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 60th 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 50th 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...
