The end is nigh! Well the end of beach mission 2013 :0(

We had the most amazing news from Creationfest last night - that teenagers from Perranporth gave their life to Christ - thank you God! What a tremendous encouragement for the last days!

The past week has flown by (as it always does) and how privileged do we feel that God has used us in this place.

 Open Mic night - always popular!

 The awesome talents of Perranporth - never ceases to amaze me

 More Bibles on the Inner Green - thank you Jesus for this life-transforming gift

A great time had by all.

So today is the last day and we've had a blast - Please pray that Jesus enables us to go out with a bang! He has been so faithful the past two weeks. Join us in thanking Him. The celebration this evening is always a great time to share what God's been doing - may we do this faithfully as a team and may the families enjoy the retelling of the past two weeks- may that change their hearts and prompt them to go further with the Lord.

On a practical note - there's a lot of tidying up to do. May we get this done effectively and efficiently. Many of the team are having to go home today or early on Saturday so there's much to be done by a few people. May God give us the ability to get it done without issue, may we all pull our weight and end the two weeks as positively and expectantly as we started.

Thank you for your prayers.

"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Week 1 Pictures

 Morning Celebration - the professor and his beautiful assistant explaining God's Word

 Week 1 Team - please ignore their crazy choice of poses :0)

 Fun and busyness at the Gazebo

Wet Games - who were the wettest? The team or the children?

Week 2 - Here We Come!!

So sorry for not keeping you up to date the past few days. I'm sure you'd prefer me to be doing God's work than spending time writing blogs ;0) please forgive me.

I am writing this from the village internet cafe, drinking luxury hot chocolate and eating rather iffy pastry. Please pray my stomach remains well. I suppose my first prayer point is that parts of Perranporth are flooded!! Please pray for the businesses effected, as well as the impact this could have on the town financially. Perran relies heavily on holiday-maker trade, so a day without this during peak season can make all the difference at this time of year. The good news is that the fire engines are here in force, so I'd imagine all will be well again soon.

The reason I write from the internet cafe is that since we've been back from Katy and Tim's wedding (more later) none of us have had internet access or phone signal. I think God's has planned this so we can focus on Him and not get distracted by things techie. I know I myself am easily distracted and without the lure of the web, I've certainly felt closer to God.

So Katy and Tim's wedding - it was amazing. It was such a privilege to share in their day. Katy and Tim have been coming on beach mission for as many years as we have and are a huge asset to the team. As well as leading groups and keeping us all in hysterics, our children Eleanor and Isaac love them and prefer them as parents for the two weeks we're here. This gives Chris and I time to serve God in other areas, which we've always been grateful for. The wedding was a total blessing. I will never forget Katy hitching up her wedding dress so she could dance more easily during the barn dance (or the slight mishap when Isaac accidentally turned the sound on my phone right in the middle of the vows). It was a great day and the long journey was more than worth it. Please pray for Katy and Tim as they start their married life together. May they be able to mirror God's love for them to each other. Pictures to follow (when I've downloaded them from my camera).

So what has God been doing the past week. There are far too many things to post on here, but it seems God is breaking in to the lives of the children and young people in Perranporth. On Sunday a young person who had never been to church before went along. Please pray this may be the first Sunday of many for this young man..The team were greatly blessed at the church services around the local area. Many were prayed for and used the opportunity to invite folk to the events of this week. May there be a huge a turn out and may the children continue to enjoy reading God's Word on a daily basis and chatting through what it means to love God and have a relationship with Him.

This week also sees the start of a three day course for the young women of Perranporth. The course is called Shine and it invites young women to really find their true value and worth in God the Father. Please pray for those leading the course as well as those coming. May God bless this act of faith and may the young women feel true freedom as they find their identity in Christ.

Also this week the gazebo team are also taking a leap of trust in their Lord and Father. A number of people have been coming along on a regular basis and they've decided to go a bit deeper with a select few. Really getting down to the basics and freeing truths of what it means to be a Christian. Please pray for this new venture, that the people invited will want to journey further with God and that what they hear next week will not be the end. As you can imagine we are really excited about what God's going to do through both adventures. May we give all the glory to God and not let it be about us or what we say, but all about how God speaks to these children of His.

