Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Over the last couple of weeks we have sailed into a storm of problems with several of our panned events in the Mainland of Europe falling through. We are now staring at closed doors into Brussels, Hamburg and Berlin. It seems that every kind of hitch has occurred including, local permission, budget shortfalls and local church conflict. It was particularly difficult to have the Brussels Festival cancelled with only a couple weeks to go. It has led me to wonder whether we are moving too fast and that we need more time to establish the partnerships in the Gospel in these key cities. Three weeks ago I sensed the Lord say to me that we would engage in ‘Pathfinder’ missions ahead of the Mainstage Tour.
A week ago last Saturday I was on the Normandy Beaches with a group French and English friends to pray on the 65thanniversary of the D-Day Landings. It was the event in 1944 that became known as the ‘Turning Point’ and the beginning of the battle that brought the curtain down on the most horrific conflict of all time. As I allowed the sand of Sword Beach to run through my fingers the Lord clarified again the call on us to take the Gospel to the ‘Killing Fields’ of Europe. I feel that some of this redirection we are going through is to focus us sharply on France as the beginning of this journey.
Next week I am going to Paris with my friend Francis Dognon to present the vision of Miracle Street to the leadership of the Baptist Federation of France. They want to explore partnering with us for a three week national evangelistic programme ending on the June 6th 2010. Please pray for me as I speak to the committee in Paris on Thursday 25th June.
It was fantastic to purchase the new Mainstage tractor unit last week with the £10,000 that has been so generously donated for that reason. It has all the whistles and bells that were sadly missing off the old one! And it does a remarkable 11 miles to the gallon!! Finally, with the cancellation of some of our big events at short notice we are in a difficult situation financially that we need the Lord to come through for us in, please pray for that also.
Love and Blessings
Steve Lee
Tuesday, 02 June 2009
This Saturday a group of us will be on the Normandy Beaches on the 65th anniversary of the D-Day Landings that ushered in the liberation of Europe and the end of WWII. Having been refused permission for the Mainstage, we are going to pray with some of our French friends and ask God to establish a 'bridgehead' for us there on the sands where the Marines came ashore all those years ago. It will be a very important moment for me personally ahead of our first event in Europe, a three day tour of Brussels in a couple of weeks time. We are also at the start of UK summer programme with Simon Thomas running an event in his home church with the Mobilestage and several other keys dates approaching fast.
Last weekend the Mainstage was the youth stage at the BigChurchDayOut in West Sussex where 15,000 people gathered in the sunshine. I was on the main festival stage speaking to the vast crowd for a few minutes at the start of the event. I found myself asking God for crowds of that size who were not Christians coming to Miracle Street events across the UK and Europe in the coming months and years. I believe it will happen.
We are about to buy the new tractor unit for the Mainstage with the money that was so faithfully given to us having had a loan unit for last weekend's event. Thank you again for those who sowed into this soil for us. Budgets remain huge and very ambitious but miraculously on target, please continue to give if and when you can, it will be money well spent on reaching men and women and boys and girls for the Kingdom of Heaven. Thanks you all for sticking with me and the team! Steve Lee