepping out in faith with these 'sign posts', and in seeing what happens.

For a great story on this kind of God's 'guidance' or sovereignty, you need to read the entire story of Ruth from the book of Ruth in the Old Testament of the Bible. Here one gets to see the big picture and outcome of events that just 'happen'. In Ruth Chapter 2 Verse 3 (Ruth 2:3): "So she [Ruth] went out and began to glean in the fields....AS IT TURNED OUT, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech." Search out the answers to these questions: Who was Boaz? What eventually happened between Boaz and Ruth? Ruth became the grandmother of King David who 'happened' to be part of the 'genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David' (Book of Matthew, ch.1 v.1 and v. 5-6). As a result of things 'just turning happening' - things were being prepared for events generations into the future.

So, will there be some kind of significant outcome as we head to Europe with these 'God-incidents' in mind? Time will tell, but we pray that there will be something amazing to share.

Another awesome example of this kind of guidance is with Peter in the book of Acts in the New Testament of the Bible between him and the centurion named Cornelius (Acts 10:1 - 11:18).
Read the story in context, look for the timing of things, the supernatural, and the outcome.

Over the past 2 weeks I have been encouraged through reading a book called Empowered Church leadership and it finishes off with a section entitled 'Hearing God's Direction for Your Ministry'. The author explains the importance of gaining a sense of what God is doing, where things just 'flow'. We need to find out what God is doing and join him in it. There is a difference between following through on our good ideas and plans versus coming into line with God's ideas.

We really don't have much of a clue what will happen as we begin this journey together, but we have a strong sense that God is orchestrating something. So with this in mind, we put our faith in this aspect of what God is like:

For my [God's] thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Book of Isaiah ch. 55 v. 8-9, Old Testament, Bible - New Revised Standard Version)


Join us as we travel the road 'unknown' and discover what God is doing and our role in it.

THE JOURNEY JUST PAST AND JUST AHEAD

The days and weeks have flown by since I began to share here.

In mid-May doors opened up and the timing seemed right to head to Alaska. I already had contacts there with people who were interested in starting something up towards helping those in getting to discover or know God through their passions for travel and adventure. So, I made the bookings (and wonderfully Alaskan Airlines had a super savings seat sale happening!).

Three weeks were spent in Alaska, half of that time in the town of Homer, and encouraging things happened in meeting people who share the same vision for the travelers. Had I delayed this trip by a couple of weeks, I would have missed out in meeting a real loving/caring Dutch family whose vision to help travelers/backpackers come to know who God is was so similar to what I have!

One of the amazing and encouraging events that happened in Homer was the Sunday I attended a local church - it was about 10 miles (15km) out of town and I just went with the flow of things from where I was staying - and got a ride with folk to there. It was also the home church of the main contact I had in Homer. At the beginning of the church service, he introduced the two of us visitors by name to the church members. During the break half way between the service, a lady walks up to me and said she knew who I was!! Her name was S. and I actually met her years ago in my home town in church - and her parents have been long-term supporters of what I have been doing. I had totally forgotten about this contact - and even if I had remembered she was in Alaska, I had no idea where she lived there - so meeting her under the circumstances and my reasons for being in Alaska, leaves me wondering in awe of what God may have for the future there. [Photos: google: homer alaska photos]

I connected with both new and past contacts while in Alaska, in Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali National Park area. Hitch-hiking was fairly easy, and some of the rides turned out be in specific answers to prayer - such as asking God to get picked up by people in an RV (recreational vehicle) and I did by a great Texan couple. They even served me lunch! Even after I left Alaska and spent a week in Washington State, visiting friends in a quite a rural area...several friends of theirs had direct connections back to places like Homer and Talkeetna...and I sense that God is beginning to be at work in Alaska. It shall be interesting to see what develops and happens there now over the next 12 months or so.

I returned home for a short break, then headed to work in a wildernness Provincial Park. This has been a summer job of mine for over the past 10 summers - managing the back country for canoeing, hiking, camping and fishing. Last year a good portion of one side of the wilderness valley had a forest fire. It still is an amazing blessing to be able to live and work in this very beautiful and wild location. I will try and share at another time how I was offered this job.

Plans are set to head off for an adventure with God into Europe starting after mid - July. The purpose of this trip is: 1. Sensing God is saying 'go' and to trust him that he will set the agenda, he will be the guide. A couple of locations already seemed to be confirmed, and as the weeks progress I hope to share with you what happens. 2. To continue to develop and network with people in helping backpackers discover and experience God while they travel. 3. To truly let this journey be a 'Faith Travel', to allow God to lead and to guide, and to share how my belief and faith in the God of the Bible as a backpacker really is an incredible adventure, testifying to His reality.

For now, my focus will be to get things in order to head out on this next journey. I've been asking God in prayer to bring the right next set of people to live in my home while I am away by around mid July. There seems to be no end of things to do get ready for yet another set of travels.

My prayer is that for those of you reading this, that you will be able to share this journey with me. I will try and make a weekly posting. Remind me if I do not. My desire is that this journey ahead will be an encouragement and a challenge to all who read it, to take 'risks of faith' in getting to know God and allow him to lead you into the adventure of your life.