On Saturday August 7 all four of us did a short hike together to Easedale Tarn above town. I wanted some time alone and was eager to hike cross country and explore. Yet I did not quite get away people and found myself near another trail that continued to go further up. A solo British woman named J walked by and I called out something in jest to her and we connected. She asked me what I was doing here in the UK and I gave her the spiritual reason. She happened to be Buddhist in belief but was asking me some pretty deep questions. I wanted to spend more time with her but was committed to meet C and R at 3pm to join them on another hike and had no mobile phone connection right where I was to try and change plans. I shared later with my three friends c, r and g about my encounter with and my burden for her and how I would have loved to have spent more time with her.
I really had no choice but to leave J and was burdened to pray for her for the rest of the day and then the next morning (a Sunday). We drove 10 miles or so to Keswick for a church service then back to Grasmere where we were staying. We as a group of four really had no clear plans for the rest of the day. In the end R and C decided to stay in town and do their own thing. G and I decided to go on a walk without a map, looking for the first footpath sign off the road. Such sign posts are everywhere here. We of course found one, and soon met a couple who had a map and asked them where the trail went. Not that it mattered much. But it went up hill. As we got near the small pass, we could see that possibly we could go higher and loop back through the sheep pastures back to Grasmere rather than going back the sane way we came. We had no map, just sheep trails now and no sign posts, just a good sense of direction. We met another group of three as a trail became more defined, and got details of where the trail led - almost right to where we had started from.
As we descended and came near to Grasmere, I noticed a solo lady walking up the trail towards us. As we got nearer to each other, I realized it was J, the same lady from yesterday! How amazing! We were able to talk a bit more with her about each others beliefs. G, my friend has just recently finished reading a biography about a lady who had once been a Buddhist nun but then became a Christian.
We marvelled at the way God had allowed His burden to come on me for this lady yesterday after meeting her. The odds of meeting her the next day in a place that has dozens of foot path routes and the fact she was not even staying in the same town as ourselves and that she already had walked for many hours that day, and that we net again - cannot simply be mere coincidence.
I had met her yesterday on a hilly sheep pasture where sheep are scattered about as solo sheep or in very small groups. I was reminded about the parable of the lost sheep that Jesus shared from the book of Luke, chapter 15, verses 3-7 in the New testament of the Bible. The shepherd leaves his hundred sheep looking for the lost one and finds it and brings it back home and rejoices. J seemed 'lost' and though she talked as if Buddhism was her answer to life, I sensed a sadness over her. To have met her the second time under the situation and really praying for her and wanting to have spent more time with her the first time, but could not, them amazingly meeting her the next day wandering trails and hillsides of scattered sheep without a map and running into her again, was 'WOW'. The living God knows she is searching for the Truth. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd is looking for her. He knows she is lost but has His ways of making himself known to her. Please Pray that God will continue to put Christians in her path in amazing ways and that she will come to know and follow Jesus.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Forward to Lake district Adventures
LAKES DISTRICT. Not our will but your will, O God. There is so much to share from this time in the area. We arrived as a threesome on August 2 and then R arrived the next day with her car to make us a group of four.
A few days back, on the last day of the New Wine conference, from the closing session, the theme to us was: Do we have enough of the love of Jesus to tell others about Him? Some notes:
People are looking for lives that have been profoundly changed by Jesus. We need to love people into God's
Kingdom. Let us look for what God is doing in the lives of other people and look at the way Jesus related to and connected with people. From the story of the blind man Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52, New Testament:
1. Jesus connected with people through interruptions that came his way. He was not on a fixed agenda for the day.
2. Jesus listened to people. Listening to others helps in their healing. It values them. People want to be heard.
3. Jesus was ready to stop and gave His time to others, to talk with them.
4. Jesus was ready to pray for and with the people he met and connected
with, to pray into their broken lives and ask for God's healing.
5. Jesus was ready to include people. People are looking for connection and relationship with others. Be ready to stop and greet people. Create a community that others want to be part of.
