NEW WEBSITE

As you will have noticed, I haven't posted anything on this Blog for a couple of months! That's because I now have a brand new website. Please check it out at www.judithlinnell.com

I'll be shutting this Blog down in a few weeks.

God Keeps His Word

Just have to tell you about something that happened to me today. I hope it blows your socks off like it has mine. I've been up in Colne, (Lancashire) preaching at New Life CC. I've known Tony (the pastor) for years as he used to be drummer in the worship team at Burnley. I've just begun a journey with Tony and NLCC: hoping to engage them in partnership with NLI, starting with a mission team next year.

During the worship time I spotted a lady a few rows behind me. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. Then I looked at the guy next to her and the penny dropped. I'd been introduced to them by some mutual friends (Dave and Carol Clarkson) back in April 2004. In fact we'd shared lunch together at the Clarkson's house.

It helps to know that at this point I'd only been on an Expo trip to Ukraine with NLI and was going to lead a mission team from Burnley back to our partner church in Ukraine later that year. I had not even thought about joining NLI!!!

After lunch we had a prayer time during which Harry said God had given him a word about 'missions'. Originally he thought it was for Dave, but then realised it was for me. He asked if I was involved in missions. I explained my current position. He said I was going to be doing a lot more missions stuff and maybe even move out of England. I told him I'd just come back to England after being away in Australia and felt called to stay here. (I think that was my way of saying 'no way God!') Harry said that maybe I would be based in England and do lots of trips and that God would use my gifts and abilities in this area.

As I stood up to preach this morning I was filled with emotion. God has been 100% true to His word. Glory to God!!!

Of course I also reminded Harry of the words he'd prophesied over me 5 years ago.

Be encouraged: If you have received a word of prophecy or God has promised you something, He will be faithful in keeping His word. Just be faithful, trust Him and stay on His paths.

The Expo Trip That Wasn't!

If you read my Spring newsletter you'll know that I was planning to be involved in an Expo trip to Crimea in June. NLI runs these trips during the first year of a church planting initiative. They help us recruit partner churches, national staff and future mission teams, as well as providing a great ‘shop window’ for NLI’s vision in Europe.

But it seems that everyone wants to go on the October Expo, so it was down to me, Greg and his son Matthew to fly the flag in Crimea.

Looks interesting eh? If you want to read more and find out what I'm up to with the gun then you'll have to be patient. I've run out of time today. Come back in a day or two and satisfy your curiosity.

The Happy (usually) Wanderer

"Oh I love to go a-wandering along the mountain track, and as I go I love to sing with a knapsack on my back..." I think you get the gist. At the end of May I went on a mammoth 12-day trip, incorporating a Leadership Conference and management trip in Crimea, preaching in Kiev, visiting staff in Czech Republic and a church planting summit in Poland. You can read all about this in my special 'trip' newsletter. Faith Partners will have already received this via email/post earlier in June, but if you haven't seen it - check it out.

If you click on the link below you can download the pdf. It might take a few seconds.

Trip Special - June 2009

So Far So Good...

Ok, so we're up to April now. No overseas trips this month. Instead I went 'up north' to spend Easter weekend in Burnley, then crossed over into Yorkshire to visit my mate Alison (below) and her hubby Matt.

Whilst in Burnley I took the opportunity to visit one of my favourite places in England - Bolton Abbey, near Skipton. Ever been? It's beautiful!

Across the river Wharfe to Bolton Abbey

The Strid. Doesn't look much on the photo but people have tried to jump the gap and never been seen again!

Ok, that's enough for now. I'm off for a bike ride before watching Andy Murray attempt to become the first Brit to make a senior Wimbledon final since Virginia Wade in 1977. I'll be back later with some more blog posts.

The Graduates

At the end of March I was back in Slovakia for the end-of-project graduation. I've been involved in every aspect of this project - the launch in 2006, training events, prayer and STM teams, and site visits - so it was an incredible honour to be present at the graduation of these courageous church planters.

Each of the couples had an opportunity to share some highlights from the last 3yrs. I was dead chuffed that so many of them recalled how the mission teams had made such an impact. Some of these were missions that I’d helped to coordinate. Talk about job satisfaction! Many also shared how the prayer teams had encouraged them. “Like an oasis in the wilderness’ is how Marta Tothova described them. That’s gold! Another couple, Otto and Suzanna, shared how one year the prayer team had prayed that God would give them a car. As a growing family they badly needed one. Not long after, one of Suzanna’s relatives gave them a secondhand car.

