A weekend in Portugal

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Portugal for a weekend away with the Newfrontiers church in Lagos. Dave Fellingham was doing the teaching and I was asked to lead worship. It was a great time of hearing from God, being in His presence and sharing stories over good food!

The guys in Portugal love to worship - as soon as I started singing on the first evening they were ready, expectant and belting out the songs. In fact, they sung so loud I couldn't hear myself at all on the first night! It was raw, passionate, full of God's presence and I loved it. 

One lady came up to me after one of the sessions rather speechless and said 'I have never ever heard or seen worship like this before'. She became a Christian in the summer after God made himself known to her while she was fishing! But her only experience of worship was chanting in a catholic church whilst thinking about her lunch. She had no idea that she could encounter God in such a tangible, personal, and powerful way. 

While we were there met an 80 year old lady called Iris, who felt God tell her to go to Portugal as a young woman, after she heard that her fiance had been killed in the war. So she left England and went. When she arrived she couldn't speak the language and said to God 'ok.. I'm here. Now what do I do!?' She gradually picked up the language and has been there ever since, telling people about Jesus.

God really loves his church. It's amazing to hear what He is doing in such a dry nation, and the way He is sovereignly pursuing people and changing their lives. His kingdom and His kindness are unstoppable. The church were so grateful to us for coming over, but these guys are amazing - they are faithful and follow God, even when it's tough. It was humbling to be amongst them.