I thought I would let you have a little leaders scoop on the mission trip.
I have found that living with 10 teenagers is pretty wonderful and yet challenging all at once, imagine it.... There you go.
They are so great, serving and giving out, relying on Gods strength. Encouraging and challenging one another in love. They are growing in character and washing their clothes by hand so much!
One thing that I've been reflecting on is the tough stuff, the niggles and irritations, the small abrasive communication moments (my 'firing' them when they woke me up by their dancing feet sounding like a herd of baby elephants above my room, turning out to be them posing for photos in togas made from their bed sheets at half eleven at night).
The challenge of helping them grow in faith and facilitating their emotional responses to the poverty and brokenness they see around them, the culture shock, and an array of things that are exaggerated by the fact they are also dealing with a change of food, climate, environment and hormones!
These things that whilst you are in community, can be magnified and appear worse than they may sound (togas aside) have caused me to reflect on the incredible work Martin, Beena and the BLC team have done. At one point they were helping around 40 teenagers from broken & horrific backgrounds grow into grounded, compassionate, selfless young men and women. That too, with a faith in a God that can move mountains and has done many times in their lives. They have done all this by focusing wholeheartedly on Jesus. I firmly believe there is no other way.
I've had the privilege of walking a chunk of this journey with them, their own children, Dan & Becky were just 8 & 3 years old when I first met them, now at 13 & 18 (almost) they are young people with massive hearts for the lost and the least.
This journey has taken its twists and turns in dramatic ways over that decade and if you could meet some of the young people who are now out working and making their way in the world you would feel as overwhelmed and excited as I am. Overwhelmed and proud of their perseverance, their hope, their faith, their compassion, and excited to see the bright futures the kids will have. Life and life in all it's fullness indeed.
So I may be living with 10 of the youth for a couple of weeks and finding it a little challenging, but if my heart is set on Jesus, and I take encouragement from the work of BLC, it's not really a tough task. It is instead a beautiful journey of which I am privileged to be a part.
See you in a week or so with 10 courageous, servant hearted, adaptable, compassionate young people right behind.
I have found that living with 10 teenagers is pretty wonderful and yet challenging all at once, imagine it.... There you go.
They are so great, serving and giving out, relying on Gods strength. Encouraging and challenging one another in love. They are growing in character and washing their clothes by hand so much!
One thing that I've been reflecting on is the tough stuff, the niggles and irritations, the small abrasive communication moments (my 'firing' them when they woke me up by their dancing feet sounding like a herd of baby elephants above my room, turning out to be them posing for photos in togas made from their bed sheets at half eleven at night).
The challenge of helping them grow in faith and facilitating their emotional responses to the poverty and brokenness they see around them, the culture shock, and an array of things that are exaggerated by the fact they are also dealing with a change of food, climate, environment and hormones!
These things that whilst you are in community, can be magnified and appear worse than they may sound (togas aside) have caused me to reflect on the incredible work Martin, Beena and the BLC team have done. At one point they were helping around 40 teenagers from broken & horrific backgrounds grow into grounded, compassionate, selfless young men and women. That too, with a faith in a God that can move mountains and has done many times in their lives. They have done all this by focusing wholeheartedly on Jesus. I firmly believe there is no other way.
I've had the privilege of walking a chunk of this journey with them, their own children, Dan & Becky were just 8 & 3 years old when I first met them, now at 13 & 18 (almost) they are young people with massive hearts for the lost and the least.
This journey has taken its twists and turns in dramatic ways over that decade and if you could meet some of the young people who are now out working and making their way in the world you would feel as overwhelmed and excited as I am. Overwhelmed and proud of their perseverance, their hope, their faith, their compassion, and excited to see the bright futures the kids will have. Life and life in all it's fullness indeed.
So I may be living with 10 of the youth for a couple of weeks and finding it a little challenging, but if my heart is set on Jesus, and I take encouragement from the work of BLC, it's not really a tough task. It is instead a beautiful journey of which I am privileged to be a part.
See you in a week or so with 10 courageous, servant hearted, adaptable, compassionate young people right behind.
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