The Kennedys

November update

2011-11-21T14:09:00.001+01:00

A lot has happened since the last update.

St. Andrews Update
We both went to St. Andrews a few weekends ago and had a great time there. The Lord is moving our hearts there more and more. We expect to be in York a few more years, but we are still moving in the direction of Scotland.

Tasha's surgery
Tasha is still recovering from her surgery. She she needs quite a bit of rest and controlled exercise to get her strength back.

Philippians/Colossians
Lindsay has been asked to teach a Philippians & Colossians class next semester! This is very exciting for us both. It will fit around his existing work schedule. He is busy studying as much as possible in preparation.

Extra hours at work
Lindsay is currently involved in helping with a large ICT contract renewal at his work and we see this as an opportunity for him to possibly ask for more hours and more responsibility. Please pray for wisdom as to how to approach this, and whether it is wise with the added load of teaching a class.

Lindsay's health
Lately managing his Chronic EBV has been better than normal, and he has begun walking to work. So far this actually has helped his energy rather than hurt it. However he is still getting colds and flues from school which will knock him out for a few days. This prompted a meeting with Occupational Health, because the number of sick days is a concern. The nurse told him to minimize all outside activities other than work and to try to manage his daily routine to retain energy.

Any additional hours at work, and teaching a class next semester, all will sap him of his energy and possibly undermine his immune system further. Please pray for the Lord to heal him of Chronic EBV so that he can a) help provide for us, and b) continue to serve at the Bible College and be trained up for ministry.

Financial issues
Part of the reason that Lindsay is looking for more hours is to help cover the costs of living in the UK. At the moment we are really struggling financially to make ends meet. With Tasha unable to work and Lindsay working part-time hours (25/week) and being told to not to add to his load, it's hard to know what to do. A part-time salary will not continue to provide our needs. Please pray for wisdom and provision from the Lord.

Neil's album
Lastly, Neil Livingston's album is finally getting to the end. They finished the mixing on Friday and have sent it off for mastering. The hope is that it will be ready in December!

For those who aren't aware of what this is: my friend Neil serves at Calvary Chapel Vajta, Hungary. He writes his own worship songs (which have blessed me greatly) and has gotten an opportunity to record an album. I've been involved in the process and got the opportunity to record electric guitars. It's pretty exciting to see it all coming together. I really expect it will be a blessing to everyone who hears it. I can't wait for everyone to hear songs that the Lord has blessed me with!

Check out Neil's page here.
http://www.facebook.com/NeilLivingstonMusic

If you would like to send us financial support, please reply to this email. We'd be blessed!

Surgery success!

2011-09-05T14:50:00.001+02:00

Surgery success!

Tasha had her surgery on the 1st of September!

While I had to go home to the UK to start work on the 1st, Tasha stayed in the states to have her surgery. She just had it, and everything has gone very well according to the doctor. He said the recovery should be even easier than they predicted.

Tasha will return home on the 20th of September, and until then she'll be recovering in the States with her family.

It's very hard being apart, so we would appreciate your prayers. At least I'm very busy working at my job and Tasha has her family to keep her company!

Thank you for all your prayers. The Lord is very good to us.

No surgery today

2011-08-19T00:17:00.000+02:00

Tasha did not have surgery today. Apparently her surgery was rescheduled to happen on Tuesday and we didn't receive this info in time so we missed our chance. We have scheduled it for the 1st of September and the date is booked, so there won't be any more changes.

The only problem is that our flight is on the 28th of August and I start work on the 1st. We are praying about Tasha staying in the US until she is recovered from her surgery (probably up to 2 weeks) and then returning to the UK mid-September. We don't want to be separated but this looks like the best/only option.

We were very discouraged about this yesterday but the Lord encouraged us and we know He is sovereign over all and has a perfect plan for our good and His glory.

Thank you for all your prayers. Please pray for wisdom as to what we do.

If you would like to send us financial support, please reply to this email. We'd be blessed!

Surgery rescheduled

2011-08-14T20:40:00.001+02:00

Just a quick update. Tasha's insurance didn't approve the surgery in time, so she couldn't have it on this past Thursday. It's been rescheduled for this coming Thursday (18th). Please pray that there are no complications and that she recovers in time to fly on the 28th. I need to get back in time for the new school semester on the 1st of September, so we really don't have an option to postpone the flight...

But God knows and is in control :)

Thank you for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for us because we know the Lord hears and acts.

If you would like to send us financial support, please reply to this email. We'd be blessed!

