Preschool in a Suitcase

As July draws to a close, we're also coming to the end of our "preschool in a suitcase" seminar. The workshop, which is being attended this year by ladies from as far afield as Indonesia and the Ukraine, aims to equip people to set up Biblically based preschools in developing nations or situations of poverty such as refugee camps. That's why it's called preschool in a suitcase: the goal is that people could go into a needy situation, taking very few resources with them, in order to train teachers and help people create an environment for early childhood education using the simple resources that are available right there in that location. The photo shows me with a couple of puppets that we made this week, using old rags and those sponge wipes that you can buy for washing dishes.

This year we have a slightly smaller group than usual, but it includes some people who already have long years of experience in preschool teaching and whose heart is to be able to offer simple training in field-based situations in Africa and Asia.

Because of the smaller group, I haven't been so involved in teaching this year, but have served the group by doing all the registration work with the University, so that these students can gain credits towards a Bachelor's Degree in early childhood education, if they don't already have one. I've also sometimes been able to help out practically by preparing snack breaks, or by participating in the listening prayer times.

In just a few days' time, the seminar will be over again for this year. Many thanks to those of you who have been standing with us in prayer.

Deception and presumption

Every time I read Joshua chapter 9, I'm struck by what a sad episode it is in the history of the nation of Israel. It's the story of the Gibeonite deception, and the decisions made that day had far-reaching consequences for centuries afterwards.

If you remember the context, the Israelites have just won resounding victories over the cities of Jericho and Ai, and the surrounding peoples are starting to become afraid. Which city or people will be conquered next, as these Hebrews continue their advance into the Promised Land that their God is giving them?

For this reason, a tribe of people called the Gibeonites plan an elaborate scam. Knowing that the Israelites will not make a treaty with any of the Canaanite tribes, the Gibeonites dress up in ragged clothes and worn sandals; they carry mouldy bread, weathered saddle bags and patched wineskins. " We've come from a distant land," they say, "We've heard of the power of your God, and we want to ask you to make a peace treaty with us."

Before agreeing to a treaty, the Israelites inspect the dry bread and old wineskins BUT (vs 14) they did not consult the Lord. They end up guaranteeing the safety of people that actually live nearby and should have been conquered in order for Israel to fully possess the land.

Should we feel sorry for the Israelites? Should we see them as the innocent victims of a clever deception? Or should we groan in dismay as we watch them sow problems for themselves because of their sin of presumption? They trusted in their own understanding of the situation, instead of truly hearing what God had to say about it.

It could be easy for us to make the same sort of mistake today. There are countless issues in our modern world where the enemy is seeking to deceive us and pull the wool over our eyes. Our biggest danger is that we would form our opinion based on what the media, the scientists or the politicians are telling us, instead of stopping and taking time to consult the Lord.

Whether it's a personal choice (Should I accept this new job offer?) a moral question in society (What should I think about transgenderism or same-sex marriage?) or some kind of decision facing us in the church, it is so important that we don't simply rely on what our own eyes and ears, thoughts and feelings tell us, but that we take time to check in with our Father: "What do you think about this, Lord? What's the right way forward for me?"

Joshua learned a hard lesson that day. It was the second time that he had put his leadership on "automatic pilot" instead of diligently seeking the Lord in every decision. As we read on in the following chapters, we read of the Israelites winning one victory after another... and certainly a key to their success was the heart attitude we read of in Joshua 11 vs 15: Joshua did as he was told, carefully obeying all the commands that the Lord had given.

Dog days

It's the end of July and we're in that season of the year where you're already sweating within a hour of your last shower. Why, I wondered, are these hot, sweltering days known in various countries as the "dog days of summer"? It's certainly not because it's weather conducive to dog walking. The photo above shows Buba and me, collapsed in the park, when the 30 degree heat of our early evening walk proved a bit much for someone in a fur coat. It started out as a walk and it ended up as a siesta!

In fact, I discovered, these hot summer days don't take their name from overheated canines, but were given that name because, historically, the hottest time of year came just after the rising of Sirius, the dog star, the brightest star we can see from earth.

Even so, Buba and I have been finding ways of getting our exercise. Discovering that our usual walk across the fields offers no shade at all from the heat of the day, we've been finding shadier alternatives for these summer days. Our only option in the afternoon or early evening is to stroll through the park close to my house, which is full of large shady jacaranda trees and offers free entertainment in the form of the green Amazon parrots that flock there. In the morning, however, we can walk up the quarry road from my house, towards the hills, and still find plenty of shady spots until the sun begins to rise higher at around 9 am.

