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http://www.acorncamps.co.uk/help-us/support-financially/ Happy Easter to you all We just wanted to say a brief message to wish you all a Happy and Blessed Easter time. Again as the years roll it's time to particularly remember and celebrate the most incredible event in world history. It really is staggering what lengths God went to to provide a rescue for mankind. The words of the famous hymn ring strong: Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life my soul my all! We pray that this Easter time God would humble our hearts, and set us on fire again with passion to live for Christ, proclaim Christ and suffer for Christ until we meet him in glory. We also wanted to thank you for your prayers over the past month, but particularly for the joint winter camp. It really was a blessed occasion. I won't say too much as the official Acorncamps Newsletter should be arriving at your door or inbox soon. [Please email us if you don't receive this and would like to] That contains a full 2-page spread on the weekend with great praise and thanks to God for all His work, love and grace. Easter Weekend We also wanted to let you know of our planned whereabouts over the Easter weekend in case you are in the area and would like to say hello, we'd be delighted to see you there. Maundy Thursday:
Here's a couple of prayer and praise points to fuel your prayer - and do sign up to Acorncamps prayer feed via prayermate if you'd like to receive the daily pray requests. Praise God for … Personal
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Please click here to subscribe to Daily prayer items (via Prayermate) for ACORNCAMPS. Peeking into April ... Lots of prep for the summer camps & Brethren weekend plus: 8 Andy preaching at Anglican Church Budapest 10, 17, 24 Expository Bible-teaching workshop 13, 14 Andy leading youth groups with two churches 17, Andy facilitating Langham Preaching Group for pastors in Budapest 20-22 Acorncamps Mission Week Training week in Sheffield With lots of love Andy, Zsófi, David, Réka & Emily Boldog Karácsony (Happy Christmas) and thank you so much for your prayerful support We are just closing down the office, putting our automated 'out of office' reply on but wanted to first say a big thank you for all your prayers this past year. We have much to be thankful for as we look back on 2017 (see praise points) and we're grateful for your care and support of us as a family and for the work of Acorncamps. We hope that you have a blessed and restful Christmas and see something fresh in the incredible account of the Christmas story. Here's a few things to praise God for and pray for ... thanks as always for praying. 2017 Praise God for … Personal
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Please click here to subscribe to Daily prayer items (via Prayermate) for ACORNCAMPS. ps. Rumour has it the kids are planning a children special prayer update for Jan 2018 Peeking into January 2018 ... 2 Back to work 3 Kids back at school :( 4 Evangelistic pizza, beer & chat for friends on suffering 5 Winter Camp Planning meeting with Hungarian Church leaders 7 Andy preaching at Brethren Church in Biatorbágy 13-18 Travelling to UK with 10 Hungarians to attend Good Book Youth Conference 20 Trustee meeting (UK) 2, 9, 23 Andy leading Bible-teaching workshop 5, 6, 26, 27 Andy leading youth groups with two churches With lots of love Andy, Zsófi, David, Réka & Emily Halloween or the Reformation Hungarian & UK cultural differences Andy writes: I'm guessing for the majority of people in the UK Tuesday 31st October 2017 will be remembered for trick n treating, dressing up and having Halloween parties. Here in Hungary it's one of those times when I notice a huge difference between the two cultures. No-one knocked on our door and there's no need to organise 'light parties' as an alternative to Halloween, because of course it's Reformation Day, or the eve before All Saint's Day. It's true that a few pumpkins are around lighting up the streets and Emily received a Halloween party invitation - but she, together with David & Réka were a bit shocked and outraged. Halloween just isn't a big thing here. This year all the protestant denominations put on events and we enjoyed an evening at our local town hall with a concert of music, psalms sung by our church choir and historic readings (see photos above). This is just one area where we notice the difference between a much more secular, liberal UK society and a more Christian based, conservative Hungarian society. Just this morning I heard on the national radio about more money being given to church schools, again a reminder of how the current government is actively supporting the growth of Christianity. An unusual occurrence in modern day Europe. And so with the Reformation celebrations over, we return to our work of training up youth