I just want to end by sharing a scripture with you that we have found really helpful:

Isaiah 44:5
Some will say, 'I belong to the LORD'; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, 'The LORD's,' and will take the name Israel.

This verse was shared during devotions last night. There was a real sense of unity between the team and it felt correct to claim that we are 'The Lord's'.

I will try and be more proactive in blogging this week as we a intentional about asking you to pray for what God is doing in Perranporth this week and into the future. Thank you for your prayers. If you would like to receive texts for pray requests given by team as they talk to people about Jesus or feel they particularly need God for a situation they are in, please email me at admin@perranporth.org.uk and I'll add you to the text alert list. Sometimes the team have been posting on the facebook 360 Team News Group. If you would like to be added to the group, please send a request through facebook. Bless you.

Day 3 - Sunshine after the rain

This day has been a good day - I can't believe the amazing blessings we have been part of.

I suppose it started with James' choice of worship songs this morning. God was tangible in the room. Emma Ellin spoke beautifully explaining how God wants us to come to Him as little children. The day ended with the most awesome devotions led by Jonny and Tim. They shared how they and one other had been 'recommended' to do a bible study. They decided it was an idea and Jonny's app suggested Ezekiel. They couldn't imagine what God would have to say to them from the passage they were given, but God had other plans. The verses were all about how mighty God is and makes us like flint so we can do His bidding. He then gets Ezekiel to eat the scroll so 'The Word' is inside him and it tastes as sweet as honey. As you can imagine this spoke volumes to three guys about to go and do God's will in Perranporth. They were blown away that God could speak so clearly out of their scepticism. Praise His name for the encouragement that was felt by the whole team.

What an amazing picture to show how God is impacting on all sorts of ages! It's like they're doing a thumbs up for God!

How do you like these awesome flags? They're certainly making us very visible on the Inner Green. If you look at the groups, they are reading the Bibles that God provided. Word on the street is that they really enjoyed it. Roll on tomorrow when the holiday club groups will be using this provision again.

We would ask for your prayers for the coming days. Please ask God to bless the planning for each of the groups, that the children will remain safe and that the Team will keep Jesus' name on their lips as they speak to the children and young people.

We're here and God's moving already

So where to begin. Thanks first definitely and you'll be pleased to know the £1000 for Bibles is in the account. They have arrived too, so we're all set for using them and the notes with the children we meet at holiday club. Everyone who has come for week 1 has made it down safely, so please join us in praising God for that, but our greatest blessing so far was the success of the carnival. To say there was a little rain would be an understatement but the team dressed as planes, clouds or seagulls certainly told the town of Perranporth 360 were 'landing' in a big way. We even had a modified version of chitty chitty bang bang, who even won a prize. Photo to follow. I've heard from a lot of team that some great conversations were had (and not just about the weather). Please pray that those seeds planted will grow into something God wants to develop. Team are really fired up and I would ask this to continue as we are part of various services all over Perran tomorrow morning. May we have excellent conversations with those we meet and be encouraged by what we hear and encouraging in what we say. There's a few more team coming tomorrow so we pray they will feel just as much part of it even though they missed the carnival. We would ask too that team old and young, new or been coming for years would really bond well with one another by the power of God's Spirit, that no clichey behaviour will take place and that we can love another as Christ loves us, that we show each other that sacrificial love that only makes sense when we ae fully focused on Jesus. Tomorrow is a BIG prepping day as well as being full of necessary info to share with the team. We would ask our heavenly Father that this would be as much fun as the crazy soggy carnival; that the enthusism of the team would contiue to flow but that we would not get bogged down with the making and the timing but allow ourselves time to pray and to seek God's will in all that is done and planned. May our glorious Lord keep us safe, humble and willing to serve no matter what the task. In His precious name we ask it :-)

5 DAYS TO GO!!!

Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting very excited about Saturday. We're travelling down on Friday, myself, Eleanor (10!), Isaac (7) and Chris (better not publish his age, he is my husband however) and to say we're very excited is actually an understatement.

