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Monday 4 September 2017

Mission to Wales




  In July hundreds of ordinary Christians, from all over Wales from all denominations and none, took part in different ways to share the love of Jesus out in the streets over a nine day period, going out for just one hour each of those days in their local towns. The results were unprecedented. 3,351 people chose to accept Jesus's invitation and follow him in just those nine hours! They were each given a free copy of two of the books of the Bible and a booklet covering six aspects to help them in their new journeys. Those who wished to meet up with someone afterwards gave their details so this could be arranged.


Our nearest training centre for the Mission to Wales was in Pontypridd. A number of us from Breconshire went along. After a great time of worship and brief training, we went out on the streets of Pontypridd in pairs for an hour. The same the following day. Many people responded to the Good News Jesus was offering them and were keen to give their details so they could meet up with someone later.

After this we had a couple of days in Abergavenny where once again many chose to follow Jesus after hearing about His great love for them, talking to people in the streets and market and outside cafes.





On the Wednesday of that week, the Breconshire people left Abergavenny and met together in a home in Brecon before going
out to share about Jesus and His huge love for the people on the streets in Brecon over the next few days. Again, nearly a dozen people enthusiastically chose to follow Jesus and were given copies of Luke-Acts and the Six booklet to help them on their new journey.
Some of these also asked to meet up with someone near them to go through the little Six booklet so they could ask any questions they may have as the days went by.
Its not easy going out to share about Jesus's love for all people because we never know what kind of response we will get, but its been so worth it to see the joy in the faces of the people who do choose to accept Jesus's free offer of complete forgiveness, a fresh start and eternal Life with Him.









Ifor's book now on the market.







We had a table to sell books the next day at the 150th Anniversary of the Baptist Union of Wales in Carmarthen, where Ifor was asked to speak about his book.





Later we went to New Wine at Shepton Mallet.  The manager of the huge St Andrews Bookshop there took one look at the reviews by big names on the back cover and promptly put it up for sale on the shelves among authors such as Philip Yancey, John Wimber, J. Packer, Bill Johnson and Rick Warren!  The manager asked to keep the books to take around other big events in the coming months.

                          
      
Open Hands Open Heart is available in both hard and kindle forms from Eden Bookshops and Amazon, as well as St Andrews Bookshop.
Should you want a quantity for your church or group, contact us and we can arrange a discount price.

Ifor's Book Launch

Ifor's book launch in Broad Haven went really well on Thursday 15th. It was great to see so many friends there from the chapel and village. Around a hundred books went and we've left a box of books with Glenys for those who were unable to make the day. So see her if you'd like one and you live in that area. Also at Ffald y Brenin.
Otherwise they are now available on Amazon as hard copies and Kindle. People who are already reading it are saying its a real page turner.











Monday 5 June 2017

God Healing at Praise and Worship Evening in Brecon



The next Praise and Worship evening at Watergate, Baptist Church, Brecon, with live band 'Open Doors' will be on Sunday, 11th June at 5.30. 

The last one was great.  During the coffee afterwards I got to pray with three people for healing.  The first man had been involved in a car accident in 1992 and has had painful knees and extremely limited movement in his wrist ever since.  As we prayed, the pain left all sites and when he tried his wrist five minutes later, he found he had full movement in his wrist, easily putting it in positions he hasn't been able to for twenty years!  His knees too. These healings have remained.
Seeing that, two others asked for prayer and felt the Holy Spirit doing something:  one man found the pain left his hip and a woman felt strange sensation in her gall bladder as we prayed.  I haven't heard if the latter two healings stayed.  All good fun!

 This is the story of the man with the broken wrists:

"In 1992 my wrist was smashed in a car accident. They didn't try to fix my wrist when I was taken into the hospital as I had a fractured skull and was in a coma. So they just made my wrist more comfortable so I could die in less pain.


When I recovered, I learned to cope with limited wrist movement as being the new norm. Towards the end of last year the use of a walking stick caused a further impingement and this showed up in an x-ray in January. I was praying for it to go back to its limited movement as I didn't even think of full movement, being so used to it.

Now I am amazed every day when I see my hand in a position it couldn't be in."





The top photos in the white tee shirt show his attempts to position his hands previously to the now healed versions in the blue tee shirt.  JESUS STILL HEALS TODAY!
























