It’s been some time, and we are sorry about the lack of updates, but believe it or not, we are still waiting for our home internet to be connected for us. It seems that companies operate a bit slower then we are use to, but none the less, we are still able to use internet at free WiFi spots throughout the city.
So, some pretty major things have happened this month, one of which is the Lord giving us a beautiful daughter. Michelle had been admitted to the hospital to induce labor, seeing as she was about a week past her due date. The part of the hospital that she was in would not allow me to stay with Michelle, so my brave wife stayed the night there by herself, until I got the text in the middle of the night, saying “COME NOW”. I called Mark and Lizzie to come over and watch Trent and in a flash they were at our front door. Here is where you get to visualize me running franticly through the streets of London, as it is a forty-five minute walk...running and running hard. Thankfully I was able to stop a cab about halfway down, and literally walk in the door of Michelle’s room to see the midwife place our daughter in Michelle’s arms and place the scissors in my hand, saying “congrats dad”. My brave wife delivered by herself with one midwife, and no medication- do to some hospital drama. But most importantly, she delivered safely. Hope Vivian was born on July 16th, at 2:06am , and in good health. Without doubt, Michelle is an amazing mother, and it was automatic newborn love and handling, where myself on the other hand, in only three years, totally forgot even how to hold a newborn! I can be rough and wrestle Trent, but a beautiful, delicate, little girl?? I was undone… I melted as she was placed into my arms, and it was an automatic, sincere love like she had always been my daughter.
We are now still adjusting to being in a new country and having a newborn. As time and weather has permitted, we have been able to explore the city, thanks to an amazing transportation system(the underground, buses and trains). Again, it’s been a very good thing being able to be home to love on our family, and being able to commit to supporting Michelle and Trent in this huge adjustment. We totally underestimated how difficult it would be to leave the friends and family that we love. The Lord has given us the strength, and some amazing friends here in London, but we still need continual prayer to endure, prayer for Trent to make friends, and prayer that Michelle would adjust to the vast differences and challenges of being a wife/mom/homemaker in a new country. That she would find the contentment and joy in where she is being called and used mightily, at home.
Two pretty major dates are coming up in August that we are definitely looking forward to: the start of the prayer tour on the 16th and Lord willing, the first Sunday service on the 23rd.
We are truly blessed to be part of a church body that prays, in all things, at all times, out of total dependency… prays. When saints pray, it glorifies God and He is attentive to our prayer. So as you may or may not know, a large group from Reality Carpinteria and another large group from Reality Los Angeles are coming for a week+ long prayer tour, where people will be splitting up and dispersing throughout the whole city of London to pray. Through fervent prayer and sharing the Gospel, we believe that Jesus will draw hearts to Himself. We will be praying that the Lord would establish His church, strengthen believers in London, that He would break down the strongholds here, that He would save people, and that ultimately God’s Glory would be displayed. Where “Sunday morning church” is almost an American pastime of sorts, the spiritual climate here is quite different. The Lord will have to build His church, and we as a church, on Saturday nights, have been praying that God would graciously allow us to come along side that work. “By this we give him the ‘glory of His power’. Prayer is a humble appeal from our impotency to God’s omnipotence…”-William Gurnall on the necessity of prayer.
As I have mentioned, the first Sunday service will be on the 23rd of August. Pastor Mark last week, after much prayer and godly counsel, put an offer in on a theatre in Notting Hill Gate to rent for Sunday mornings, and we are praying that we would have favor with the building owners and they would accept the offer. We are seeking the Lord on the place He would have us meet, so we ask strongly that everyone would be lifting that up in prayer. Until then, and definitely always continuing past that date, we will be meeting weekly for prayer as a church body-worshiping and crying out to God. Also, we will be taking advantage of this next month leading up to the tour to not only set a foundation in prayer, but also to prepare through studying God’s Word, working through worship, and meeting with Pastor Mark to sharpen one another as brothers in Christ.
“All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” –Jesus, John 17:10,11
We thank you for your love, prayer and support.
-Love-