Graduation dinner

I caught up with another couple, Lubor and Daniela (below). I hadn’t realised, but the neighbourhood where they live (Linciaska) is pretty rough: not the sort of place you’d want to raise your kids. Yet they’ve chosen to live here with their young family and are clearly making a difference.

As I often say, I take my hat off to these young couples. Planting a church, even with a lot of experience and support has to be one of the toughest 'jobs' in ministry. But we heard story after story of God’s faithfulness and blessing over the last few years, even when the going has been tough. What’s more, although the NLI project has officially ended, the national leaders have incredible vision for more churches to be planted. It also looks like we might have another prayer team in Slovakia next year.

Receiving our graduation gifts: Al and Yvonne Downey, Greg Swinamer

On Sunday I preached in Brezno where Peter and Lucia have planted a church on a housing estate. They have a particular outreach amongst the local kids. Lucia is also an NLI staff member in Slovakia.

Sunday morning in Brezno

All-in-all it was a short, but memorable, trip.

The Story So Far...

I must apologise for the lack of posts over the last few months. As you'll soon see, life has been very busy and unfortunately the blog has suffered!! I have a bit of time this weekend to remedy that and am going to endeavour to bring you up to speed. So get ready for a mammoth blog catch-up!

Firstly, some personal adventures...

Back in early May I had a week away with my Mum. It was her first holiday in 4 years so as you can imagine she was really looking forward to it. We went to Whitby, on the N.E. coast of England. It's an ideal holiday spot with loads to do - beaches, 11th century abbey, walks, shops, steam railway, and of course, some beautiful scenery.

Whitby harbour

Enjoying the sun in Staithes

Bizzare cloud formation over Whitby beach

Whitby Abbey

199 steps leading up to the Abbey - we did them all!

Stunning sunset

If you know anything about British TV then I'm sure you've heard of 'Heartbeat', a long-running police drama series set in 1960s Yorkshire. The program is filmed in and around the village of Goathland, which becomes Aidensfield when the TV company is in town. Mum and I are both keen viewers, so we just had to go on pilgrimage.

Outside Scripp's garage with one of the cop cars used in the show

Goathland/Aidensfield

Running through Goathland station is an 18-mile stretch of railway line: the second longest heritage line in Britain. Originally closed in 1965 it was restored and re-opened in 1973 as a heritage attraction. You never knew I was a steam engine buff did you? I think it must be in my genes, either that or I was brainwashed by my Dad as a child!!

Peppercorn Class A1 'Tornado'. The first steam loco to be built in UK in 50 years

Mum gets all brave!

Hanging out the train window: another trick I learnt from Dad!

We had a great week's holiday, and the weather was perfect, unlike the rest of the country which experienced very heavy rain. Well, they do say the sun shines on the righteous!

Looking for DNA in Slovkia

Last week I was away for 10 days all together - 5 days in Czech (see previous post) and 5 in Slovakia, again in the heart of the mountains, but this time in the beautiful Tatras. Both trips had a very different purpose.

The church in Stare Hory - our 'writing' HQ.

It has been said, "The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision" (Theodore Hesburgh). Well, at NLI we have plenty of vision; to be structured (shaped) so that we empower and multiply a new generation of leaders to create movements (organisms) to facilitate the expansion of God’s Kingdom. It was this vision that brought together NLI's Sheldon Armitage, Scott Thomson, Rod Corcoran and myself, in Slovakia. The four of us are currently working on a brand new training project called 'DNA'. This course embodies the very heart (DNA) of NLI and is due to go live in January 2010. We are looking at what we believe are the 3 fundamental characteristics of leadership. I can't say anymore - we don't want anyone nicking our ideas!

In October 2008 we met to begin structuring the course; defining the 3 areas we want to focus on. This has become the skeleton of the project. And so the task was now to put flesh on these bones. The purpose of our time together in Slovakia - getting away from the usual work distractions - was to begin writing course curriculum.

Our mountain residence.

