Category Archives: Random Thoughts

Extending the Kingdom – in a very practical way…. three months ago, the wonderful ministry that is the El Abrigo children’s Foundation, needed more space. It also looked as though it needed something on top of it, so Thanney, in his mind’s eye, could see what needed doing. Here’s how it looked then:

In what effectively amounted to a week’s solid hard graft (two weeks were lost to heavy rain, storms, and putting right what other people hadn’t done right), this is how the Foundation looked early in April when we left Cali to return to Northern Ireland:

And, with two weeks still to go of this visit, with one week completed, here’s how it looked yesterday evening:

Today was a bit of an ‘odd’ day – 50% of it lost waiting to see a doctor and then get scanned – Thanney has a damaged ligament in his left foot & ankle, and I felt it was a good idea to get it looked at, even if to know what to pray for specifically: and my injuries to my legs tearing muscles back home slipping off one step, and falling down the length of my stairs back home. It was a morning of waiting – fruitlessly, it turned out, as when we finally got to our turn, we thanked God for the National Health Service back home in the United Kingdom – and left the hospital without x-rays or scans, just a prescription for pain-killers! – as the scan the doctor wanted Thanney to have was going to cost 800,000 pesos – a good bit over £200! – and my x-rays around £80…. we’ve got better things to do with near-£300, like materials for the foundation building! So if you’d ESPECIALLY pray for Thanney’s foot and ankle, that would be a blessing. It really gives him gyp when the day’s over, and on and off during the day, too. But he’s a determined geezer, and won’t give up, bless him….

As you can see, it hasn’t stopped him working wonders on the building in 4½ full working days. Just to ask for your prayers again, as the construction is going SO well, that we’re likely to run out money soon, as we came here some £8,000 short of the budget needed for this trip, to house 150 rescued street kids in that huge extension. Materials are so expensive here, and there’s a lot that can’t be seen in the bottom photo – like the ‘in-construction’ long staircase (not one for me to fall down this time!) to replace a rickety spiral outside staircase…. It’d be tragic to run out of money and have Davy and Thanney, and the willing helpers from Cali, twiddling their thumbs for days next week. I think the lads would be like bears with sore heads…..!

Back in 1999, an American-produced video, Transformations, shook the Christian world, with stories of how God was revolutionising four very different parts of the globe. Kiambu, Kenya: Hemet, California: Almalonga, Guatemala: and Cali, Colombia. I’d been coming to Cali for a few years before the video hit the world (and it WAS a video, too, VHS: remember them??!!) – when I came to Cali after its release, I was asked ‘Have you seen it?’ and ‘What do you think of it?’.

The stories were thrilling: if you haven’t ever seen it, it’s worth watching, you’ll find it on YouTube, as I doubt it’s available commercially now. The section of the video is here:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBvxWl7jXr0

My answers to the questions seemed to be the right answers for the ‘locals’ – ‘yes, I’ve seen it’, and (sorry to my American friends!) ‘I feel it’s very American and it struck me as being overstated’…. there was a huge sigh of relief from the local Christians, who, of course, were involved in what God was doing, and what had been filmed… It gave the impression that Cali was in full-blown revival, that – across the board – the crime rate had dropped by half. It did drop amazingly – for the weekends that the stadium prayer meetings were being held. Crime rose again after the weekends…. What WAS happening wasn’t -yet – revival, but the foundations of revival were being laid with the unity of more than 300 pastors.

It also gave the impression that Julio Ruibal, the ‘trigger’ pastor for the unifying of hundreds of pastors, was ‘assassinated’ because of the ‘revival’. He wasn’t. It seems it was over a parking dispute with neighbours of his church, and one took out a contract on him as people from the church kept parking on his land.

