Nativity Goofs

Sorry about the long delay between posts recently. As some of you may have heard, I am in the States! Ignite has been extremely generous and has sent me home for the Christmas and New Year season! I am very grateful. The time I've spent with my family this week has done wonders for my homesickness. I was packing and boarding a plane last week, so I didn't get around to blogging.

So here we are in the middle of the holiday season, with Christmas over and New Years on the way. And that usually means a time full of parties and friends and loads of goodies that would satisfy even the hungriest sweet-tooth. It was wonderful having my mother's home-cooking for Christmas dinner and having 2 of my grandparents with us.

Back in Cardiff, the Sunday before Christmas we held the annual children's Nativity at church. We had angels and a star and one shepherd. We had Mary and Joseph and baby-doll Jesus. It was very cute, watching these children in their costumes trying to all get to their places while the narrators read. And of course it was ridiculously cute when one of the 9 year old narrators read about the "athletic host" rather than the "angelic host."

And during the second show when the narrator read about Mary having a baby and Mary would usually bring out the baby-doll Jesus, this time she froze. She realized that she forgot to bring baby Jesus up front with her! The narrators, not noticing the missing element of the show, kept reading as Mary pointed frantically to the back of the small church to where she left the baby Jesus. One of volunteers who had helped with the production went to the back of the church and was going through the back room that we used for a changing room, riffling through coats and costumes until she finally found the baby Jesus. By the time she brought the baby to his mother, the angels had finished their lines and the shepherds were already with Mary and Joseph, trying to figure out where to look if Jesus is not in Mary's arms.

Funniest nativity I've ever seen. It was hard to keep my laughter silent! It was altogether very sweet, and the pastor even managed to work the missing Jesus into his sermon, saying that we often forget to put Jesus in the center of Christmas, just as we forgot to put Him in the center our nativity.

I hope you all have had a magnificent Christmas, and I want to thank you again for all of your prayers and the financial support you've given. You are such a blessing. Happy New Year!

The Challenges

We had our Christmas party at GYC this week. We had a quiz involving music and famous people. It was a lot of fun, but it made me feel rather old. And I'm not old! But these kids were all born since 2000, so they were having trouble guessing or giving clues about people who were famous before then(or even after). The girls on my team didn't even know who Brad Pitt was! And for one clue they said, "Umm, He's an astronaut!".... It was George Clooney. It just reminds me how 12 year olds get younger every year.

We had some trouble with the TYC this week with this one little boy who has become quite infamous in the neighborhood. He goes places just to cause trouble it seems. He never seems to be in school, and is often seen running rampant through the neighborhood with friends with reputations not much better than his own. But he almost always shows up to our youth club. If he finds out that it's Thursday, he will be out in front of the building up to an hour early just waiting to be let into club. He's often told to leave in the first 20 minutes  due to his bad behavior, but the fact that he shows up so early so that he doesn't miss it makes me think that he almost wants to be better. You wouldn't be able to tell that from his actions once he's in the club, but he if he knows it's a Thursday, he is outside, just waiting.

I don't know much about his home life, but I do know that he's rarely there. I don't think he's had any positive male role model in his life.  So there he is, making it up as he goes or following whatever examples of men he is shown via TV or music. I know I've gone on a bit of a rant here about this boy, and I might sound a bit annoyed at this troublesome child (and I might be), but my heart hurts for him. He is so lost with no one better than himself to follow or to set up rules for him. I know it seems as if kids hate rules because they like to break them so much, but in reality, without rules there is no structure, no guidelines to follow. Then they are left with no boundaries and feeling insecure. With rules, they know what they can and cannot do, and they learn how to be successful in life.

Please pray for these little boys of 11 and younger who are lacking that structure and Godly influence in their lives. We all love them and want to welcome them with open arms, but with their behavior and language as it currently is, it's not possible to keep the club in good order while having them in there. Please pray that their spirits will settle so some groundwork can be laid for good relationships with these boys. We want to help them, but you need a mutual trust  and friendship first.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I am truly blessed by everyone who's given and is praying. God will make a way to build these relationships, so please join us in the prayer that this will happen soon.

Two (or Three) Different Worlds

We took the kiddos from GYC ice skating last Tuesday. And as the motherly person I am, I brought extra gloves, a hat, tissues, even an extra sweater, just in case someone didn't think to dress very warm for the cold. And as it turned out, one boy had left his winter coat back at the church building, so he was running around in a T-shirt! I kept offering him the sweatshirt, but he absolutely refused. Kids. What do you do with them?

But it was fun going out to the place called "Winter Wonderland" that was covered with lights, had little booths made out of wood that sold food, snacks, beer (of course none of our group helped ourselves to that), and cotton candy. There were different rides, from bumper-cars to the swings in the sky. Of course the kids wanted to go on all of the rides, but we only really had time for ice skating, so we had an earful of complaints from that.