Training and Equipping

My "Hearing God" series of four went down really well in Abergavenny last month.  I have just completed a new series of four on "The Cross and How to Apply it" at our home which over a dozen seemed to enjoy and get a lot from, which was very encouraging.

My next series of four on the Holy Spirit will be starting on 14th June and will be as follows:

14th June    Discovering the Holy Spirit in the Bible and His relevance to our lives.

21st June    What does the Holy Spirit do?

28th June    How to be filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

 5th  July     The Gifts of the Spirit and how to use them.

Kensington Chapel

After the very successful Alpha  Course Ifor led in Kensington Baptist Church in Brecon, the people asked to continue with something similar.  So using the same format, Ifor has been running Christianity Explored which is also proving popular.  https://youtu.be/B5W-11Om8ME  This is held Tuesday evenings, 7 to 9pm, starting with a light supper.  If you are in the area, do call in and sample a session.  Each session is self contained and great fun.

Also do check out the chapel's Facebook page which is full of photos and current activities.


@KensingtonbaptistchurchBrecon

Ifor has been moderator at the chapel for over a year and will be their part time minister from September. 

Radio Broadcast

Ifor was asked to take part in the Radio Wales broadcast "All Things Considered" which went out on14th  and 19thMay.  It was a 30 minute programme which you can hear on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08qgj5d . It was titled The Value of Money, where "Roy Jenkins and guests looked at how religious faith should affect  the acquisition and spending of money and especially how much of it is given away.  Roy Jenkins was joined by Rev Ifor Williams, a Baptist Minister in Breconshire, who has written 'Open Hands, Open Heart', a book on the Bible's teaching on giving, being published in June;  Canon Carol Wardman, advisor on church society issues to the bishops of the Church in Wales;  Rob Morgan, a Rhondda based money coach for the charity Christians Against Poverty; and Dr. Ahmad Jamal, a Senior Lecturer in marketing and strategy at Cardiff Business School."
It wasn't easy as the questions weren't given out beforehand so each had to answer immediately, with no time to think!  Sometimes Ifor gave a short answer, thinking that was what was expected, but others gave a long answer, which he could have done. However, all in all it seemed to come across well and we had some good responses.

Friday 7 April 2017

God wins!

I took my shofar and banners up on a hill to pray over a farm that was under restrictions with TB for a clear TB test and for a number of other major difficulties the farmers there were undergoing. It needed a real breakthrough. The praying became a real battle. Immediately the wind came up so strongly that it was hard to hold the banners, The cloud and rain came down so I quickly lost sight of the farm but continued to pray. Once I felt I had the breakthrough that was needed, I put the banners away and almost instantly the wind and rain stopped and the cloud lifted to reveal the lovely, calm, sunny day that everywhere else, including the farm, had been experiencing all along.
A few days later, when the vet came to check the animals for any possible signs of TB, he pronounced them all clear and the restrictions were lifted. Also the other major problems the family were experiencing are one by one being miraculously sorted in amazing ways.

Update on Ifor's new book

March
Thank you for your prayers for the publishing of Ifor's book.  God has been amazing.  Days later, when at a New Wine Cymru Leaders' Conf. in a different region, Ifor bumped into an old friend, Phil Bishop.  It seems he and another friend are together writing a course on stewardship, and Phil has offered to help publish Ifor's book. We are hoping to launch the book at the Baptist Union of Wales Assembly on 16th June. Becky has finished editing it and our niece is currently proof reading it.  The deadlines are all a bit tight so please pray that it all goes to plan.

22 March at 17:01
After ten years of writing and rewriting on and off Ifor has sent his finished book to various publishers and to some notable people to review it. It will possibly be called "Generous Love", or "Open Heart, Open Hands". Another title idea was A Magic Penny because the chorus of the old Brownie song says it all.
One well known author couldn't put it down and read it all in one day! It has many of our personal stories included to illustrate the Bible's teaching.
Please pray while we sort out publishing it.

A Great Sign from God

10 March at 22:07
This week I took the dogs up on a hill for a walk and to pray blessing over a village and the farms below. Straight afer I blew my shofar from the top, I heard bleating, then a sea of sheep came pouring over the skyline TOWARDS me and the dogs, with nothing herding them from behind. They came right up to us. About 70 of them. It was as though they were responding to the call of the shofar an reporting for duty! It felt like a great sign.

