Youth Track!

Hey there!  Here's an article written by my friend Betsy about the Youth Track I've been working on...enjoy!

Youth track comes to Lifehope

OM Lifehope is offering a new youth track for community outreach participants this year. As part of the larger OM Lifehope training programme, participants have the option to study foundational principles and engage in practical youth ministry as they reach out to local communities in the UK.
“The youth track gives the opportunity to study and reflect on Christian youth work,” says Tami Zacharias, Lifehope youth leader. “This programme teaches you how to think and gives you frameworks and structures.”
The four-month track, launching for the first time this month, is comprised of studying, reflecting, talking and doing. Participants use relevant training materials, participate in regular youth work, reflect on what they are learning and meet with a mentor.
Why not just jump into youth ministry? Tami explains that time spent in purposeful study leads to powerful ministry. ““If you know what your biblical and theological foundation is,” she explains, “you’re able to analyse what the needs are and find ways to meet them instead of just putting things together and hoping it works.”
The youth track handbook states, “…The best ministry comes when we are intentional about it. We’re going to be better youth workers when we know what we want to achieve, and do it on purpose.” The goal of the youth track is to build a foundation which equips youth workers to minister from a biblical basis, regardless of cultural context.
“As I was developing the programme,” says Tami, “I wanted to think cross-culturally. I was very aware that everyone coming into the youth track would be coming from a different context. I wanted to give the students tools and skills that could be used in all cultures.” With the first participants coming from Spain, Bulgaria and Brazil, a cross-cultural approach is vital.
Through the completion of the four-month track, participants will be equipped for current and future youth ministry. Please pray for the youth track students as they walk through the programme. If you are interested in learning more about the youth track at OM Lifehope, click here.
Credit: Betsy Rouse This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
© 2012 Lifehope This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Gobble Gobble - Experiencing Turkey

 Welcome to Turkey: land of squattie potties!  Of course there's more to it than that, but it was a big thing my co-worker Christina and I noticed when we arrived.  Although we were going to Turkey for a leadership course (and a bit of sightseeing), we weren't sure what to expect.  We had heard a few 'horror stories' and so we were somewhat apprehensive.  While I can't speak for all of Turkey, the part we visited was much different than I'd anticipated - in a positive way.  As we stepped off the train I heard a loud siren-like noise, looking around to see what emergency was going on, I realized it was the Muslim call to prayer.  Yep, not in England anymore.  But God was with us the entire way.  We weren't sure how to get to our hotel, and someone on the train walked us all the way there.  We weren't sure how we'd get to Ephesus, and a hotel employee gave us a free ride.  We didn't speak the language, and we met someone our first night who was very friendly - AND fluent in English!  These are just a few examples of God's faithful provision.  Isn't our God amazing?

This picture is of the free continental breakfast at our hotel, and let me tell you, Turkish food is delicious!!  This breakfast, slightly modified for tourists, consisted of fresh bread, 2 kinds of olives, fresh oranges, helvasi (sweet, dense treat with pistachios), two kinds of cheese, fresh butter, jam, tea, juice, tomatoes, and a goat's cheese mixture.  I looked forward to breakfast :)  The guy in the picture works at the hotel and is the one who gave us a ride to Ephesus, and later to the train station as well actually.

 Since we came to Turkey a few days earlier, we had the chance to see a couple sights - including the biblical Ephesus!  I was absolutely elated to be able to see more of what is talked about in the Bible - it really make it come alive!  Here's Christina and I at the beginning of the city, before it started raining.

 This just gives you a little idea of how large and impressive the city would have been in its day.  The pillars made my feet look small...and I don't have small feet...hahaha.

I couldn't resist this shot of the puddle just as it started to rain...beautiful.

There were all kinds of stray cats around not only Ephesus, but also where we were staying...lots of dogs too. 

 This is a shot from the top of the long marble street that led down to the Celsus Library.  There would have been large pillars and statues all along the street.  Some of the things down the street included public latrines, houses, baths, temples, fountains, etc.

 This is the great theatre where Paul tried to go into in Acts 19, but couldn't.  It can fit about 24,000 people!  Just compare the small figures on the bottom right to the size of the structure - wow! 

Why couldn't Paul go into the theatre?  Thousands of people were quite upset that Paul was saying that their gods weren't gods at all.  The people of Ephesus, and in other areas, worshipped Artemis, the goddess of fertility.  They were shouting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for over two hours, and were about to be accused of rioting.  On the left is what the temple of Artemis would have looked like in its day.  On the right is what is left of the actual temple - almost completely destroyed.  I'm going with Paul - Artemis wasn't a god at all.  Look at what is left!  But our God remains.