Tasha's surgery

2011-08-09T03:27:00.001+02:00

Tasha's surgery
Well we are in the USA and have been here for almost 2 weeks now. In this time Tasha has seen a doctor (a national expert on knees and hips) and after MRI-ing her hip he has decided she needs corrective surger. If I understand it right, there is cartilage in her hip that has been damaged and will continue to worsen without surgery to repair it. He said there is an 80% chance of 80% recovery, which means she might end up 100% recovered, but it's not as likely. We're praying for a full recovery of course!

Whatever the result, we know that the Lord is sovereign and has not allowed this to happen outside of His good purpose and design. We are praying that the Lord be glorified in this whole process.

The surgery is this Thursday. It will take Tasha a few months to recover completely, but around 10 days until she is able to get on her feet again.

We have been so blessed being back in the USA. Tasha's family and friends and home church are all very supportive of us and make us feel very welcome and loved.

Thank you for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for us because we know the Lord hears and acts.

Tasha's Visa

2011-06-30T20:31:00.001+02:00

We are applying for Tasha's visa on the 11th of July which is coincidently also my birthday! Although it costs £300 more (£850 total) we have decided to apply in person so that we can hopefully get a result the same day. We're doing this so that we can make it to the States at the end of the month for Tasha's hip to be examined by doctor's there and also to spend time with her family.

Please pray for us on the 11th of July (Monday after next)! Pray that the Lord will guide our hands as we fill out the application form and find all the documentation needed. Please also pray for favour from those making the decision.

- We really don't have the money for the application. The £850 is going to clean us out completely. We're already struggling to pay the bills, so this is going to be very tight.
- The fact that we have so little money will look bad in the application since I am trying to prove that I can provide for Tasha!

However, the Lord is sovereign!
- Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.

- Proverbs 16:1
The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

- Psalm 33:11
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.

This is another time for the Lord to prove Himself strong. He has given Tasha her first visa (that was an ordeal!), He gave me my job, He gave us this wonderful flat, etc etc. He is good! This is why we covet your prayers in this time. We want you to rejoice with us when He answers our needs.

In other news
Pastor's Conference is over. We had a pastor and his wife stay with us and it was a huge blessing to share the flat that the Lord gave us.

I've really been enjoying my work. My health has been better lately.

Well, that's it for now!

If you would like to send us financial support, please let us know.

We Found a House!

2011-05-05T21:29:00.000+02:00

=WE FOUND A HOUSE!=

_But we don't have it yet!_
So here's the latest news. We have been staying with a missionary couple
from the church, but _we need to move out early next week_. We've tried many
different places and options, but it seemed like God was closing all the
doors. It's been a powerful time of testing for us.

We found an apartment just in time. It just become open. It's near my
parents. It's near the Bible College (so we can be more involved again -
yay!). It's not too far from my work. It's a great location.

THE CATCH
We have a viewing tomorrow evening with others who are interested in the
house. We can't put down a deposit until then. But so can they. So we are
praying that we'll be the first to put a deposit down! We know that God will
give us this place - just like He gave me my job - if it is the right place.

_Please pray for this apartment. Not because we're worried, not because we
doubt God's sovereignty, but because we believe God has ordained prayer to
accomplish things!_

_Tasha's Visa_
To add to the busyness, we need to apply for Tasha's visa to stay in the UK.
Her current visa expires in July but we can apply any time. We want to apply
asap so that we can possibly send her to the States to get medical help
(more on that later). She can't leave the country while in a visa
application process.

The visa is a complicated thing, because we need to prove that I can provide
for her financially. _It looks like they want proof of a bigger income than
I am actually getting right now_. We also need to prove that we are living
as a married couple (not as easy as it sounds!)

We have a meeting with a visa specialist next week.

Tasha's health
Tasha's hip pain has only been getting worse. We finally got our MRI (it
took 2 weeks to get it, and didn't get results for another 3) only to find
out they must have scanned the wrong area because they didn't find anything.
So now Tasha has to go through the whole process again. It's infuriating to
say the least! We've been in the process since February and her pain is only
getting worse.

Because of this, we are praying about sending her to the States where she
can get tests within days. Of course we don't have any money for this, but
we are trying to organize frequent-flyer point flights.

Well... that's it for this update! Just a lot of prayer requests really!

I feel that we should end on a positive note. So here are some things that
are positive and true: I love my job. Neil's worship album is coming along
well and is sounding amazing. God is teaching us. We love His word. I'm
married to a great artist. God is good. Jesus saved us!

