Skip to main content

Looking out


For the past few weeks, Ruth (our daughter) has been visiting us.  We decided to take full advantage of the free labour and come up with a list of jobs for her to do so we now have a new improved look on the blog, an updated newsletter format, new crockery for the house and (most significantly) a large map on the wall of the Games Room here at Mercy Air.

As we have settled into life here at Mercy Air, we have been stirred to create space and time in which to pray collectively.  The map is to assist us in our prayers.  It reminds us of the sheer magnitude of this continent of Africa (it only shows the 9 whole countries and part of 3 more).  It helps us to look out to the places where God is calling us.  We can locate on the map the partners we work with and travel to regularly and maybe shows us some opportunities for working in new areas.  Finally, it reminds us that our Father God has a heart bigger than this continent, for this continent.



I recently read this:  "Africa is the only continent who's population is still growing. By 2050 Africa will double in size and have 2.4 billion people. The future of the world is Africa. The future of the Church is Africa."  Bishop Oscar Muriu.

The map is a work in progress and will be a living image identifying our partners, our flights and places people are most in need.  As it develops, we will share how we are using this map to pray.

I am deeply grateful for Ruth giving up her holidays and applying her imagination to this map.  I hope and pray it will assist us in our prayers here at Mercy Air.

Comments

  1. Unknown13 August 2018 at 07:14

    Love the map and the vision! Praying for you all.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Response To Bishop North

A while back Bishop Phillip North spoke to New Wine and caused a bit of a reaction one of it was a Tweet to my millions of followers. In response I had a phone call from The Church Times asking for a quote because I serve in a poor parish, I declined and said I would put a more considered response on my blog, so here it is with a link to The Bishops full talk. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/4-august/news/uk/there-s-a-future-for-the-church-if-evangelicals-put-the-poor-first-bishop-north-tells-new-wine 1.      One of the issues the church does not recognise is the exportation of people , talents and money from parishes like mine to middle class parishes which is draining and demanding on leadership. For 10 years I thought I was building a community, then it dawned on me I was building people up to go to other places. 2.      Bishop Phillip talks of abandonment of the poor: I think it’s more complicated than that. When I came back to my Deanery in 2000 to my
9 comments
Read more

The End is nigh

If you watch old black and white TV programs it is possible to see usually a man wearing a sandwich board stating  ‘The end is nigh’ . We look back and perhaps see how misguided they were, wrong time? Wrong place?  They were people who were passionate and prepared to stand out of the crowd for their cause. Those people who tried to guide us in a different direction are now images of ridicule and sly or open laughter. So where are they today? My feeling is these sandwich board bearers of the past are now the politicians of our government yes the once ridiculed people of the 50s have become politicians of today. Don’t be daft I hear you say they are not as ill thought out as those narrow minded misguided people of the past. Well I believe so and I see them imbedded in the in out EU argument. I feel I am being guided by the conversation of fear.  Woe to us if we stay in woe woe to us if we leave. This form of argument is straight out of the 1950s our politicians today are black and white
Post a Comment
Read more

Oh what a night SF1

Do you remember the song from I think it was The Four Seasons Oh what a night? Well for me it is the same expression for a different reason. Made it to San Francisco 10 0clock at night and chickened and got a cab to the hostel. I am in a four bed dorm with three other guy’s they also have mixed dorms but Erin said No No No. Who do you think uses the prayer Please God don’t let me fall? Mountaineers, wire walkers scaffolders, no me lying on the top bunk I am last in the room so I get a top bunk. The last time I slept on the top bunk I was 8 years old now I am like granddad in the room they are so young I am not sure whether to go to sleep or read them a story. At some point in the long night alongside the fear of falling out of bed I loos my pillow, it has fallen to its death thousands of feet below it is my only comfort apart from second hand sleeping bag. I think I am the only one in the hostel in a black two piece pair of striped pyjamas. Not sure if I will have to go and get a pair
5 comments
Read more