by Neal | Oct 2, 2012 | Link Parish, News, Transforming Lives |
A message came from the Morogoro team yesterday evening:
“Slow start to Day 1; people arriving through the day: 29 attendees thus far. Good atmosphere & all clearly keen yo engage with training. Worship singing a joy! Prayer for t’morrow; wisdom for issues beginning to show in this new group”
Praise God for their freedom in worship singing, and for their enthusiasm to connect with the Rooted in Jesus material. Please uphold the team as they begin to engage with the issues that are emerging. If the Lord gives you any insights as you pray – or words or pictures – with regard to these, please pass them on.
Personally, I experienced a quite unexpected fall yesterday morning, when I was out in the fields with my dog. I am OK, but was bruised and shocked and am feeling quite stiff this morning. This might be a signal to us, as intercessors, to pray for the Lord’s protection for team and conference participants against any accidents, or enemy attacks of any kind.
Psalm 91 comes to mind, at times like this!
by Neal | Oct 1, 2012 | Link Parish, News, Transforming Lives |
Two messages from the Morogoro team. One came on Friday at the end of the first conference:
Praise God for v positive conclusion to a good conference with special Eucharist. We give thanks with you for all God has done. We sensed all returning home with renewed hope and anticipation & encouraged in their leadership of RinJ. Please pray for conversations some priests may have which will encourage evangelists to attend conf 2. Please pray protection for our families esp Lukas & Danstan. God bless you in your praying” God is so faithful & good. Amen!
The second came this morning:
Greetings from Tanzania! Conf 2 starts today; pray please for good connections with attendees. Expecting and anticipating great blessing & good things from God. Andy Douglass joined us for this week.
Please pray especially for Andy Douglass that he may find his place and role very quickly in the team. Ask the Lord for good relationships with attendees, and to cover with His blessing all the participants in this second conference – some may turn up, even later today, as a result of conversations with those at the first conference.
I have a sense at this time that the Lord is showering us with blessing us as we pray, and the team and participants as they engage with the conferences. May we keep up our spiritual guard and stay alert for everything He has for us all.
I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.Haggai 2:1.
by Neal | Sep 30, 2012 | Link Parish, News, Transforming Lives |
As some of you will be aware, our Vicar, Rev Amanda Barraclough, is currently in Tanzania taking part in two Rooted in Jesus Conferences in Morogoro, Tanzania, where Wakefield’s link Diocese of Mara is, as well as St Mary’s link parish of Ikizu is situated.
Updates since Amanda’s trip started have just come through so below is a digest of updates so far via the group praying for them in the UK. I will post further updates as they arrive:
Monday 24th September
I have this morning received a message from the team in Morogoro:
“positive team meeting; raring to go; good sense of God’s promises & opportunities for conferences. Particular request for protection – armoured up; for unity & effective working as team; prayer too for those travelling to Morogoro today”. God bless you in your praying. Jonathan
Please pray, as they ask, for the Lord’s protection over them and for each one to put on and have confidence in the armour of God – Ephesians 6. We ourselves also need to put on the armour, so that we and they are all free from attacks of the evil one. Ask Him, too, that team members may each be bound in trust and love to Christ and to each other.
Please ask the Lord for safe passage for all who are travelling to Morogoro today, for the Rooted in Jesus conference starting tomorrow. Pray that God will bring safely in all of His children that He has called to be there.
Yesterday they sent us a scripture, which seems to help inform our praying:
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
1 Thess. 5: 12-13.
Tuesday 25th September
An encouraging message came from Jonathan this evening:
26 delegates arrived safely today. We have been received well. We hear good stories with honesty of the impact of RinJ over the past year. Difficulties and challenges shared openly. Clear signs of people engaging with the Holy Spirit during the ministry time. Prayer please esp for those more aware of the challenges and disappointments than the joys of their groups over the year – but they have come to the Conference! Team tired but working well together”.
Jonathan x
I have a sense from this of strong engagement with what is going on at the conference, i.e. that ‘battle is joined’. This leads me to think that we should be praying spiritual protection and the Lord’s armour over everyone there. I’m reminded of Jonathan’s request yesterday: “Particular request for protection – armoured up …”
The belt of Truth; the breastplate of Righteousness; the shoes of Peace; the helmet of Salvation; the shield of Faith; the Sword of the Spirit. (Ephesians 6: 10-20.) Our God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He has the victory. Praise Him!
An intercessor sent a word: ‘His banner over them is love’.
Friday 28th September
Another positive message from the Morogoro team yesterday evening:
Very clear God is taking attendees deeper into himself & in work of RinJ at this conference. Powerful & encouraging testimonies of God’s activity & healing thus far. Excitement of first time trainees at naming people to invite to their new RinJ groups. Prayer please for attendees as they return home tomorrow afternoon: protection & on God’s on-going work. Team keeping well: anticipating a few days rest and relax in preparation for second conf. Thanks to other half of team – the intercessors, God bless you.
We give glory to the Lord in thanksgiving for His amazing presence and work among them all.
Please note that ‘tomorrow afternoon’ means today, Friday, so please pray for the delegates today, if you are free to do so, as they leave the wonderfully blessed experience of the conference and return to life at home, that they may be protected and may lose nothing of all that God has given them this week.
Remember especially those who were already RinJ group leaders, who were described earlier this week as ‘those more aware of the challenges and disappointments than the joys of their groups over the year’ that they may be encouraged and strengthened and be able to continue the good work they have already undertaken.
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
Psalm 111:1,10
by Neal | May 30, 2010 | Link Parish |
At our All Age Communion service for Trinity Sunday this morning, we were very fortunate to welcome Peta Moffat who is the Mara Link Officer for Wakefield Diocese. She recently visited our link parish of Ikizu in Tanzania.
Peta spoke about her journey to Ikizu, the situation the Anglican Church finds itself in in this area of Tanzania, and about the people and location of the church.
These are photos taken by Peta during her visit and were shown during the service.
The previous week, we raised through a bucket collection, enough to buy a large Bible in the people of Ikizu’s own language and a large wooden cross. These will be really important to the church who have to rent a ‘classroom’ in a teachers’ building, and hence does not seem very church-like.
The Pastor and his family
Childrens' Choir
Pastor and other church members
Peta and a child from Ikizu
An older man comes in to be baptised
by Neal | Feb 7, 2010 | Link Parish |
Last year we received a gift of an altar cloth. An extremely generous gift as our link Parish in the Diocese of Mara, Ikizu, do not have a church. They are currently making their own bricks in order to make a church to worship in. With the long seasons of advent, Christmas and Epiphany, today was the first time we were able to use the cloth. I’m sure you’ll agree that it looks beautiful!
