Answered Prayer

Matthew Ch6Vs8 ". . .for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."



Its wonderful to see mighty answers to prayer, especially the prayers of little children. There is a wonderful story coming here. About one month ago a friend of mine from Belfast sent me an email to offer me a new laptop. As a family we were delighted at how the Lord has moved in the hearts of His people to provide for our need. At the time we did not have a need since we had a perfectly working computer, but here is the truth of Matthew Ch6Vs8. Just two days ago our old laptop, of only two years, stopped working for no reason whatsoever. Immediately a cold sweat swept over me as I had got lazy and not backed up the files for about 3 months and I was concerned about how much data I had lost. I fiddled about with powerleads and the battery for about an hour to try and kickstart it back to life with no avail.

So the computer was cast aside while I wondered how I could get the data of the hard drive. After a cup of tea, and half an hour later, for some reason I picked up the machine and tried the same things I had already tried; removing the battery and twisting the power lead and the thing sprang back into life. Immediately I ran up the stairs and began backing up all our files not knowing how long the machine would hold up for. At that moment James came bouncing into the room, hearing that the computer had started working again, just to tell me that he and lindsay were in the bedroom praying before he fell asleep and he prayed that God would fix the computer just before I came up the stairs.

All our data is now backed up on an external drive and as soon as I disconnected the laptop and came downstairs the machine gave up the ghost once and for all. Isn't it amazing how God had provided before the need arose and also God answered the prayer of James for the computer to work long enough to run a backup.

Praise the Lord for the prayers of the children.

Congratulations.

Big congratulations goes to James' P1 teacher Mrs Martin.

Today was the Teaching Award ceremony in the Waterfront Hall, Belfast where Mrs Martin won the award of Headteacher of the year in a Primary School.

After many nominations and very intensive interviews and inspections of schools Mrs Martin became a finalist and today a winner. This is a great achievement not only for Mrs Martin but the school in whole.

Well done and keep up the great work.

Prayer and Praise for June

Praise:

• We praise God for answered prayer. The junior camp is now well filled with children and we have a full compliment of 13 leaders on the team to work along with the young people. Pray for a move of the spirit of God in the camp.
• We can praise God for a wonderful day at the correspondence course prize giving. Around 105 children completed the courses, throughout the year, and 88 of them were able to attend the day with their parents. Pray that God would speak on through his word as a number of the young people continue onto the next series of lessons.
• Praise God that the 5 Day Clubs have started well. There were 28 children squeezed into our home, during the pouring rain, to listen to the word of God. A couple of girls came to our door asking “when will the club be back on again?” Pray for the commencement of a GNC in Hamiltonsbawn.
• We praise God for a wonderful time with the youth organisations from Newtownards Congregational church. Our teaching was on “Paralysed with fear” and it was encouraging how many children came to take literature on how to be a witness for God and others who plucked up the courage to ask for booklets on knowing the way of salvation. Pray for results.

Prayer:

• Inters camp helpers and teens still necessary. Further promotion has taken place through 15 ministers up and down the county. Pray that sparks of interest might be generated and numbers begin to swell for this very profitable week in the summer.
• Pray for the help of the Lord as we attend 4 children’s day services this month. (Blackwatertown Methodist Morning and Evening, Tandragee Baptist and Armagh Elim)
• Pray for the continued 5 Day Club ministry throughout the summer months and for the many willing volunteers who have caught the vision “to reach the unreached within reach.” Pray for good weather and a good reception into the various communities. The CYIA week this year is conducted from 1-8th August when we plan to try a number of new clubs in the south of the county.
• Pray for the 11 church based Holiday Bible Clubs that we know are planned throughout the summer months, churches that are committed to reaching the children with the truth of the Gospel. Pray that children will be discipled, edified or saved.

James first published writing

Hillsborough Forest Park

With it being a bank holiday today, that meant another day for James to be knocking about the house. So rather than having his sitting about all day going crazy we decided to hook up with Andrew, Joanne and Reuben and head towards Lisburn. Off we went to Hillsborough Forest park to have a bit of a picnic and enjoy the best of the weather in the early morning. It was great day to catch up as we walking in Gods wonderful Creation; enjoyed Christian Company; Had a bit of Craic then sat and had a Coffee.

