Chris writes: well an awful lot can happen in 6 weeks!! We had a brilliant week away in North Wales. When we came back we moved house and are now living just 15 minutes walk away from where we are based. After 12 months here in UK and 8 living in someone else's home it is soooo good to be in our own at last!! Yesterday we had the internet put on and it is great to be in regular contact again.
The week is mission week for our ELCO students. Basically they have no English lessons so spend the whole week with their churches touching the communities, doing mission 24/7.
This afternoon I visited the three churches who are involved in mission with our students across Birmingham. Two of the churches had their programme sorted out in advance and seemed well organised. The third because of illness were not even sure if they would be able to do a mission week even last week. It was a real struggle and a step of faith but the third managed to come up with something at the 11th hour, working with the children doing crafts. I was really surprised at the results as the 3rd church seemed the busiest and was really impacting the community. Clearly I am not saying planning is not important, but sometimes we just need to spend less time planning and more time praying, just listening to our Father...me included!!
It made me think how we have such great expectations for ourselves and for our ministries and so many plans. We think God will love us more because of what we do for Him. God has one expectation of us which is to love Him....the rest we work out as we go along through life.
Brennan Manning, a man who I am sure was like David in so many ways and a man after God's heart, quotes Father Hugh Donlon: 'You cannot earn God's love because He gave it to you before you started to earn it.'
Have a great summer.
In Him
