First, a huge thanks to all of you who have moved your support from Central Missionary Clearinghouse to Youth for Christ International. If you haven’t already done so you can by clicking Here. The last few weeks have been an amazing finish to an already incredible year. Firstly, at the end of November, I had […]
Read More A Great ending and a new beginningPLEASE NOTE: THIS NEWSLETTER INCLUDES AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO DONORS AT THE END Wow, what a blessed and busy month it has been! In semi-chronological order here’s the highlights: Firstly, I had the great privilege and opportunity to preach to an entire school (about 450 pupils) for their special Harvest Chapel service. Now, this is […]
Read More The Sun is RisingWow, there is a lot to share! Sorry that I’ve gotten behind. I think you’ll see why in this newsletter, which will basically be two months in one. In fact, the next newsletter will be early November. Let’s start with the Skatepark. What a door of opportunity this place has been! For starters, you might […]
Read More Beautiful bridgeworkSummer Special Events Normally, Summer is a busy time full of camps and conferences, and this summer has proven to be same…but different! There’s been so much going on that I won’t be able to share it all, but here are some of the highlights… Gwesyll Undydd (One-Day Camp) As you know, Miriam and I […]
Read More Fruitful Summer EventsSummer has finally arrived in Wales. School is out and special summer events have begun! From “Water Wars” to “Robot Wars,” we’ve had many exciting youth events. (We’ve even had a weeklong “Heat Wave” at 27C! … ahem… that’s only 80F … but remember we don’t have A/C!). But, with all this Summer busy-ness, I […]
Read More Summer and StoriesIn Welsh the title means: Face-to-Face Celebration. I thought this was a fitting title for several reasons. First, we took our level Sylfaen Welsh exams this month. Secondly, we were able to have much more “face-to-face” meetings. Lastly, we celebrated Ethan’s fifth Birthday. Let’s dive in… Arholiad Cymraeg (Welsh Exam) Since late 2017, Miriam and […]
Read More Dathliad Wyneb I WynebIt’s been another busy and exciting month here in North Wales. As Covid restrictions have started to ease but still remain in place, we’re finding that we need to, yet again, re-think how we do things, and “build bridges” so that people transition from an “online-only” experience to now: smaller in-person meetings, outdoor meetings, and […]
Read More Building Bridges BackWe serve a God that overcomes! Every time a hurdle presents itself like my permanent residency or Easter with Covid restrictions, God makes a way. Here’s a quick lookback over the events of this past month. Another Year Older: On March 26th I had my second birthday in Lockdown. Nonetheless, it was still a joyous […]
Read More Easter, Holiday, and OutdoorsI can now live permanently in the UK. This is called “Indefinite Leave to Remain” or “Permanent Residency.” I am now no longer bound to being on a visa in the UK. Furthermore, as I am now considered a “permanent resident,” we can now approach a bank/lender regarding a mortgage for a house. With a house, […]
Read More Great News!Last month was a bit trying with the rash and the radiators, but I am happy to say this month we are back “up and running” in more ways than one. Namely, I am, well… Running Again! This is such a huge answer to prayer! It is so great to able to run again and […]
Read More Up and RunningAs absurd as it may sound, this is a befitting title for this month’s newsletter. Read along and you’ll see why. Firstly, what is a Christingle? You really need a picture to appreciate these. What you have is a large orange with a red ribbon tied around it, followed by four toothpicks sticking out of […]
Read More Crazy Christingles and the Revenge of the RadiatorsI come from a long line of “doers”. On my father’s side, my grandfather built a church, literally, up from the ground. On my mother’s side, my grandfather zig-zagged back and forth across the States proclaiming the Gospel. Doing stuff is in my blood. So, this month, having to stop and focus “on my knees”, […]
Read More On my KneesOne of the hardest things for me to get used to living in Wales, is the dark Winter months. After Daylight Savings hits, the days get shorter and darker until the “day” is only a short sliver of grey haze between 8 and 4 o’clock. I mention this because I want you to imagine the […]
Read More Light in the DarknessRe-started Gatherings It has been another interesting month. After months of waiting and a month of preparation, we we’re able to re-start several physical gatherings. Our “Family Service” has been a particular joy. Under normal conditions, our church has services, probably quite similar to yours, but now with Covid restrictions we are not able to: […]
Read More Much to ShareBack to Church After 5 long months, our church will re-open its doors for services this Sunday! It’s exciting, but challenging, as we have strict government guidelines that we must adhere to. As a result, our services will be vastly limited in size, with us eventually running multiple services for smaller gatherings. One of these will […]
Read More Starting Back, Branching OutI wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t think Minecraft was a big deal. A year ago, I would have thought the same. In fact, a year ago I thought it was a waste of time. “It’s just virtual Lego,” I would say. “What’s the point?” But then Lockdown hit, and everything changed. All meetings were […]
Read More On To SomethingIt is an interesting climate here both in terms of weather and social restrictions. We’ve had some really sunny days (hottest yet in the year) followed by a full week of rain. We’ve also had a few relaxations on the restrictions here in Wales. Please note that our restrictions are different than England’s and the […]
Read More Providing Shelter: Gazebos and MinecraftWhile other places in the world have started re-opening, the UK (especially Wales) largely remains in a state of lockdown. I know many churches have started meeting again in the States, but here there is no indication yet of when we will be allowed to meet again. There is a great sense of fear that if the restrictions are eased, the death toll will grow even more, perhaps horrifically. It is in these times some have asked us, “Is there anything you can do…what are you able to do during the pandemic?” So, it is here that I want to report to you and remind myself that we are broadcasters of Hope.