Portrush Raft Race

Saturday morning saw us making our way towards the North Antrim coast for the annual RNLI raft race. The rain was lashing but that did not keep the crowds away. We got a good position on the harbour giving a wonderful view of all the crazy antics.

Hamiltonsbawn 5 Day Club

Today sees the beginning of the 5 Day Club season and we are commencing by helping Francis Holland and her team with the club in Hamiltonsbawn. What an encouragement to throw the mat down in our front garden and see it filled with 27 children from our very neighbourhood. Pray for this club over the next number of days that the Lord would be pleased to bless this ministry and draw many of those young people to Himself in Salvation as they are taught the lessons of the wordless book visualised.

Day one has a focus on the Gold page teaching about Heaven and God. Day two turns its attention to the Dark page; the fall of man and the problem of sin. Day three and its the red page; our attention is focused on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Day four is the white page and the the need of repentance through the lesson of Thomas and the two on the road to Emmaus. Day five and we turn to the last page of the wordless book and teaching on the green page which is the need for the Christian to grow through Reading the word, Prayer and witnessing. This is an excellent series of lessons and precious to teach the children.

Happy 1st Birthday Reuben.

How time goes by us so quickly. It is so hard to believe that Reuben is now already 1year old.

On the 25th April James and I headed to Ballywalter to celebrate in this joyous occasion with Andrew, Joanne and the family.

A BIG thank-you to them for allowing us to be a part of this special day. May God continue to Bless their little family and give them many happy days together in the years to come.

Prayer and Praise for May

Praise:

• We Praise God for a wonderful conclusion to the Good News Club Year with a Fun Day in Killicomaine Junior High School. There was a good attendance and the children appeared to have an enjoyable morning. The Morning was concluded with a simple Gospel message taught by Lindsay. Continue to pray for these children who have been faithfully taught over the winter months.
• The Easter Conference in Portrush brought with it opportunity to go to Coleraine Congregational Church, on the Sunday morning, to take their open Sunday school with about 30 children and give a children’s talk in a packed church building with both children and adults. Pray that God’s word would not return to Him Void.
• Praise the Lord for a wonderful opportunity to challenge a group of around 100 young people at the Lifeboat Mission youth event called “The Barn” regarding the ministry of CEF. The challenge was given from the Word of the Lord “Are you called to stay or to go?”
• We praise God for the invitation to Drumderg GNC, which only commenced this season, to bring their year to an end with a family service. A wonderful opportunity to teach the children and adults from the Word of the Lord.

Prayer:

• Pray for the plans that are being implemented for the correspondence prize day on Saturday 9th May. Pray that the many children who have completed the courses, over the past year, would attend the prize day and that there would be many encouragements for Mrs Pentland, Correspondence course secretary for County Armagh as she meets the many children she has been writing too over the past year.
• We still need leaders for camp, This is an urgent matter for your prayers. Without a full compliment of leaders in place for both Junior and Inters camp we cannot continue this ministry. Potential leaders need to go through the application process and background checks completed which takes time, therefore we need 10 leaders for each camp before the end of May.
• Pray for the up and coming training classes for the 5day Clubs ministry, dates still to be finalised. Pray for a good attendance from 5DC teachers as they receive a night of training.
• Pray for Lindsay and myself as we go with Newtownards Congregational church Boys Brigade to the faith mission camp centre, Portadown, as the main speakers for the weekend.

Mens Weekend

Psalms Ch143Vs5 "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands."


The Scriptures remind us that we should be musing upon the works of the hand of the Lord. There is no better way to do this than walk about with your eyes open and your mind active and look at the detail in creation. What intricacy and beauty - How great is our God!

The CEF mens weekend took us to Co.Cavan to a little village called Belturbet. A beautiful setting on the Erne river and an opportunity to relax.