A Gathering In Coventry

So here at YWAM we like to get together ever so often and we call it a gathering, for the DTS's it is a week of teaching on evangelism and actual reaching out. Over the last couple of years YWAM in England has been focusing these weeks on the cities here in the UK that are involved in hosting Olympics events. So 167 of us gathered in Coventry for a week, including a school from Norway and one from Italy, to hear teaching, reach out and come along side local churches.

I always love these, this being the fourth one I have been involved with. They always challenge me greatly in my faith, and I see God touches so many lives, it is such a blessing to be able to be a part of it.

One of my favorite stories from this week happened on the first day and it sets the bar for what the rest of the week was like. One of the outreaches that was being run alongside one of the churches was something called "Say One For Me". This is where people can come and give a request for prayer and a small team are on hand to be praying. One of the first people who came in had had a stroke about 4 years before which had left him limited in his movement, after the pair who had sat with him had prayed they asked him to try to do something he could not before, and he immediately lifted his right arm and started to move it around. They asked if God had done anything, if there was any improvement, to which he answered that he had been unable to move his arm since the stroke! Absolutely incredible. We got to pray with so many people during the week and see them healed and set free. People who had been using crutches walked away carrying them etc.

There was a number of other things to be involved with, one of my favorites was called "I Am..." which lead to some really interesting and deep conversations about belief and God and purpose and destiny. The churches and the christian union at the university really enjoyed having us around and joining in with things that they already do.

I had the pleasure of talking with a few different people other the time we were in Coventry, people I met on the streets who I was able to meet up with on more than one occasion. Two of them gave their lives to God. Not because I argued them into it, actually we did not talk loads about God. They said it was because I helped them to find value and hope again by giving them time. I feel so blessed being able to talk to people like this, who just want to share life, and to be able to do that with them. When you let God love you and love through you the world really does move.