Why am I writing this? Well, after the video came out, some pastors became ‘famous’ in the western world, and were invited to the USA, Europe, Australia…. some came back here with pockets loaded with cash, church bank accounts full to overflowing – and no longer needed the same level of unity as they could build big new churches, take on more staff, and so on…. and the revival never had a chance to ‘explode’ and transform the city. The rising move of the Holy Spirit began to wane. For a time, I wondered if it signalled the end of my time here, as the stadium meetings petered out to two a year, then one… and the wonderful growth in the churches slowed, as well as a demise of the pastor’s group.

BUT, then…an increasing number of pastors from smaller churches began to work together, and the rising influence of the Holy Spirit began to take prominence. There are some wonderful pastors who are shepherding the move of God here, including some of the bigger pastors. For me, it’s a real thrill to be involved a tiny bit in the ongoing surge of God’s move and presence in this previously devastated troubled city, the be here under the open heaven, for me – and those who come here with me – is a huge privilege. Pastors like William Castaño, Wilson Monroy, Jefferson Herrera, Mauricio Naspiran, Angela Mondragon, Diego Ordoñez, and so many more.

Far from cutting back the number of visits to Cali, I’m thinking of increasing them…. and praying about renting a ‘permanent’ apartment for my times here and for the teams that come with me. For many years I’ve rented short term, and the short-term rentals are getting more and more expensive as Cali, with it’s ‘ambience’ changing for the good visit upon visit, is getting more and more tourists now. The completion of a fantastic new international airport terminal happened a couple of months ago, so more and more visitors will be here. Short-term rentals are necessary as it is important to have the team together as much as possible, as to have them spread out around homes means maybe a 2 hour drive in the morning to pick them up with the traffic here being terrible, and the same to drop off: then pick up for the evening meetings…it can easily be 6 hours a day in a car just to collect and drop people off! It also means that as a team, we can really BE a team, working together more, praying together, sharing testimonies and problems, too. The average rental for a 5/6 berth apartment is around £800, sometimes even upwards of £1000 a week now – it used to be about £300 5-6 years back. It seems that there’s an apartment coming available in time for the October/November trip when I’ll be bringing a team (might need two apartments for that one, as there could be a dozen or so coming!), when Thanney will complete the construction of the street kids’ refuge and all the ‘cosmetic’ work will be finished: then it’ll be handed over to Mision El Abrigo Internacional. The apartment that will be available will be perfect in many ways – it’s directly above the apartment of Wilmar & Marlene and their family, so they’ll keep an eye on it when I’m not there! And for  month, it’s only 35% of the weekly cost of a short-term rental. I have lots of people who are telling me that they want to come here, so to have somewhere as a base seems right: and that it’s just above Wilmar – where apartments are very hard to come by, seems like a God-thing.

Wednesday’s meeting blog to follow!!

It’s easy to tell that I’m in Cali because everything to do with the internet is playing silly games! Virtually no signal from the internet in the apartment (same as the last visit!), incredible thunderstorms with torrential rain that took out all the electricity, and even Word Press (this programme that I use for the website and the blog, deciding it didn’t/doesn’t want to post to Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn…so here goes at another attempt to post the first blog from Colombia…

It was a good journey here, a little shorter than often, thanks to a good tail wind, but next to no sleep for either Thanney or me on the long haul flight. It was such a blessing to see Wilmar’s happy smiling face at arrivals in Cali airport – it really lifts your spirit to see him. We didn’t have a meeting Saturday, thankfully, so we kicked off at Wilmar & Marlene’s church, Mision El Abrigo Internacional. It’s always so good there: and so many really good friends after more than 18 years visiting the church. Thanney spoke really well from Job: it was so good I thought I could cut back what I had to say and not speak for long! I wanted to get to the ministry time, anyway…

I’ll just pick out some of the lovely testimonies that came from the meeting: Dora had been suffering extreme pain in her head neck, and shoulders – no known diagnosis, painkillers didn’t touch it, but God did, and she was healed instantly. Maria had torn muscle from bone in her shoulder and had very limited movement of her right arm, and a lot of pain. Lovely God healed her immediately, too. A lady with a serious stomach problem received instant relief from the discomfort and pain….