So, this was the foundation and desire that we had as plans were committed to spend time in the Lake district, staying in youth hostels and taking time to enjoy God's creation. Some stories to be posted soon as a result of this time. The days are passing by quickly and just in the past 2 hours another amazing connection has been started and the journey into this should be continuing tomorrow.
****
A few days back, on the last day of the New Wine conference, from the closing session, the theme to us was: Do we have enough of the love of Jesus to tell others about Him? Some notes:
People are looking for lives that have been profoundly changed by Jesus. We need to love people into God's
Kingdom. Let us look for what God is doing in the lives of other people and look at the way Jesus related to and connected with people. From the story of the blind man Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52, New Testament:
1. Jesus connected with people through interruptions that came his way. He was not on a fixed agenda for the day.
2. Jesus listened to people. Listening to others helps in their healing. It values them. People want to be heard.
3. Jesus was ready to stop and gave His time to others, to talk with them.
4. Jesus was ready to pray for and with the people he met and connected
with, to pray into their broken lives and ask for God's healing.
5. Jesus was ready to include people. People are looking for connection and relationship with others. Be ready to stop and greet people. Create a community that others want to be part of.
So, this was the foundation and desire that we had as plans were committed to spend time in the Lake district, staying in youth hostels and taking time to enjoy God's creation. Some stories to be posted soon as a result of this time. The days are passing by quickly and just in the past 2 hours another amazing connection has been started and the journey into this should be continuing tomorrow.
****
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Amazing Week
What an Amazing week! God has gone ahead and prepared our time in ways that go beyond what we could have thought or imagined.
Our drive to the Venue of the New Wine Christian conference took us right by the site of 'Stone Henge' - and through some lovely, rolling countryside and villages. We arrived quite late in the day, and most people had already arrived and set up camp - over 11,000 people in tents, caravans and small motor homes!! Absolutely amazed at the organization needed to host so many people plus all the other logistics of running the conference - hundreds of volunteers needed.
Some of the highlights:
*Day 1 - Evening - main speaker sharing on the importance of practicing hospitality to others and spending time with people in homes versus in church buildings. Being warmly welcomed and introduced to my friend's friends of her church family. In awe of the blessings of how quickly and deeply we can connect with people we have never met before, all because we become part of God's family when we discover Jesus.
*Day 2 - Invited to attend international leaders meeting, and receiving prayer. Discovered a book in the 'Market Place' called God on the Road. Amazing - a story about a small group of Christians going on a road journey into parts of Europe 3-4 years ago - with intent and prayer to be able to share God's love and message with others - very similar to the plans we have for being here in Europe.
*Day 3 - Discovered a country lane off the conference site where I could walk and spend time alone with God. Attending seminars. Chatted with a man seated beside me (yesterday) and shared with him our reasons for being here. He gave me a contact of a couple who live and work at an outdoor Christian adventure centre in the Lake District (our next main destination after this conference). AMAZING THING - We 'happened' to sit beside each other at a main session (5000 people) later that day. AND then connected 2-3 more times in other seminars throughout the week! Plan is to make contact and try and visit this contact. Discovered another book called Legs of Lamb - about a young UK man who was led to do a prayer walk backpacking around the UK coast a few years ago - and the stories he shared really connected with the kinds of things I have experienced. Sensing this is a huge confirmation from God for the things that lie ahead for us. We will be walking and hiking and praying in the Lake District for over 1 week. What kind of stories will we be able to share in about 10 days time from now?
*Day 4 - quote from New Wine magazine (New Wine is the ministry running the conference). On Vision - "Someone once said that unless a vision is too big to be achievable by human means, it is not a vision from God". PROFOUND. The vision for backpackers and being a backpacker - a journey now of over 20 years in my own life - it is impossible to organize or achieve by my efforts or even the efforts of hundreds or people, but the vision has become reality, and many of us are now part of it in different parts of the world.