 I had fun teaching some of the kids how to skate. This one boy had such a hard time keeping his feet under him. But even after falling down up to 10 times and I'd seen him wiping tears from his face (I'm not sure if he was hurt or embarrassed) he still got up and kept trying. He was still disheartened when he got off the ice, but all the leaders were cheering on his courage to try again.  

Wednesday evening was practically a different world from the night before. It was filled with rich gentlemen escorting ladies in evening gowns to a night of fine dining and entertainment. It was the annual fundraiser for the Cardiff Street Pastors. We sold raffle tickets, had a men's choir, and some big shot sports person I can't remember the name of. At the end there was a live band that did excellent covers of popular songs so that people could dance.

We also had an auction to sell some of the goodies that had been donated towards the cause. Things like a lunch for 8 at a fancy restaurant or a free night at a nice hotel in London. This auction was nothing like the ones I had grown up going to. The ones that usually had some homemade quilts and Amish made furniture and an Amish man standing up front prattling on so fast he could talk circles around any rapper. This was a much slower paced and a bit more refined kind of auction. Not as much fun, though.

We had our faithful church attendee come on Sunday. She brought a friend as usual, and neither of them have quite gotten the hang of being quiet and respectful at church, but we are still glad they came. I don't know that these girls have ever had to respect something or someone like we do in church. I don't know how they are in school, but I doubt they're completely quiet there either. So we have hope.

Please pray for the wellness of our youth workers. We're dealing with illnesses again. And on a more personal note, please pray that I can be a bit more positive in thought. I know you might not believe it if you've only seen me in public, but I do tend to be a pessimist and I think it's really bringing me down.

Thank you for all of your support and prayer. Please keep them up. Merry Christmas!

btw, in case anyone reads to the bottom of this, I'm coming home for Christmas. 

Caring Through the Chaos

Well, we survived play practice last week. I'm not sure how or if we'll end up doing the play, but we survived the last practice at least. We had a guest come to give a talk and some samples of the beauty products she sells, and with a crowd of mostly girls in the youth club, they thoroughly enjoyed rubbing in the lotions and perfume samples. Some of the boys enjoyed it as well. One boy had so much lotion on his hands that he started smearing it all over his face and neck. His reasoning was "if it's free, it's fine". Needless to say, we all smelled very good at the end of the night. After the "Body Shop Party" we had tea and cookies and some children helped themselves to enough cookies for the next 2 weeks!

We had a crazy night at the Tremorfa youth club as well. We had some boys playing xbox in one room and some of the girls were doing some crafts and some karaoke. We ended up with a very noisy room. We had some younger boys who were bored watching the older boys playing xbox, so they started running around and causing a bit of a ruckus. 

Like I said: a crazy night. I felt like a lot of the time was just spent in crowd control, so it was difficult to try and make conversation and build relationships with these kids. Even if they don't know me very well, I love these kids more than they will ever know. I've asked God to give me His heart for His people and I believe He's given it. I'm glad we have so many kids who want to come in, but things can get a bit overwhelming when they start misbehaving. Please be praying that we would find more opportunities to talk and share God's love with these kids.

This Saturday I'm inviting people to join me in praying for the Father's Love to be shown to these children. Not all of them have fathers, and a lot who do don't have a good relationship with them. I will be having a prayer day once a month and I am inviting all of my family in Christ to join. 

Please pray that once His Love is discovered, it will shine from His children, lighting up all of Tremorfa and Grangetown and God's light and love would spread to the rest of Cardiff and Wales. We are praying for revival to take over this country again.

Thank you again for your continued support. I am funded through March!!! Praise the Lord!

The Herdmans' Play Practice

Christmas is coming. You see the decorations and you may have already heard your first Christmas song, despite it not even being December. And here in Cardiff is no different. And with not having Thanksgiving here, people don't have a day to officially start the Christmas season, so it can start in mid-November or earlier if you want.

We've been working with the kids in preparation as well. In the Grangetown youth club we've started practicing for our Christmas skit. This takes about half an hour of our club time, but it is one of the craziest half hours of the week! These preteens and teens are constantly switching roles, arguing over who got what part this week, and losing their place in the script so they miss their lines and we have to start over at least 6 times before we can make it to the end of the 2 minute sketch. If you've ever heard of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with the out of control Herdman kids, this is about the same as if we had a room full of Herdmans and maybe one or two Beths (well behaved children) in the crowd.

I know it sounds like absolute chaos and a lot of the times it is, but it's in the small moments with the kids before, after, and during the skit practice that we can start to see that the message might be coming through. 

