My first blog ever!

My claim to fame is that I'm the youngest member of the team, I will be fourteen a few days before the trip. My parents were a bit nervous about the trip at first but after talking it through they are happily supporting me.

Sophie and Ian held an info night for parents and they spent some time praying. My mum had a picture of the youth really discovering God for themselves, similar to when you find someone in hide and seek.

I love being away, experiencing new things and travelling to new places. India, I thought I would be the first one in my family to go there but my Nanny has just told me that she is going to Goa in January. I think she is going to check out my luxury accommodation and leave all my favourite snacks there for me.

I am not too keen on curry but maybe I will get used to it! My Dad and my brother John are delighted to practice eating curry with me!

When John found out I had been accepted he did one of his famous belly slides across the kitchen floor, delighted to have 2 and 1/2 weeks of freedom.

I'm part of the Adult Puppet Team at church and I am really hoping that I can get hold of some puppets to take with me to teach the children there some puppetry skills. My vision is to teach them some songs and maybe put on a show. Watch this space.

Now onto the financial aspect, fundraising. Sam and I are planning a disco on Saturday 15th February which we anticipate will be THE SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR. Also I am hoping to get hold of some prestigious signed merchandise obviously from Manchester United, but I wouldn't turn down second rate merchandise from Chelsea if offered.

RISE UP

This last week the world has and is mourning the loss of Nelson Mandela, a man with a courageous and forgiving heart, with such depth of understanding of his freedom, that we cannot help but be inspired, moved by his words, and his legacy.

As we stand at the beginning of our journey, having only taken a few small steps, I am reminded of this quote from 2005, when Nelson Mandela addressed over 22,000 people in Trafalgar Square.

"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. Of course the task will not be easy. But not to do this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up." (Make Poverty History)

Those words echoed in my thoughts, I was meant to be part of the generation to be great, but what does that really mean? I've never really seen myself as great.  When those words would dash through my mind, sometimes pausing, sometimes fleeting, I imagined being great with other people.  Of loving others, the least and the lost with all my heart, but always surrounded by people all on different journeys but for the same common purpose. 

To be great, I believe that we must do it together.  We need to be a generation, that calls on everyone to be great.  It is not about the individual, and yet it is about every individual.  It is about using our gifts and idiosyncrasies to work together to enable every person to know they are loved, wanted and belong in this world whatever their background. 

It also means that we must do all this through faith in a God who is all powerful and all loving, who is just, and full of grace. 

Re:Route/Root's vision is embodied in this abundant grace of God.  The summer mission project to Goa, and being part of Lark in the Park in May is all part of the outworking & outpouring of this vision and His grace. 

We want to be a community of young people that love loving Jesus, who walk with integrity, living life as an act of worship to God, with hearts of justice that spur us into action as we reach out with courage to be great for His Kingdom. 

I am expectant for what God is doing  in the Youth Ministries and the young people in the coming months.  The tasks ahead are not easy, nor are they treacherous, but when they walk the journey together with God, their hearts of justice, grace & the love for their saviour will surely grow. 

I am looking forward to watching our young people rise up. 

Going back to visit the Family and learn some key lessons along the way...

After travelling to India in the summer of 2011 with a previous CC Youth Mission team, the thought of going back in the upcoming Summer closely resembles the feeling of returning to see family after being away for too long! Spending close to three weeks with the joyful kids and working alongside staff members at BLC, you start to develop pretty wonderful friendships; the type that distance can't hinder. So the thing I'm most looking forward to about going back is further developing these friendships and spending quality time with the children that very quickly stole my heart; just being in the type of community that God intended for his family members.

I'm also extremely excited to spend the best-part of the next year developing relationships with the rest of the team. We are all of similar ages which will be a lot of fun, but I know that this could change the dynamics of mission as I have previously experienced. In 2011 I was one of the youngest of the team and amongst the whirlwind of adrenalin, I was also slightly anxious. I say slightly because I always felt safe...I just pondered on the thought that I may not have been able to merge fully with the team in the way the older members did. We obviously all came out at the end friends on a much deeper level, and I actually enjoyed being one of the youngest because I received a lot of encouragement, plus it gave me an excuse to be over-excited pretty much 24/7. However this year, I ask God most importantly to equip me in a way that will build-up and support the rest of the team, especially the ones that have never been before. All of our friendships at the moment are pretty good and full to the brim with #banter but I am excited to develop deeply rooted friendships again with different team members.

This year I have felt that God has called me to live dangerously for him. I don't think this entails taking up free-running or jumping out of planes, but I believe it involves fully depending on his character. Taking the leap across the river when I can't find a rock to place my feet on. Applying for mission this year feels like taking this kind of leap. I am confident God will provide, especially financially. There have been a lot of changes in my life recently. For example moving up from secondary school to College and diving head first into A-Levels, beginning the process of learning how to drive, applying for jobs, sustaining old friendships as well as developing new ones; the thought of it all would be enough to give anybody a headache and if looked at shallowly, applying for Mission and fundraising amongst everything else could seem like I have bitten off more than I can chew. But that's the whole point. In my own strength, I wouldn't be able to juggle all of these different aspects of my life at the moment. Mission for me is asking God to direct my footsteps and place my hands where they need to be, whilst he shares my load and covers my eyes. It's being fully dependant on the promise that wherever I am, he will use me to my full potential whilst providing me with the equipment I need. It's understanding that when you go to Him for rest, you won't be left exhausted. I'm excited for what he has in store. So let's get this thing started shall we!?

The start...