_If you would like to send us financial support, please reply to this email.
We'd be blessed!_

Lindsay got a job!

2011-04-09T11:46:00.000+02:00

Well, thank you for all your prayers. The Lord has provided a job for
Lindsay. He is an ICT technician at Scarcroft Primary School in York. It's a
very fun environment for him and he's working 25 hours a week, which hasn't
been too much for his Chronic EBV.

Moving out
Beceause of this strange thing called an income -something Lindsay hasn't
received since 2007 - we are looking at moving out into a flat of our own.
Please be praying that the Lord shows us the perfect place. Despite having
the job, most flats in York are above our prce range still. God still wants
us to rely on Him!

Tasha's health
Many of you may know about Tasha's 'hip problem'. It turns out that it's not
actually a hip problem but rather a nerve problem that's mostly causing pain
in her hip. She's been in slight pain from this for a long time, but in the
past few weeks it's gotten out of hand. Walking is extremely painful, and
she's having to use a cane just to support herself. We're waiting for an MRI
(potentially a long wait here in the UK, but we got bumped up to 'urgent'
status, so possibly within a week or two we'll get one) and hopefully that
will give us the solution. So please be praying for a quick solution and
recovery, because it makes life very difficult for her.

Brid outreach
For the last 3 weekends we have been able to go to Bridlington to lead
worship and do children's ministry there. Just like old times! On the third
weekend, our friend Dave Moore (D-cype) had a concert there as an outreach
to the local youth. The Lord worked mightily and 4 youth wanted to be saved.

Here's a D-Cype track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtAJLCOdL4g

Well, that's it for our update. Thank you all for your prayers; we are
eternally grateful!

Prayer requests
- Lindsay and Tasha's health, especially Tasha's!
- An affordable house/flat for us to move in to soon!
- Fruit from the Bridlington outreach

Married life is great!

2011-01-27T20:13:00.000+01:00

Well, we're married! Thank you all for your prayers, whether you could make
it or not. Thank you for making it a great day. Tasha and I could not have
had a better day.

We are settling back in York now, and I'm looking for work. There are many
things to balance this semester, so we definitely appreciate your prayers.

Here's what is going on:
* We need an income, so I'm applying for work. I just applied for a job
today that I think looks wonderful, so please pray that God will bless
this process.
* Neil's album is coming along. I need to be practicing my parts, and will
be going to Hungary sometime soon to record. Please pray that God will
bless this too! And that it won't interfere with job opportunities,
because this is a commitment I plan to keep.
* Tasha begins her final semester of Bible College on the 5th.
* Tasha's student visa expires in July, so we will begin applying for a
marriage visa soon. It's a complicated process and I need to prove many
things (including money), so please pray because things we do today
effects our application in July!
* I also want God to remain a priority in our lives, and while I think I
need employment for us to survive during this time, I want to serve the
Lord full-time, so please be praying for some kind of support to come
through so that we can serve Him more wholly.

Thank you! Love,

The Kennedys (yes I will be changing the "Lindsay in Europe" banner soon...
I'm just a bit busy right now!)

2010/2011

2011-01-01T21:06:00.000+01:00

Hi all, I just wanted to write a quick update so I can share what God has done in this past year and what we hope to see Him do this year!

2010

* God gave me a greater love and hunger for the Word
* Read the Bible through in the year (using the Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan)
* Regained a love for reading

* Met Tasha (Feb)
* Became a couple (March 31)
* Got engaged (July 9)

* Created and completed a 'comic' with Tasha, seeing it printed in December (Tired Burd)

* 2 trips to Scotland: one visit, one outreach (Inverness)
* 3 Trips to Hungary to be involved in Neil's album
* 2 trips to USA (engagement, seeing family in California, Christmas with the Hagelins)
* 2 semesters at CC York as an intern. Developing gifts, serving, seeing students grow in the Lord.

2011
* Get married on the 8th of Jan
* Grow closer to Tasha, begin our lives together
* See God provide for us: financially, giving us a place to live
* Possibly gain part/full-time employment to provide for us

* Make a trip to St. Andrews (Scotland), possibly lead an outreach there. Develop contacts. Regular prayer.
* Make a trip to Hungary (Feb?) to record guitar for Neil's worship album. Hopefully bring Tasha along!
* See the album released!

