The Exodus begins

Our ILA finished last night and now the mass departures have begun. Transporting more than 300 people to the airport (it's more than a 2-hour drive from Caraguatatuba to Sao Paulo) is quite an undertaking, so a large group of us will be leaving on the 8 am bus this morning.... even though some of us are only flying at 5 pm. As we return to where we came from (more than 40 nations) we have been challenged to lay a strong emphasis on prayer, and to continue with a daily lifestyle of "generations living the kingdom of God."

Drop me a line and let me know if you manage to spot me in the group photo above!!

Living the Kingdom

Our international leadership assembly got off to a good start on Friday, and we're now almost half way through our time together. The theme of the ILA is about linking the generations and together living out the kingdom of God in our daily lives. So, on Saturday we looked at what it means to live the kingdom of God as an individual, yesterday we considered how we can live for God as a whole family, and today we talked about how individuals and families can live the kingdom of God in the context of their local church fellowship. Tomorrow's theme is about how we can be a demonstration of God's kingdom in our own town or neighbourhood, and on Wednesday we'll be thinking about what it means to reach out and take the kingdom of God to the nations.

One of the fun aspects of the conference for me has been the opportunity to reconnect with different ethnic groups and language groups that I've worked with in the past. One day I was invited to join the Africans as they gathered together; another day I was invited to join a meeting of all the French speakers from around the world. One morning I translated the plenary speaker (from French to English) and one evening I translated someone leading a prayer time (from Spanish to English.) It's also been fun to join in worship together with different cultures from around the world - sometimes with the Brazilians leading us in Portuguese worship songs, and sometimes with the Africans leading us in enthusiastic and energetic dance.

As well as worshipping together, praying together, and listening to the words that different speakers have prepared, we've also had lots of time to process and apply these things in smaller groups, and to take part in a wide variety of workshops on different topics relating to the overall theme. There's a sense that God is moving among us, and we look forward to walking even further in this journey over the coming days.

Big changes

The weather continues to be warm here in Caraguatatuba - close to 30 degrees most days - which is a nice change from winter in Europe. Last night, we went out as a group - the international leadership team, and some of our Brazilian hosts - for a meal in a restaurant near the beach. This was an opportunity for some new taste experiences, as I sampled some fruit juices that I'd never heard of before. The pictures below show four of the juices we tried. (From left to right, they are caju, acerola, mamao and pitanga.)

The weather and the fruit juices haven't been the only big changes we've experienced this week; we've also been processing quite a lot of leadership changes in our KKI international ministry family. The regional leader for South Asia is stepping down from that role, and handing over to other leaders within the region. The regional leaders for Eastern Europe are stepping down due to illness in the family and are processing the leadership transition there. I was another of the resignations this week, as I shared my decision to lay down my role as regional advisor for southern and south central Africa - something I've been involved in for the past sixteen years. The regional director for Western Europe is also stepping down this year, and those of you who read my regular newsletter know that I am part of the new European leadership team that will be working together to fill his shoes over the coming years. We took time this week to honour and thank the leaders who are stepping down, and to pray over the new leadership appointments that are being made now and in the year ahead.

We've also been working on the final preparations for the ILA conference, and people have already begun arriving from all over the world. The arrivals will continue over the next twenty four hours and the conference itself will begin tomorrow evening. More about that in my next posting....

Take me too

When I had dogs, I got used to the idea that they had sort of a "sixth sense" and somehow always seemed to know when I was planning a trip away from home. Even before I got my suitcase out, one or both of the dogs would be hovering in my room.... and once I started packing, Zola or Kylie would climb onto the bed and lie down next to the case.

I didn't expect the same thing with cats, so I was surprised this past weekend when all three of them appeared in my room and watched with interest as I put items of clothing into my suitcase. At one point, I turned around and found Tobi lying inside the case, amongst all the other things that I was packing to take with me. The rain was pouring down outside, and the cats had wet fur, so I closed the case to keep them out. This did not prevent Tobi and Teddi from taking up position on top of the case and continuing to stare as I added more items to my luggage. Well, it may be true that they have passports now (see here) but this wasn't the time for them to begin their world travels; they had to stay behind with Gabriela and Ada when I left on Sunday morning for my trip to Brazil.

The warm sunny weather here in Caraguatatuba (29 degrees this week) was a pleasant respite from the many weeks of rain that we've been having in Spain, and yesterday I took the opportunity to walk down to the sea with some friends from East and West Africa. Our leadership meetings began last night, though, and sitting in a cool, air-conditioned room all day means that we're not really conscious of how warm and sunny it is outdoors. Our schedule is fairly intense, because we have a number of leadership issues we want to pray about and make decisions on this week, before our international conference begins at the weekend. We're about twenty people in these ILT meetings, but we'll be a group of around 200 people next week, and as many as 400 people this weekend, when a large number of Brazilians join us for the opening two days of the conference. Thanks for remembering us in prayer as we seek the Lord and spend time in discussion and prayer this week.

Two weeks in South America

I'm off to Brazil this weekend, where I'll be spending nearly two weeks in the coastal town of Caraguatatuba, a couple of hours away from Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo. During the first week, I'll be involved in meetings with the King's Kids ILT (international leadership team) and during the second week we'll be hosting nearly two hundred people from around the world for our international staff and leadership assembly. Thanks for your prayers during this time.

Surprise!

The balloons around the house were not the only surprise awaiting Ada for her birthday yesterday. When she went to the bathroom to clean her teeth, there was a dark handsome guy waiting for her there! (Ada's words.) I didn't know what to think when I heard that she had been kissing someone in the bathroom! The truth of the matter - as the photos show - is that Teddi had decided to take a nap in the wash basin, and Ada was highly amused to find him there.

Another birthday

It's birthday time again. Last week was the kittens' birthday, and today - which also happens to be my brother's birthday - is Ada's thirtieth. Gabriela and I surprised her by decorating the house with balloons before breakfast time, then waking her up with coffee, birthday presents and a rousing chorus of "Cumpleaños Feliz." Tonight we're going out to eat a meal with friends at their home.