I've never been involved in anything like this before and have to admit I found the working environment quite a challenge. I'm used to working more on my own, even though I share an office with others. On this trip we spent the days (and some evenings) brainstorming and refining ideas continually until we were happy with the results. Sheldon is coordinating the project and is a brilliant facilitator. On the whole we accomplished a great deal in four days and have finalised the outlines and objectives for each module. I guess you could call that the tendons and ligaments! The challenge now is to flesh everything out, and we each have certain sections to work on before we next meet in May. I have set aside as many Wednesdays as I can, to work from home and focus on my modules.

Nice slippers Scott!

It's a great privilege to be invited to work on the NLI DNA project. I believe the course will have real depth and quality, and will definitely challenge the mindsets of many we are partnering with in Europe. I can't wait to see the finished product. Please pray for the team as we work on this project; that our individual and corporate gifts and experience will combine to produce something of eternal value that will equip and empower many Christian leaders across Europe.

Even in the heart of the Tatras, the Irish have their own pub! Not sure you could get many people in there though!

Of course, we also found time to relax and explore the area a little. We ventured up the hill to Donovaly, a nearby ski resort. It was also the only place we could find Wifi! So as you can see, we didn't totally cut ourselves off for the week. Our evening entertainment, and light relief, came in the form of Flight of the Conchords, The Daily Show, and my contribution, Blackadder Goes Forth! I have a cunning plan...

Another Czech adventure

My only previous visit to Czech Republic was as a tourist in 2005, spending a great weekend in the lovely city of Prague. Well, it was lovely till it became the number one destination for rampaging Brits on hen/stag parties. Since becoming involved in the new church planting project in Czech I've been twice in 2 months! In January I travelled to the Ostrava region for the first training event for the 6 new church planters. Churches are being planted in Opava, Hlucín, Orlova, Jablunkov, Novy Jicín, and Príbor. We also have 12 partner churches from UK, USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand involved in this project.

The guys get to grips with 'the human knot', a communication game.

Last week I was back in Czech for the 2nd CP training event. This time preparing the church planters to host their first short-term mission teams and prayer team later this year. I led the training, but Kerry Parker (NLI Country Leader) and Janelle Fowlow (NLI Intern) accompanied me and were a great help on the trip.

Of course, the girls won!

The STM training is very practical. It has to be! We have to help the CP understand how to plan for mission; working with overseas teams, mission budgets, programs, cultural issues, etc. I know that a few of the church planters (and national staff) were fearing that the 2 days were going to be a bit boring!! I think we were successful in not living up to this low expectation!

The church planters filled with low expectations (boredom) at the start of the training!

The CP are a great bunch and it's been a blessing to get to know them more. Please pray for them at the start this church planting project. Although NLI wil be partnering with them for the next 3 years, we believe that these churches will impact their communities for many years to come. Pray for revival in the Ostrava region.

Whilst on the trip, we also had a little time to explore the local area, located in the beautiful Moravian mountains near the Slovak border. In fact this part of Czech is very close to both the Polish and Slovak borders. On Thursday afternoon we headed up the 968m mountain and ski resort, Javorovy Vrch. Going up was relatively easy on the 700m chair lift. It was the first time I'd been on anything like this and it was flipping brilliant. I was like a little kid; full of wonderment.

Javorovy Vrch chair lift

We then had a short trudge through the snow (dodging skiers and snow boarders) to the cafe at the top. After a welcome slice of Marlenka and cuppa tea we headed (slid) back to the chair lift for what we thought was the 5pm final ride of the day. Unfortunately our Czech colleague had failed to notice that during winter the lift closes at 4pm. Oops! We had no option but to trudge back to the car - a 4-5mile walk, mostly in the dark, through incredibly deep snow (up to my waist in places).


When we did find a track, the snow was compact and icy, and my sturdy, but 20yr old, boots with zero tread let me down a little. In fact I lost count of the number of times I slipped onto my rear end. They did keep my feet dry though.


Finally, after an exhausting 2.5 hours 'slipsliding away' down the mountain we made it back to the car. Fortunately a local pastor came out to rescue us, driving us the last couple of miles. We retired to a local hotel to dry off and have a very welcome supper. What an adventure!!

Tea and cake - how very English. Although not when you're surrounded by skis and salopets!!