 Here's a statue of Artemis that was in the museum - this would have been in the temple... crazy looking isn't it?

Over here we're in one of the local restaurants with a friend we met - Aydin.  The first night we went to this restaurant he was sitting nearby and heard Christina & I speaking English.  He started talking to us and he was fluent!  He was able to translate things for us, and when he left, he invited us to visit his carpet shop down the road the next day.  So the next day we went there and had tea and learned about carpets, then met him for supper that night.  It was great to experience some warm Turkish hospitality!  We drank way too many cups of tea! 

 This is Selcuk (pronounced Sel-chook), the town nearby Ephesus where we stayed during our sightseeing.  The conference was nearby as well.

 The leadership course we attended was called FLighT, which stands for Foundational Leaders Training.  This is the building where our sessions took place.  We learned about a variety of things, including characteristics of a Godly leader, multicultural teams, team building, communication, constructive feedback, motivation, project management and more.  The training was basic (i.e, foundational), but it was still helpful.  I also really enjoyed meeting people that work all around Western and Central Asia.  God's people are at work everywhere!

From the characteristics of a Godly leader session, we had to write down some of the things we thought characterised a Godly leader on these strips of paper.  Themes that came out were serving, humility, integrity, communicating well, deep relationship with God, etc etc.  Thinking about all this reminded me of John 15 - apart from God, we can do nothing.  How can I be humble, live with integrity, serve others, communicate well, live deeply with God, if I try to do it by myself?  I need God!  Please pray for each of us who went to this course as we desire to be Godly leaders. 

Because of the area where most of the people attending the conference work, it's not wise to show pictures with their faces where they can be identified.  Here's a photo of a praise & worship time during the conference.


Hopefully now you're not craving turkey, but have enjoyed reading about my experience in Turkey!  I'm looking forward to putting what I've learned into practice, and I humbly ask for your prayers in this - it's a balance between being faithful in what God has given me, and recognizing that if God doesn't do it in and through me, I'm hopeless.  Through this conference I believe I've grown closer to God not only in the way I lead, but also personally.  The more I truly experience of God, the more thankful I am that I'm God's child.  Thinking back of people worshipping Artemis, I'm thankful that my God is alive and always with me.  What a great God we serve, amen?

Be encouraged and blessed in our God,

Tami

Oh the places you'll go...

Here's the latest from over the pond - please do let me know your news as well :)

God Is With Us

Merry Christmas
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." 
Matthew 1:23
It amazes me to think that the God of the universe chose to enter the world as a helpless, dependent baby.  God could have come as a fully grown adult, or even another type of being, but God chose to come and be one of us, to be God With Us.  What kind of a God does that?  Our God!  Enjoy our God this Christmas!

 I plan to spend this Christmas in London with a wonderful friend from home - Kaila! Kaila moved to London last month to work with Greater Europe Mission and More than Gold. Check out her blog here.  I'm really grateful for this huge blessing of being able to spend Christmas with a dear friend :)  I'll be in London from the 22nd to the 27th, and then it will be back to work. 

 By the way, these pictures are from the Mentoring Clinic that I was a part of from December 1-5th. They were incredibly full days - starting at 9 or 9:30 in the morning, and going till 9 or 9:30 in the evening.  There was a break in the afternoon, but we had homework to do then as well.  Here are some things I learned and some highlights from that time:
- Everyone can be a mentor!  We all have something that we can pass on to someone else.
- We need a variety of mentors in our lives.  One person can't fulfil all of our needs.

- The 'mock' mentoring session.  On the last day we had a chance to put our learning into practice.  We split into pairs and took turns mentoring each other in real life situations.  It was wonderful to see how practical the teaching was, and be able to use the tools they gave us.
- Our trainers!  They were really funny, but also able to teach.  I especially enjoyed hearing from Elke (pictured to the left).  For some time I've been on the lookout for female leaders who lead with competence and confidence, and she did that well! 

Switching gears... way back in September, we had an adventure week which was kindof an orientation to being back at Lifehope.  One day we had a photo scavenger hunt all around the Black Country and Birmingham.  The winner of this scavenger hunt could pick a prize.  My team, pictured to the right, after a long day of running around, finally won!  More than three months later, we picked our prize - dinner at Jamie Oliver's restaurant and a movie - Sherlock Holmes 2.  It was wonderful!

A few pictures of baking and decorating sugar cookies with some of the students and staff!  We got quite creative in our decorating - I made an American shaped cookie and did the American flag on it, and also the Canadian flag.  The one with the circle and black lines is the South Korean flag, and the red cross is the English flag.

