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I think I might die…the second half of the England Mission
Wow…this is way overdue. So sorry for the delay in relaying details about the last week in Middlesbrough. Almost everyday of the last week we went from 8am to 10 or 11pm. Each day was filled with great experiences but exhausting as well.
I believe I left off with prayer requests for Monday and Tuesday. Monday was a great yet quite depressing experience. We were in five classes from 9am to 3pm. Their schools are similar to our magnet schools here. King’s Manor is a sports magnet school. We worked with two teachers. They were both very kind to let us help in their Religious Education studies. I believe one of the teachers had a greater understanding of Christian faith than the other. This made the experiences in both classes very different. We talked about making moral choices, sports and religion, where people find God, and of course life in America. This allowed us great opportunity in most cases to use the Romans 6:23 one-verse evangelism diagram to explain how a person can have a personal relationship with God. Many had never even been in a church much less had any exposure to the Truth of Jesus. One said he just knew Jesus was stretched in a rack before being crucified. Some were silly, some really paid attention, and some were flat out hostile. By in large though, they listened. More than 100 students had the seed of the Gospel cast into their lives. We also believe this may have provided more opportunity for Matt, Youth for Christ leader, to build relationships with students and teachers.
Monday afternoon we prayer-walked an area where Middlesbrough Community Church (MCC) is feeling lead to start a new church. It was a beautiful time of prayer and vision. That evening, some of us joined with Taylor to celebrate her birthday at George and Avril’s home. They are so generous. We then split up into three homes for tea (dinner) and home group bible studies. All had genuine times of worship and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. They accepted us like we were their own…just with funny accents. Later that night we all came together with our English friends and celebrated Taylor’s birthday in traditional English fashion at a nearby pub called The Yellow Rose (very appropriate for a Texan girl). They kindly treated us to a round of Cokes and Sprites.
Tuesday we had the privilege of praying before school with the small group teachers who are believers. Their five and our ten crammed into a 10×10 room. They were so appreciative. I believe it definitely was a shot in the arm to them. We then led in two more classes again discussing religion and sports. That afternoon, we all went to Pastor Ken’s home and had lunch. He took time to invest in us and encourage us. When we finished some went with him to the local park and city museum while others got much needed rest. We all then went to Terry and Anne’s for dinner. They are so much fun! Luke was wrestled to the ground by two of their seven kids and Colin and I took them on in football (soccer). It’s amazing how good you can look versus little kids. That evening, we hung out with the college student from their Christian Union at Teeside University, a campus as pagan as any in America…25,000 students and only a handful of faithful Christians. It was encouraging to hear their passion to affect their campus for Jesus.
Wednesday we worked with the Toddlers ministry again. We helped play with the kids and talk with the moms, Christian and non-Christian. That afternoon Marcine, Ryan, and Kasia went to the prison to minister. The rest of the team went to the college dorms and helped clean community kitchens and meet people. I had a great time talking with their Christian Union co-leader about how to help the CU become an impacting ministry on campus. She has great passion and vision. Others had opportunities to invite students to church and a Life Group. That evening we joined the students in their Life Group in Peter and Anya’s home. It was a great time to be with other university students. We sang, prayed, and broke bread together.
Thursday we spent the day in York. What a magnificent city. The York Minster is truly one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. Most of us climbed all 275 steps to the top…I thought I was going to die. The city was a joy to walk around. The wall around parts of the original town were amazing. Some of the team even made it to the castle as well. That evening we met our new family and friends at the Banana Leaf for some Chinese food and great fellowship. It was a very special goodbye.
Friday we left at 5am to catch the train to Manchester. Then left Manchester headed home around noon. We landed in Atlanta and made a beeline for the Chili’s Too to get some chips and salsa. After a three hour layover, we headed to Dallas. There we said our team goodbyes and went our different ways. Finally, those going back to Temple arrived around 11:30pm. It was good to be home.
God was truly faithful from beginning to end…from Kaisa’s passport to getting home safely late Friday night after being awake pretty much for 26 hours…from not being in schools on Tuesday to being in schools five of the days we were there…from almost being hit from behind at every corner (because they drive on the opposite side of the road and we were always looking the wrong way) to protection from some possibly rough situations…from Him revealing Himself through worship experiences to seeing Him in how we just fit right in with people we had never met. God, as He always does, proved Himself faithful to us throughout the mission.
My greatest lesson learned was something I was told before I went but could only understand once we had experienced it. When you go, you will be ready. Over and over situations arose and team member’s gifts and experiences proved to be exactly what was needed in the moment. We never once had to be anxious about something that was asked of our team because someone was always able to step and be what was needed. This not something new to me, just something I need to be reminded of..and I was…over and over.
Thank you for your gifts, your prayers, and your faithfulness. We are planning to go back for a major evangelistic event next year. Be in prayer even now how you might could be a part of that.
Grace and peace to you.
One Response to “I think I might die…the second half of the England Mission”
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May 24th, 2007 at 7:26 am
I am so proud of what you all did….God really does shine thru you all!