If we're early enough, and are feeling energetic enough, we might even do our "over the hill" walk, which meanders through old olive groves before descending steeply again on the other side. (I call it our "over the hill" walk because it literally does take us up and over the hill, and not because it makes my old lungs tell me that I'm getting over the hill!) It's only 3 km in total (the green S, starting point, on the map is my house) but it takes plenty of energy because it's uphill for much of the way. Today was the first time we took that route since my being on crutches earlier in the year. (Thankfully my foot has healed well, or I'd never have managed the many kilometres we walked while praying around cities like Geneva, Wittenberg and Rome on the Reformation Tour. More about that in the posts below.)

We made a new friend while returning home this morning: an enthusiastic young border collie who almost jumped the fence in his eagerness to join us on our walk. That reminded me of my border collies in Cape Town, and made me very thankful that, even in these dogless days here in Spain, I can borrow a neighbour's dog and still enjoy walking in our beautiful countryside. (I'm not someone who's very motivated to walk alone.) I'm also extremely thankful that I'm able to walk like this. Back in 2014, arthritis in my feet was making it difficult for me to walk more than a few minutes at a time. I'm grateful that I'm now able to walk a reasonable distance, as long as I have some kind of soft, spongy footwear. It means I can enjoy these dog days of summer.

Challenging the new generation of reformers...

After months of planning and weeks of travelling, our "Reformation Tour" outreach is behind us now. If you were one of our prayer partners over these past 20 days, let me say a big thank you for your faithfulness in standing with us. God too was faithful and your prayers have been answered in encouraging ways.

You can read more about the tour in my August newsletter, which should reach you about a week from now. However, if you'd like to read more stories and testimonies in the meantime, you can keep scrolling down and read the 11 blog posts previous to this one.  (If you want to read them in chronological order, you'll need to begin with the one written in Switzerland, then Germany, followed by Austria, and finally some posts about our time in Rome.)

As we reflect back on the tour, perhaps the most important thing of all is that we challenged a group of 21st Century young people to be wholehearted in their commitment to God, and to be willing to pay the price to be world changers in their generation. That can make all the difference, both now and in the future.

With a thankful heart...

There are many reasons to say thank you. I am thankful to people who prayed for us during the Reformation Tour. I am thankful to people who looked after my pets while I was gone. I am thankful to God for His faithfulness and for many answered prayers.

On the last day of the tour, I led a time of debriefing, helping the children and teens to reflect on what they had experienced, what they had learned, and how they wanted to keep growing in God in the future.

One of the activities involved presenting a "bouquet" of thankfulness to the Lord, praying out our gratitude and proclaiming that He is good.

Expect the unexpected

The Reformation Tour was a different kind of "outreach." In fact, God had warned us in advance that our assignment was not so much to do with reaching out to unbelievers, but rather to do with hearing His voice and obeying the things He asked us to do from day to day. He told us that the fruit of the outreach would be seen more in the spiritual realm and in the lives of the participants, than in large numbers of people giving their lives to the Lord.

During one of our daily prayer times, eleven year old Noham felt God warning us to expect the unexpected. "As you make your plans," He said, "Be aware that sometimes I'll override them and you need to be sensitive and quick to obey." This happened several times, but perhaps the most memorable was the day we went to the "church of the martyrs."

After a time of worship in the garden of our accommodation, we had caught the bus into the city centre that day and walked quite some distance along the shady river bank until we came to Saint Bartholomew's, a church on a small island in the Tiber River - a church dedicated to the memory of modern martyrs.  In our study of the Reformation, we had learned that many people in those days had given their lives for their faith and for the right to have the Bible in the language of the people. If we want to be world-changers in the 21st Century, there is every possibility that some of us will pay for it with our lives. Small displays in the church of the martyrs tell the stories of men and women who have died for their Christian faith over the past hundred years - some of them in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, some in the Spanish Civil War, and some more recently in terrorist attacks perpetrated on churches and chapels. St. Bartholomew's seemed an appropriate setting for us to reflect with our young people on this modern reality, and that's why we took such a longish walk along the river bank to get there.

But a frustrating surprise awaited us on our arrival: just as we wanted to enter the church, two ladies appeared and told us that we would have to leave, because the church was about to be closed for one hour for cleaning. We tried pleading for permission to enter, we even offered to help with the cleaning, but all to no avail. We were unceremoniously shown to the door. This left us with a predicament, as our next appointment was at Radio Vatican. If we waited too long at the church of the martyrs, we would be late in arriving at the radio station. Unsure of what to do next, we decided to take some more time to pray; Noham remembered his impression about our plans being messed up, and we needed to take time to hear what God had on His heart for us. In order to escape the blazing heat of the midday sun, we sought refuge next door to the church, in a shady doorway that was shared by the police station and the Jewish hospital.