Today it was so nice and sunny outside that I went for a walk to one of the parks nearby.  Solo walks in nature are always a treat for me, and it was especially nice that I could do it this late in the year!  I didn't even wear a winter coat!  Enjoy some pictures from the walk...

A little hard to read, but it says "Halesowen: Once Nail Making Capitol of England."  This used to be a very industrial area, thus the name "Black Country." 

I realize when I post all of these pictures of 'fun' things, that it may look as if that's all I do...but I wanted to clarify that with the strict child protection laws in the UK, it is hard to get pictures of work with young people.  If they are under 16, you usually have to get permission from the parents.  Where it is possible, I'll try to show pictures of ministry.   Thanks for your understanding, and for your incredible support over the last months.  I truly appreciate it! 
Shalom,
Tami

Prayer Letter #5

 

Come Apart and Rest Awhile...

 I've heard the saying, "come apart and rest awhile, or you may just come apart!"  It's true, isn't it?  If we don't take time to rest and rejuvenate, fuel up if you will, then we have a diminished capacity for life in general.  Plus, God rested in the beginning, so why do we think we can escape from it?

This picture on the left is from my day off on Sunday.  I took a long walk (3 hours) to Clent Hills.  It's a local area that has been protected as a nature reserve.  The scenery is amazing, but points to an even greater God who created it all.  I found my first geocache of my time here so far, and enjoyed the rest (visit www.geocaching.com if you're not sure what it is).

 A little humour for you.  Very little.  I saw this sign on my walk back home from Clent Hills.

 This picture is from a girls night that Elizabeth and I hosted for some of the students here.  We had a chocolate fondue, face masks, and hand massages.  It was also a great time of relaxation! 

 One way that I connect with God is intellectually, and what better way to nurture that than through a stimulating debate?  I had the privilege of attending a debate between William Lane Craig and Peter Millican on the topic, "Does God exist?"  There were over 1000 people there, as you can see from the photo on the right.  It was so nice to be in an academic environment again, and it made me miss school.  Please pray for the people who attended the debate, that it would be clear to them not only that God exists, but the character of God and his desire for a real, transforming relationship with them.

 From October 13-16th I had the chance to visit OM Germany for some Teenstreet meetings.  I wanted to go to learn more about OM's ministry with young people, of which Teenstreet is a part.  Teenstreet is an international conference for Christian teenagers.  I didn't know much about it before the meetings, but began to see the impact that such a conference can have.  A week-long conference with over 2000 teenagers from around the world, getting together to worship God and learn more about what it means to follow him.  What are some elements?  Arts, sports, giving, serving, singing, small groups...there's so much!  Visit www.teenstreet.de for more info.

 Since these meetings were held in Mosbach, Germany, I had the chance to reconnect with an old friend - Tina!  I hadn't seen Tina in over 4 years, so it was wonderful to catch up, even if it was only for 45 minutes...  That's us, above.

To the right is a church in the town centre of Mosbach.

 Let me introduce you to Lianne and her son Ezra.  Lianne us currently involved in the finance department at OM Lifehope, but she wants to get involved with youth ministry in the future.  Her son Ezra and I have gotten along quite well, and he is most adorable!  Right now he doesn't come to me, but one day...one day he will. haha :)

 This is another photo from a day off.  Betsy, Alaina and I got together for a real, North American pudding party.  My lovely parents had sent me some pudding from home, so I made chocolate and vanilla pudding, with toppings - cinnamon, coconut, and whip cream.  It was delightful to host them, and they enjoyed getting off the base to a real home.  We had good food, good conversation, and watched a funny movie.  Very relaxing!

 This picture is from a training day that Alaina and I attended which was put on by Youth for Christ.  It was a really great day where we learned about schoolswork, making God more visible in your youth group, and dealing with challenging behaviour.  Very helpful and informative.  We could also network with local youth workers with YFC, and discuss how we at OM can partner with them.  Just up the road from us, in Quinton, there is a YFC centre where the office is in the local highschool.  The leader of the centre, Dani, shared about her work there, and the connections and opportunities God has given her in the school.  Praise God for how open (in general) the schools are to Christian input.  Pray that this would continue.  Some people are concerned because recent government legislation has taken Religious Education out of the English Baccalaureate.  Basically, this means it isn't seen as an important subject for the higher grades to focus on.  Many Christians, and people of all faiths actually, are lobbying for it to be re-assessed and included as an important focus.  Regardless, keep on praying for the schools and for all Christians working in the UK school system.

Well that's it for this update!  What about you?  What's going on in your life?  I'd love to hear from you :)  But before you finish this blog entry, think about your life...do you need to come apart and rest awhile?  If you don't, you may just plain come apart.

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