It's Easter and the World is Covered in White . . . snow joke.

     Well, it's Easter. And it's still snowing. Not gonna lie, I'm finally missing the sun and the warmth. It takes too long to get dressed in the morning. Too many layers. 

     Anyway, the Easter season has been crazy-busy, as one might imagine. The church has had services basically non-stop from Thursday night until Easter Sunday. And we've had more youth groups and schools work more than usual. I've been immersed with Easter this year, and I'm liking the constant reminder of why we're celebrating!

     Palm Sunday allowed me to see a donkey, which the church hired to walk around the church. Monday afternoon/evening we had youth groups as normal. I shared the Easter story to the group of 4-8 year olds using the Resurrection Eggs, which they LOVED! They get taught the story in school because of the Christian heritage the country has. So they helped tell the story and were so excited to open each egg and find out what was inside! Their passion was such an encouragement, which it is every week :) In our 11-14 year olds group, we acted out the story of Jesus from the Last Supper to the Resurrection. Most of the kids didn't want to participate, but a few of them got really involved and were excited to relive the story. 

Remember these? England never got this trend..  

     Tuesday I spent a couple of hours making 100+ sugar cookies for Wednesday's Easter workshop. So Wednesday we were invited into the local primary school to host an Easter workshop for 50+ 3-5 year olds and their families! After an hour making crafts and decorating biscuits (cookies) I had the opportunity to share the story of Easter again using the Resurrection Eggs. I've never been so nervous to speak in front of people! It wasn't just a group of kids this time. It was a group of kids and their parents, parents who had specifically questioned the teachers to make sure this wasn't going to be "too religious or Christian." Parents who were Muslims, Atheists...etc. The school's teachers told me that I could tell the story I believed, as long as I began and ended it with, "this is what Christians believe and celebrate at Easter." So I told the story and the kids were really involved and paid close attention. Throughout the whole story I reminded them how this was all part of God's plan, because He loved us so much, so that we could be forgiven from the wrong things we've done. Afterward I got a few "thank yous" from the parents but no negative comments directed specifically at me. One mom even stayed after everyone else had gone to tell me thank you. She said that she was a Christian too, and had just moved here (from some Slovak nation, judging by the accent) and that she was so glad people were telling this story in school! She thanked me for not being intimidated by the other parents and being able to tell the story so the kids could understand it! I'm really not sure what I said or if it got through to those kids or their parents, but I told the true story so now it's up to the Holy Spirit! 

Just the day before Easter, no big deal.

     Friday was also busy. It began bright and early with a Witness Walk through the towns. We gathered with other churches in the area to walk and sing songs of praise to Jesus. Then we had a 2nd Easter workshop for the kids at our church. More crafts. And I shared the story with the Resurrection Eggs again! We definitely got our money's worth out of them this year! I was way less nervous this time, as we already had relationships with their parents and it was in a church, so they knew what to expect. The kids really enjoyed it and we ended the workshop by singing "Jumping Up and Down, Shout Hosanna!" with the Donut Man (anyone remember him?) They LOVED that. The 90's was a simpler time.

     Last night (Good Friday) we spent the afternoon and evening with EQ, the high school aged kids. We had a Fish & Chips meal (tradition here on Good Friday) and discussed some pretty deep questions about Jesus: why He was the only one who could die for us, why God would actually want Jesus to die, why the death and resurrection are crucial in the story of Easter. 

High School aged kids wrote prayers to Jesus thanking Him for His sacrifice

     Then we asked the kids if they've ever truly committed their life to Christ and what would be holding them back. They said they had never though about it from that perspective before. They've never seen it as a commitment. And they were pretty honest about what's holding them back from giving their lives to Jesus. A couple of the girls said that they didn't want to give up their future or give up control of their lives, and one of the lads said that he didn't want to have to follow a bunch of rules and laws. It was encouraging to get to tell them my story and how there is SOOO much freedom in relinquishing control and knowing that it's not up to me to save the world. It's a great start for them to begin thinking about these things. Over the next couple of months, we have several big events that will allow us to go deeper and ask those questions again, encouraging them to take the next step in their faith. 