It was an inauspicious setting for the special moments that took place next. As we waited on the Lord, we were reminded that martyrs are people who are rejected by their society, and in the Reformation days were even put out of the church. Our slight inconvenience in being ushered out of St. Bartholomew's was nothing compared to the cost of being rejected or persecuted for our faith in Jesus. As the Lord began to work among us, young people started to pray out their prayers of total commitment to God's plans and purposes for their lives, no matter what the cost. Parents wept as they recommitted their children to the Lord. Small groups began to pray together, while others began to worship quietly, recognising that God is worthy of our whole lives.

"Sh'ma Yisra'eil Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad," we sang. "May the Lord bless you and keep you... and give you peace." Our song, taken from scriptures in Deuteronomy and Numbers, echoed in that shady portico and out into the sunlit square. It seemed an appropriate song choice for our unexpected place of refuge in front of the Jewish hospital, where people kept coming in to go upstairs in the lift and visit their loved ones.

Finally, the church opened its doors again, and we were able to go in for a brief visit. But the team that walked around the silent church was not the same group of people that had walked along the river bank only hours earlier. Lives had been touched by God, and some of them had been changed for ever.

Read on below for news of our later visit to Radio Vatican.

Visiting the Vatican Radio

While in Rome, we had the opportunity to visit the Vatican Radio station, which broadcasts in around 40 languages to countries all over the world. Unlike internet, radio waves are a technology that cannot be blocked and so Christian radio is one of the few ways that people in "closed" countries can hear worship music and Biblical teaching.

Looking at the photos, where I'm sitting behind the microphone, you might think I was making a broadcast. In fact, I'm simply translating for the man on the far left, who was giving us a guided tour and explaining how the radio station works. We also had an opportunity to pray for him and sing a blessing song for him (click here to hear the song) before heading on to our last two commitments of the day: a joint worship service in a local church (I was translating the preaching there, too) and a meal in an Italian pizza restaurant.We had booked out the whole upper floor in the restaurant, which allowed us to have a time of testimonies and thanksgiving to mark the end of our tour and the last day spent together with the Kisi team.

Reformation Tour in Rome and Assisi

After our few days in Austria, nine young people from the Kisi Kids joined us for our overnight drive to Rome. Torrential rain poured down for the Austrian segment of the journey, but had stopped in time for us to see the sun rise as we paused for a breakfast break at motorway services on the Italian side of the border.

Fortunately, most of the younger team members had managed to sleep in the vehicles, because our first stop was in Assisi, where we spent the morning visiting the basilica and hearing about the role that St. Francis played in reforming the society of his day. After a time of prayer and a picnic lunch, it was time to continue our onward journey to Rome (where we were staying in a Hungarian retreat centre. Rather strange to be in Italy and to see all the signs written in Hungarian!)

Before our Reformation Tour began, I had written to the Pope, asking if we might be able to meet with him and pray for him. The timing didn't work out for us to do this in the context of a private audience, so instead we went to hear him preach (from his window) at St. Peter's Square on Sunday lunch time. I was quite surprised to discover that I understood a fair bit of his sermon (in Italian) on the parable of the sower. The pope finished his message by asking the people to pray for him and so, although we hadn't been able to do it in person, we took time there on the square to pray for this man who has such an influence on the church and on society today, both in Europe and beyond. Some of his recent sermons have highlighted the need for us to be "reformers" - agents of change in the church and in the world around us - so we wanted to pray for those words to reach listening ears and open hearts.

The picture above shows our combined KKI and Kisi group at St Peter's square. The building on the extreme right of the photo is the one where Pope Francis appeared at the window to preach his message, and the dome on the left is where some of our group climbed up later in the day to have a time of intercession for the city of Rome. More about that in the post below.

Two teams in Rome

After our morning at St. Peter's square, we had a picnic lunch and a time of worship and listening prayer in the shadow of Castel Sant'Angelo. Among the prayer impressions received was the verse that says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower," and another that says, "The Lord is my banner." We sensed that perhaps we should go to key locations in the city to worship, pray and declare the name/character of God. Other impressions were about the importance of intercession for the city and the nation, so in the end we formed two teams - one for worship and prayer, and the other for more focused times of intercession.