Perranporth has been an important part of our year for the past four years. Every time we've been, we've always received a whole lot more than it seems like we've given.

Just to give you a bit of background, I have had a number of roles at Perran - last year I was a housekeeper (or domestic goddess as I preferred to be addressed), the previous years I helped in Minors and amazingly God journeyed with me in both of these roles.

The thing about Perran is it's not just about the place, which is beautiful, it's also about the people. The way I see it, God has a very special plan for Perranporth - it's a place where many people visit and have visited for hundreds if not thousands of years. Did you know this is the mission's 114 year of being held  in Perran. I feel very privileged that God would want me to join all those who went before me, doing His plan  this year. I know I'm not the only one to feel this way.

What's great, is that God's timing is perfect and to be caught up in that this year feels incredibly exciting and humbling. I don't want to let God down, but at the same time as long as my prayer is to do His will, me and the rest of the Team can't go far wrong.

So let's start with thanking our loving Heavenly Father for all He has done in the past at this very special place. It is a place of unfathomable beauty, a place that I can hand on heart say there is no manmade design work here. The power of the sea always astounds me and goes some way to show me the power and strength our God has - if He can make the waves do that, how much more can He Himself do?? So what I'm trying to say in a very long winded way, is that in Perranporth, people meet God, some would say in a tangible way. If you want evidence that there is a God, just look around Perranporth, because He is everywhere.

But in stark contrast to the beauty of the beach, the cliff faces and Chapel Rock, Perranporth is also a place of intense poverty. Many of the young people who I've met at the holiday club or during the afternoon activities, appear out of boredom and when you speak to them, the prospect doesn't look good, not for their parents and definitely not for them. Part of me wants to cry out to them 'Come and meet Jesus, He will take care of your every need'.  The reality is that many locals just don't know who Jesus is and would find it very hard to work out what His saving grace would mean to them. So join me please as the preparations for explaining just that, to pray for those who will be telling the people of Perranporth about Jesus, that He does love them and care about them and is interested in them and that they are only a pray away from experiencing the true nature of our loving heavenly Father. Give the team wisdom in how to explain this amazing truth in a real and understandable way. Give all the Team a heart for knowing what God would have them say when they get into conversation with the people of Perranporth. Please pray too for those on the Inner Green manning the newest edition of 360 beach mission - 'The Big Purple Gazebo'. This will be a constant visible point for all who are in Perran for two weeks to come to pray, to drink tea, eat cake, learn more about God, to meet with God's people with a heart for Perranporth. Please pray the people manning the gazebo will have courage and hospitality in abundance and that God will bless His people through their words and deeds.

My next prayer request has a thanks element as well as an ask element. At the Team Day we were asked to pray that the Lord would provide £700 so that every young person and child who attends the morning holiday clubs could receive a Bible and some study notes encouraging them to read God's Word and know His promises for them. The amazing bit is that we have heard that a trust has set aside £1000 for this purpose. Isn't it amazing when God's exceeds our expectations! and really we shouldn't expect anything else. The next part of this journey is that we are still waiting for the money to get to the bank account. We would ask you to pray that that would be very soon.

My final prayer point for tonight is for the Team themselves. Please pray that they and I would seek God's heart for Perranporth Beach Mission 2013, that theirs and my actions would not be driven by selfish ambition or service performed to bring glory to ourselves, but that everything that's done will give glory only to the Father, who has planned and prepared all things in advance. May we be Your vessels Father God, emptied in readiness to be filled up and moved to action by You.

Thanks for reading. I hope you've found some direction for your prayers for Perranporth Beach Mission 2013.

 

Just getting started

Thought I would get this set up ready for two weeks time. Will start adding prayer requests and thankful praise as soon as I can. Feel free to add comments and any of your own Perranporth 2013 prayer requests.

God is good, He hears our prayers