April info

Dear Everyone,

For myself (Nicki) April was spent mainly with the children as one or both of them were on their Easter holidays.  Being in different schools their holidays don’t always match up.  Many people have commented that this must be a pain… on the contrary. It means I get quality time with each child for a whole week which we all enjoy!  Kevin did have some time with them too whilst I ran the mothers and babies groups though.  Both children are doing well and their social lives are getting more hectic then ours!  It was also great to have a number of friends and family visit over this period.

The key activity for Kevin this month has been to give teaching and training. He has been spending more time with Agnes, training her up in accounts and administration.  She has been taking on more and more responsibility since Jonathan left and it is amazing how our answer to that particular staffing need has been right under our noses all along!  He has also been putting together a training programme for our staff, especially in the area of leadership, as well working with Melissa with whom he is planning towards the DTS (Discipleship Training School) to start this coming September.   At the moment Kevin is also right in middle of giving three days of leadership training for some Flemish young leaders.  They are taking teams of young people on summer outreaches to Brazil, Israel and Portugal.

More and more of Kevin’s meetings are in French and he is doing really well.  Doing training in French proves at times to be a challenge. It often requires extra work to get the English handouts translated so it can take a lot out of him, but he is very satisfied having done it.  He really enjoys teaching and it is obviously one of his gifts and motivations.

Please pray for us in the month to come as we have a fair bit of travelling.  Eleven of us on the team will be heading to Germany for the YWAM European conference, Festival of the Nations.  Kevin will be doing a presentation there on the work he has been doing for the knowledge base…  The children will be busy in their special programme and we are sure they will love it.  Please pray for safe travelling (10 hours of driving) and good weather as we will be camping! Please also pray that this will be an inspiring and refreshing time for all the team and the we will make and renew many YWAM contacts.

I am also planning towards our second Open Day to be held on June 16th.  I am enjoying organising this but please pray that it all goes to plan. If you are likely to be in Brussels that day and want to enjoy a free drink and tour, put it in your diary!

A number of people have also asked us about whether we have a car yet.  The answer is…”yes!”  We are currently borrowing a car which is helping a lot and we will get our very own one soon.  A Diesel VW Passat Estate has been offered to us (you may remember that this is exactly the type of car we wanted!!) and we are just working out how to get it and when as it is in Germany.  So thank you for your faithful prayers, God is indeed good to us!

Key dates for the months to come:

• 18th-20th: In the UK for Andy and Jo’s wedding (Kev will be best man!)
• 25th-28th Festival of the Nations, European conference in Hernhutt, Germany
• 1st June: Deadline for staff team to apply for DTS (please pray for the right people)
• 8th-10th Link camping weekend
• 16th June:YWAM Brussels Open Day
• 22nd-27th June: Nicki in France for intensive language learning

Please keep in touch, we ALWAYS love hearing from you too!

Love Nicki, Kevin, Sam and Ellie

February Update

Dear Everyone,

Well, what an eventful February it has been, with both encouraging and disappointing news. On reflection though we continue to see God’s faithfulness and support to us… and as always we are grateful for all your prayers.

The month had started a little discouraging with a difficult staff issue which involved extra meetings (now resolved), as well as hearing that two staff members will be leaving in the coming months. They are both leaving for positive reasons (one will be getting married in this coming year) but it is always hard in a volunteer organisation to find key staff members to fill roles. Kevin was particularly saddened that he will be losing his administrator who has only just become fully trained in the role. Without an administrator a lot of extra work falls on Kevin which can very often feel overwhelming so please pray for the right replacement (someone who is fluent in at least French and English).

On the positive front the bar has really begun to take off after a quiet few months leading up to Christmas. The “open mic night” on Wednesdays have seen people returning again and again and it has a real buzz as Christian and Non-Christian artists perform in the relaxed atmosphere. (Listen to the Daya Trio!) On the other evenings Patrick or Liam on the team often gently play their songs as people drink… many worship songs. The bar is slowly gaining a reputation as a place where people can really be themselves and indeed not be afraid to ask questions.

We have also been joined by four young people who are currently training on a school of Evangelism. They have come here for their practical outreach phase and have definitely brought joy and creativity to the base… they have been joining some of the rest of the team in the weekly outreach time in the Central station. They are making many good contacts and have currently made a Muslim friend who is now always in the bar. They can also often be spotted carrying big flasks of coffee around as they chat with folks in the area… and of course offer them a hot drink! In addition to this they have been helping local churches in a variety of activities including doing English lessons and helping with Alpha.

We have just returned from an extremely busy week in Plymouth. We had originally planned to go for a long weekend as we were thrilled to be asked to be God-parents to our very good friend’s new adopted daughter, Chloe. It was a beautiful service and we were delighted to rejoice with them in the precious gift of Chloe. She’s lovely and we are all enjoying getting to know her (she’s the same age as Sam). However a few weeks before our travel we discovered that our house in Plymouth needed a lot of work doing on it before the next tenant can occupy it. It was mainly damp problems, not uncommon in rainy Plymouth! Quotes for how much the work would cost were far higher than we could cope with and we really wanted to see the house for ourselves. So, we changed our tickets, decided to stay for a whole week and do the work ourselves. Amazingly in the space of five days, we achieved (with the help of many good friends and mum!), to re-plaster walls, redecorate three rooms, repair a falling down ceiling, put in new windows in the shed, generally tidy and touch up all the other rooms! Needless to say we returned to Brussels on Saturday tired but extremely satisfied, especially as we did it for a tenth of the cost quoted!

We are looking forward to March and indeed the daffodils are about to come out on our balcony! We are also really looking forward to Nicki’s mum and Warren visiting in a few weeks when once again we will be treated to a day in Euro-Disney! Please pray that Kev makes it this time especially as his back has been rather sore following all the travelling and decorating.

So, please continue to pray for us for the following:

• Praise God that we managed to repair and decorate our house
• Praise God for the evangelism that has been taking place in the bar, mothers and babies/Alternatives, and out in the city
• Please pray for our on going staffing needs, especially for an administrator
• Health, especially fighting the winter virus’s off and Kev’s continuing twinges with his back.
• Praise God for all our generous friends who have enabled us to borrow their cars!

Many thanks, as always we love hearing from you as well,

Love Nicki, Kevin, Sam and Ellie

Itinerary for Furlough

A number of people have been asking us what we are up to so here is our summer itinerary:

• July 6th – 13th – Camping in France
• July13th- 20th – Camping in Exmouth (friends in Exeter and Torquay, we’d love to invite you to a meal at our tent!)
• July 20th -27th – Plymouth (preach at St Judes on 23rd)
• July 27th- Aug 11th – Stroud
• Aug 14th -26th – Brussels, although thinking of going camping again possibly in the week of 14th
• Aug 28th – back to work! ;-p

Hope that helps. We will be on our English mobile zero zero four four, seven nine six seven one oh five two seven three.

We really hope to catch up with you!

Can’t wait!