Full circle!
29th February 2020 - E-mail update
Dear friends,
As I write this, the sky is pouring with rain outside. It brings to mind the numerous prophecies over Cyprus that ‘when the dams are full, revival will come!’
Anyway, TESEKKURLER (‘thank you!’ in Turkish) for your prayer support during this EPIC journey through Europe, of which this particular chapter has now come to its conclusion.
We praise God for what He has been doing in and through us during the outreach - for each one of us there has been a significant growth in authority, discernment and fruit of the Spirit.
Turkish Cyprus was a corporate as well as personal highlight. Since a field trip to Northern Iraq four years ago, a love for the Middle East and the Muslim world was inscribed indelibly into my heart - and there on very frontier of the Middle East, there was a huge sense of ‘coming back full circle’.
One afternoon, we ‘randomly’ (but not randomly ;)) connected with a small team of believers from the US. As we parted ways, one of them shared a vision God had given her a few months earlier - a jigsaw puzzle, close up at first and gradually zooming further and further out. And what was the final big picture? Jesus on a White Horse!! (Revelations 19).
He is coming back as victorious King!!
A warm sensation of goosebumps came over me as she shared this image, because God had give me a similar image of jigsaw pieces coming together prior to the start of the EPIC DTS! God is launching a wave of forerunners into the nations who are preparing the way for Him!
CHERRY ON THE TOP!
27th February was our last ‘official’ day of ministry. After three months of pouring out and being on the move, all of us felt tired. But we were encouraged not to lose momentum until the very end. And the last day was undoubtedly a gift from Abba Father - like the cherry on the top! The entire day was saturated with His goodness and grace - as He led us to people of peace:
- One Muslim Turkish Cypriot, a grandfather, expressed childlike joy as he read the bible aloud for the very first time (his grandma was a Greek Orthodox).
- Another team member was lavished with generous hospitality by a Kurdish lady, even though strangers on the street.
- A Turkish girl from a conservative Muslim background joined us for English classes but wasn’t planning to stay for bible study afterwards as there was an important Muslim event on the Islamic calendar (she said she needed to go to the mosque). But she was visibly touched by the Spirit when praying for her after the English class. After that she miraculously decided to stay on for bible study!!
Reflecting on this all, it was doubtless the fruit of three months of ploughing in intercession and worship.
The time for harvest is at hand!
Turkish Cyprus was cold when we first arrived - apparently the coldest winter it has been in a long while! But towards the end of our stay there, it warmed up considerably.
Spring literally arrived as we came and left!
The long term team serving there felt deeply refreshed by us - a testimony not for our own glory but surely witnessing to the new thing that God is doing worldwide! The refreshing wind of His Spirit is blowing! Isaiah 43:19
Thank you again for partnering with us in prayer
Goodbye for now!!
May God bless you richly and direct you into His good and perfect purposes.
Love,
The EPIC team
Ps we finally reunited with Morris for debrief in Larnaca, South Cyprus! Praise God