Good morning from Tirana …

It's been a long hot summer, the only signal that things are changing is that it is beginning to cool off a little in the late evening.

Life in Tirana is good. After 3 days of being without any water, the supply is now back albeit for 3 periods of 2 hours each day... we are told it will be back to full supply in about a week...

It's easy to take your water supply for granted... 

The lack of water in the house brought all the neighbours together first the men who wanted to fix the pump, and then all who had to head down to the various places you could fill your bucket. As we stood in the lift with our buckets all sorts of connections were made. 

I had the thought that the challenge facing the Albanian church - and probably many churches worldwide - is simply a lack of water. You can have all of your systems in place but if there isn't a flow… then everything dries up! 

Out of your inmost being flows a River of Living Water ... so we are seeking to live in the flow!

Love and very warm greetings … 

David & Lynn.

Keeping the focus on Jesus

Good morning,

Greetings from Bulgaria...

Lynn & I are on the road once again, for the past week we have been in Bulgaria. After beautiful spring days there was heavy snow yesterday and woke up to blazing sunshine this morning...

What have we been doing here?

Keeping the focus on Jesus... Hebrews 12 says throw off everything that hinders...

We spent a few very encouraging days with Craig and Milena Sibthorpe in Plovdiv, we also got to spend time with Segun & Jo Phillips who lead a church in Stilipanavo(?), attended the church and shared a little in the meeting... God is doing great things... these guys are doing a good job!

Then for the weekend we went to a hotel Spa to meet with a group of folk from Sofia who are seeking to express faith / be church in new ways... This was also really good, great sharing, conversation and discussion.



Most of our focus is to get away from the things that stop us focusing on Jesus....  that is the emphasis.

So tomorrow we will hit the road for Albania, passing through Macedonia and Kosovo ... before arriving back in Shkoder. 

A Dynamic New Age

I heard God say that it is time for a new DNA … DYNAMIC NEW AGE … we are ready and waiting!

The place we are heading requires us to eat only from the tree of Life because it is a journey of Faith... Faith requires a sensitive ear and an obedient heart... Too much information / knowledge puffs up people with pride...  

Abraham set off not knowing where it would lead, when he came to the Oaks of Mamre he pitched his tent. Where is your tent pitched?

For those of us prepared to live like Abraham these oaks will be very important. 

Answers.com suggest that Oaks represent... Courage, happiness in marriage, health, prosperity, strength, strong constitution, wealth. 

These were the characteristics of Abraham and for all those who walk as he did... It is my expectation that the anointing of God will increase upon all those who are prepared to put their total trust in him.

What a crazy couple of weeks we've had... Freezing snow... possibly 50cm of snow at regular intervals … at last the sun has shone a little today... but it also snowed!.

We arrived in Albania on the 3^rd February, we were fortunate to arrive en-schedule as there was already snow around, even in Thessaloniki. Once we arrived into Shkoder the snow came with a vengeance and we found ourselves pretty much stuck here. Ironically 10 miles down the road there was none and in Tirana 70 miles away they were enjoying a balmy 8 or 9 degrees...So for most of the past 2 weeks we have been in Shkoder.

The headlines are dominated with news of the Greek crisis. As you watch and listen you can't help feeling you are only getting part of the story, much more is going on behind closed doors. I received a communication today saying that this is actually a huge banking crisis, that this is where the real power lies, this has created the political and national crises.

Some of the things written about Greece are true of course but they must be held in perspective... Capitalism & Socialism are as spiritually bankrupt as Communism was in the 80's. These “ism's” do things to their disciples, all of which seek to control… we are not required to defend these man made systems which are past their sell by date, just recognise they are sadly lacking.

It is amusing / tragic to watch as the politicians try to convince us that they have a solution... I think this is where I agree with most of the Greek people… the politicians are full of empty promises.

At a recent event I was speaking about things that have power in our lives... whilst there was a list, I was interested that debt was one of the greatest powers that undermined believers.

There is much teaching on the subject of money, yet little about living within your means and even less about the evil of debt. Those who are faithful with small things will be given much. I believe that in the new age we are entering into it will be those Kingdom people who have been faithful in the small things that the Lord will entrust to be wise and generous managers of plentiful resources.

The current crisis that could so easily engulf us all is something of the pains of childbirth as a new age is born... it will provide an opportunity for the faithful Kingdom people to shine like stars in a dark place. 

So let us operate out of the wisdom of the Kingdom and avoid the pitfalls of worldly behaviour...

Finally, many of our good friends are struggling with the situation in Greece, we are not exempt from the trials ourselves, Living there has become extremely costly... however many are facing great hardship and we seek to remain supportive...

2012 got off to a good start, after a few days in Istanbul with the whole family we returned to Thessaloniki...

After a week, I headed to the UK, leaving Lynn in Thessaloniki, as usual she reorganised the house, saw some friends and caught up with herself! 

In the UK, I had a number of important meetings, visited friends and family and spoke at the Men's conference “From Purity to Identity”. This was the first of a number of retreats that we are a part of or leading in the coming year... it was a very good event and really quite anointed; the feedback has been very encouraging.

So now I have been back in Thessaloniki for a week, Lynn & I are now preparing to head back to Albania at the end of the week. Towards the end of February we have a retreat with some local folk and expect 15-20 to come along. Another is planned for the end of March in Bulgaria and in May there will probably be another in Albania … interested parties should communicate with us! In April we have a team of 12 joining us from World Harvest Bible church in Manchester for 6 days .. so the diary is filling up.

