Day 18

Reb Thackeray| Re:Hope Motherwell

At the start of this year during Fasting Week it was drawing near for Re:Hope Motherwell's first Alpha course! The venue was sorted, the flyers were printed, and the street outreach was set up for the next day. But when Chalcedony and I decided to visit the Alpha venue to check over some minor details, we were then told that the venue was having a full renovation effective immediately; so we couldn't use it. It was a Friday, Alpha was starting on the Tuesday, and we needed to secure a venue that day so we could adjust the flyers for when we were passing them out. 

We sat in the car, feeling a bit deflated. But during this week of fasting, I was praying for bigger faith. To not be afraid to ask God for things that seemed difficult, or that required high faith! So we decided to ask God to provide a venue that day for the next 10 weeks, somewhere in the heart of Motherwell, that wasn't too expensive. 

We looked at the GLO Centre, an organisation opposite the train station. This was a place we'd visited on several occasions for their cafe and Christian bookshop, and we had been on a mission trip to Albania with them a few months before. After reaching out to this centre, later that morning, we were approved to start the Alpha course there — and for a reasonable price! It later transpired that the trustee of the GLO cafe was the same person who led the Albania mission trip. He came to visit us during our first Alpha night and shared that they usually don't let people use the venue, but he felt led to let us, and then he decided to half the price of the hire! 

It is funny to think that this venue was there the whole time, and yet God wanted me to have bigger, gutsy, faith, and to trust Him more. 

Now, this is the venue where Re:Hope Motherwell are meeting every Sunday evening.

Deirdre O'Reilly | Re:Hope West End

I bump into Ellen quite often — an old school friend. Some years ago she told me that Mary (a mutual old school friend) was severely depressed, unable to leave the house, allowing only Pauline (another school friend) to visit.

This seemed sad to me. I remembered Mary as a social leader while at school… only now to be so low. I told Ellen that I would ask for prayer for her — though keeping her privacy — which I did.

Some weeks later, I bumped into Ellen again. There had been tremendous improvement in Mary's mental health and the depression seemed to have lifted. Thank you God!

Recently, I bumped into Ellen again. Without me inquiring, she mentioned that Mary had some physical challenges but her mental health was great; she was very cheerful. Ellen and Pauline now take her out shopping each week and she enjoys the outings.

Thank you God that this healing from depression has lasted for several years! You are amazing!

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Apply some fresh, big, gutsy faith, to your prayers today — trusting that God can bring big, long lasting, wonderful answers.