Answers to Prayer...

Fun at the Away Day

I want to start by thanking so many of you for your prayers over the last few weeks. I've really seen how God has been answering them. Last Saturday we had our first youth away day. I arranged it as a chance for the young people to catch up with other teenagers from around Slovenia who had come to our camp in the summer. It was also the chance to spend time looking at God's word and to encourage them when the days can still be quite dark and depressing.

It was a great success and so I think I will plan for this to be a regular event in the year. We had 12 young people aged between 11 and 20 come together to think about the Armour of God and the spiritual battle we are in. Please continue to pray for these young people, that they would remember what they have learnt and that they would apply it to their lives.

In another answer to prayer, and news hot off the press, yesterday we got confirmation of our booking for a new venue for our summer youth camp. Some of you may know that we had made the difficult decision to change venue for this year and so it is a massive answer to prayer that we have been able to locate a new venue. I have been involved in these summer camps since 2018 and this is the first time since I've been involved that we will be in a new place. Please be praying for me and for the other leaders as we plan camp at this new venue. It is literally the other end of the country - near the border with Austria - it is fully catered, and has different equipment and opportunities. This will obviously change the feel of camp and what it will look like. Please pray for wisdom as we plan in light of this. Thank you to those who have been praying about this and thank God for his good provision.

Life has been quite quiet in the past week now that preparation for the Away Day is done. Life should go back to a reasonably normal routine for the next couple of weeks for which I am grateful.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!
 

Hope in the Darkness...

 

Sometimes it feels like winter here lasts forever. As I sit here and look out at the rain and grey skies, it is easy to feel tired and drained. Within the last couple of weeks more than one friend has received tragic news. In a time of year that is already difficult, it's easy to feel helpless as I watch them process their grief and anger over their different situations. Please pray for me as I seek to support them and to be a good friend to them all.

Despite the pain and difficulties I see my friends going through, and the sadness I feel over my own family's situation, I look out onto my balcony and I see the daffodils and crocuses I planted last September starting to break through. For me this is a good reminder that winter doesn't last forever, spring will come. It's the same for us in this world. We live in a broken world but we know that one day Christ will return and all our brokenness will be mended.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about the Armour of God from Ephesians chapter 6. I am preparing material for our youth away day on 16th March. We currently have 12 young people signed up. Please pray for them as they seek to learn and grow in their faith.

In preparing for this, I have been reminded of the reality of the battle we face. We face an enemy who wants to do all he can to take us away from God, to distract us, to make us doubt God's goodness. It's such a great comfort to know that God does not leave us alone in the battle. In fact he gives us his armour. All we have to do is to stand firm. The armour is the gospel of God. All we have to do is to trust in Jesus and keep trusting in him. When he died on the cross, Jesus won the war. Yes we still have battles to face, yes we do still have to face the realities of pain and death in this world, but we know that if we're trusting in God alone for our salvation, we have a great future waiting for us. This is the hope I'm looking towards and clinging on to. I will close with some words we sang last week at youth group:

When I am weary with the cost, I see the triumph of the cross, so in its shadow I shall run, till he completes the work begun.