If you'd like to know more about NLI and our work in Europe, please contact me or check out the NLI website.

Making A Difference

If you go on a 10-day short-term mission trip & expect to see thousands of people getting ‘saved’ then you probably need to take a reality check. Unless you’re Billy Graham, then it’s probably not going to happen. However, it’s clear that both mission teams & church plants are having an impact in the lives of many people & many communities across Europe. I’ve spent hours trawling through the feedback reports & testimonies from last year’s missions, but I have to tell you, it was worth every minute. See what you think!

People are sometimes sceptical when kids respond to gospel appeals, as if they’re not really capable of understanding what it means. Well, this particular team was taking no chances: “At the holiday Bible club almost all the children (45) prayed to accept the Lord: it seemed that most of them were sincere & understood what they were doing. My wife even explained it to them twice because they so readily responded to make sure they understood as well as they could.” The team had been told to expect 15-18 kids at the Vacation Bible School, but by the end of the week they had 96 kids!

Kids club in Romania

Team leader Tim Darnell sums up their mission. “I believe that our team was an encouragement to both Pastor Titi, & to Valentin, as well as to their families, & the existing church. We made some strong bonds of friendship in our short time there. Many of the children who attended the VBS made commitments to the Lord. This, I believe, will help to jump start & expand children’s ministry in Babadag.”

“In Sarichioi, our team helped to raise the profile of Valentin in that community. He already is a man who is well respected. Now that he has been seen with ‘Canadians’, I believe that he will be able to speak to more people about the gospel. Specifically, we had an audience with the mayor of Sarichioi, & with the Principal, & Vice principal of the school. After meeting with us, they may be more ready to listen to Vali. I believe that we may have helped to validate Vali’s ministry, and again to raise his profile there.”

In some European countries the Christian church is seen as a cult, whereas Orthodox & Catholic church leaders hold great power & influence within community life. One of the aims of STM teams is to help raise the profile of church planters within the community; to meet with the local mayor or respected leaders to help break down these prejudices. That’s exactly what this Canadian team was doing in Sarichioi, and will aim to build on when they return on mission in 2009.

“It was good to see how Titi & Vali are working in their communities to build a church, & to spread the gospel. We were amazed at the dedication both of these men have to their families, to using their businesses as a place of ministry & outreach, & to their communities & churches. We went to Romania with the purpose of being a blessing but we came home knowing that we had been blessed.” Brilliant!

Kids outreach in Romania

For the last 3 years, City Centre Church, Edmonton (CAN) have been partnering with Lubor & Daniela Skladany, church planters in Trnava (Slovakia) & have sent several mission teams. This is what team leader Jeff Burt had to say after returning from mission last June. It brings tears (of pride) to my eyes every time I read it.

“The kids ministry that they do there is incredible! They just walk into a playground, set up a little puppet show stage & begin to minister to the kids. Lots of kids come & so do their parents, Lubor & Daniela minister to the kids & the parents. Lots of kids come; lots of kids!”

“It was great to get a chance to see the impact they (the church plant) are having in their community; it’s quite something really. We were all very impressed with how well Lubor is known in the neighbourhood; almost everyone there recognized him & knew his name. I remember one night we were talking as a team, we all agreed that we could not imagine this neighbourhood of Linciaska without this church being here. The church, although small in number, is making a very big impact on the neighbourhood. I wish we could say the same for all churches.”

Community work in Slovakia

“The mission was a great chance to get to see the difference that a few people can make in a neighbourhood that no one wants to be in. We were all quite taken back by this. It seemed to make us all very joyful but at the same time rattled us a little; but this would have to do more with our own situations here in Canada I believe. But we were proud to meet our brothers & sisters in Christ. We are proud to be able to write to you & say that they are faithfully representing Christ in their neighbourhood. They work hard; they give willingly; they serve each other & the neighbourhood.”

“Even now our team members speak with love every time they mention the church there. For us the mission was great. We feel privileged to have been able to go. My favourite memory is just seeing Lubor & his family try everyday to make a difference in this neighbourhood. We even had an atheist come to one of our meetings who couldn’t help but agree that he liked some of the dreams that Lubor had for this neighbourhood. Every day they go out & they try; can’t really argue with that. That’s something that won’t leave me.”