The intercession team covered eleven kilometres on foot that day, praying in various places that God put on their hearts, including climbing right to the top of the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral and interceding there for the city. The second team, pictured here at the Piazza Navona, included several of the youngest team members, but we still managed to walk seven kilometres around the city, worshipping, praying and proclaiming the things that God led us to speak out. (God in His foresight even led us in a way that provided for the needs of young bladders: as we were worshipping in French in front of a church that advertised mass in French and German, a priest came to the door and invited us in. We were able to have our quiet time (personal time with God) and a further time of worship inside the cool interior of the chapel, and there was a toilet that our younger team members could use before we continued on our way!)

One of the most powerful moments for me was when we came to the Pantheon, an ancient Roman building, constructed nearly two thousand years ago to the honour of "many gods." There, in its shady portico, our small and seemingly insignificant little team began to sing worship songs that proclaimed the existence of only one true God. One of the songs was based on the creed of Biblical truths found in many church liturgies. We sang this in German, English and French, its chorus declaring, "I believe in YOU, Lord of all." Then, sensing our God-given assignments were over for the day, we checked online to discover the time of the next bus home to our accommodation. (In Rome we were travelling by public transport.) Read on below for the adventure that awaited us.

A Roman sprint...

During the Reformation Tour, we travelled more than 5000 kilometres across Europe in three 8-seater vehicles. During our few days in Rome, however, we used the public transport system. The photo above shows our team members waiting at the bus stop that was just outside our accommodation, about a half hour trip from the centre of the city. The buses didn't exactly run according to schedule: we usually didn't have to wait too long to catch the bus into the city in the morning, but we often had a long wait to catch the bus home again in the evening.

One adrenaline-rush moment happened on the Sunday evening. Our group had split into two teams that afternoon, and I was with the group that included many of the younger team members. After eating an ice cream (at a place reputed to sell the best ice cream in Rome) and having a time of worship in front of the Pantheon (you can read more about that in the post above) we decided it was time to head home. Someone checked online and saw that the bus we needed was due to leave in 22 minutes and the next bus would be only two hours later. Our challenge was that the GPS said the bus stop was a 28 minute walk away.

We set off at a brisk pace, the 7 and 8 year olds keeping up admirably, and a 15 year old offering to carry my bag for me (as my damaged lungs don't cope too well with a sustained sprint!!) On the way, we passed several of the locations we had prayed at in the afternoon, and were reminded of the way that God had led us during those times.

Amazingly, we arrived at the bus stop just in time.... only to discover that the bus was late, and then cancelled due to fire engines rushing around the city to put out a blaze. In the end, we waited another hour and a half for our bus, the young people singing, playing games and eating their sandwiches while we waited at the bus stop. 

Everyone was ready for bed when we arrived home at 9. 30 pm, and many of our younger ones were already asleep when the other team (the intercession group, who also had a long wait for their bus) arrived back an hour later. But there was an encouraging sense in both teams that we had heard God's voice and had accomplished the things He had asked of us that day.

Adventures in Austria

After leaving Hainichen, we drove seven hours southwards until we reached the beautiful Salzkammergut region of Austria, where we stayed at the Kisi house in Traunkirchen. There we joined them in a camp that they were running for Catholic young people. The above picture shows evening worship in the open air - which was followed by a time of baking bread around the campfire.

The Kisi team led us in a time of learning a song and dance that expressed a prayer for unity, and we led them in a time of listening prayer, where several of their young people heard God's voice for the first time. Some of our kids had shared testimonies about times when they'd heard God speak to them, and this raised the faith level for everyone.

 

There was also some relaxed time down by the lake, where some of the young people went swimming, and some of the adults got together to pray about our onward trip to Italy.

 

Walking in Wittenberg

On Monday, we spent the day in Wittenberg, the town where Martin Luther lived and preached five hundred years ago. Our mixed team (a mix of ages, denominations and nationalities) walked around the city, praying at various locations that God had put on our hearts.

Our first stop was at the Schlosskirche, sometimes known as the All Saints church, which is where Luther is reputed to have nailed his 95 theses to the church door. In those days, the doors were used as a kind of bulletin board, where university staff could pin up notices and messages. Today the doors are made of bronze and have the 95 talking points engraved on them. (Here I am, under the umbrella, explaining to our group what is meant by the "95 theses.")

There, in front of the doors, we prayed that there would be people nowadays who are not afraid to take a stand for truth in our modern world, where many have lost a moral compass and issues like transgenderism and abortion are being championed and promoted by governments and education systems.