Hearing God through Creation and for Others

10 March at 21:30
We have had the first two sessions of our Hearing God training series, the first one on how to hear His through Creation and the second on Hearing God for others. Prophecy was flowing well and everyone was encouraged and surprised how they were able to hear God and by the words God spoke to them.

Alpha Away Day

4 March
The Alpha day has gone really well today. Everyone enjoyed it and everyone experienced the Holy Spirit, mostly through a deep peace on a level that many hadn't experienced before and they found hard to explain when they tried. No wonder Jesus called it the Peace that passes understanding! We had a full house, enjoyed a hot meal together and a nice walk down by the river or on the common afterwards.

Alpha Course at Kensington, Brecon

Alpha has been going really well. We are having our Alpha Holy Spirit Day today - Saturday - at our home where they will be learning about and experiencing the Holy Spirit. 15 are coming. Prayers appreciated.

February's Filling Station



February's Filling Station went well in the different location of Builth Wells. Again about 60 people came of all ages, including a number of new people who also seemed to enjoy it. Next month we return to Glasbury Village Hall on 31st March at 7pm.
Richard interviewed Imogen who has been painting a prophetic picture of the feet of Jesus being drawn down towards the beautiful fragrance from a carpet of flowers, representing all of us who are worshiping Jesus.

Friday 24 February 2017

Billy Graham and 3 great DVDs

Last Saturday we went to hear Graham Ellis, the rep for Wales for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, at the Christian Centre for Rural Wales (CCRW) at the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells. Apparently Billy Graham is still preaching at the age of 98! Over 9 million people came to his huge crusades in UK stadiums,etc, mostly between 1940 and 1980. In recent years the Association's Internet Evangelism has resulted in over 8 million people choosing to follow Jesus....
Ifor and I were particularly interested in the three DVDs they have recently produced under the My Hope label: The Cross, Second Chance, and The Worth of a Soul. When we watched these at home in the evening we were greatly impressed by their content and the way they have been produced. Each one follows the stories of three individuals from various backgrounds and experiences. They are half an hour long and very encouraging. They are free from BGEA and can be given to individuals to enjoy, shown in groups or churches. Already over 10 million people have found Jesus through these, together with the hope, joy, peace and freedom that He brings.


Wednesday 22 February 2017

A Catch-up for our Blogspot Readers.

Big apologies to our followers for not posting anything on here for ages. I had my gall bladder removed mid November and then deteriorated, losing a stone weight in the first three weeks .Ifor and others have been wonderful. Just before Christmas, at probably my weakest point, God challenged me from the Bible with "What are you going to believe? My Word in the Bible (esp. "By my stripes you are healed") or how things seem?" Well that challenge was a bit below the belt! But that was my turning point. Since then I have been slowly and steadily improving instead of going downhill. My appetite is back to normal, I've put on over half of that lost weight and have my energy back. So thank you for your prayers, all who knew. Going forward now!!

Many of you have been following events on our 'Prayer for Breconshire' Facebook page.  However I know a number of you do not wish to do Facebook, so below I am recapping what has been happening so that those who are interested do not miss out.  Thank you for your continued prayers, even when I have not been very good lately at updating you.  In future I intend to keep both avenues updated.

October 2016

Erwood chapel hosted a well attended harvest supper for the community. Sue Wilson was the after dinner speaker. She spoke exceptionally well on her amazing life story as God strengthened her and spoke through her, having lost her husband less than a year ago. Their lives founding a hospital in a very isolated part of the Congo caught the imagination of her attentive listeners who spoke about Sue and what she said for days and even weeks afterwards.

November

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In November I started a new series on Hearing God.  The first session was on Hearing God through Creation. Each session went well and the Holy Spirit enabled those attending.  Everyone seemed to go home greatly encouraged by God Himself.





My children's group in November really got the feel of when the mob tried to throw Jesus over the cliff outside Nazareth when they walked and looked up at our nearby one. They were amazed at how when they'd dragged Jesus to the cliff edge He simply turned around and walked back through the angry mob who just let Him go on His way!



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I enjoyed doing a  Uganda morning at the school near Newport where our son in law teaches. The children seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, had their eyes opened to life in Uganda and asked lots of good questions. I finished by showing them the Pot Dance where the dancers, whilst dancing, also carry a tower of up to 7 breakable pots on their heads! The children had a go with balancing books on their heads whilst trying African dancing!  I think the stripes created by the tables and chairs looks like my Ugandan flag in the background.
 
