Praying across the Time Zones

GMT -8:00 Judith is visiting friends in California during November while she waits on God for His next plan for her life. God has been amazingly good in providing her with work, friends, a church and a place to live in Brussels during the six years since she graduated from St Andrews. Now she senses change and needs prayer as she says goodbye to that life and looks forwad to something new.

GMT 0:00 Peter and Anna in Lisbon, Portugal continue to be amazed by God's grace at work, enjoy His presence daily, and are overwhelmed by His goodness. Pray that many friends and neighbours might come to share in their amazement.

GMT +5:30 Sharon and Rohit are exploring different options for future work while they continue to live in Bangalore close by Rohit's parents. Depending on which options open up, life might take them to Delhi or Mumbai, or outside of India. Pray for guidance and direction.

GMT +10:00 Colin is thoroughly enjoying life on the farm in New South Wales! The total change from academic work of University life has been good for him, and he will stay in Australia up to December. Pray that he will continue to be a help and encouragement to those he is working with.

DECEMBER the time zones come together for us in India where the whole family will be together for Christmas first in Bangalore, and then for one week in Goa. We are constantly amazed by God's goodness to us as a family, and that even though life is taking us in very different directions we are still very close, and richly enjoy times like this spent together.

A Summer Prayer Schedule

It might help you as you think about us and our work here

• When you’re driving in the car!
  Please pray for Peter as he has been asked to take over the field leadership of ECM Portugal from Fabiano from September. The decision is yet to be ratified by Mission leadership, but please pray for his preparation for this.
• When you’re with your family.
  Please pray for marriages, that God may use us to help, strengthen, uphold and support marriages of people we know.
• When you’re in Church
  Pray that God would continue to lead and guide our fellowship, especially that we would be led on the best route to find a neutral place to meet.
• When you are at your desk at work
  Pray for a champion, someone with a business mindset and clear vision, (whether Portuguese or from overseas), whom God would raise up to take the business ideas we have been developing and run with them.
• When you’re out relaxing at the beach.
  Pray for refreshing times for ourselves after a busy few months. We are taking a week near the Alentejo coast in south west Portugal and then hope to have time with family in August.
• When you’re playing on a team
  Please pray for our team as Pedro and Junia, a young Portuguese couple move from Porto at the end of August to join us for 2 years. Pray that they will quickly find accommodation and settle in

Praying for the Park of the Nations

We have been here in Lisbon 16 months now, living and serving God in the Park of the Nations. The work that the Lord is doing here is like a tree that has been planted, is taking root and beginning to flourish, but needs care and attention through prayer if it is to grow and be strong and fruitful. Saturday 28th March is set aside as a day of Prayer. So please pray for

• The Soil - That God might prepare the ground

- open hearts

- build up trust

- break down barriers

Pray for our community Sports activities – and for Friendships – that these would lead to a deeper level of sharing and caring

• The Shoots - That God would bring people to know Jesus.
  
  For “Os Lusitos” – our childrens work on Saturdays that we'd have opportunities to explain how great our God is to these little ones
  For Families we've come to know – that there would be a growing level of trust and openness for us to share the goodness of God

• The Trunk - That God would help us all to grow in the Word.
  
  For the meetings of our Church - that we would sense of God’s presence, enjoy effective teaching and freedom to worship Him. And that our team would enjoy strong unity and good leadership

• The Leaves - That God would help us be fresh and full of life
  For a commitment to pray for one another
  For the power of God present to heal, as Rev 22 says that the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
  
  
  
  
• The Fruit -That God would make us a blessing to others
  Finding opportunities for evangelism and always looking for ways that we could to share the good news more effectively.

And you know what? As we let our roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him we will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth, our lives overflowing with thanksgiving for all that he has done (Colossians 2:7). And this tree will grow and spread, and soon there will not be enough space for it.

So this is our last prayer request. Please take some time to ask God to guide us in relation to finding a space to rent in the Park of the Nations so that we can move out from our apartment and can begin to hold public worship in a larger area, and for the resources to pay for this.

Thank you so much for praying

Summer in the Cities

As a family we will be split up for most of the summer in our various cities, but will be coming together for the first ten days of August.

• Lisbon - Please pray that God will enrich our time together in August as a family, that our home would be ooen to the friends that our kids bring along. That we would have a sense of the aroma of Christ in our home during this time
• Brussels - Judith has been thinking for some time about changing her job, but really needs to know God's guidance as to how and when, wne what sort of work or ministry He wants to lead her into. In the meantime, she as enjoyed working with "Serve the City", playing touch rugby (recently in Paris!!) and just being with friends.
• London - Wonderful news!! Sharon recently got engaged to Rohit Paul who attends Hillsongs with her, and also is a graduate of Central St Martin's like Sharon. Ro is currently developed his business as a branding consultant, both in London and in India, so marriage plans are still a long way off. Please pray for them as they seek God's guidance in their lives together
• Southampton - after his first year in aeronautical engineering, Colin has been staying on the in city, working and settling into the new house he is renting with some other students. He does not have many friends around at the moment, so pray that he will not be discouraged and that God will use him there.
• Lisbon - apart from the intensive language course (please pray for progress and concentration as we st exams again in the last week of July) we also have a three day kid's programme in the Park here. A Portuguese group, called Louv'Art will be with us using drame, mime and games to communicate the power and love of God. Please pray!
  

