Moving, then Going 'Home'

My Room (above & below)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!  

I write to you today from a different location - I've moved from living at the OM Lifehope base, to a flat (apartment) across town with a lady named Elizabeth.  Elizabeth has a great sense of humour and is very hospitable.  She grew up in Micronesia, but has German and American parents.  She is part of the training team at OM Lifehope, and prior to joining OM, she worked with young people in Germany for over 10 years.  

I can't even express to you how much of a blessing it is to have my own room and to enjoy some independence.  Although the people at the base are great, I am a kind of person who needs my own space to stay healthy.  I could feel it wearing on me to not be able to be alone.  Working and living in the same building was difficult.  Praise God for this blessing!  I've included some pictures so you can have an idea of what this new living arrangement is like :)

Living Room (above & below)

 Ministry-wise, Alaina and I have been continuing to seek God's will and direction.  We have felt God impressing upon us a few Scriptures in particular - Psalm 1 and 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.  Psalm 1 contrasts the righteous with the wicked.  The righteous delight in God, and consequently are like "a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season...in all that they do, they prosper."  1 Corinthians 3:10-15 uses the idea of constructing a building, where Jesus Christ is the foundation, to talk about how important it is to build with the right materials.  When judgment day comes, our work will be tested as with fire.  If it survives, we'll get a reward.  If it burns up, we'll suffer loss.  What does this have to do with ministry and God's direction for us?  Well, as we are pioneering this ministry, we need to make sure we are putting down our roots in the right place (the tree), and building with the right materials on the Solid Rock (Jesus).  When we have the right foundation and the right roots, what comes from that will be good and pleasing to God.  We have been working on putting together a biblical and theological rationale.  Basically, this is a document that contains key points and verses from the Bible that will guide our ministry and be a firm foundation for us.  Pray that we will persevere in seeking God first.  This takes more time, and it can be tempting to try and shortcut the process.

(enjoy a few more pics, and I've written more a little further down)

Dining Room

Kitchen

Janet (a church member) & I out for supper at Pizza Express

Monmouth Baptist Church
Praise God that the church has grown since I was last there. 
More young families are attending!

Enjoying some ice cream after a long walk in the
Forest of Dean with the Pastor and his family.

This was one of my favorite spots when I lived in Monmouth

Visiting Links Youth Club, which I used to help with in Monmouth.  Please pray for these youth to come to know Jesus deeper.  Many of them are Christians, but it isn't easy to be a young Christian in Britain.  Marisol, the girl on the right (dark hair, blue shirt), is interested in missions.  Pray for her to continue to seek God in this, and for guidance.  Pray for God to raise up more young people for missions, and moreover to have a missional lifestyle.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go back to Monmouth!  If you recall, Monmouth is the town I worked in when I was last in the UK (2006-2007).  So, I hadn't been to Monmouth or seen the church in over 4 years.  I was a bit nervous as to what this would be like, and just prayed that I wouldn't be disappointed.  God did more than I asked or imagined.  It was like coming home!  I couldn't believe it, because I didn't know if I would ever see my church again...and here God had blessed me so abundantly with an entire weekend there!  When I last saw the Pastor and his family, they had two children and were pregnant with a third.  Now they had four!  They used to joke about re-populating the Sunday School... haha.  

It was also nice to see a number of church members that I had got to know quite well.  The picture to the left above is with a lady named Janet.  Janet is a really wonderful lady who has a huge heart for others to know Jesus, and basically just a big heart!  The evening I arrived she had made up the small house where I was staying, and had filled the fridge with food - there was even a bouquet of flowers!  Please pray for Janet's husband and son to come to know Jesus as Lord of their lives.

Going to church on Sunday morning was also very nice.  When I walked in I saw my prayer letter on the bulletin board, and my name in the prayer list in the bulletin.  The church has been praying for me over the past four years.  Wow!  The pastor, Jonathan, allowed me to speak for 5-10 minutes in the service to update people on what I've been up to since I was last in Monmouth.  It was a wonderful time.

Since a picture can be worth a thousand words (so they say), I've included some here and will leave it at that instead of writing more.   Blessings!!!  --Tami