* 2 Semesters at CC York. Possibly intern there.
* See Tasha graduate in May

* Read the whole Bible in the year
* Develop my doctrine
* Structure a class around the Cross of Christ, with hope to teach it eventually
* Have more opportunities to lead worship, develop the gift

* Create an online presence for Tasha's art
* Publish Tired Burd
* Learn digital coloring (using my new drawing tablet), make progress in coloring Tasha's still-untitled ongoing story

The Wedding!

2010-12-15T14:04:00.001+01:00

Well, it's nearly here. In just 24 days Tasha Hagelin and I will be married

(8th of Jan). We're flying to Washington on Tuesday and with Christmas and

New Year in the mix that time will fly by. Then after the wedding,

we'll be flying to Scotland on the 10th to have our honeymoon.

When we get to the States we'll have a lot to do to prepare, but everything

is coming together fairly easily so far.

_Next Semester_

Our biggest concern at the moment is where we will be staying when we return

to the UK after the honeymoon. Because of my health issues and my busyness

with interning, I haven't been able to get much paid work. So we're not

sure if/when we can rent accommodation in York. _Please pray for the Lord

to provide income and a place to stay for when we return._

Tasha has one semester of Bible College remaining, and I plan to work and

help at Calvary Chapel York in my spare time. After this we want to

continue serving here with the intention of eventually being sent out to

serve God in Scotland.

_St. Andrews_

God has put the university town of St. Andrews on our hearts and we hope to

lead an outreach team up there next semester. _Please be praying that the

Lord will help us organize this trip in His way and timing._

Well, that's probably it for a while! I miss you all and hope God will

bless you this Christmas.

- Lindsay

Unexpected Hungary Trip!

2010-11-05T12:27:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone, it looks like I'll be traveling to Hungary on the 16th of this month for a week in the studio with Neil Livingston.

Here's what will be going on while I'm there:

Drum and bass were recorded recently, so we will be going through all the 'takes' and choosing the best ones.
Neil might record some guitar and vocals.

I'm going for a number of reasons:

Neil wants me there to help him. I've been involved with his music for a number of years and we have a similar ear.
I know the Lord uses Neil's music, so I want to support and encourage Neil and help the making of this album in any way I can.
I want to document as much of the recording process as possible: video, photo, etc.
I always wanted to see how a recording studio works!
Hearing what's been recorded so far will help me rehearse for when it comes to recording my parts next year.

Check out Neil's facebook page for any updates, especially when I get over there.

http://www.facebook.com/NeilLivingstonMusic

Want to help me get there?

I'm just booking my flight now. It'll cost me just over £100 to fly there and back. As you know, Tasha and I will be getting married in January and don't have much money to spare, so if the Lord puts it on your heart to help finance this trip, please let me know.

I really believe the Lord wants me to go and to be involved as much as I can in this recording, so I know He will provide.

Inverness outreach

2010-10-07T13:31:00.000+02:00

Next weekend I will be leading a team of 6 (including Tasha) to Inverness, Scotland for a 10 day outreach. We are all excited to be going there and are anticipating God to do something.

There's a snag. I don't have the money to pay for myself; almost all of my money is contributing to wedding costs. However, I am stepping out with faith that God will provide since I believe He wants me to go. The cost of the outreach is around £220.

If God puts it on your heart to help provide financially for this trip, please reply to this email and I can tell you how.

Please be praying for the following:

That God will be working on our hearts to prepare us. That we will be united as a team. The names of the students going on this trip are Justin, Carlee, Tori, Isaac, Tasha, and myself.

That God will be working in Inverness to prepare the work for us.

For Pastor Leo, his wife Cheryl, and Pastor James, who are all serving God in Inverness. We want to be a blessing and encouragement to them.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support, it is a huge encouragement to myself and Tasha.

Quick Prayer Request

2010-09-17T12:16:00.000+02:00

Today Tasha and I are traveling to Bradford. Neil Livingston from Hungary will be playing an outreach concert there on Saturday night. I'll be playing guitar for him and my friend Will – who is an intern here in York – will be playing drums.

I want to ask that you pray for the outreach this Saturday:

That God will draw people to the concert.
That people will hear the Gospel and be saved.
For health for Neil and myself, and anyone else who is currently sick. (We both have throat infections). Neil especially will need prayer as he is singing a lot this weekend

This is also really exciting for us because Tasha gets to meet Neil and my friend Kyle Bentz, both of whom will be groomsmen at our wedding in January.

Thanks for the prayer! May God bless you.

