We woke up to a beautiful clear, sunshiny sky this morning and it was just a beginning to a wonderful day with the Lord. The church service begins at 11 a.m. and most people begin arriving around 10:45. We are a short 4-5 minute walk from the church and the day was perfect for it! The sidewalks are so narrow that we walked single file most of the way. Along the way this morning we met a very nice man who was sweeping the street in front of his home. He was very quick to engage us and realized at once that we were not from this area. He seemed somewhat impressed that we were from Texas and asked if we were staying at the hotel, which gave us to opportunity to tell him a very short version of our story and that we would be living in Ducklington for the next 6 months. Please be praying for another opportunity to visit with him, James Postle (He chuckled and told us that he was just like James the "a-postle"). We continued on to the church and met many of the sweet ladies out on the sidewalk waiting for us. The church is tiny, but everyone was so glad to be there and to finally meet us. We loved them all instantly.
Ray Cole started the service. Ray is exactly what you would think of as a proper English gentleman. He is a single man and has been very involved in the church since moving to Ducklington about a year ago. David Bosley plays the piano beautifully and he and his wife Janice both play the guitar. We sang some wonderful old English hymns prior to both of us giving our testimonies and then Dennis' sermon. His text was from 2 Cor. 4:1-6 and the ministry of Paul. It was a great passage to start with. They end their gathering each Sunday by serving tea or coffee and biscuits so that everyone can enjoy some time together in fellowship.
A young Polish woman attends the church regularly. She speaks very little English, but is apparently very committed to being there. In attempting to visit with her, we were reminded of the ESL experience we have had with the Russians and Africans. It might be that we will have the opportunity to use that experience once again and possibly open a door for sharing Christ with a large Polish community that is established in Witney. Please join us in praying about that possibility.
As we reflect back on the morning, we can both say that the Presence of the Holy Spirit was very obvious to us. There is a very sweet spirit among these people and their desire to proclaim the name of Christ in this little community. They are warm and welcoming and seem very happy for us to be a part of their fellowship for this season. Our deepest prayer is that all of us will be aware of God's working in hearts around us. We have now met our next door neighbors, Nigel and Jill Clark; a young polish man who lives behind us, Lucas; and the man we met on the way to church this morning, James (and Dorothy) Postle. As we prayed this afternoon, we are trusting the Lord to show us the hearts that He is already at work on. Your faithfulness to pray for us, as well as your wonderful e-mails, are an inexpressible encouragement. Thank You!
Mums and Tots meets in the morning as well as Bible Study tomorrow evening and we will let you know tomorrow about that. . .
Blessing to all of you!
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Sounds like the Lord has gone before you in the place and in your experiences, such as ESL.
ReplyDeleteHi Dennis and Brenda! I got to see Lynlee and Carey a couple of weeks ago (in Temple) and they were telling me about your new adventure! I was totally reading your posts with an English accent:) Praying for y'all and excited to keep up with you!!
ReplyDeleteShannon Bankhead