Easter Rising

The end of March is bringing Easter in early. Please pray for us over the next few weeks.

• March 17th - we hope to celebrate St Patricks Day with a gift and a card for our neighbours on the ninth floor in an effort to get to know the 7 other families who live here a little.
• March 16th - 23rd - Colin and four of his friends from school are with us 'til Easter Sunday. We thank God he's got such a good circle of friends. PRAY for some good times of fun and friendship
• March 21st - 25th - Ditto for Sharon with Ayesha coming from London for Easter weekend. If you do the math that means there are nine people in our tiny flat for a couple of nights. PRAY!
• March 23rd - JESUS IS RISEN! Pray that it might be reality in the lives of some of the the friends we've made here
• March 27th - We fly to Barcelona for the one week ECM Biennial Conference in Spain. We have been asked to coordinate the prayer focus during the week. PRAY that we might do that well.

A Kind of Prayer Dairy for December

It looks like being a busy month, so here are a few dates to help you in praying with us through the month that God would be glorified in our lives.

• Thu 13th Dec - is our last day of language classes, and we're going out in the evening with the class for a meal somewhere in the city centre. GIVE THANKS for how God has enabled us and encouraged us over the last two and a half months
• Fri 14th Dec - we receive the keys of the apartment during the morning, and some furniture is to be delivered some time during the afternoon PRAY for grace and energy (and an understanding of IKEA instruction sheets) in putting the furniture together
• Sat 15th Dec - In the morning there is a special programme for the children and their parents out in the Park, and Elisabeth will share with them about Jesus birth. PRAY for a good atmosphere, and for real understanding of what Christmas means. Also Colin arrives about tea time, and we're expecting more furniture to be delivered
• Sun 16th Dec - PRAY for some space today that we might praise and worship God. The Lisboa Matrix, an English speaking fellowship over in the Cascais area, will be holding a Christmas celebration and we might get along to that, before our own group meets at 6 pm in the Park of the Nations.
• Mon 17th Dec - There will be an opportuity for people to meet tonight with pastor Tome for a discusssion on the "Relevance of Christmas - Who is this Jesus" PLEASE PRAY that those who have been invited will indeed come and that God will really reveal Himself
• Fri 21st Dec - Sharon and Judith arrive in from London and Brussels. PLEASE PRAY for special times together as a family and that they would all have a sense of being home, even though this place has never been home for them before, if you get the drift
• Sun 23rd Dec - Our apartment hosts our own Christmas celebration for the Park of the Nations Community. We expect about 25-30 people, and so far have a dining table and 6 chairs and a couple of sofas. But the prayer point is not for the furniture, rather that we may know a real sense of Gods presence and Gods glory in our midst for that evening
• Tue 25th Dec - PRAISE GOD FOR HIS INEXPRESSIBLE GIFT!
• After Christmas - Sam Desouza, Anna's nephew arrives on Wednesday and will be with us a few days. Then Colin leaves for N Ireland on the 28th. PRAY for his time with the McPhilimy family in Coleraine, that he will be able to connect with friends, and feel at home without being home

Thank you for your prayers!

We're Almost There!

We've looked at a large number of apartments of varying shapes and sizes, and feel we have come very close to getting the one that is right for us. Thanks for praying!! The apartment we're looking at is on the ninth floor (something new for us who've been used to living at ground level all our lives). It is on the northern edge of the Park of the Nations, and near to the area that has the greatest "community feel" about it and where our team have been working most over the past two years. A few prayer points as you continue to

• For the Cloud of God's presence - to rest and remain over the building (Numbers 9:17-23 - read it), and for that sense of "Yes, this is where God wants us to be!" to be with us as we negotiate with the owner
• For the actual move - we won't be able to move in till mid December, so we will need a lot of grace for the run up to Christmas, unpacking boxes, buying furniture and having family flying in all at the same time
• For ongoing resources - to be able to continue to afford the rent. It is high even compared to city standards and right at the top end of our budget, but we've been really encouraged by the way God has already been provided
• For our own attitudes - in some ways, having lived at a much more basic living standard in regard to accommodation, when we lived in Pakistan, it is, believe it or not, difficult for us to adjust to living at this "elevated" level