It only seems like about a month ago that Thanney and I returned from what had been a great trip to Cali, Colombia. God did so much, not the least the incredible miracle that God did through Thanney in getting so much of the construction done on the street kids house, despite so many attempts by the enemy to derail it. Countless healings, people saved, amazing miracles…
If I’m honest, I find leaving Cali, at the end of a trip, increasingly hard: it really is much more than a ‘second home’ – it’s home from home, and going back is something I look forward to for so many reasons; the wonderful spiritual environment that is over the city, an ‘Open Heaven’: wonderful friends; the friendliness of Colombian people: the climate: and so much more. I’m into my 21st year of going to Colombia now – coming up on Friday, when Thanney and I go again, and then next week, great friend Davy King, from Londonderry, joins us, will be my 86th time in the country, and my 79th in Cali (I first went to Cartagena, it was only after a couple of years I was invited for the first time to Cali).
When I think how I felt when I got my first-ever invitation, my desire to go back is a miracle! That first time, ‘Please come to Cartagena’ had my mouth saying ‘yes’ and my mind saying ‘no way, not a chance!’…. Colombia’s ‘reputation’ (then) was pretty difficult (it was difficult in parts, but mostly a completely wrong perception!). The talk of murder, violence, kidnap, of course, the drugs. It was in the USA that I found a ‘prophetic’ sticker (!) which I put on my case for the first trip….
While both Thanney and I have been aware of the enemy attempting to derail the trip yet again, we’re even more aware that God is doing so much to make it a great trip. Every time there seems to be more amazing than the previous visit: I don’t see why this one should be any different! The enemy has tried to stop me walking (tearing muscles – quad and calf in my right leg), dropping on Thanney a huge bill for repair for his van (he’s a builder, if you didn’t know), expecting it to be maybe a couple of hundred pounds, it turned out to be over £2500! The van isn’t worth ‘investing’ that sort of money in, so it means a new van…. God intervened in his search for a replacement and has answered every prayer, and then some that Thanney hadn’t even thought of praying!
We’re still about £5,000 short on the budget for this particular trip – what has come in is wonderful, and we’re praying that God will do the rest over the next few weeks. It’s a slightly longer trip than usual – a week longer, in fact, than the March-April trip: leaving here on Friday 30 June, and returning to Bangor late on Tuesday 25 July, so still 4 weeks or so to see God provide that other money. If you can help, then please let me know!
So, I fly over to England Thursday evening, to get a few things done there daytime Friday: Thanney flies to London Friday afternoon, and we fly together all night Friday from Heathrow to Bogota, then on to Cali. Please pray for us, if you would? There’s a lot to be done to the street kids refuge, Thanney’s asking God to multiply the work of his hands by at least four times: I’m praying that God will do amazing things that will change the lives of hundreds… salvation, healings, miracles – and that God will heal these old legs of mine totally, especially – now – the damaged muscles. But more than anything else, pray that Jesus is raised high, and that hundreds – thousands – will be blessed as he draws ALL men to him.
