Dear all our Dear friends,
Nicki and I have had a positive start to the new year and feel really excited about all the possibilities ahead. However, we have had a few early challenges! Some little setbacks in YWAM, including a poor cash flow in the centre here, is causing us some headaches. On the positive side we have a team of 3 on an Evangelism outreach staying with us and working in Brussels for three months.
One personal challenge was that our car failed it’s safety test and received a “Interdiction de Rouler” certificate. We grimly decided that to repair and retest and fix all the other defects listed was simply not worth it (and the 290,000 Km on the clock). So I sold it, making a friend from a Turkish car breakers year in the process. We have been “sans voiture” for three weeks now… and haven’t really struggled. The public transport here is excellent and we have also access to a number of cars that people are happy to lend us. However, YWAM has no car of its own and we do need one from time to time. We need an estate car, preferably a diesel. Any ideas?
However, lots of great things continue to happen. The outreach bar we run here was packed this Wednesday. There was an “Open Mic” night running where anyone can come and perform some music, poetry or art. I went in and ordered a mint tea. A young Belgium lady and a French man (both of whom work at the EU Commission) got up to play. They sang “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette and it made the hairs on the back on my neck tingle. I went up to them afterwards and and chatted for half an hour about music and why we run the place. It was easy to squeeze God in. They loved the bar, open mic nights, the Fairtrade products and the lack of smoke. They promised to come back and bring lots of friends. It was most enjoyable evangelism and shows the sort of outreach atmosphere we are aiming for in the bar!
Over the next month we keep working on setting priorities for the year, planning and recruiting students for the DTS in September. I am working a lot with the team leaders in strategic planning and personal development. We have a great new (and fun) website for the base at www.ywambrussels.be. I have a lot more work to do there this month but it is 80% complete just now. Nicki has lots to do and continues to see “Mothers and Babies” blossom a little each month. We are also coming to Plymouth for 5 days from 17th Feb. to become God-Parents and look forward to catching up with you all.
The snow is coming! Today it started snowing and the temperature has dropped below zero. The thermometer on the Pharmacy opposite has the interesting notion that the temperature is -0C! It is hard enough explaining negative numbers to a 7 year old with out this sort of confusion! Talking of the kids they are doing well. Sam is obsessing about Lego Star Wars computer games (with Ellie and Dad only a little less obsessed).
Take care and keep safe this winter!
Love,
Kevin and Nicki
Prayer points:
- Please pray for The Link (www.thelinkatstdoms.be). It is going very well but we on the core team are all feeling the squeeze of time pressure! We need more core team members. The outreach of the church is going well but we don’t want anyone to burn out!
- Pray for all the evangelism that is happening here, for more short term teams to come and visit, for the outreach in the subway and the bar outreach.
- Pray we will know what to do about our car. Pray, we will have the finance needed to buy and, more importantly, afford to run a replacement.
- Pray for our ongoing safety
