Hi There!
In spite of the restrictions of COVID, we have still been able to give over 100 guitars in the last 12 months, taking our total to over 3,700 instruments given. This is the first time that I have been unable to travel for a whole year. We have been described as ‘Worship enablers’ at Guitar Aid, I love this thought, that we are empowering others to worship.

SERVING BY SENDING
Over the last 31 years, we have visited over 50 countries, making many friends and building up strong relationships. It’s these connections that have enabled us to thrive during the pandemic. We have been able to respond to all the requests for instruments, safe in the knowledge that we know where they are going, we know who they are going to and we know how much they will be appreciated. On a regular basis we have been packing up boxes of guitars, like the one on the right, filling out all the customs forms that are now needed, and sending them to those that have requested them. Since Brexit, we now have to pay duty on all guitars we ship. This additional cost has not stopped us. I remember on one trip to Africa, someone said to us, “What God orders, he pays for”.

MISSIONS CONFERENCE
I have recently been invited to join the AOG Europe missions team. This is a great opportunity to connect with missionaries all across Europe. We have had the privilege of staying in the homes of many of these missionaries during our travels around Eastern Europe. It was a thrill to attend the first major conference I’ve been to since lockdown. The AOG 3D Mission, stands for Discover, Develop and Deploy. The conference was outstanding, it also gave us the chance to pass on guitars that will be going to Kosovo, Kenya, and Bangladesh. It’s great to be part of this enthusiastic team, building strong relationships.

MANY NATIONS REACHED
Although we’ve been unable to travel, we have sent guitars to, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Czechia, Albania, India, Germany, Kenya and Rwanda. This seems like a great achievement in a time where opportunities for traveling have been severely restricted.
Psalm 37v7 says, Be still in God’s presence and wait patiently for him to act. For many of us, being still and waiting patiently is not something that comes easy! We need to be aware of the complexity of the situations we are facing. In Chronicles, it talks about the men of Issachar, who had an understanding of the times.

SERBIA YOUTH EVENT
Recently, I received a very encouraging message from Serbia. “I just wanted to let you know that another successful youth conference is over, powered by Guitar Aid! The young man in the picture, Varga Matyas, is one of the most talented young players I have heard in Serbia”. During the many years we have been giving instruments, we love to visit somewhere for the first time, but nothing gives us greater joy than returning somewhere, to see the worship band with an electric guitar, a bass guitar, and an electro/acoustic guitar that we have previously given.

LOOKING FORWARD
The support given to Guitar Aid by regular sponsors has enabled us to continue to grow and expand year on year. For over 25yrs we have used Nationwide for our banking. We have been told they no longer want to facilitate charity accounts. With this in mind, we have opened an account with Charity Aid Foundation. CAF bank is specifically for charities. 

Our new account is:
Guitar Aid Sort code 40-52-40
Account Number 00034394

Together we’re changing the atmosphere in many places, releasing others into new levels of worship. Thank you for supporting the work of Guitar Aid.
Dave Sumner.