We have a short time near the end where we sit them all down with some hot chocolate and toast and we talk a little bit about Jesus. Some of these kids have gone to Sunday School or something so they know a little about Jesus, but others have made up their minds to be Atheist. Most of these decided Atheists don't pay any attention during the lesson, but occasionally we'll see them watching us and answering our questions. There is one girl who refuses to believe what we're saying when we talk about the love of God. I don't know if she's been hurt by the church or something, but I'm praying that her eyes and heart will soon be opened. Please join me in this prayer.

One week we met on Remembrance Day and for the lesson we shared about John 15:13 "Greater love has no man than this: That he would lay down his life for his friend." We asked them who they love enough that they'd be willing to die for them. The volunteer giving the talk asked example questions like, "would you die for your mum?" or "would you die for your best friend?" This was to bring up how Christ died for all people, even if they don't like him. We had some interesting answers to the example questions though.

A lot of them said they would die for their grandmothers. One girl said, "I'd die for my one Nan, but not the other one." And another girl said, "Don't ask me if I'd die for my dad, because I wouldn't. I hate my dad."

This breaks my heart. This girl showed us a little of her heart, and what we saw was pain. She had been badly hurt by her earthly father. I'm praying that she will still accept our Heavenly Father's Love despite the pain she's been through. Please pray for this little one as well.

I do have a praise report to give: I am funded for the next 4 months!!! Yay! So I am paid through March! Thank you so much for your generosity and your contributions toward this ministry in Wales. You are such a blessing. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. I will let you know how tonight's practice went next week.

Life's an adventure

God Can Heal the Scars!

As some of you already know, I wasn't feeling well last week, so I had to sit out of 3 days of work. It wasn't the most optimal time to sit out either because my first day back on the job was the day of our big youth event Speak. So I was sadly under-prepared for this event.

I helped where I could but I must say all the prep and details of this day was done by these wonderful ladies I work with, Ruth and Caitlin. So well done ladies.

The event was fast paced where we had a large amount of speakers who speak for only 15 minutes each. It's great because you hear a variety of subjects on descipleship and the best of what people have to say in 15 minutes. So we had a great day with that.

We had one girl from Tremorfa share her amazing testimony. She used to be bullied in high school and  she would self harm. Then one day her friend invited her to youth club (the same one I'm working at, but this was before I came) and she came and was eventually led to Christ. She started going to church on Sundays and a few months after getting saved she decided to get baptized! She was nervous about it on the day of because she knew she would have to show the scars on her arms when she got baptized, but she decided (by her own words) "Bugger, I'll do it for Jesus."

When she went under the water she started feeling a tingling like pins and needles in her arms, and she didn't think anything of it until she came up and saw that her scars were gone! God had completely healed her scars and she was free from that bondage! She can now wear short sleeved tops again and not feel ashamed! Her ending remarks were "Jesus loves you, and He can do miracles, so yeah..."

Although she was nervous about speaking in front of people, the power of her words and her testimony brought out her courage as well. She was very inspiring. And just hearing what God had done for her and how He had shown His love towards her was amazing and moving. She had brought hope to others in the crowd who had had a past of self-harming.

God is so good, and He is moving. Please keep praying for these young people we're working with over here, and for the continued health of the team. I'm still dealing with a bit of cold-like stuff and I'm really praying I can get out of that this week. Thank you for all of your support, once again. Thank you for your prayers. I'll let you know how next week goes.

What an Adventure God's Got Me On!

What a week!
Things have been going great.The Tuesday night youth club went well. Nobody caught fire from the sparklers, thank goodness. We did have one boy say it'd be fun to try popping a car tire with them, but I was quick to inform him that the only car nearby belonged to the woman who runs the youth club. That didn't seem to discourage him very much, so I made sure to stand between him and the car while he held the sparklers.

We spoke about November 5th and why we celebrate it. It was the day when an assassination attempt to kill King James was thwarted. The same King James who ordered the Bible be translated to English, and where we get the King James Bible. If the plan had succeeded we would probably not have the Bible as freely as we do today. Aren't we glad for that.I would love to tell you more about my first experience celebrating November 5th, but that will have to be in a different post

Thursday was the first time I lead a meeting in the youth club in Tremorfa. Spoke on the basics of our beliefs: John 3:16-17, emphasizing how Jesus didn't come to condemn but to save us. I think using everyday language to explain these verses really clicked with some of the kids. At the end they were actually asking questions about what it takes to go to Heaven, as well as other rather deep questions.

Now maybe not all, but a lot of these kids would rather laugh and distract than have to face a serious subject in front of their friends, so it was a huge deal that some of these kids were asking these questions. We're praying that they continue to ask these questions and that they will find the ultimate answer: Jesus Christ. Please join us in this prayer.

I felt like I became better friends with the boys that night as well. As some of you may have heard, we played some British football (soccer) and the boys, who have played a lot of football, even said I wasn't half bad! I was super proud of myself. But on another level, I feel like the boys became more comfortable with me. I wasn't just a stranger who was tagging along anymore. I'm getting closer to the friend status. Yay!