Read More Broadcasting HopeNormally, we put out a written Newsletter every month. This month I thought I would do a video update instead.
Read More Video UpdateA lot has changed since our last newsletter. I’m sure many of you could say the same. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Britain entered into a state of lockdown about 3 weeks ago. Ultimately, this means that everyone is to stay at home, as much as possible. Schools have closed. All but essential shops […]
Read More Different, But DevelopingLast month, at the Higher Tour in Llandudno, 400 young people responded to the Gospel! It was a Heaven-touching-Earth moment that blew us all away. God is God that way…Amazing and All-Powerful! Since that day, we’ve been working to follow up with young people after that amazing event. In Llandudno, we had 4 young people […]
Read More Follow UpLooking back over this last month, brings to mind the lyrics of one of the songs we recently sang with the youth, “Higher than the mountains that I face…
Read More Higher than MountainsSo, way back in 2019, before Christmas, we had this amazing event called “The Big Gift.” Our desire was to put on an event that would not only be a fun, family-friendly Christmas event for the community but also something that would celebrate the various areas of ministry already happening at our church: Toddlers, Teens, […]
Read More The Big GiftWhat a fantastic five weeks we had in the States! Again, a huge thank you to everyone who showed us such amazing hospitality and generosity! It was so good to see so many of you and to share what God is doing here in North Wales. Also, it was very encouraging to make new friends […]
Read More Back to Wales Back to WorkHello from the Lone Star State! Yes, we are deep in the heart of Texas! It has been so good to see so many of you already (even those of you in Louisiana!), and we’re looking forward to those of you we hope to see soon. You have been a real blessing to us! In […]
Read More Texas-Sized BlessingsRecently, I saw the live production of Les Misérables live on stage (which I must say is such a beautiful allegory on the nature of law and grace). The musical was wonderful but I left with one moment at the forefront of my mind. In one particular scene Jean Valjean is praying to God and […]
Read More Bring Him HomeWhat a journey this last month has been! God has been so good and so faithful! He has opened so many doors and pointed me in the direction to go. I was nearly run off my feet this month with activities, but I’m not complaining…I’m praising! God is good and He loves this world and […]
Read More Jesus Loves WalesFrom frantically acquiring as much Welsh as I can, to wrapping up another school year of fantastic ministries, to envisioning the future, I must confess… this month I feel this statement describes it best: Dysgwr Dw i … *A learner, I am
Read More Dysgwr Dw i*What do glasses, Snowdon, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have in common? … Obviously, vision … Right? Ok, this is going to need a bit of explanation. First off, this month I was blessed with the fact that I now need glasses to help me with reading. It’s not a big deal, but it’s a life change. […]
Read More VisionYou have probably noticed over the last year or so, that Miriam and I have been putting a significant amount of effort into learning the Welsh language. We have been taking lessons every Monday for over a year now and this last week we just took our first Welsh Exams! We can now “officially” speak […]
Read More The Welsh FrontierWe’ve have had some amazing Victories this month, but there has also been some diffult “Valley” moments. We also have some exciting news about a Visit to Texas.
Read More Victories, Valleys, and a VisitGod continues to write His story in our lives and the story is gettin’ good.
Read More The Story’s Gettin’ GoodOur home town of Colwyn Bay has become increasingly more on the forefront of our minds. We’ve recently started “Shuffle and Shake” a Youth for Christ project. We had our second test run a couple weeks back and had 6 new young lads come along from off the street. They were a little rough around […]
Read More Shuffle, Shakes, and SoulsJanuary can be an emotionally difficult month. Christmas and New years have passed, and every day seems to be cold, dark, and miserable! We need something to cheer us up! Well, just yesterday (while checking the miserable weather forecast) I noticed something that brought a glimmer of hope to me and reminded me of this […]
Read More Minutes MatterI hope you find this infographic a fun and informative way to see all that God has done in 2018 and also to see what He has laid on our hearts for 2019. Here’s the PDF version if you’d like to print it. I’ve tried to keep it simple to make it easy to read […]
Read More In a year…Have you ever been standing on the edge of a cliff…admiring the beauty of God’s creation when a thought like this pops into your head, “What would it be like to step out and fly?!” I imagine that thought would send chills down your spine! The thought of all that danger and yet all that […]
Read More Potent ChillsAngry Birds is a mobile phone game that was first launched back in 2009. If you’ve never heard of it, then simply ask any young person and they will probably act like its ancient history! And I guess in some ways it kind of is, as since the original came out, Angry birds has released […]
Read More Angry Birds, Happy FinchSummer weather here lasts only about as long as the summer holidays … 6 weeks! It’s the first week of September and I’ve already started wearing jumpers (British for sweaters). Summer is always a busy crunch time and this summer was no different with two youth camps, a mini-retreat, an exciting summer program and then […]
Read More And the Kitchen Sink!
finches4uk.wordpress.com 