     Beloved, our girl's weekend is coming up in 2 weeks time. We're talking about Self-Worth and how it can only be satisfied in Jesus Christ. Please pray for the girl's hearts to be open to taking the next step on their journey with God. And pray for the leaders, they still don't seem to understand what this is all about. It's like pulling teeth, trying to get them to see the importance and necessity of keeping Christ at the center of the youth groups. Pray that they will see Christianity not just as a faith, but as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ their Savior, a relationship that needs to never stop growing! 

58 days until I'm back in Texas! See you soon!

Kingsley

Red Nose Day (Comic Relief)

     Let me introduce you to the newest edition to our youth work here in Nunthorpe. Kingsley is 9 years old and lives in Ghana. The youth group recently started sponsoring him through Compassion International. In our middle school aged group we've started a small group of students who are interested in social justice and who want to learn more about Africa and Kingsley. Last week this group came over for dinner and we talked about ways we could fundraise and support Kingsley. It was wonderful just to chat with them and get to know the younger kids outside of our youth group. Hopefully we can build on these relationships with this groups as they could become the next generation of young leaders here in Nunthorpe. It's wonderful to see how excited they are to learn about another place in the world; they are even asking about when they can go meet Kingsley! 

     Tuesday mornings are quickly become one of my favorite parts of the week. Over the past few weeks, during Lent, we host a Lent Bible Study for the church community in Nunthorpe. People from different churches and denominations gather to discuss controversial issues and look at what the Scriptures have to say about it. It's been very interesting talking with them as we have very different views on, well, basically everything. Last week we had a good discussion about Universalism and Pluralism, as we talked about the importance of sharing the Gospel with others. But obviously if they don't believe that what the Bible says is true, and that it carries hope for every human being, why would they feel the urgency to tell others? I'm not sure they understand why I'm even here. One man admitted that he found it ridiculous that some Christians claim to be "saved." He said that he can hope that on judgement day he will be saved, but he wondered why people thought they could know now that they will be saved. So I shared some verses with him (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 8) that testify to the confidence we can have now for eternal life. Most of them weren't sure if they agreed with that claim, since they aren't even sure they can trust the Bible. 
     Please pray for the ministry in this group; although they all claim to be believers, most of them lack a growing, daily relationship with Jesus Christ. These are people who seem to be the most outspoken about their faith and recognize that there needs to be a change in Nunthorpe, and I think they have great potential for spiritual growth. After Lent, we're hoping to continue the group and study the book, Just Walk Across the Room, by Bill Hybels. I'm excited about the conversations we could have with them in the future!

Watching One Direction, supporting Comic Relief

     God has certainly humbled and encouraged me lately as I talk with people back in America. It's becoming increasingly clear how little I need to be involved in others' spiritual journeys. Sure, we are created for community and building each other up, but I've been amazed at what the Holy Spirit is doing in my family and friends' lives back home! Of course I knew this, but it's always a wonderful reminder that God doesn't need me. He can reveal things to people without me needing to be involved or giving advice or support. He's so much bigger and sovereign than I often give Him credit. And thank you God for that; He's in control and He has a much bigger perspective than I do!

     God has also been compelling me to talk to him more. I'm more than comfortable with praying for others and especially for the ministry here, but I've realized that I rarely ask God for his help and presence in the little things. So recently I've been trying to stop and pray for the small things that I often think I can handle on my own. And as His Word promises, He has done immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). I've been praying about my asthma and have noticed a difference in being able to breathe more easily. I've been able to go on a few short runs and I can still breathe through the cold! 
     Another thing I've been praying about is based on Luke 10. Jesus sends out the disciples to each town in pairs. He says that the need is great but that the help is few, so Jesus asks His disciples to pray for God to send out laborers to the mission field. He is sending us out as sheep among wolves. It's gonna be cray-cray. So that's what I'm praying for. I'm praying that God will call people out of their comfort zones, that He will persistently knock at the door of their hearts, and that they will answer the call and go to the need. We'll see how this one goes :)

A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." -Isaiah 40:3

     These past few weeks have been tough; there's a leader in the church who's being extremely difficult in allowing our ministry to move forward. It's intense spiritual warfare. But God can do amazing things when we're up against a brick wall. So please pray for a break-through as we work with others. Although it's very discouraging at times, God works best when we are fully reliant on Him and realize there is nothing we can do. I look forward with hope and confidence that His truth will prevail! He has overcome.