One of our later stops was at St. Mary's church, where Luther is said to have preached more than two thousand sermons. (Every day for six years!) We had a time of worship in the church, singing songs that proclaimed the goodness of God; then we went outside and prayed into various things that God had shown us previously (including the "poppy" prayer described in the post below.)

After a break to eat our picnic lunch, we went to visit the house where Luther lived with his wife, his six children, and a variety of interns and students. It now houses a museum and it was interesting to learn more about how they lived in those days and how they made the Bible (newly translated into German) a key part of their everyday lives. Knowing that thousands of people will pass through the house in this special anniversary year, we took time to pray that the glory would not all go to Luther... but that people would find their attention drawn to the truths of the Bible and that God would get the glory - just as Luther had desired and promoted so many centuries ago. 

Praying at the Poppy

Yesterday, we drove two hours from Hainichen to Wittenberg - the town where Martin Luther lived and where he is reputed to have nailed his "95 theses" to the door of the Castle Church. We drove through torrential rain; in fact, rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the whole day - something that was a real concern for me, as walking around in wet clothes is risky for my lung condition.

To make good use of our journey time, we all had our "quiet time" (devotional time alone with God) in the bus. Our readings, from John chapters 15 and 17, were about what it means to bring glory to God - by obeying the things He asks us to do, and thus bearing good fruit in our lives. So we also had a time of listening to God and asking Him what He wanted us to do that day in Wittenberg.

In each vehicle, someone wrote down the different impressions that the children, teenagers and adults received. Some were impressions about what He wanted us to do or to pray in Wittenberg; several were impressions that we should hold on to God's joy and not allow ourselves to get tired or discouraged because of the heavy rain. One of the more mysterious prayer impressions was when 10 year old Mélodie saw a picture of a poppy. No one was sure exactly what it meant, but we wrote it in our notebook, anyway.

On arrival in Wittenberg, we had to dash through the rain to the first church we'd felt we should pray at. But, amazingly, when we came out of the church fifteen minutes later, the rain had almost stopped, and the weather remained dry and sunny for the rest of the day. The torrential rain only started up again when we were getting into the vehicles for our journey home... and it was really heavy the whole way. I think I was the most thankful of all that God seemed to have held back the rain for our time in Wittenberg.

At one point, as we were praying together outside another church building, someone noticed a little coffee shop called the poppy café. "Look," they said, "It's just like the picture that Mélodie had while we were praying." The café was closed, but we gathered in front of it to ask God what we should do or pray there. While four small groups took time to pray the things that God showed us, Mélodie's group rang the doorbell, hoping to meet the owners and ask them if we could pray a prayer of blessing for them.

It was only a small detail among the other things we did and prayed yesterday, but one 10 year old had her picture of God enlarged, being reminded that she too could hear His voice and bring Him glory by a simple step of obedience.

Days in Deutschland

After several days in Switzerland, we climbed into our three vehicles and began our road trip - the first leg of 5000 kilometres across Europe. Our first destination was the quaint little town of Altensteig, where we were meeting up with the young people of the local King's Kids group for some days of worship, prayer, friendship and outreach together. It made for a fun time of fellowship, as the German kids did their best to speak some French, and the Swiss group tried to speak as much French as they could remember from lessons at school. On the day we arrived, a local minister took us on a short tour of the old village (picture above shows us at the castle) and told us something of the history of the town, and in particular how Christianity had developed there over the centuries.

When the Reformation in Germany made the Bible available in the language of the local people and not only in Latin, the rich landowner who founded the town discovered the gospel and built a church and a school for the people. We heard how other churches and denominations grew up over the years, with each group thinking they had the right gospel, until it came to the point where the people of different groups didn't even greet each other in the street. In a village as small as Altensteig (only a couple of hundred people at the time) everyone knew who belonged to which group.

Some hurts continued to the present day, as Altensteig became a small town with several churches that didn't really relate much with each other.... until one of the local ministers said, let's put a stop to this and have a joint service for reconciliation. This will happen in November this year, and we realised that the passage of our multi-faceted, interdenominational team this month is like just a forerunner of the unity still to come. Part of our time in Altensteg was spent going to different church buildings to pray blessing and proclaim Bible verses about Christian unity.

On Saturday morning we had worship and outreach, together with the German team at the open air marketplace in the centre of town. Two of our group were able to pray with a man who himself used to preach the gospel right there, but after being wounded by church dealings, he hadn't been going to church for fifteen years. He was in tears as our young people prayed for healing and invited him to the special reconciliation service this year.

