… Well, to answer that question we need to talk about Fintona a little bit. In fact, it is what is going on in Fintona that has been foundational to the reach into Fermanagh.

So permit a little background … Fintona is a town in Co. Tyrone (N. Ireland) that for the past four years or so has been experiencing the LORD’s sovereign, deep and unexpected (though much prayed for!) work in people’s lives.

A young man from Uganda fell in love with a wee girl from Fintona, who had been working at the time in his nation. An innocent trip home to N Ireland to meet the in-laws led to a home Bible study starting amongst family members.

This gathering outgrew the capacity of the home very quickly and they moved to Jack’s Coffee Shop & Giftware—a highly recommended destination in the town for coffee, chat, lunch, snacks and more. People gathered there regularly to meet the LORD and hear preaching from His Word, and soon outgrew that place too.

They moved to the Ecclesville Centre in town for more space. That also quickly became too small and the (now) church was soon on the move yet again, this time to Main Street in Fintona, where they are currently bursting at the seams as Manifest Fellowship Northern Ireland (church) with twice weekly regular meetings and significant outreach into the town and community.

The growth continues as people come to know Jesus at virtually every meeting, and the fellowship hope to move into a three-hundred seater building before the end of the year. They are ready to move now, but the building is not quite ready fast enough!

That’s a little bit of the story, and we will look at events and what it is that is drawing people to the LORD in this place next, after I share our story in it.

The retired minister, of the church where I grew up in Fermanagh, and his wife were meeting with my wife and me back in June last year and thoroughly recommended we visit “Jack’s” (café), as it was ‘amazing’ and also connect with the Ugandan pastor and his wife.

I never thought we would be in Fintona—yes, it is that remote and off the beaten track (at the moment 😉)—but one day I was driving through the town, and like a flash that really made me stop, I was suddenly looking for and sitting having lunch in the sun outside Jack’s and was marvellously welcomed and engaged in conversation by the manager.

I was so touched that I told my wife she had to visit too. On another unexpected day of travelling through the town with her, we dropped by Jack’s for some tea and met the pastor’s wife who happened to be inside that day. She encouraged us to come and visit the church.

Living on the other side of the country at the time, I politely excused myself as ‘living too far away’, and we ‘have a church in Lisburn, and besides we don’t own a car’. To which this dear woman of God responded quickly, “Oh we have someone coming from Lisburn twice a week, every week, and she could give you a lift”!

Apart from being surprised at that news, she further informed me that they had regular visitors travelling up from Dublin and even Cork (on the south coast of the Republic of Ireland)! I was gob-smacked.

My wife and I had sensed that our seven months in Lisburn was coming to an end anyway and that we needed to move “out West” for awhile. So we asked the LORD for two things, if He really wanted us to move to the area: 1) a car and 2) lodging in the area within easy reach of Fintona.

Within a week of that prayer we had BOTH!

So, within weeks, we moved to Fermanagh, two miles from where I grew up.

As we began attending the services and soaking up the LORD’s strong presence there was an excitement and expectation present in everyone in this young church at every meeting, believing without doubt for God to faithfully work in hearts and change lives, we began to be refreshed and knew we were in the right place for now.

We first began to see the LORD “re-dig wells” in our lives, bringing back truths and experiences that had been dormant, in some cases, for years. Then we moved into a place of sensing we were being re-wired, like He was stripping out old wiring and upgrading our ‘electrical system’ spiritually. Of late we sense He is taking us on a new journey and transitioning us into a new place.

But I am getting ahead of myself again. We were talking about moves of God and phenomena related to those and lives changed. That’s next …