Whoop whoop! I'm on the team :)! Ever since I came to the youth, I wanted to get on the summer missions team. However, I knew it wouldn't happen until at least year 9. Every time my older sister, Anna, has gone on mission I always got so jealous, always wanting to join her in her fundraising, the team meetings, the flights, the privilege of staying in BLC and everything that mission involves. Now I have the right and responsibility of getting involved with those things, and I'm so excited! I've also managed to make a plan for my fundraising, and I'm making a little team with Pete Keane to get sorted some ideas. Obviously I can't tell you these ideas, as I would regretfully have to kill you. Anyway, the fundraising's going well, and I think I'm almost sorted on that front. Now what I have to do is prepare myself mentally for what lies ahead in India and the challenge it will be.

I can't wait though :)

Sammyyyyy Boy

even Ian has blogged!

hello everyone

just a short 'hello' from me

i will try and write regularly, but for now I want to record what an incredible privilege it is to be part of such a wonderful team

so looking forward to seeing the team grow together through all the preparation, and then Lark in the Park and our time in India

so, there we have it, if I've managed to blog then the others have no excuse :-)

Ian

My first thoughts.....

Just the thought of going back to India fills me with an overflow of excitement about what is to come! To be able to go with a team, where many of them haven't been before is even more incredible, to be able to walk with them as they capture God's vision and heart for BLC is an incredible privilege and in turn to see them serve Martin and Beena from that overflow of  love.

For me personally I'm really looking forward to going back and seeing the kids and youth again and to re-learn what it means to fully rely on God and his provision because they demonstrate that in such a powerful and challenging way.

This year I really want to invest in my relationships with the older girls because I never really made an effort before. I often used to get distracted by the younger ones because they are a lot more outgoing and so it is much easier to play with them and get to know them but with the older ones it involves a lot more effort to make a conversation and to be able to go deep and share the good and the bad things about life for me and as a 16 year old in a western culture but also to find out more about what life is like for them and the massive contrast between their lives and my life.

What I am learning, in India but also in general life is that often the older the person the more they value your time, love and support. In India this might be the older girls and guys from their homes but also the youth in the church. They are more impacted by our love and friendliness than the younger ones. They will remember what we said and the way that we chose to interact with them and break down the barriers that might get in the way. I find this especially challenging because it means that I have to put myself in a slightly awkward and vulnerable situation to be able to break down those barriers and start a lasting relationship.

I'm quite an excitable person and being excited is a good thing, but I'm learning that there is a right place and a right time. One thing that I am going to have to be really aware of is that many people on the team this year have never been before. I'm going to have to make that conscious decision to think about how they are feeling at times and to contain my excitement, as hard as that may be!

I have been to India on mission twice before and both times I have had an incredible time and have really enjoyed serving BLC and Martin and Beena but for me the lasting change and impact has been when I got home. The first time I went it completely transformed my perspective on life and the way I treated people. I began to see the world with God's eyes and so when I came home I was able to be more patient and loving towards people because I wasn't seeing them from a worldly perspective but from a godly one. As I changed the way I lived people noticed and in a good way, they asked questions and treated me with a lot more respect and love because that was the way I was treating them and it felt good and encouraging!  I also learnt that the things I own are not mine and they I don't deserve them but everything is a gift from God and I should treat them as a gift and not take them for granted.

Going back this year I hope it will have just as big an impact on me as it has in past years! I want to be challenged in the way that I live and view life. I want to be part of bringing God's kingdom to earth and the only way I'm going to be able to do that is by getting close to him and sharing in his joy and in his pain and acting on what I am feeling in a just, gentle and bold way for his kingdom!

Introducing...

Introducing to you, the Re:Route/Root Summer Missions team for 2014:

From left to Right – Top Row:Dan Pearce, Sam Harwood, Niall Anderson, Ian Tilley (Leading), Anna Harwood, Sarah Commans, Dani Carew, Emily Ford, David Coxon, Peter Keane.
Bottom Row: Chas Cerveny, Sophie Wellbelove (Leading)

We would value your prayers and support as we start our journey this year as a team.  We are really looking forward to what this year brings for the team. 

We are both helping to serve at Lark in The Park - Woking (www.larkinthepark.com).  Which is a new initiative in our area to love our community generously.  Running kids clubs and helping with every job going that there is to help with is our aim! This leg of our mission is to learn to serve those around us within our community and learn what it means to be available for God to use us in whatever circumstance.  Part of our Re:Route/Root Vision is that we would be a community of young people with hearts for mission, that spur us into action. We want to be activists for God's kingdom, making a difference by His grace in every situation and Lark In The Park is part of that journey! Our vision for this part of our mission is to serve no matter what the context, to love others as Jesus loves us, and to do it all without moaning or grumbling, to do it all for Jesus.

The second leg of our mission this year is overseas, volunteering at Bethesda Life Centre (www.blcgoa.com) run by Martin & Beena Philip. A home for children who are orphaned, children of sex workers or children of those affected by HIV.  The children are cared for by BLC,  where they are given food, love, a home, education and a future.  Our main tasks will be to decorate, do practical duties around the home such as washing clothes and cleaning, and also helping as teaching assistants for the younger students in Rising Star School (also run by BLC for children who struggle with mainstream education.) We want to spend time with the kids, learning to love them, care for them & learning from them what it means to have joy in all things.  
Our vision for this mission is to serve BLC & Martin & Beena in the best way we can.  Our goal is to encourage those we encounter to root themselves in God and seek to connect with Jesus' direction for their lives as we meet them on their journeys with the Fathers love for the lost & the least. 

Please join us in praying for this adventure.

Ian

David

Emily

Sam

Pete

Niall

Dani

Dan

Anna

Chas

Sarah

Sophie