Weddings and Such

2010-08-16T13:57:00.001+02:00

Engagement

I recently returned from Washington (USA), and while there I proposed to my girlfriend Natasha, and she said 'yes'! Praise God for someone so amazing! We got engaged on the 9th of July.

Wedding

Tasha and I are planning to get married on the 8th of January 2011 in Washington. We will then return to the UK and continue to serve here in York. Tasha will complete her Bible College and I will most likely be interning here and/or working in York.

We have a lot to do in preparation for marriage. We will be planning a wedding in the US in January while we're both in the UK until December!

Work and Health

Please be praying for me to find a source of income so that I can pay for the upcoming trips, the honeymoon, and provide for Tasha. Please pray that God will provide a source of income where I can still be able to serve at York. Please also pray for my health, as I have chronic fatigue (EBV to be exact) so my very low energy levels are another concern.

Trip to the USA!

2010-06-03T18:12:00.003+02:00

Hi everyone. I don't have too much to write, other than a general update.

EBV
I spent the last two weeks at my parent's (rather than in the College flats) and it's been really restful, they offered I stayed here for the next month also. It's been helpful with my EBV (A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I am battling). I'm desperate to get over this asap, so I'm making some changes to help. I'm still serving at the College, but just pulling back a little so that I can rest. Rest is the most important thing to get over EBV.

Flight
God provided for me to get a flight to Seattle in July! All praise goes to God because I didn't see it working out. This means I can go visit my girlfriend Natasha and her family, AND visit my family and friends in California too.

Work
Because of my health I've had to decide for the time being that I won't pursue any 'typical' kind of employment. It's a hard decision because I'm struggling financially, but I want to "get over" EBV as much as possible, so that I can actually work to the best of my ability later. Please pray that God will provide in the meantime, maybe through finding a source of income that won't be too exhausting.

Album in Hungary
At the moment the recording looks to be after the summer. There is still a lot of work to get done, and things still to fall into place, so please be praying that God will organize everything in His timing and power.

Prayer

Health: Recovering EBV asap
Employment / Income
Neil Livingston's worship album

Thank you for all your prayers!

May update

2010-05-07T12:00:00.001+02:00

Well, so much for sending regular updates! There's alot to share about what's going on in my life, so I'll try to keep it short.

Summer
I'll be serving here at Calvary Chapel York for most of the summer. There are a number of conferences hosted here, and much work to do. It's going to be a great time.

A Trip to the USA?
There's also a chance that I will go to the USA in July to visit my girlfriend (Natasha) and her family in Washington. I was hoping to use my Frequent Flyer points to do this (I had enough!), but there are no flights over the summer that allow me to use my Frequent Flyer points. So I'm not sure if it will work, however, because I don't have the money to just buy a flight.

Employment
Since before the semester began I've intended to get some work/income. That hasn't happened! Balancing out serving here with my Chronic EBV has kept me busy enough where I really don't have the time and/or energy to add more to my life. This has made things quite difficultfinancially. For me to recover from EBV I really need to be resting more than I am, not less; and if I don't regularly rest and get over this, it's possible that I'll have EBV for a very long time. Please pray that God will open up some kind way to get a small income that won't physically wreck me in the process. I have been praying about teaching guitar, so that's an option.

Scotland
A few weeks ago I began a regular prayer meeting for Scotland. As you may know I have a heart for Scotland and believe the LORD is leading me there eventually. I've often wondered how I could 'work towards' that goal when I also know He wants me here in York (England) for now. Then I came across the words of Jesus in Matthew 9:35-38, particularly 38:

"pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"

Not only is this is something that I can do, but Jesus specifically tells me to do it. He is the Lord of the Harvest - all results in missions come from Him and through Him; and He is the one that will raise up laborers (maybe including myself).

Also I thought that if He leads me up to Scotland it would be wonderful to look back on the weeks/months/years I had been praying regularly for the place, and my service would just be the next step.

York
The semester is over next week. More on that later...

Prayer requests

For God to continue giving me vision for Scotland and His will for my life, in His timing.
For God to open the door for me to visit the States in the Summer
For God to provide a way for me to get an income here
For God to heal me from my Chronic EBV - currently it is getting worse, rather than better

Thank you for all your prayers, I really appreciate every one. Please let me know if there are any ways I can be praying for you.

Hungary update

2010-03-24T18:44:00.003+01:00

Hi. I'm writing this from Scotland (more on that later). The past week in Hungary was a huge blessing.

