Since Chris’ original phone call: “Dad, you must do something!” back in Easter, God has flung open all the doors of opportunity wide open! In just a few short months He has brought the whole event together.

Chris and his friend, Alastair, initiated the event at Dalesdown in response to disappointed youth hearing that their weekend away had been cancelled. (Alastair was aware of how that would have impacted him at that age).

We originally thought that we were scooping up some young people but God had got more in mind. The invite has been broadened to whoever has responded – young children, singles and even whole families! There is a real sense of inclusiveness! 60 of us all together and Dalesdown will be full!

Beccy woke in the middle of the night a few weeks later with the words ‘Surf the Wave’ etched on her brain; she wrote them down and promptly went back to sleep. The name has been confirmed by many a picture. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit makes the waves for us all to surf on during the weekend!

We then heard that Jess, our daughter, had led Late Night Worship at her Christian Union at York University for the first time with her guitar. She had been amazed at the freedom in the worship and was greatly encouraged. Chris suggested she should join the Team for Surf the Wave. As a result we are blown away: both our children have chosen to join us in Ministry this summer.

God has been speaking to Jon a lot about it and has given him this verse as an overall title: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”(Proverbs 4: 23). The focus of the weekend will be our hearts and how they connect with Jesus through relationship. Having seen how God enabled the young people in Ohio to hear from Him, the young people in particular will be sensitively encouraged to share testimony, words, pictures and Scriptures. We are looking to Him for everything; after all it’s His weekend!!

To sum up, Chris & Alastair wrote the following in the Surf the Wave Manual: “AND HERE WE ARE!! On the brink of something very exciting: a fresh take on the indescribable Dalesdown, with the chance to have a crazy amount of fun with friends and family, but ultimately take giant leaps towards the Creator, who has given us everything and without whom none of this would be possible.”