leaving home away from home

Woodford has become something of a home away from home over the past month plus- and today it was time to leave. Sad day. I hugged a lot of people and wrote a billion (okay, like fifteen) thank you and goodbye cards, but couldn't say enough to all the people I have met and come to really value at All Saints Woodford Wells. They have just been such a great family to fellowship with- they have made this trip.  Seriously, I think I will have to come back to visit for awhile sometime because I feel I got awfully attached to the whole lot of them. If my life had cardigan, I would want to tuck a handful of these folks into the pockets and keep them forever:)

But for now, its goodbye to Woodford. 

the last supper: a garden barbeque

A couple friends invited us over to barbeque for my last evening meal here- we roasted chicken, peppers and sausages out in their lovely garden (british for yard), and followed the whole affair up with tea, cake, and games. An all around enjoyable evening in good company:)

tea parting

As a parting gift, I took the girls out for a "red lipstick and polka dots" afternoon tea at a favored local cafe. A little bit of girl time was definitely in order:) 

In less than twenty four hours i will be in Iceland- where I am taking a day layover. (No complaints about breaking up the transatlantic flight: hot springs here i come... )

finishing well

These are my last few days in England. Yesterday was my last official ministry day downtown with the team- they will hit the streets again after my Tuesday departure. Today was laundry, farewell coffee gatherings, and dinner at the vicar's house. Tomorrow is church and quality time with a family from the church and then an evening service. Monday is odds and ends, thank you cards, budget balancing, and packing. Tuesday is scheduled out as processing and evaluation time with my team as I am leaving and they will have another week here to finish out... and I want them to finish well.  Its amazing to me how there needs to be several days for me to tie up loose ends, bring closure to relationships built at All Saints, and get the team all set up to self govern. I want to be sure to not leave everything hanging- and it feels like momentum is hurtling me toward departure. But I am determined to finish well; to keep investing strongly in the church and my team until I am quite gone. No fading out- instead going full on to the last hour. I wish I could be downtown in the streets another day or two, but with these varied areas of responsibility, it would be a serious strain and would leave some important relational things undone. So I trust the Lord to continue using His broad array of servants to reach the nations while I finish well here where He headquartered me- with my team in dear old Woodford. 

It was a challenging few days of ministry on the streets- highs and lows, glories and frustrations. We've all learned, grown, and been blessed to find ourselves used of God in the lives He brought across our paths. I'm so thankful for this team and the opportunity to lead this outreach- its been an awesome month and a half. 

Thank you for your prayers as I seek to be diligent in the relationships and responsibilities entrusted to me... and to finish well.

conversations with the nations

Yesterday we took the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral, then proceeded to walk across the Millennium Bridge, took a right at the Tate Modern and walked along the River Thames. While one of my students stopped to try talking to some fishermen on a pier, I looked around the tiny square where we were waiting and began to ask the Lord if there was anyone I should pray for. I noticed a young woman of asian ethnicity sitting alone with a backpack, and had a nudge in my heart to go speak with her. I walked over and started up a conversation, and found out she was from Taiwan and was just about to catch a train to Paris. Soon we were sitting side by side, laughing and talking- and I was able to share much about Jesus with her, pray for and encourage her, and give her a copy of the Gospel of Mark. I got to talk to a Taiwanese girl about the gospel and i didn't even have to go to Taiwan- praise the Lord! 

Conversations like that one are exactly what we had in mind when we were impressed to take advantage of the opportunity to do outreach in an Olympic city. It is truly a privilege and a joy to represent and articulate Christ to the nations gathered here this summer. 

Please pray for "CeeCee" the young woman I spoke to, that she will have understanding of the Scripture and that the Holy Spirit will continue drawing her to Christ. 

Also, please pray for "Tim", a young British man going into the Marines, who I spoke to for a bit. Please pray that God reveals Himself as Personal and gives this earnest young man understanding of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement- your partnership in this outreach is a blessing!

marketplace of ideas

My team spent the day just outside of the Stratford tube station- which is the stop for the Olympic Park. A great deal of our time was spent in the place pictured- just outside the station entrance where a pedestrian bridge from Olympic Park (and the shiny new Westfield mall) spills out literally tens of thousands of people down these steps into what i termed a marketplace of ideas. Christians are not the only ones representing their faith here at the Games. The base of these steps today hosted several very evangelistic islamic groups, Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of rather militant vegans, and some doomsday folks. There were some parties making unwise choices and getting involved in heated debates- others (us, other ywamers, some folks passing out bibles to anyone interested) were quietly talking to/praying for passersby around the edges. It was a hotbed of conversation, pamphlets and ideas- heaving with people for hours on end. We prayed with a handful of people, talked to some muslim men for a half hour, and ministered to some other believers who were in dire need of refreshment. It was a harder day but still good. Thank you for your continued prayers as we continue to engage the people of London- and the people of the nations.

praying for London

Details on this later, but just a glimpse into one way we are making ourselves available to engage visitors to London this summer... 

We got to pray for an array of people, and talk to children, adults, muslims and Christians- a great day of ministry to this nation.