Invasion!

Sometimes you just gotta laugh! Or scream for that matter.
As the children at the Living Word School played happily on the playground, Rebeca stood fixed to the spot screaming; finally words manage to escape her throat as she shouted, “pigs, pigs!”
Several pigs had invaded the school playground bringing great excitement to the children. We have had chickens and hens running about but never pigs. The hens don’t fair to well as they become incorporated into the “catch the pigeon” mentality of the children. Who love the added dynamics of chasing and catching their terrorized feather friends. Unfortunately some never make it pasted the playground!
This week it has been pigs! A neighbour brought several piglets from the “interior” (further into the jungle) where due to the rising water levels “safe” pastures have become a limited commodity. The pigs (really piglets) had managed to break through the fencing and get into the school playground. This was to be the beginning of a week of chasing after pigs as they tested are wooden fencing for weakness and invariably succeeded.
Above is a picture of one of the culprits......my only thoughts were......where the HP sauce is when you need it!

Encounter Weekend

Hi Folks,
It is Monday morning, the day after the encounter weekend. On Friday we took 80 people out to the jungle retreat, 57 people going on their encounter with God weekend and 23 people going to serve in ministering, catering, intercession, baby minding and everything in between.
The 57 people have been participating in one or other of the 23 cell groups dispersed throughout the city. The weekend is given over to intense ministry, where for many God operates on their hearts and minds bringing transformations which act as a launch pad for their Christian walk.
The vision of cell groups is a very dynamic vision which equips old and new converts alike to share what God is doing in their lives, one on one, in small groups and sees the maturing in both character and spiritual gifts of those who embrace God’s desire to fulfil the great commission and live a Kingdom lifestyle.
One young man who was meant to be going on the encounter weekend was arrested, put in jail, with a sentence of 45 days for G.B.H. When his cousin heard this she went home immediately and together with her husband, both newly converts, started to pray that God’s will would be done, that God would make a way if it were His will for her cousin to go on the encounter weekend.
Praise God her cousin was released and was able to go!
Another Lady who was meant to go on the encounter weekend, her son fell to the ground in convulsions moments before she was to leave the house. But Praise God once again, God moved through prayer and this young boy sat up as if nothing had happened and insisted, “mummy, I am o.k. you can go!”
The spiritual battles that rage in the heavenlies seem to reach a crescendo as the hours and minutes approach for the encounter’s to leave the city.
As a church we have been praying three months for this weekend, for these precious lives, for the last week we as a body have been praying and fasting with are focus fixed and hearts determined to pay the price. Do what it takes so that other may have a chance to meet with God, no distractions, just then and their time with God.
Many cell group members open their homes to the children of those who wish to go on the encounter weekend, babysitting for the weekend. Many cell group members who have little themselves sacrifice what they have to take care of family members left behind in the city of those that are on the encounter weekend.
It is wonderful to see how God touches lives in such a real and powerful way. People are healed from past hurts, rejections, delivered from destructive behaviours and oppression and filled with the love of God.
It is difficult to put into words all that God did and explain the background of even a few that went. We had various street gang members and notorious leaders on this encounter, youth involved in drugs, abuse and murders.
There were many victories in the heavenlies this weekend which we see manifested naturally in the deliverance and received revelation and acceptance as Jesus Christ as their personal friend, master and Saviour.

One person can make a difference!

Just recently my sister-in-law got into a taxi in Manaus. The taxi's are route taxi's, so once the taxi is full you are on your way!
A passenger in the taxi turned to her and said, "Wasn't your family on a boat going from Belem to Manaus about 20 years ago?". She replied yes!
It transpired that this man was impacted by the Romao family, it was the simple action of sharing their food with him that got his attention. This opened the door to my father-in-law speaking with him about Jesus and about Kingdom living.
They never knew until the other day, but that young man gave his life to the Lord because he met people that showed him Jesus!
Today I recieved an email from Bec, who ran the Belfast Marathon to fundraise for the Living Word School. Bec heard about Outreach Amazon back in October from two friends giving a small presentation.
It is wonderful to know and a little mind blowing to think that God can use us in such powerful yet very simple ways to impact and change the course of peoples lives.
One person can make a difference! you or I could be the answer to someones prayers! Lets be sensitive to what God has already planned for us this day, lets not miss being a blessing.

Thanks Bec and all those friends, family and church members who sponsored her.

God is never late!

So many times I have experienced God’s wonderful provision, yet so many times I’ve wavered whilst waiting and tried “my way”. Waiting isn’t something I am particularly good at, but it is definitely a quality that needs to be sought after.......patience. Waiting in an assured expectancy of the knowledge that we have a wonderful heavenly Abba Father who knows our needs even before we ask. On Thursday I played on the buttons of the calculator, over £400.00 short. £400.00 short, doesn’t sound too much, but when you haven’t got it and it isn’t growing on trees, it seems like a mountain.
The Living Word School needed £400.00, where was it going to come from?
Since December 2008, Outreach Amazon has been responsible alongside the Living Word Church to meet the financial need of the school.
Each month has seen God send in finance........why should now be different?
Maybe tiredness had crept into my mind...........wasn’t thinking good and noble and trustworthy thoughts......more a deep groan from within!
Praise God! God is never late but always on time......
This morning whilst chatting online to a friend, he informed me that a friend of his had just raised £500.00 for the school, doing the Belfast Marathon!
Once again, God knows the need even before we ask and has or is already preparing the answer.

Support needed

Check out http://www.outreachamazon.com/

Contend with Horses

Sometimes I think we should really walk around with a big sticker on our foreheads saying “under construction”.
It is God’s desire that we become transformed, each day a little more, to reflect Him, his image or better understood his character. Originally man was made in the image of God’s character but this all change when sin entered the world.
Praise God, that He loved us so much even whilst we were still sinners, not to leave us in our pitiful states but make a way through His son to renew our relationship with Him and renew our minds through the power of His word.
In the person of Jesus Christ we can see the outworking manifestation of God’s character, the humanness and power of God’s spirit in perfect harmony, how awesome to imagine that this is what we are being transformed into.
Where am I going with this........many of us Christians get caught up in being busy for God, or just busy doing “good” things, or none of the above, we are struggling along in the currents of life’s river. But God’s desire is relationship with us and that through our relationship with Him we begin to reflect His traits to the world we live in, our neighbours, parents, friends and work colleagues.
We know that Moses spent 40 years in the desert, Joseph 13 years as slave and prisoner and apostle Paul 14 years before going up to Jerusalem again. God used and still uses various situations and circumstances to mould us, to refine us, to prepare us, but many times due to our inability to see that it is God’s gracious hand upon us we don’t accept His correction, direction or teaching.
These days I have been learning more about God’s desire to have His love flow through me to others, where Matthew 5 vs 44 becomes a natural action as I walk with Him.
Matthew 5 vs44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Praise God! That He knows exactly our limitations and won’t destroy us in preparation but lets us run with footmen before we contend with horses, finishing the good work in us that He began.