It is so good to be writing to you again this month. March is always one of my favourite months. I love watching the barren winter ground break open with the bright colours of spring. The daffodils are everywhere, decorating the grassy banks alongside the roads, their bold yellow trumpets shaking in the wind. It speaks HOPE to my heart! 

During the month of March Gordon and I have had the joy of meeting with many leaders of various  networks in different locations and hearing their stories. Two themes have again and again caught our attention. Firstly, the stories of the hunger in the youth and next generation to experience the presence of God. One 14-year-old approached her leader and asked if, this summer when planning the summer events, could the organisers please plan for more PRESENCE moments rather than PLATFORM gigs. She expressed her longing to have time to worship, pray and hear God and said she and her friends wanted this more than to be entertained with the various stage events. HUNGRY YOUTH!! We are also being asked to minister and teach on receiving the Holy Spirit everywhere we go. This weekend Gordon and I were in Northern Ireland where I spoke at a women’s event called BEHOLD. During the lunch break a young girl asked me to pray with her that she would see people baptised in the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day she came bouncing up to me and said that, in the afternoon session when I asked them to turn to each other and pray, the girl beside her asked for the Holy Spirit and so they prayed, and this girl immediately spoke in tongues! She was so excited. So the first thing we have noticed is HUNGER. 

The second thing we have identified is the need and longing for strategic prayer. Everywhere we are going there is a desire to pray more effectively and with more spiritual information and authority. People are aware of the pressure of the enemy in the lives of their friends and families and they feel the urgency to pray. Many times we are asked, “will there be a war?”. People can feel the battle and sense the clash of atmospheres in the heavenly places. There is certainly an upgrade in spiritual warfare. 

As I was thinking about this I was reminded about this scripture concerning King David which we find in 2 Samuel 11:1 – In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. Here we read that there are times when kings go out to war. There are seasons when the warfare intensifies and we need to be ready to stand and battle. We know that in this story King David chose his leisure over battle. He did not go out to war and so he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and made a mess! Bathsheba was his ungodly distraction – he should have been with his brothers, standing with them in battle. As I was thinking about this, I felt the urgency to stand and pray for our families, nation and world at this time. There is so much chaos wanting to take control and influence our governments, but we need to stand and pray. 

So what about the travel adventures in March? It has been a time of real encouragement. We started the month in Paisley, Scotland, and had a wonderful weekend teaching on the prophetic ministry. During this weekend we watched God restore many in their confidence to hear God and minister again. It was also a time of supernatural provision and Gordon and I left astounded at the kindness and generosity of God. We had an opportunity to meet with the Betel boys from Motherwell who worshipped with us Friday night. The atmosphere of gratitude and victory during the time of worship just released such joy – it was contagious!! During the week we have met with leaders from Liverpool, Shaftesbury, Bicester, Burton on Trent, Manchester and others, sharing strategic vision and how to pray and hear God in this season. Through zoom I have chatted to leaders in Canada, USA, Australia, Dubai….what a wonderful world! It is exciting to see what God is doing. I also ministered in Exeter at the Riverside church on the Sunday and felt the power and fire of God as I prophesied and preached on the kindness of God that brings ALL things together for our God. As mentioned above, Gordon and I ministered in Northern Ireland too. My highlight of the month has to be this story: a woman called Louise stood in front of me at the BEHOLD conference and told me this story. At the age of 14 she was diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia and was not expected to live. Her mother called me to a friend’s house while I was over in Northern Ireland ministering so I went and prayed for her. I declared over her, “you will live”. She and her mum went home and she recovered! Here she was, 27 years later, standing in front of me fully healed, having married and had 3 kids, all of whom were miracle babies after this disease in her teens. God is so kind!

Gordon and I complete this month of March on missions in Croatia. Gordon went ahead of me to have time with the leaders in Zagreb and to disciple and spend time with the young men there. I will join him for the weekend when we will teach on hearing the voice of God. At this time we are seeing such a hunger for teaching and training in this Balkan region. It is our joy to go and sit with these young leaders and help them plant strong churches and develop healthy leaders. 

Helen is now definitely on the road to recovery after her ankle surgery in February and is improving every day. Although so many hurdles have now been overcome, Helen is still having to be super patient as she regains her mobility. She is just starting to weight bear again using crutches and an orthopaedic boot and will need a further 4-6 weeks before she can drive. One unexpected piece of news was that the surgeon has decided that Helen cannot fly any long-haul trips for 4 months. This has meant Helen will no longer be able to travel with me to the USA and Canada in May. However, the good news, in the midst of real disappointment for us, is that Gordon will now travel with me for this month. So at the moment we are rapidly rebooking tickets, trying to get refunds with the  airlines and sort the complicated May schedule which I thought I had completed administratively. Please pray for Helen that May will not be a month of disappointment but a time of encounter and God surprises.

We are excited that over the next few weeks we will be releasing two new audiobooks. My 40 day devotional, Stepping Stones to Freedom, and my latest book Hope Filled will be available on Audible, Amazon and iTunes soon, both narrated by me.  Stepping Stones would make a great UK Mother’s Day gift if you need any inspiration or ideas to bless your mum! 

April will be another month of many adventures. Helen will continue with physiotherapy and recovery and Gordon and I will travel and minister.  We are especially looking forward to Easter in Moldova – please pray for us over that time! So here is what April looks like for Gordon and me:

Ministry Dates April 2025
3 April Premier Radio interview (Rachel)
4-6 April Kvinner I Nettverk, Telemark, Norway (Rachel)
6 April Fresh Bread message, Heartcry online platforms (Gordon)
9 April Marsh Baldon Filling Station meeting, Oxfordshire, UK (Rachel & Gordon)
16-22 April Moldova visit (Rachel & Gordon)
23-25 April Prayer assignment, north of England (Rachel & Helen)
30 April Travel to Canada & USA (Rachel & Gordon)

Thank you so much for all your support, prayer and encouragement. We trust you have a great April and a very happy and blessed Easter as you celebrate Resurrection Sunday and the gift of life!

Our love and deepest gratitude,
Rachel & Gordon and Helen.