All My Springs Rehearsal in Budapest
The album rehearsal with the musicians was very productive and encouraging. It's great to hear these songs grow and develop with lives of their own. The entire rehearsal (a number of hours) was recorded so that we can listen and develop what "works" and scrap what doesn't.

Here is a link to photos of the rehearsal.

Also here are some videos that I took while we rehearsed (the audio/video quality isn't so great). Just a few teasers!

In Your Name (Bridge)

All My Springs (Intro)

In Fear of You (Rehearsal during Speaker's Week at Vajta). This song is really exciting for us because it was still quite undeveloped before the weekend rehearsal, but now it's finally making sense.

Neil has 15 songs that we are working on, but the album will most likely be 11-13 tracks long.

Speaker's Week in Vajta
After the weekend I got to stay at the Bible College in Vajta for the Speaker's Week. The sessions were great and God spoke to me very clearly in a number of them. I had originally saw the rehearsal as the reason I went, and the Speaker's Week as a bonus - but God had other plans!

Talking about Speaker's Week, I had been praying that I could stay there for free, since God also provided for my flight - it never hurts to ask, right? Well it turns out that He answered the prayer! So the whole trip was free. Praise God!

Prayer requests

For God to continue to provide for Neil's album. For financial provision and also for time to record. For God to bless the whole process, we want everything to be for His glory.
For God to give me clarity on some areas I am needing wisdom.
For Him to keep guiding me with my future (more on that later)

Well that's it for now! Thank you for all your prayers. I hope to give an update again soon, this time about Scotland!

Hungary update (and a bit about Scotland)

2010-03-09T16:19:00.008+01:00

God opened the doors for me to go to Hungary this Friday. I'll be gone for 7 days and my week looks a bit like this.

Arriving in Hungary on Friday evening
Album rehearsal in Budapest on Saturday (probably an all-nighter). This will be recorded and we will be able to listen back later and decide what works/what isn't good.
Church in Sárbogárd seeing my old friends (where I lived and served in 2008)
Speaker's week in Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe. I'll be there until Thursday

I'm really blessed because I have a Serbian friend Danny and I haven't seen him for 2 years. But he's currently studying at Hungary so I'll be able to see him for the whole week.

A guitar was provided for me there, so I don't need to pay £80 just to bring one.

Thank you for all your prayers!

PS. The week after I get back from Hungary my family and I are going to Scotland for a few days. We'll check out and pray over St. Andrews, which God has put on my heart. Maybe God will give me a vision for the place, because I believe He will be leading me to Scotland eventually.

Hungary this Weekend

2010-03-05T17:48:00.003+01:00

Well, so much for not having news about Hungary!

This afternoon I was just told that the musicians are going to meet in Vajta (at the Bible College) next weekend (the 12th-14th). They want me there if I can make it, I want to be there, and God has provided financially... so... I'm just praying that God will open all the doors.

So please pray for me!

That I'll find a good flight
That I'll get transportation to the airport if it's one of those tricky hard-to-get-to airports
That I can have my responsibilities here covered on such short notice
For God's blessing on the whole rehearsal, whether He gets me there or not
The following week is the Speaker's Week at Hungary, and if I were able to stay for that (for free) it would be a huge blessing

The plan is to have all the musicians 'jam' on the songs, and just brainstorm them for the whole weekend, and then record our practices and listen back to them later, choosing what "works" and what doesn't.

This is all in order to save time in the studio, we want to be going into the studio completely prepared (or as much as possible).

Thank you for all your prayers!

March

2010-03-04T16:41:00.009+01:00

Hello.

Semester is rolling along. It's now a month in and it's (mostly) past the "awkward, everyone finding their place" part which is always nice!

Preaching The preaching group has been a real blessing, we've had 3 meetings so far and each has been great. I've preached twice and while it's hard work I really enjoy it. The biggest surprise for a number of us, if not all, is the major bottom-smacking we all get from God in our preparations! Studying the Bible and even giving personal application in previous homework hasn't ever really prepared me for the conviction from the Spirit that I've experienced in sermon preparation! But that's a good thing, right?!

Job/Provision I still haven't found employment, but until now I've been too busy either a) working or b) trying to find time to rest and get over EBV Saying that, God has been providing for me financially in a number of ways which has been a huge blessing, including a friend providing money for my upcoming flight to Hungary (for working on the worship album). No news regarding the album, we're still waiting for a weekend in which all the musicians can meet and rehearse together.