Cristian and Angelica came and sat with me – Cristian had been suffering from a virus, and as they are moving house this week, he rather wanted that healed. It was. They are a couple with an amazing testimony – the fact that they are moving – buying their own house with a mortgage – is a miracle. Two years or so ago, Peter McAvoy who was with me, got to pray for Angelica, who was in massive debt, and under 24-hour pressure from the bank to repay 24 million Colombian pesos – about £6000, US$7300, 7000 euros, AU$9000. That, to people here, is an impossible amount. Angelica had 2 million she offered the bank – if you know banks, they’re hardly likely to accept 8% of a debt in full payment! And they didn’t. Sunday, Pete prayed for her: Monday she had to come up with the whole amount.

Monday, ‘out of the blue’, the bank called her on the phone. Yes, they’d accept the 2 million pesos, and write off the remaining 22 million… As a result, 2 years on, no longer in debt, they qualified for a mortgage – and this week they move into their own home. Such a lovely miracle, and blessing from God.

A year ago, I posted a video interview with Olivia, and her daughter, Maria Jose. Olivia is one of Wilmar’s sisters: I’d had the joy of praying with her and Maria Jose 3-4 years ago, when Maria had been diagnosed with a very large and life-threatening brain tumour. It had affected many vital functions, from sight to speech to hearing to walking. She was 7 years old then. If you want to, check out the video from 11 months back  (   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNHmpmmQWPA   ), and then look at the video I’ll put a link to in a minute, taken on Sunday. The transformation is incredible. 3 years back, after receiving prayer, Maria was due to go for surgery: she never had it, because the tumour had gone. Various faculties started to return, and on Sunday, It was lovely to be able to talk with Maria Jose and Olivia – I asked Maria what she wanted God to do for her next, and she wants to jump and run better than she can at the moment…. It’s such a wonderful testimony of God’s redeeming and ongoing miraculous power.

Here’s the video link: it’s on my YouTube page, too:       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O1s9zAw-QM

Thanney and Wilmar have been doing the rounds of builder’s merchants and suppliers yesterday and today, with a real blitz on the construction of the street kids refuge beginning tomorrow. Please pray that there will be a few volunteers from the church to help Thanney, that the rain will keep away, and that he’ll not only keep fit, but multiply what he can do, with God’s help!

If you have time in your praying, I’d really appreciate your prayer, as – yes, I’m back in Cali – the enemy doesn’t like it, and the damage I did to the muscles in my legs 5 weeks ago, is being seriously assaulted by him! We’re also a fair bit short of our budget for this trip, if you’re willing to pray for God’s provision for the construction. Thank you, bless you.

In about 4 hours, I head for the airport, to fly to London tonight: then on tomorrow, with Thanney (who flies to London tomorrow) to the lovely Colombia, the wonderful Cali – at 10.40 p.m. tomorrow night. There’s a 6-hour time change – Colombia is behind the UK – so we land at the delightful time of 0405 am, then on to Cali at 0534 am. As the weather seems to have changed to autumn here(!), I must say it’ll be great to be at 35°C in the afternoons again! Davy flies out to join us next week.

I’ll do my best to blog most days – to let you know all about the construction progress, and to let you know the great things that God is going to do during our 24 days there. I’m grateful for those of you who will pray for us more than you’ll know. We really do covet your prayers, I’m grateful that there’s been some improvement in these torn muscles in my legs – an answer to prayer, in process, already!

For those who have given financially to the street kids refuge, thank you so, so much. The folk in Cali are totally blown away by your love and sacrifice. When you think how many very young children will be blessed by this building, it is SO worthwhile. AND, of course, on Sundays, there will be a new church functioning, in a churchless area.

Please pray for safe – and good – travelling (upgrades would be wonderful!) – it’s quite a long flight (10-11 hours London to Bogota), and neither Thanney or I sleep well on planes! The films get a bit boring after the second or third one…

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.