Christmas Greetings

Recorded while visiting the (DMZ) North/South Korean border – 13 December 2014.

Please take a moment to pray for the men, women and boys and girls of North Korea. Pray that just as the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago reuniting East and West Germany, that soon the DMZ and the Korean border will be removed and the two Koreas, North and South will be reunified. 

That the suffering and persecution will end and that the Gospel will have free course. 

10 instructors trained in Hungarian course

It was a privilege for David Crutchley and I to spend 8 days with 8 people from Hungary, 1 from Romania (Transylvania), and 1 from N. Ireland at the Hungarian National Office near Budapest. We had come together for a CEF Junior Youth Challenge Instructor Course. The course participants were all full-time CEF workers who have a strong desire to develop the Youth Challenge work in the areas where they work. They studied with enthusiasm, taking down lots of notes and tips for how they could use what they had learned to train others. During the practicals they were able to demonstrate a JYC and a Bible Study for this age group and receive evaluation in a helpful and constructive way.
It was especially thrilling to see them sit around in a circle last Saturday to plan when and where they will launch the first JYC training seminars. God willing these will be held in the autumn in Budapest and in the NE of Hungary.
Special thanks to our translator who did a fantastic job and who was also able to share some of her amazing knowledge of history as we spent an afternoon visiting the tourist sites of the city!

Last Sunday I preached in Pécel Reformed Church, you can listen here to the sermon. Yes I do have my coat on! The Pastor and the congregation kept there's on, so I took the liberty to do the same.

JYCIC in Kilchzimmer

The JYC Instructor' Course at Kilchzimmer has just come to an end. We praise God for the help that He gave to each student and instructor and for the wonderful time of fellowship we enjoyed together.
The course participants came from 10 countries - Germany, Austria, Ireland, Haiti, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, France, Serbia and Norway! The teaching was given in English and translated into German. Please pray for these dear people as they go back to their home countries to reach junior teens and to train others in this ministry.
For more photos click here

JYC Instructors' Course in Russia

Photo album
I have just returned from Kursk, Russia where I was teaching a Youth Challenge Instructors’ Course. The 17 eager students and 5 staff traveled from Latvia, Azerbaijan and from right across the Russian Federation. Two young women even traveled from Vladivostock in the far east of the country (a flight lasting 10 hours). Another came from near the border with Mongolia. One of my co-instructors Tatanya came from Siberia. You may remember that in October 2007 she made the 4 day journey by train to be one of my students in the Ukraine!
It’s so thrilling to know that these students (mostly CEF full-time workers) are now going out across this vast country to train hundreds of people in the work of evangelising and discipling 11–15 year olds.

Polish and Slovak students 'a joy to teach'

It is a real privilege and joy to teach these 8 Polish and Slovak students. Together with his wife, one of the students 'Karol', is preparing to become a full time Youth Challenge worker in Slovakia (from Sep. 08).
Thomek and Monika are CEF workers in the town of Suszec in Poland. The local area they are responsible for has 5 million people! After this course they plan to hold JYC courses to train future JYC leaders.

JYC Instructors Course in Poland

On Sunday, 30 March we commenced our Instructors Course in Wisla in SW Poland. We have 5 students from Poland and 3 from Slovakia. They are a great group of students and there is a very good atmosphere in the classroom. They are working hard and keen to learn. Please remember to pray for David and me who are sharing the teaching and especially remember Lukasz who is having to translate all of the classes into Polish. The Slovaks say they understand 90% of Polish and most of the students have a basic understanding of English.

15 wonderful students

Today we concluded the Youth Challenge Instructors Course in Sibiu, Romania. The Lord gave us a special time of rich fellowship together. It was a real joy and privilege to teach with Sebi (back row 4th from left) and Alina (near the centre with the hair band). Thank you for praying for us!

The class and the instructors

JYC Instructors Course - Our class of 15 Romanian students
Instructors: Sebi, Alina and me

Romania Trip 15-27 February 2008

Thank you for your prayers for the next 2 weeks.
On Saturday I will be preaching and taking a seminar at the CEF National Conference in the capital city of Bucharest.
On Sunday we will be traveling to Sibiu where the CEF national office is located. Here we are expecting 14 students to attend our Junior Youth Challenge Instructors Course. Please pray for Sebi, Laura and myself as will teach.

As usual :) I plan to post regular updates throughout the trip!

Ukraine JYCIC Group Photograph

First day at JYC Course in Ukraine

We held our first class on Thursday evening. The students have come from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and even further afield. One of the students traveled 3 days in the train from Siberia!
The larger photograph is a live web cam overlooking Independence Square in Kiev.