Outreaches. Outreach week is approaching. This is a period of up to 10 days where students go to various churches often in different countries (or stay in York) and serve. We have outreaches to Inverness Scotland, King's Lynn, York, Norway, and I think a few more...

I'll be staying in York mostly to keep my commitment to lead worship at Bridlington and to save money for Hungary. However, my parents are talking about driving up to Scotland for a week. We hope to visit family, have a break, and also visit and pray about St. Andrews which is on my heart. I've not yet been there but have been praying about it.

Recording in Manchester A friend and student here, Dave Moore from Manchester, is part-way through making a rap album and last weekend myself, Will, and Hannah went to Manchester (Stockport, exactly) to visit and record on a few tracks. Will recorded a verse in French (he's Belgian), and Hannah sang on a few tracks. It was a great blessing. Someone in his church (Calvary Chapel Stockport) has offered to financially support them to manufacture 10,000 CDs with 4-5 of his most evangelistic tracks and give them away free (a kind of 'tract') on the streets of Manchester. Awesome!

Click here for some photos.

Ways you can pray

For my Chronic EBV (fatigue) and for me to learn how to balance responsibilities and still meet my necessity for rest in order to recover. I really struggle with forcing myself to rest because it feels like cheating.
For Neil's worship album. For God's timing, God's provision, God's favour, and God's help in all the different aspects.
For Dave's rap album. For him and Alex to find time to finish it and for there to be fruit from it, and be a blessing to Manchester.
For this semester, the students, and outreaches.

February update

2010-02-12T16:17:00.002+01:00

Much has happened since I last wrote so I thought I should blog again.

New Semester
The semester has been very busy, and with the hardest spiritual attack I've yet experienced in a semester. It's been really tough on students and staff - with people feeling tired and wanting to leave. The good side to this is that the Enemy is trying to oppose this semester and whatever God has in store for us; and really, this attack only brings us closer together in unity in the end.

On top of this busyness (or because of it..?) my EBV has been particularly tough this week, so I've been running on empty most days and it also effects my attitude too. God definitely uses it though, especially for me to learn how He can do beyond what I ever think I can. However, a friend reminded me of how the Israelite's 70 year captivity was to let the land rest because they didn't, and it concerned me that maybe I need to learn to start paying my debts to my body and learn to rest guilt-free!

Neil's Worship Album
I have spent some time working on Neil's demos and that has been fairly fruitful (and very enjoyable!). The next step is for the musicians to meet in Vajta, Hungary for a weekend and rehearse the album together. Then we will objectively try to listen to our parts and prune a little. This is all so that the time when we finally get into the studio will be as fast and enjoyable (and cheap!) as possible.

We're hoping to meet in March. I was worried this week because I can't afford a flight to Hungary (about £100 return) but I've been hugely blessed by a friend providing me with that money! God put it on his heart to help support the work on this album, so praise God for that!

If God puts it on your heart to support me or this worship album project please write to me and let me know.

Worship at Bridlington
I have committed to going to Bridlington every weekend to lead worship there. It's a huge blessing for me and I trust that the church is blessed too.

Preaching
Lastly, a few students who feel called to preach/teach will get together and 'practice' on each other, and give each other feedback with the hope of us all growing in that area. This is a great opportunity and I'll be taking part. This coming Monday myself and 5 others will teach for 20 minutes, and then next week the other 4 in our group will teach. I will be teaching from Philippians 1:19-26, and it will be the second time I've taught for longer than 10 minutes Too busy to be nervous!

Thanks for reading and praying!

Ways you can pray

God's guidance in me finding flexible employment if that's His will for me
God to give me energy and a pure heart as I serve here
God's provision for the album project, and glorifying Him will be our continual aim
Help with teaching!

New Semester in York

2010-02-04T11:44:00.002+01:00

My Internship
I'll be helping in various areas, interacting with students, grading Chuck Tracks, working a bit in the Coffee Shop, maybe taking a class, helping oversee and maintain the internet, hopefully working part-time, leading worship as much as possible (maybe in different churches), visiting other churches in the UK if possible, and maybe even preparing to teach in some format. Also I need to be rehearsing and preparing for the worship album. This semester looks busy!

God has been putting it on my heart to teach and preach.. not because I like being in public, but much like leading worship, I believe God is leading me in that direction and that He will bless the areas where He leads. I am more and more hungry for His Word and showing others what I learn, and mostly just sharing Jesus and what He has done.

Also we are looking into starting a recording studio in Calvary Chapel York. I'll be playing a part in that. So the fact I'll be in Hungary recording an album and learning the process seems like God-timing!

