Well the long awaited snow has finally arrived, although it's more like thick rain than real snow! If  it's heavy, then the buses & trams stop running, so Gwilym has been given permission to keep his phone on, so we can text him if the snow seems like settling, to get him home quickly before he's stranded at school!

Yesterday morning Alan was preaching at Anglade. There are generally only a small number of folks, most of them over the age of 50 but they are faithful, determined, & there every week! It's a joy to visit there, & if one of the elderly ladies can't find the number of the song, then some will shout it out louder, some will turn to them & help them find it..it's just great..it's quite interactive at times!
In the evening we were at Cenon at the International service..we never know how many will turn up each week! There are some regulars, we had 3 new girls last week who weren't here this week..so you just never know. Still we were still 14, so that's pretty good,

We were in Acts 8, talking about Philip..how God moved him from one 'job' to another. He was one of the seven chosen to distribute food to the "Grecian widows who were being overlooked in the distribution of food" in ch 6..then because of persecution that comes about because of the stoning of Stephen in ch 7 he finds himself in Samaria (imagine!! Long history of hate between jews & samartians!) He preaches & many come to know the Lord..Peter & John are sent to find out what's going on..& this I found amazing too, that John is the John who wanted to call down fire on Samaria for their sin! & he is sent there to see the new believers!!
Philip is then told to go to "the south road, the desert road, that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza" Just to make sure he knows which road he's meant to go to!    He has to leave the place that has seen remarkable things, where many folks are converted! But he goes,he doesn't have any idea why,but he trusts that God knows what he is doing!
 A reminder to us that God has each of us in his hand, that our future in secure, though sometimes we may worry & fret, God will always guide us & never let us down..after all, he has promised to never leave us or forsake us! We may make what we think are silly decisions but God turns all things to good.

 That God sent Philip all that way ( we worked it out that it would have been about 60miles) just for this one guy!
So Philip has no idea why he is there, until he comes across an African eunuch.
 Alan explained to us the implications of all of this,how because of what had happened to him,  he was excluded from worship, from entering the temple..He was also in a high position in his government, but God has no prejudice, he sends Philip to him,& he finds him reading
 Isaiah 52.. "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her sheerer is silent so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth"

So Philip sits down & explains the passage to him.
It's a lovely moment when the guy says to Philip "What is there to stop me being baptised?" Well actually nothing! Before he had so many obstacles in the way..but now there are none! No one with all their prejudices could stop him..He was a new creature in Christ! So God had moved one man to go to one man, on the desert road, because He was determined that he should be saved! How kind is our God.