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!