McLeans to Wales

Thanks for praying for the carnival outreach.  Overall, the day went well, and we thought the effort was worthwhile.  To be accurate, our presence at the carnival was not intended to be so much of an evangelistic outreach as it was an effort to meet people, invite kids to our holiday club in August, and generally raise the profile of our church in the community.  I think those goals were accomplished more or less.

We had a nearly continuous stream of kids (and some adults!) coming to our football kick.  The twin features of football and free-ness seemed to have a powerful effect on many.:-)  We even saw a few kids stay around for large parts of the day, either to help us chase down footballs or just keep trying to kick through the holes on our target board.  So, the game was free, we gave out sweets, and every kid got an invitation to our holiday club – scores, if not a couple hundred.

I think it was also profitable to have some of our church folks there.  They were able to serve and be an encouragement (and even take a shot or two at our board), and their friends in the community were able to associate them with our church, which I think helped to bring a few barriers down.

Now, we just wait and pray for fruit to come from our efforts.

Lately, it has felt like we are living in a missionary clearing house.  Last Friday we hosted a lunch for five missionary couples and some of their families – us, the Nicholsons, a couple serving in Scotland, and two couples who are on deputation to come to Wales.  One deputee couple was passing through, and the other is here for a 3 week survey trip.  Of course, having only been here 18 months ourselves, there is only so much we can tell them, but we have been glad to introduce them to others who have a more comprehensive grasp on the ministry situation in North Wales.  So, we have been extra busy, but we have also been grateful for the help from Josh and Rachel (one of the couples) during their time here.  For example, Josh singlehandedly built our football target board, and it’s about 10 times better that it would have been had I attempted it myself!  Rachel has been a great help too, chipping in with help on meals and even doing a little babysitting.  We are thankful that the Lord is raising up a few more couples to serve in Wales.

We’re just trying to get psyched up for the town carnival tomorrow.  It was cancelled last summer due to I’m not sure what – I think it came down to bad planning and poor organisation.  They couldn’t get the roads closed for the parade, or something like that.  But it is going ahead this Saturday.

For our part, we will be reserving a space for a literature table and football kick (what else?)  We even purchased a snazzy white gazebo tent for use in outdoor ministry.  So, we will have a table of church and gospel literature under the tent, and then next to it will be our football kick – a 4′ x 8′ sheet of plywood, painted green with holes cut in it for targets.  With World Cup mania upon us, I’m counting on kids lining up for the chance to kick a few goals.  Of course, our goal is community exposure, making contacts, and the distribution of Holiday Club leaflets during the day.  Please pray for success!

In lieu of a blog update, here is our latest prayer letter.

Our co-workers Joe and Abbie Nicholson had another child come into the world yesterday.  John Elias Nicholson was born around 6:30 yesterday morning (31 May).  He was 9 lbs., 8 oz, and 20.5 inches long, and he is doing fine.  As you can imagine, Abbie is a bit worn out after the birth, but she is okay too.  Baby John was named after the Welsh preacher John Elias, who was one of the best-known preachers in Wales – particularly North Wales – until his death in 1841.

Maggie’s birthday was last Friday – 28 May.  She is now four, a fact of which she reminds us frequently.   She often points out ways in which she is different now that she is four – things she eats now that she is four, things she used to say when she was three, etc.  On Saturday I took her with me to visit an elderly couple who keep a few toys in their living room for their grandson.  She played with them last time we visited, but this time, when I told her she could play with the toys, she informed me that now that she is four she doesn’t need to play with toys – she only played with them when she was three.  Apparently, she believes she has undergone a radical transformation.  And, of course, she is now almost five.  For all of that, we thank God for giving us a healthy four-year-old who really is growing and learning fast.  Most importantly, she is learning the gospel – we pray that she will believe it soon!

Actually, we’ve been back since Saturday afternoon, and it’s been somewhat busy ever since.  We hurried home on Saturday in order to attend a birthday party for the little boy of some friends of ours.  We were sure that we would be able to meet several families from our community, and it turned out to be a great opportunity to make (or re-make) acquaintance with several.

The holiday was great, and we would have stayed a couple more days if not for the party.  We enjoyed good weather, some fun activities, and also spent time doing nothing on purpose, which is an important part of any vacation – but it has to be on purpose.

The big outing for the week was our trip to the famous city of Bath, named for the thermal baths first made famous by the Romans.  Unfortunately, we were not able to take a dip in any of the baths, but Marcia did visit a spa for her birthday and enjoyed a facial.  The rest of the time was spent finding the only thermal bath that one can see for free, visiting the Imperial Crescent, and walking.

Aside from a trip to a nearby outlet mall, we did a few picnics in the Cheddar Gorge and hung out.  Marcia and I each managed to do some reading and napping.  The kids enjoyed the new parks they visited, and it was just generally a good week.  Maybe not quite as restful as we would have chosen, but are vacations with little kids every that restful?  Overall, it was a very worthwhile week.  We arrived home thankful to God for our time away.

We are relaxing on holiday right now – but we found a nice little church-run cafe that has wifi, so we’re enjoying a smoothie and checking e-mail.  And I neglected to mention yesterday that today is Marcia’s birthday.  So, Happy Birthday to the best woman in the world!

Our Creation Science weekend has passed, and in many ways it was quite successful.  We had a meeting Friday night in our home, then the two Saturday meetings along with a lunch, and then our normally scheduled Sunday meetings.  One of the biggest blessings was just seeing how the people in our church got behind the meetings.  With Abbie Nicholson being a couple weeks away from having a baby and Marcia nearly half-way through her pregnancy, there was definitely a need for other ladies to pitch in and help with the food, etc, and several of our ladies did this admirably.

We were also glad that there was at least one non-Christian visitor, along with some possibly-unsaved regulars in the meetings.  Obviously, talking about creation vs. evolution can be a real challenge to the secular mindset.  Our speaker and his wife seemed to hit it off really well with everyone as well, which was encouraging.

So, today we are leaving on holiday in the south of England, not far from Bath.  I don’t plan to post anything while we are gone.  We are planning to be back on Saturday.  Please pray that our time away will be refreshing and enjoyable.  We don’t have anything too grand on the schedule – just some relaxation, a little sightseeing, and time together as a family.

The Steeles arrived yesterday, safe and sound, and we have been enjoying their fellowship.  Although we have quite a few folks away this weekend, those that are here are excited about the meetings.

So, today Mr. Steele will be speaking in the high school Inclusion Centre on the subject of the solar system.  We didn’t think a broadside attack on evolution followed by a gospel invitation would be the best approach, so we decided to do some foundation-laying instead.  Basically, he will be discussing (and showing with pictures) the vastness and splendour of the solar system and explaining how the heavens declare the glory of God.  Praise the Lord for this opportunity!

Then tonight we will be having a meeting at our house, preceded by a dinner.  As you can imagine, this will involve a good deal of work for the ladies, so please pray for Marcia and the rest in this regard.  On Saturday, we will be having a 11 AM session followed by lunch and then a 1 PM session.

We’ve been praying for the Lord’s blessing on these sessions.  Please pray with us about this.