Karen Burns & Rhonda Glass
JULY, 2021
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10v29-31
Dear friends,
Many thanks for your prayers since we last wrote. The last few weeks have been quite eventful. Rhonda spent 15 days in hospital in Castlebar with another adhesion related bowel obstruction. We are so grateful to the Lord that it eventually resolved without further surgery. Please pray for continued recovery and for follow up investigations in Galway. Pray too for ongoing contact with some of the other local ladies who were in the ward at that time. They have all been through very difficult times. Last week Rhonda sent a card and little Roger Carswell booklet to a lady(who is a nun). She rang to say that it came at just the right time, when she really needed to hear its message. Yesterday she texted again and suggested meeting up for coffee when they both feel up to it. Please pray for this woman’s salvation. It’s so comforting in times like this to know that nothing in life is ever random or wasted. As J.C. Ryle wrote: “Nothing whatsoever, whether great or small, can happen to a believer without God’s ordering and permission. There is no such thing as chance or accident in the Christian’s journey through this world. All is arranged and appointed by God. And all things are “working together” for the believer’s good.” What a wonderful blessing to be in His loving care, securely held in the palm of His hand.
SHOP Praise God we are able to be open again. We are thankful for good times with people over the past few weeks. Please pray for a lady from Dublin who listened very intently to the Gospel. A local lady came in again recently. She says herself that she is drawn to the shop again and again. Pray that the Lord would meet her in her great loneliness and lostness. Another lady came in and shared how she is really struggling after losing both of her parents in the last year. She was very open to chat. Pray for the literature she took away and promised to read on the bus home. A lady came in this week and took away lots of little booklets for her Mum who has been diagnosed with cancer. May the Lord reach this dear lady through His Word in these wee booklets as she faces an anxious time. The free Bible offer continues in the shop. It’s always so exciting to give out copies of God’s Word. It was lovely to see another lady asking for a Bible for her friend. She admitted a while back that even though she has been a nun for many years she has no assurance of Heaven. How sad. Pray for this dear lady who comes into the shop often, that the Lord will bring her to saving faith and full assurance. Just this week quite a number of young adults asked for Bibles. One lady asked for a Bible, saying she wants “a foundation for her children.” Another lady came in yesterday. She shared how she has been going through a bout of depression and had been thinking this week about trying to get a Bible. She couldn’t believe it when she walked past the bookshop and saw the sign in the window “Free Bible – just ask.” Pray please that the Lord will work on in these people’s lives as they read His powerful Word.
CHURCH It has been really lovely to be able to meet again in person. We were delighted that a lady came to the Sunday meeting recently. Pray that the Lord draw her back again. Another lady came last Sunday. She has just moved to Westport from Dublin. Please pray that many more will come in to hear God’s Word and be drawn to Christ.
MAGAZINE At the moment we are putting together a short evangelistic magazine to be distributed to all the houses in Westport. Pray that the Lord will use the various articles and testimonies to reach many with the Gospel this summer.
WESTPORT CHURCH BUILDING APARTMENTS As many of you know we have two apartments above the church building. The plan is to use them as holiday lets to help pay for the upkeep of the church building. In the midst of many other things, Karen has been busy over these last few months project managing the completion of these apartments and also doing a lot of the practical work herself. We are so grateful to the Lord – and to you His people for all that has been provided for the church building and we continue to look to Him for all we need to get this second phase finished.
CASTLEBAR It has been thrilling to hear of people trusting the Lord in Castlebar. Pray for those who were baptized recently on profession of faith. Pray for a 25 year old local Castlebar fella who is very active in sharing his faith. Pray that many in his family and circle of friends will come to know the Lord through his witness. One of his brothers came to a Bible study recently. Praise God that almost 50% of what is needed to buy a meeting place has come in over the past few months. Pray on for suitable premises.
Thanks so much for continuing to stand with us in prayer. We trust you are knowing the Lord’s nearness in these days, whatever your circumstances. May we keep on serving Him, as one preacher said “with our knees on the ground and on our eyes on the Throne.”
Yours in His care,
Karen & Rhonda