leaders (see photos below), organising a large winter camp, setting up a Hungarian charity, planning for the summer and a trip to the UK for lots of Hungarian pastors to attend a large youth conference. We are delighted to be attending the Evangelical Forum here in Hungary which will be a three day conference for evangelical leaders. We continue to be encouraged by the training and I guess it's Andy's ideal day when he spends his Saturday's from 09:30-16:30 training up youth leaders and pastors, and then travels an hour to run a youth group in the evening. Training, and on-the-ground youth work. So thanks for your ongoing prayers. We continue to struggle at times. The culture is so different - and Andy commented how nice it was to attend two UK churches in October. We guess that's still what we're most used to, in terms of style and content of preaching and sung worship. Our kids have returned to school this week - together with their 8kg bags full to bursting. I'm sure they'd value your prayers and other pointers can be seen below. How the children grow up ... David, Réka & Emily 5 years on. (Plus little cousin Praise God for …
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teaching at the conference day for youth leaders Peeking into December ... 1, 2, 15, 16 Dec Andy speaking at various youth groups 4-8 Dec Planned reading/study week for Acorncamps 20 Dec Kids' last day at school 25 Dec This year we'll be spending Christmas and New Year here in Hungary With lots of love
Andy, Zsófi, David, Réka & Emily We grieve, but not without hope (1 Thess 4:13)
Louise contacted us on Monday to say Chris was very poorly. Andy booked a flight that hour and arrived in the UK at 00:25 Thursday morning. The day was a long one and we are so grateful to God for allowing Andy to be there, both to say goodbye to such a friend and to support his family. In the irony of timings - on that very same day Andy celebrated Ava's (Chris & Louise' daughter) 8th birthday. We will never forget Chris. His friendship, his humour, his love of cars, his love of the Lord and his partnership with us in the work of Acorncamps. We were so excited when Chris and Louise agreed to move out to Hungary with us to establish the work of Acorncamps. God had provided us with the ideal family to partner together with us. Different to us in so many ways. Complementing our weaknesses, but united in the vision, aims and way forward of serving Christ in Hungary. We planned, prayed, disagreed, visited Hungary, learnt so much from each other. Then in December 2010 Chris became seriously ill and all our plans changed. We will never understand why this happened? Why would it be in God's plan that Chris' life would be shortened. But Chris always said that God knows what he's doing. His (and Louise's) faith and trust in our saviour has inspired us both (and many many others). We will never forget our times together over more than a decade: crying, laughing, just being there: at home, at the hospital waiting rooms, at St. Giles Hospice and at Briars Hill House. Chris would want us to pause and remember and reflect on his passing. He would want us to grieve, but not without hope. But then he'd want us to be back to business. The business of making sure young people in Hungary hear about our Lord Jesus Christ. We will aim to do that even more as we value the days God gives us all, and we will never forget Chris. Chris, you were a great guy! Although I (Andy) know that you'd say, "nope I'm a sinner who's found a great Saviour!" As was often the case ... of course he was right. Praise God for …
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Other date & items for prayer ... Fri 13 Oct Trustees meeting and AGM (Sheffield) Sun 15 Oct. Andy speaking at St. Paul's Hadley Wood Mission Partner Service and then meeting with friends from Christ Church Mayfair at their evening service. Sat 21 Oct 2nd of 3 Conference, Training days for Youth leaders w/c 23 Oct. Andy & Zsófi taking annual leave to catch up on life and have a rest Sat 11 Nov 3rd of 3 Conference, Training days for Youth leaders 12-15 Nov Andy & Zsófi hoping to attend Hungarian Conference for Evangelical leaders (Hungarain ELF) With lots of love Andy, Zsófi, David, Réka & Emily I will lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.... The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121: 1,2 and 8 Dear Friends Most countdowns end 3,2,1 but we are conscious as we enter the last five weeks of our time here that the best way to count down is by holding onto the promises of Psalm 121. We have just returned from a short break by the Lesotho border and as we looked over the beautiful Maluti mountains, we prayed together with hope for the weeks ahead. As we reflect on how God is watching over our going out and our coming in, we are particularly thankful for: 1. The wonderful provision of a home for us in Oxford As we mentioned in our last prayer letter, we prayed one evening for God to provide more than we could ask or imagine in terms of a home in Oxford as we couldn't work out how to finance one. After praying with Joseph and Zoë, Glenn went to check his emails to discover that a house in an amazing location, with more space than we ever imagined we could afford was likely to be available in August and was ring fenced for someone doing international student ministry At the end of May we discovered we had been granted it. Alleluias could be heard around St. John's and JBC that morning. 