Mission Development North
Dear Friends, I am beginning to think that I am turning into my dear friend Vera! Vera is known for her piece of A4 with three columns of names on of people she prays for each day... and I have today started my own daily prayer list. Is this something that comes with age – that you can’t remember all you have to pray for? Or is just that there are so many more needs than there used to be? I don’t know the answer but I do know that life has been very busy over the last few months.
The Summer months were relatively quiet for me as the churches that were enquiring about ministering to people with learning disabilities didn’t want me to visit until the Autumn. This meant that I was able to take holidays without feeling guilty for taking the time and that I managed to get quite a lot of work done on the Bereavement Project - Praise God!
However, things soon changed as we hit the August Bank Holiday! Malc and I were both on team at Grapevine and also volunteered to Steward in the Big Top. It was a real privilege to serve in this way and we both felt we gained far more than we gave. The beginning of September saw Becca, our third daughter, move down to Cheltenham and start at Bristol Bible College on her degree. She has been very home sick but seems to be settling down now. (If you would like to receive her prayer letters too then let me know.) September also saw me do a training day in Worcester, attend the Derby East Midlands Regional Team meeting and get everything ready for the Causeway Holiday at Bawtry Hall from 21st to 23rd September. The weekend was a great success though I did have some learning points too!
During October we had a disability information day at Burton-on-Trent and the Annual Conference in Solihul. I have also met with two churches to look further at how they can minister to people with learning disabilities: one in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire and one in Mynachlog-ddu, Pembrokeshire. I would ask for your prayers for both these places as they continue to seek God’s will for their ministry in this area.
Disappointingly, we have still not been able to launch the Bereavement Project for it’s Pilot. Shona Marshall, one of the key people working with me was in a serious car accident in June and is still off work, and likely to remain out of action for another 6 months. Please Pray for healing for Shona and for Malc and me as we try to complete the project without her.
Key Events for Prayer, please:
- 13th November – Last day of my preaching course - I then have to complete the assignments including actually preaching a sermon. Pray for an invite to preach.
- 26th November – Meeting at Nottingham Trent Vineyard – pray for this meeting to be able to take place, as there is some doubt about it at the moment.
- 27-28th November – Meeting of Mission Development Coordinators with Tony Phelps-Jones (our Director)
- 3rd December – First meeting of the West Midlands groups at Elim Church, Wheoley Castle, Birmingham.
- 6th December – Meeting at Central Avenue Christian Church, Wigston, Leicestershire
- 8-9th January – Senior Staff Conference
- 26th January – Training Day in York
If you want more information on any of these events then please contact me.
Jo Bodsworth
66 Leicester Road, Narborough, Leics. LE19 2DG.
0116 286 7392
job@prospects-uk.org
http://www.prospects.org.uk/