Work
Somewhere in this picture I need to be getting an income to support myself as I'm running low on savings. I'm not sure how that will work just yet because it looks like I'll be very busy this semester in York, and I might have to travel to Hungary several times to record this album, but I'm not sure when that will be yet. However, to do any of this I'll need money! So this is an area I'm having to trust God in and walk in faith that He will either direct me in a flexible employment or support of some other kind.

Bridlington
I have also been asked by the pastor of a Calvary Chapel in Bridlington (1 hour east of York, on the coast) to pray about leading worship there every Sunday. I used to lead there last year when I was a student and I loved it and love the church. However this is another area that I need guidance in because of potential employment commitments; but I believe God led me to Europe in order to minister and serve here, so I don't want other things to distract from it.

How you can pray

For divine guidance in the decisions I'll be making regarding employment and ministry here.
For Him to lead me in my serving, that I could be serving from the right heart and serving in the right areas.
For Him to give me a vision for the future. I still am praying about Scotland but I don't want to do anything in my own flesh.

Thank you for all your prayers!

Worship album in Hungary

2010-01-28T12:45:00.009+01:00

My two weeks in Hungary were great. I saw my friend Joci in Budapest and spent the majority of time at the Bible College in Vajta.

My friend Neil Livingston will be recording a worship album of his own songs. I've played guitar with him since I was first in Hungary in 2007, and each of these songs is from God and a blessing to His Church. I've been waiting years to be able to share them with friends and family, so it's very exciting to see it all finally happening!

Neil and I worked together finishing lyrics, creating riffs, typing up chord charts, etc. We also went to Budapest for two days and Neil recorded acoustic demos for the album. (PS. This was at Mike, the producer's, house. This isn't the actual studio!)

The musicians (including myself) will now listen to the demos, figure out our parts, and then rehearse together in Hungary sometime soon... then we'll listen critically to it all and (eventually) get into the studio in Budapest and record it! Neil has 15 potential (and great!) songs, but will probably bring it down to 12 that best work together in the album. There are no concrete dates at the moment, but it looks to be happening sooner than we expected.

(More photos here and here)

I'm wanting to be there for as much of the process as possible, to learn how studios work, and also to record my parts. But I'm also interning at Calvary Chapel Bible College York this semester. I'm able to travel to Hungary this semester if, but I need to have an income in to pay for it. However I'm am not exactly sure how I can work if I am busy interning here and flying to Hungary soon! But I know God will provide since He led me to this place!

If God puts it on your heart to financially support this venture, please let me know.

York Update
I'm currently back in York and things are getting busy. There are alot of things needing doing before next Monday (Orientation day). Students begin arriving today and most arrive over the weekend.

More soon!

Prayer requests

For God's will to be done regarding the international students getting into the country (there are lots of issues with this).
That we will have a great semester at Calvary Chapel Bible College York.
For financial provision for me to help out over there with the album.
For Neil's album to be blessed, for God to be over the whole process.

New Year

2009-12-26T14:12:00.002+01:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

We definitely did, although our plans were diverted. We planned to go up to Scotland to be with family, but the weather was so poor that it would have been dangerous to drive up there. So instead we had a small celebration with the three of us - nice and relaxing after a busy semester!

Well, I graduated! So that is a nice thing. I have an Associates of Theology now.

A few people have asked what I plan to do in the next year. While I believe God is eventually leading me to Scotland, He hasn't told me to move yet.. in fact He's told me to stick around a bit longer. I want to get plugged into the church here in York and continue to grow here before moving anywhere.

So I'll be interning next semester. That means I'll be helping out in the church and the Bible College, being a 'responsible guy'. I'll also get some part-time work so I can continue to support myself while here.

Before that happens however, I'm going to Hungary. I'm flying on the 31st for just under 2 weeks, and will work with Neil on his album. We'll be working on arrangements and pre-production, as they call it. In addition to working on the album I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends and my old church in Sárbogárd.

So that's the low-down for next year. If it's a little bit vague, it's because I'm not really sure what to expect myself! But I know God has great plans and they're exciting.

Prayer requests

That I can find work and/or a way to support myself as I serve here
That God will bring students for the next semester, and that visas will not be a problem
For the time in Hungary to go well and God to continue to lead the work on the album
For opportunities in my internship, and the courage to step up to them! I'm wanting to teach a few times, something I'm not particularly 'excited' about :)

Thanks for all your prayers! God bless you.