2. The provision of a wonderful home for Ginger in Johannesburg This may seem too high up the list for some of you, but re-homing our old loyal semi toothless hound had preyed on Lizzy's mind. A colleague of Lizzy's came over for some handover and he persuaded her to adopt him. He goes to live with Jenny and Dev at the beginning of August. 3. Heartfelt goodbyes at JBC Glenn finished lecturing at JBC in the first week of June. There was a sense of the closing of a chapter and the opening of a new one in Soweto when on June 15th they had a vision and prayer evening for the campus that is being built in Soweto. God has generously provided nearly all the funding for the new site and there are weekly developments on the site. 4. Expectation and excitement at Emmanuel Christian School On June 16th Lizzy led the staff inset via Skype on next term's theme, 'Detectives' and last Monday presented her vision for the year ahead to the association. The body of a well-resourced library has been provided and there is a tangible sense of excitement about the new opportunities September will bring. As we look to the hills ahead of us, please pray particularly that: 1. God will provide a buyer for our house We have repeatedly told the children that during our married life, God has always provided generously for us at just the right time, but this is going particularly close to the wire. We thought we were close to an offer last week only to discover the 'buyer' was a hoax and while he gave his details to put in an offer, his friend stole Glenn's laptop. Please pray for a more than we can ask or imagine provision. The movers arrive on July 12th and pack the container on the 13th. We fly on the 7th August. 2. God will enable Lizzy to end well at St. John's School continues to be a sad place where many staff are disillusioned by a legal process which has been pursued against a colleague which appears to be a cruel and manipulative abuse of power. Please pray for Lizzy to know when to speak and when to stay silent, and particularly that her leaving speech would speak hope into a very painful situation. 3. God will give us strength as we say goodbyes All of us process change differently. Zoë is convinced she is going to live with us until she gets married and then only move around the corner. So as long as she is with us, she is joyful and excited about the future. Joseph is more circumspect and processing particular losses more deeply. Both Glenn and Lizzy find tears tiring! Please pray for all of us to say goodbyes which will bless and encourage those we have worked with, played with, and shared life with. We look forward to being in touch when we land in the UK with stories of God's 121 countdown. In the words of one of our favourite hymns: So Spirit come, put strength in every stride Give grace for every hurdle That we may run, with faith to win the prize Of a servant good and faithful. With much love Glenn, Lizzy, Joseph and Zoë -- Glenn B Nesbitt 11, First Avenue Melville Johannesburg South Africa 2092 (h) 011 7266250 (w) 011 8300820 (m) 072 8833244 School comes to an end, the camps begin Summer's coming ... it's warming up! First, Réka says many thanks for all the replies you gave. She would like to reply back, but is very busy at the moment studying for exams, and she's slow at typing! It's daddy's turn now! The weather is warming up, Andy's created a vegetable patch, David, Réka and Emily are studying hard, and as school slowly comes to an end people begin to unwind whilst we prepare for the busy season of camps, camps and camps. So thank you for praying for us. We definitely need stamina, wisdom, and faith as we continue to serve God - who is able to do more than we could possibly imagine. Praise God for …
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3-7 July Kids attending, Zsófi serving on our local church's kids camp 8-16 July AC Wk 2: Family attending Reformed camp, Andy doing talks 16-21 July Andy in Keswick as part of the Youth Team. 22-30 July AC Wk 3: We are visiting and spending time with different camps. 4-13 Aug AC Wk 4: We are setting up the camp in Nagybajom on the weekend pre-camp 10-29 Aug Holiday in England, seeing family and friends With lots of love
Andy, Zsófi, David, Réka & Emily |
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