Ten Teenagers in a house

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.

Shantaram

I'm currently reading a book called Shantaram, a novel  in which a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped from Pentridge Prison flees to India.  So far I have been captured by the authors vivid descriptions of his first encounters with the country.  I myself have often struggled to depict the colourful sensory overload that I experience when I go to India.  There was one particular part that I wanted to share;

'The simple and astonishing truth about India and Indian people is that when you go there, and deal with them, your heart always guides you more wisely than your head.' - Gregory David Roberts 

I find that in Goa, having lived there for a while, what my logical thoughts (yes, I do have them!) would try and dictate, my heart does appear to always come out best in reactions and understanding.  I have encountered frustration and irritation when I couldn't understand things from my world view, but immersing yourself heart first is a sure way to begin to grow in patience and love for the people of India.

My prayer for the team this year is that they would find guidance in their heart, prompted by the Holy Spirit.  Living alongside those we serve, not in judgement and thinking they know better, but in openness and understanding.  If they can follow their hearts lead in our time there, the experience will become all the more colourful, and full of life.  They will see deeper and the journey will bring them joy and understanding they had not known before.

Waiting

At Christmas I went back to Goa for a holiday and to visit the wonderful friends of BLC. 
Part of my time there I spent speaking with Beena and hearing her heart for why they love having the youth team come over and serve them.  We discussed the details of what we might do to serve them better and what their expectations of us were.
If you have ever heard Beena share her heart for anything, you will know that it is a life giving experience. 

I thought I would tell you the plans* we have for our time with them.

We have been asked to run after school clubs, to run some kids programs with bible study, and to unpack the gospel message for the kids so that it roots deeply in their hearts.

We will also spend time decorating the inside of the girls home with pictures and murals for the walls, Beena's words were 'to make it feel like home'.  

Spending time with Beena & Pastor Martin sharing their heart for the work they do, and learning what it means to walk alongside the poor and marginalised. 

I also thought you may like to see some recent pictures of the kids we will be hanging out with.

*plans in Goa are always subject to change, they are what you could call, fluid. 

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. 

Sophie