*Day 5 - met a young couple who have plans to do a major 6-9 month overseas backpacker trip soon - and connecting with them, seeing how we can help them in the weeks and months ahead. Came across a short article in a mission magazine that I picked up from the one of the mission booths - about a team being formed to reach out to a specific group of 'backpacker' travelers into different parts of the world.
Other things - just being encouraged in many different ways from hearing different teachings from the Bible, and from the seminars. So many other seminars I would have loved to attend. Overall - sensing this conference has confirmed the plans we already have, and being expectant and ready for the next leg of the journey. We are 'overfilled' and look forward in seeing how God will use us to share with others what He has given us, and what He has planned.
The next update may be in about 10 days from now as we are not sure how accessible the internet may be in the places we will be. It's time to step out in faith, and put into practice and live out our lives as God intends us to. We are trusting in God for exciting things.
Our drive to the Venue of the New Wine Christian conference took us right by the site of 'Stone Henge' - and through some lovely, rolling countryside and villages. We arrived quite late in the day, and most people had already arrived and set up camp - over 11,000 people in tents, caravans and small motor homes!! Absolutely amazed at the organization needed to host so many people plus all the other logistics of running the conference - hundreds of volunteers needed.
Some of the highlights:
*Day 1 - Evening - main speaker sharing on the importance of practicing hospitality to others and spending time with people in homes versus in church buildings. Being warmly welcomed and introduced to my friend's friends of her church family. In awe of the blessings of how quickly and deeply we can connect with people we have never met before, all because we become part of God's family when we discover Jesus.
*Day 2 - Invited to attend international leaders meeting, and receiving prayer. Discovered a book in the 'Market Place' called God on the Road. Amazing - a story about a small group of Christians going on a road journey into parts of Europe 3-4 years ago - with intent and prayer to be able to share God's love and message with others - very similar to the plans we have for being here in Europe.
*Day 3 - Discovered a country lane off the conference site where I could walk and spend time alone with God. Attending seminars. Chatted with a man seated beside me (yesterday) and shared with him our reasons for being here. He gave me a contact of a couple who live and work at an outdoor Christian adventure centre in the Lake District (our next main destination after this conference). AMAZING THING - We 'happened' to sit beside each other at a main session (5000 people) later that day. AND then connected 2-3 more times in other seminars throughout the week! Plan is to make contact and try and visit this contact. Discovered another book called Legs of Lamb - about a young UK man who was led to do a prayer walk backpacking around the UK coast a few years ago - and the stories he shared really connected with the kinds of things I have experienced. Sensing this is a huge confirmation from God for the things that lie ahead for us. We will be walking and hiking and praying in the Lake District for over 1 week. What kind of stories will we be able to share in about 10 days time from now?
*Day 4 - quote from New Wine magazine (New Wine is the ministry running the conference). On Vision - "Someone once said that unless a vision is too big to be achievable by human means, it is not a vision from God". PROFOUND. The vision for backpackers and being a backpacker - a journey now of over 20 years in my own life - it is impossible to organize or achieve by my efforts or even the efforts of hundreds or people, but the vision has become reality, and many of us are now part of it in different parts of the world.
*Day 5 - met a young couple who have plans to do a major 6-9 month overseas backpacker trip soon - and connecting with them, seeing how we can help them in the weeks and months ahead. Came across a short article in a mission magazine that I picked up from the one of the mission booths - about a team being formed to reach out to a specific group of 'backpacker' travelers into different parts of the world.
Other things - just being encouraged in many different ways from hearing different teachings from the Bible, and from the seminars. So many other seminars I would have loved to attend. Overall - sensing this conference has confirmed the plans we already have, and being expectant and ready for the next leg of the journey. We are 'overfilled' and look forward in seeing how God will use us to share with others what He has given us, and what He has planned.
The next update may be in about 10 days from now as we are not sure how accessible the internet may be in the places we will be. It's time to step out in faith, and put into practice and live out our lives as God intends us to. We are trusting in God for exciting things.
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