AUGUST 2020 NEWSLETTER

 AUGUST 2020 NEWSLETTER

A BIG THANK YOU

Once again, we both want to say a big thank you to all those who are praying for us. Please continue praying. We really need and value your prayers.

 

2020 – A YEAR OF PLENTY

At the beginning of this year, in a meeting in Wales, a good friend declared: 2020 – a year of plenty. That resonated with us so we constantly declared it. As things have transpired, this seems to have been challenged, but I believe that the year really is a year of plenty, but not in the way we would have expected.

 

Colin was scheduled to fly to Nepal on 20 March for two weeks of Bible school teaching, followed by a pastors’ conference. On the day before he flew, Nepal closed its borders because of the Covid-19 virus. Julia was scheduled to fly home to UK on 23 March, so Colin managed to get a seat on the same flight and fly home with her. If he hadn’t done that he would have finished up in lockdown in Malaysia, with no ministry and nowhere to go.

Ministry in Australia and New Zealand to Tongan, Filipino and Malaysian churches had to be cancelled. It also meant we could not spend time with our daughter, Julia, in New Zealand.

 

LOCKDOWN

The lockdown has been good for us. We are very privileged to live where we do inside the Brecon Beacons National Park. All throughout the lockdown period we have been able to get out and walk in the beautiful countryside around our home. Most days we have walked an average of 5 miles. Even the Welsh weather has been very kind to us, and very few days were lost because of rain (hard to believe in Wales). All this walking has been very good for our health and we are both feeling fit.

We have also been able to catch up on many jobs that have been neglected because of the fact that we are usually away from home for most of the year. Julia has done lots of work inside and outside the house, including planting a beautiful flower garden. We have also both been digitising photographs, a job we have been promising ourselves for ages.

 

Best of all, we have been having some tremendous times of worship and intercession together.

 

Still, it was really great when we could finally escape from Wales to visit our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in England.

 

 

MINISTRY

Although we have not been able to visit churches physically, ministry has continued. Colin has preached via Zoom or recorded messages in Malaysia, Singapore, England, Wales, USA and Mexico. On one particular Sunday he preached in Malaysia, England and Wales on the same morning, so he was literally able to be in three places at once.

In spite of this we both agree that there is NO SUBSTITUTE for being face to face with our Christian family, and we can’t wait for normal fellowship to be resumed.

 

Colin has also posted sermons on YouTube. If you would like to see them the link is:

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/colhurt

 

FUTURE

It seems unlikely that we will be able to travel outside the UK before the end of the year, but we are watching the situation closely. We should have been in the USA and Mexico for a missions conference, seminars and local church ministry. These have all been cancelled. It seems we also won’t get to visit our daughter, Paula, in the USA.

 

We are already arranging Bible College teaching in Malaysia and Singapore from January to March in 2021. Please pray that this will go ahead as planned. We are confident that the Lord is in control and is working through the whole situation.

 

PROVISION

We want to give praise to the Lord for his provision during lockdown. Most of our financial provision comes through ministry gifts from the churches where we preach and the schools where we teach. Because of lockdown this source of income has not been possible. This is also true for many of our friends who are involved in itinerant ministry. Over this period the Lord has met our needs, many times from unexpected sources. We believe this will continue until normal ministry can be resumed. GOD IS GOOD.

 

POINTS FOR PRAYER

As always, that we will be in the right place, at the right time, with the right word.

That the good health we are experiencing at this time will continue.

That in God’s timing all the right doors will open.

Most of all, that Jesus will be glorified in all we do.

 

THE PRIVILEGE CONTINUES.