I hope by now you’re getting the picture. These church planters are just incredible people. They work so hard within the communities where God has called them to plant churches. Just awesome!

There are so many more great testimonies, but finally, one last story showing the difference that a mission team can have. This small team of 5 people, from Lewsey (UK) went on their first mission to Lucenec (Slovakia) last August. Malcolm Ogglesby writes with honesty:

“I went because we needed someone to lead the group, not because of a specific call. I had no idea how it would go or how the team would gel together. I need not have worried. We had an amazing time from the moment we touched down. Our first session was with a gypsy association. The ladies we spoke with told Otto (church planter) that they had never felt so at ease before."

Church planters in Lucenec - Otto & Suzanna

"We found the country so open & ready to listen & receive; such a difference from the UK. Our last session in the country was heart breaking. We did a kids program in an orphanage; it was great fun. When we got up to go, the children blocked the gate, not wanting it to be opened for us to leave. Sitting writing this just brings tears to my eyes. I am thankful to God for the opportunity to go, & for those that encouraged us. We made a difference there, & God made a difference in us.” Selah!

Praise God for these great reports; for His blessing on last year’s mission teams & the work of the church planters across Europe. We look forward to even more impact & breakthrough in 2009.

2008 Missions - The year at a glance.

We often come to God with many prayer requests for our todays and tomorrows, but what about giving thanks for the 'yesterdays'; for God's faithfulness throughout the past year. 2008 was a fruitful year for Next Level International mission teams, with much to give thanks to God for. The facts speak for themselves...

There were a total of 33 teams including 26 short-term mission teams, 3 prayer teams, 2 iTeams, 1 dance team, & 1 exploratory trip.

Around 300 people went on mission; from Canada, UK, Australia, USA, New Zealand and Ukraine.

7 nations hosted teams; Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Poland, Austria and Spain.

239 first time decisions to follow Christ (46 adults & 183 youth/kids).

443 other responses during mission events, including 8 baptisms.

8,974 people were impacted by the mission teams in 2008. This includes 4,740 adults and 4,234 kids/youth (including 720 school kids).

Right across Europe thousands of men, women, teenagers and kids have had the chance to hear the gospel message, probably for the first time, and have been impacted by the grace and power of God.

Ripping up the mission agenda!

In July this year, a team from Monmouth (USA) went on mission to Cesky Tesin (Czech Republic). The team was led by Jason Vana, an experienced youth leader with a passion for student ministry. The STM combined youth leadership training, outreach events in the local community, & a youth retreat, inviting contacts made through the outreach events. Here's Jason's story.

Jason: “I’m still in awe of what God did while we were in Czech. Leading up to the trip the team & I continued to pray that God would move big, & start something new & fresh in the lives of the youth in Cesky Tesin. I knew from talking to Ben, the youth pastor, that many of them were complacent & were dealing with some deep issues. So, we were really praying for a breakthrough…& God really showed up, changed many of our plans & moved mightily, saving many from complacency, fear, depression, condemnation & sin.

Jason prays for one of the youth

The highlight of the mission was the final night at the youth retreat. We’d been praying for 4 young men to come to know Christ. During the worship time, 2 of them came running to God on their own. They didn’t even wait for an altar call. I’m so glad they didn’t! Both of them walked out the room crying, & wanted to know how to have God in their lives. After they came back, their 2 friends started crying & wanted God in their lives too. All 4 came to know Christ that night! They later flushed all their drugs down the toilet without any prompting from us! It’s so cool when God throws your agenda out the window & does something like this. We’d planned worship, testimonies, preaching, even a cool candle illustration & then an altar call. We didn’t even get to the testimonies when these young men came to Christ!

Tyler (in blue) with 4 youth at retreat

It was amazing to see the response of the youth in the room. Unlike most American churches, these youth were on their feet, clapping, shouting, whistling & crying…because God showed up & showed himself ‘Mighty to Save’ (our theme song). We then had the youth come forward, hug these young men & welcome them into God’s family. It was a great time!

All-in-all the trip was amazing. Being my third time in Czech, I thought I had a good idea of what to expect. But God really showed up & did something amazing. And, although I didn’t think it possible, he broke my heart even more for that area of the world. He gave me a glimpse into my future, doing ministry in Europe… & it all happened because of this trip to Czech.”