Afterwards the school posted this on Twitter about the morning :
https://twitter.com/malpasciwjuni…/status/794567258207125504

“Jambo! Year 5 had a visit from Penny about Ugandan life, homes, food and music. It was a fantastic workshop involving some African dancing!”
twitter.com|By Malpas CIW Juniors

Ifor was invited to speak to Probus about his life, including how he was called into the ministry, leading the chapel in Broad Haven and being called to our very different ministry in Breconshire. Probus is a group for retired professional businesmen. People seemed to enjoy his talk.

He then went on up to Rhayader for the Waleswide regional meeting. Amongst other things, Waleswide are offering a course to churches to encourage them to think outside the box, so to speak.

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January and February,2017

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We have just launched the Black Mountains Filling Station. There are about 80 spiritual Filling Stations in England and we are only the third in Wales. They are designed particularly for rural areas where people of all Christian denominations and none can come and be refreshed each month, usually in village halls and always midweek so as not to compete with nor confuse with churches. We start with tea, coffee and cakes around tables, café style and then go into a time of modern worship with a band, followed by a guest speaker. This is followed by a little more worship and opportunities for prayer for healing or whatever. We meet on the last Friday of each month at 7pm. Everyone is welcome.
We had a practice run in November to which 39 people came. They loved it so much that they brought along their friends to the official launch on 27th January, swelling the numbers to over 60. The guest speaker at this was Richard Fothergill, founder of The Filling Stations. One of the comments received afterwards was that "it felt like coming home" :)

It will be in Glasbury Village Hall every month, with the exception of February 24th when it will be at the Wesley Centre in Builth Wells.
See www.thefillingstation.org

Ifor is leading an Alpha course at Kensington Baptist Church, Brecon, where he is moderator. The small group of members are turning out some delicious meals to start the evenings and the numbers are growing each week. People are enjoying Ifor's after dinner talks and the group discussions following, giving them plenty of food for thought.

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Numbers have been increasing steadily as new people come to try it out and usually end up wanting to come each week. The food is scrumptious and new people are offering to cook each week, such is the enthusiasm.


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A few years ago I was asked to speak about our work as Rural Missioners in Breconshire at a united prayer breakfast for rural churches in Monmouthshire and South Herefordshire, just over the border from us. They were very interested to hear how we had been going about this, what was working and what was not, along with stories of what God was doing through us.
In the weeks after this, that prayer group started to consider looking into employing a rural missioner for Monmouths...hire and South Herefordshire and soon started a steering group which interviewed a number of people. The Lord pointed them to Ian Purcell who was involved in starting the food banks in Cardiff.
Earlier this month we went to his induction in Pandy village hall. Nick Bradshaw, as Area Superintendent, inducted Ian as Rural Missioner for Mons and S. Hfds. Ifor gave the address, encouraging the large turnout to use what they have (Jesus), rather than looking at what they don't have, and move forward in being a blessing to those around them, spreading the Kingdom of God together.
It was so good to be involved in the culmination of what was sparked off in that United Prayer Breakfast.
Every blessing Ian. It's a good calling.




I am re-starting a series of training sessions to which you are invited, and/or anyone you think would be interested. Each one will stand on its own, but following through in order will give a better foundation.
The first series will be on" HOW TO HEAR GOD MORE EASILY" and will be held on Thursdays, at 10am and repeated at 7.30pm on the same day, to allow more people to be able to access them.
Later series will be on HEALING, SHARING YOUR FAITH, TREASURE HUNTING, and probably many others as the Holy Spirit leads. All will be suitable for complete beginners and those more experienced who may wish to brush up or discover new ways. It will be very practical.
Dates and topics for the first series will be as follows:
2nd Mar. 1. Hearing God through His creation.
9th Mar. 2. Hearing God for others
16th Mar. 3. Hearing God through two-way writing
23rd Mar. 4. Hearing God through dreams.
30th Mar. Available if session 3 needs two weeks, or if people want a repeat of a session they missed.
The sessions will be at our home. If you would like to come and don't know where that is, private message me but please don't post our address on here.


Thank you for your prayers.