Happy New Year...

Greetings friends...

We trust that 2012 will be a wonderful year for you and your families...

First of all please forgive our complete failure to get any Christmas cards out this year... we arrived back in Greece from 2 months in Abania and a week in Bulgaria with very few days to spare before Christmas was upon us. We trust you had a great celebration.

We are currently in Istanbul with the whole family. This was to celebrate my 60^th birthday which happened a couple of months ago. So I am sitting in the Veranda of our top floor apartment close to the Agia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, overlooking the busy Bosphorus.We love visiting this place.

2011 has been a great year,  we began the year with German friends on Brean Sands, in the South West of England, watching the many chinese lanterns lifting off, we had a sense that the Lord was saying that in 2011 things would lift off! And so with joy we can say that 2011 has been a fruitful year, a time when new things have lifted off!

We have travelled many miles this year, back and forth to Albania from Thessaloniki – (about 400 miles each way) plus a number of trips to the UK

In January, Jamie Rachel & Oliver (3) returned to the Balkans and together we explored our mission in Albania seeking to release Salt that brings out the God flavours and Light that brings out the God colours! As the year has unfolded we have many funny, interesting and challenging stories to tell. 

In March, Anouk Florence was born to David & Carolyn – (our third Grandchild). They and Jemimah (now 3) spent the first 5 months of the year in the UK and then returned to Greece.

In the early summer we returned to the UK for Lynn's 50^th birthday. We spent a week on a narrowboat with various friends joining us for a couple of days at a time … it was a wonderful time cruising through beautiful countryside in central England at 4 mph enjoying the incredible relaxation... This was followed by a party at John & Christine Jeffery's in Aldershot … whose generosity is amazing!

Joanna and her boyfriend James return with us to Greece and we had a wonderful time together. Jo has been living with the Morton's in Manchester and is a part of the church there, she was baptised in October and works for Barnardo's whilst seeking paid work! She loves Manchester and is developing the accent.

The summer was hot in Albania, we enjoyed connecting, meeting, and provoking Kingdom Life. During the Autumn we have developed a home based group gathering each week and a more random getting together on a Sunday afternoon....

So now we approach 2012... as the year begins, the Carters will return to the UK, heading first to Birmingham where they will live for a while discovering the Midlands! The Barnes's will continue to be in Greece and Albania until mid-summer then return to Brighton for at least a couple of years whilst Jamie complete's his Ph'd. Lynn & I will remain based in the Balkans.

We find ourselves exploring a very organic approach to our faith; Pastoring Pastors; discipling a new generation; and offering encourgement to those in difficult places. We are being Salt & Light in Albania and in the year ahead we expect to see an increasing sharpness, cutting off unnecessary things to focus on the essential. Our desire is to also develop spiritual community and Spiritual retreats – helping people to remain focused on Jesus in the midst of incredible uncertain times which is all the world has to offer. Our first retreat will be in February in Albania, we then plan others in Albania, Bulgaria and Greece, you are welcome to join us and if you email me davidwebb.j2i@gmail.com tell the time of year you are considering, I'll let you know what's going on!

2012....

What a year this is going to be?

We see that a rebalancing of things is taking place... the systems of the western world that has dominated so much for many centuries is like a worn out garment. Crisis will continue to dominate world news... whether it is economic or political. We see that a new age is dawning and new ways of living are emerging. Kingdom Community will be essential. We will need to be ready with oil in our lamps... be flexible, ready to change and open to the reality the God is going to reveal himself in new and unfamiliar ways...

Finally – we love to hear your news and your response to ours! -

Always make sure you live with that sense of readiness

Much love

David & Lynn...  

Today is Albanian Independence day, it's 99 years since Albania was freed from its Ottoman rulers. In 2012, I desire to see a different sort of freedom hit this nation. Freedom from poverty, Freedom from the prejudice of the nations. Albania is the poorest nation in Europe after Moldovia. The communist regime that collapsed in 1991 left a people who had been isolated for best part of 50 years; everything was primitive; most were poor but worse, communism stole the people's identity and to a large extent, Albanians are still wrestlng to rediscover who they are. It is sad that they are still treated with much suspicion.

I've just spent an hour with a local guy who lived in Tunbridge wells for some years. He fills our cars with fuel at a local garage where he now earns £3.50 (4€ or $5.40) a day. There seems to be something completely unjust about his situation. He works 6 days each week which produces £87.50 (100€ or $135) a month, with money he supports his wife of 18 months, 6 week old baby and maintains a home.

Problem … this situation is reproduced 100's if not 1000's of times in this nation.

Yesterday the bell rang; (we have a bell at the gate), so I went out, there was a poor old man begging for food – Oliver gave him some tangerines and we gave him a little cash to go buy some bread... this situation is repeated many times...

It's a challenge and I wonder if the current financial collapse is a judgement upon prosperous so called civilised nations who refused to cancel third world debt and care for the poor and needy. There is an attirude that say's “Let's keep these people out” an thereby keeping them trapped in poverty. Yes, Albania has a fair share of corruption and has a share of organised crime - it's part of the survival syndrome, however most Albanians are happy with a quiet life if they can simply provide a life for their family. I wonder if the crisis will cause a redistribution of wealth, however I also wonder if in the face of financial chaos, those who are used to living on very little might have a headstart on those who are used to having so much.