Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green? I am, but I'm not yet sure whether that is just an American tradition. I haven't seen many Brits sporting the color. Today it's a bit gray outside, but for the past week it has been sunny and fairly warm, with blue skies. There's a market set up on the main walking street in honor of St. Pat, and the delicious aromas wafting from the food booths were enough to mildly distract our group of treasure hunters yesterday.
I don't know if I've told you about treasure hunting yet. Simplified it's waiting on the Lord for clues about people we expect to find out on the streets and then going out and finding and hopefully praying for them. It's been about 8 weeks since we started, and God is doing really cool things. The first week was very slow and we got our share of rejections from people who can't think of a single thing they may need prayer for, not a single thing. But God is beginning to show us that He is moving. This past week we got to pray for a woman who'd been in a car accident and a pair of international students from Hungary and Japan. It's so fun to see God lead us to people who are in need. Still waiting to see immediate healing, but God is good and faithful, so it's coming.
(Mmm Chili's)God moves in other ways as you know. I went to get my first English haircut and had the most interesting conversation with my hairdresser, James. He was intrigued about the church and what we are and aren't allowed to do. He asked if I was allowed to get married, or marry more than one fellow, or if I needed to wear special clothing, if foreigners were allowed....he wanted to start a controversial discussion. I think in the end God just gave me a bigger heart for him. James ended up sharing that he was recently divorced and didn't really speak with his daughter. I think I may go back to him to have my hair cut again just to be able to tell him that God loves him.
Another first for me in Sheffield was my very first children's ministry interest meeting. I'm really excited to get to know and work with the fifteen odd man and women who came to the meeting! Having been praying for a team of people to join me in reaching the children, I was pretty overwhelmed by the response. I now have just over a dozen people who have a heart to see children experience God so powerfully while they're children that they will never want to turn away. Now I just have to figure out the organizing and training. I think in this journey I'm learning that everything seems to take a little longer when you're church planting. But praise God that I'm am not alone!
(Big Ben in the sunlight) 
I felt that more than ever at this weekend's Worship Central conference in London. People all over the UK are feeling the call to prayer, fasting, and worship this year. One member of our team went to a prayer meeting that was host to leaders from every denomination in the UK, and they spent five hours repenting and praying for the United Kingdom. Powerful! This past Saturday the worship team (I qualify under the status of children's worship pastor ;)) travelled down to London (no, not to visit the queen :)) to attend Worship Central. Imagine nearly 2,000 people passionate about worship and leading people into the heart of worship. We got to eat a meal at Chili's, too. Present were Peter Grieg - the 24-7 prayer guy, Tim Hughes, Al Gordan, Ben Cantalon, praying with drumming, prophetic rapping...heaven is going to be such a cool place.
Let's see, what else have I been getting myself into - I list because it's nearly time to sign off. Training for the Sheffield half-marathon, getting burgled, tube surfing (pronounced tyube), starting a new unit with the kids on worship, having fun at the office observing my co-workers sporting attire from the dress-up bag, playing at the coolest park in Sheffield with built-in trampolines, sampling food from the first Sheffield Market of the year...life has it's ups and its downs. In it all, GOD IS GOOD. May He bless you and keep you in His kindness wherever you may be in your day!
Loads of love!