On Saturday afternoon, our mixed group of French and German speakers split into two teams. One group stayed in Altensteig, while the other group went to the nearby town of Nagold, where they partnered with a local church to reach out to refugees.

In the evening, we all gathered by the river for our last time together. A big barbecue, a time of goodbyes, and some moments taken to thank and pray for our wonderful hosts. It had been fun to see our Swiss kids making friends with the German group, even despite the language barriers. Everyone had to do their best with the French or German, or a little bit of English, that they'd learned in school, and it was amazing to see how God built us into a united team for these few days together.

Many hours in the vehicles lie ahead for us today, as we drive northwards to the part of the country that used to be East Germany, before the wall came down. There, we'll partner with KKI Hainichen, and take time to visit Martin Luther's city of Wittenberg. More adventures lie ahead.

Some days in Switzerland

 

On Monday, I was up at the crack of dawn for my flight to Geneva, Switzerland. Our "Reformation Tour" outreach has begun. We're a team of almost thirty people - young people and families - and we'll be travelling 5000 km around Europe over the next couple of weeks, following in the steps of the Reformers who played such a key role in the development of church history five hundred years ago.

Arriving in Switzerland, I immediately noticed how different everything is from southern Spain. Everything is so green, while down in Malaga things are already dry and brown from the summer heat. Although it was a lovely sunny day, there was a noticeable drop in temperature. I slept with a big feather duvet for the first time in many weeks. And, because we're further north, it was strange to go to bed when it wasn't yet completely dark.

On Tuesday we had a full day in Geneva, walking around the city on foot and learning more about what the Reformation had meant historically. God had warned us in prayer that there would be surprises in store and that we shouldn't feel put out when unexpected things cropped up to "mess up" our planned schedule. Sure enough, there were some interesting "divine appointments" in the course of the day.

The first of these happened when we were in the cathedral. We had been hearing about how the Reformation helped the church recover the understanding that salvation comes through faith alone and not through anything that we can do to earn it. Someone in our group proposed that we sing a song of thankfulness and worship to the Lord, so we lifted our voices and sing right there and then - most in French, some in English, some in German. Suddenly we were joined by a Korean lady, and then by a full choir, who invited us to sing with them. As the strains of, "How great thou art" still echoed around the cathedral, we also spoke out the Lord's Prayer together. Their cameraman also interviewed a couple of us about what we were doing there. (Perhaps I'll unknowingly appear on Korean TV.)

The second surprise encounter happened in the afternoon. We were visiting Geneva's Reformation Museum and had heard how the invention of the printing press had made it possible for the Bible in their own language to be spread more widely to the people of the day. A huge replica of the first printing press had been set up, and some of our kids were enjoying inking the text and printing a page from the Bible. Suddenly, one of the museum staff came up to me and said, "Could you move aside for a moment, please? The King of Egypt would like to print a page."

The King of Egypt, as you may know, has been in exile since a revolution in 1953, and currently lives in Switzerland. As he printed his Bible page, our kids huddled two by two in the next room, taking time to pray for him and for his nation. Then, as he finished printing,  we asked if we could sing for him, and he said yes, he'd like that. Once again our music filled the building, but this time is was the museum and not the cathedral.

That evening, debriefing the day in small groups, we reflected on how the effects of the Reformation had reached the whole world.. and how, on the first day of our tour, we had met people from all over the world.

Having heard a lot about the Reformation on Tuesday, we took some time on Wednesday to learn more about how Catholics express their faith in the 21st Century. Finally, we took the team to the town of Rolle, where we had a time of worship, a picnic and a swim in the lake. That concludes our days in Switzerland, and on Thursday we take to the road, travelling northwards into Germany.

Fun and fruitful

A full, fun and fruitful week lies behind us. Young leaders from different parts of Europe and beyond (Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Wales, Canada, USA, Nigeria, Brazil, Australia...) were with us for the B2b seminar - a fun interactive week designed to help emerging leaders "be the leader God wants you to be."

Hands-on spiritual workshops, creative worship and intercession, teaching and interactive group processing, an outing to the beach, question times with a panel of experienced leaders.... All of these things made for a stimulating and inspiring week, and we were encouraged to hear many of the young leaders give testimonies about the various ways they had grown and met personally with God.

As they all return home to their own nations, I too am leaving Spain at the beginning of July and will be travelling 5000 km though Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy for our Reformation Tour outreach. You can read more about that in my July newsletter.