Ignite is having its big youth event on Saturday, so we've been in the office preparing for that as well this week. This event is to encourage young Christians in their faith and to challenge them to make a difference in their world for Christ. We're really praying for a big turnout.

Praise God, hallelujah! He is my provider. My next 2 months over here are covered. Please pray about giving towards this ministry that God is developing in me and through me to the youth of Cardiff. I don't know what He's got in store, but I believe it's gonna be good. If you would like to contribute please send checks to:
Heartland Church
1025 Vance Ave.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805

And remember to attach my name to the check, don't write it on the check and make it out to Heartland Church. Thank you so much to those who have already given and to those who are planning to give. You are all such a blessing to me, and you are being a true example of the Body of Christ.

I love you all, and please continue to keep me and this ministry in your prayers. Thank you

Just a Quick Update

This week was "Half Term" which means that the kids all had school off for the week. (They don't have Thanksgiving so I guess they need a week off for something.)

We've had our girl come to church in Tremorfa again. I'm so glad it's becoming a regular thing now. And almost every week she brings a different friend with her. I sat near them in the service this week, and while a lot of times it seems like they're not paying attention they can really be soaking up what's being said, so I'm praying that's the case.

Also, things have been settling in with the youth club in Grangetown. Kids are kids so it's always exciting. In celebration of the autumn season we had a night of quizzing, tested all five of our senses,  and at the end, had a good old fashioned apple bobbing. Of course, that eventually turned into a water fight and we ended up mopping the floors, but the kids loved it.

This week we are planning on making chocolate covered apples (like caramel apples but less mess), and sparklers! I know, kinda risky with kids. I'll let you know if we see anything in flames.

What most Americans don't know is that on November 5th the British have what's called a Bonfire Night. They'll have bonfires, bbqs, and fireworks! I guess it's the British equivalent of July 4th, just without the independence part of it. And I get to be here for it! I'm very excited. Or as the Welsh would say "chuffed". (I think I'm saying that right.) Sadly, they don't have s'mores over here, but if that's the only thing that's missing it should still be a good night.

As I said, the kids had school off last week and the youth club in Tremorfa took the week off as well, so I didn't spend much time with the kiddos. We've been working in the office nearly full time preparing for the youth event Speak, which is happening a week from Saturday.

Please keep the team in your prayers as we've been dealing with sicknesses. Also, please pray that this event we are preparing for would touch the hearts of the people attending, and please pray that many attend.

As always, thank you for your continued support of my ministry in south Wales through prayer and finances. Please keep it up! I love you all. Thanks

Praises and Prayers

It has been an interesting week. I have a number of praise reports as well as some prayer requests.

First of all, praise reports: more contributions have come in! We have another month covered and that much closer to meeting the goal! Thank you to all who have given. It is such a blessing to me. You are helping to keep my ministry going over here.

Another praise: While working in the office is fine and necessary, I’d much rather be working with kids, so one of the blessings of this week is that we found another youth club for me to partner with and help out on Tuesday nights! Working with youth and praying for them is very much my calling and I am so happy to be able to help.

Praise: Thursday evening went great. Thank you to those who were praying for it. Some of you know that I put a status on FB asking people to pray against whatever is trying to come against us. And it’s a good thing I did go then because another volunteer ended up staying home sick and her husband was going to stay with her. So we were down by another couple of workers. I know the enemy is threatened by what we’re doing here because of all the attacks on the workers. Please keep up the prayers for safety and health for me and my fellow fishermen (fishers’o’men).

So during youth club this week we had something a little different. I was in charge of the girls, and I taught them all the “Drive The Bus” dance! To those of you who aren’t from my home church and aren’t familiar with this is a silly dance put to what sounds like random music. It usually has dance moves with recognizable names like “the Sprinkler”, “Disco”, and “The Plumber”. At first the girls thought my antics were ridiculous, which they were, but on the second time around we got a good sized crowd doing it with me. It was a lot of fun.

Praise: This girl who's come to church has been continuing to come and continues to bring her friends! God is really doing work in this girl's heart, so please pray that she continues to come and learn about God.

Prayers: We’ve had a number of sicknesses going around, so as I said, please pray for healing and health.

I’ve had a couple of girls tell me in the evening that they’ve not eaten all day. I know that one of them is known for exaggerating, so I’m trying to figure out how much of what she says I should believe. But the other one we’ve had suspicions of something not-right going on. Please pray that God will work in both these girls and that He will show them His love.

I know a lot of the behavior and self-harm problems are seen everywhere in the world, and we’re praying for that to end, but until Christ comes back, the world will remain imperfect. We can’t help everybody, but we can help the ones in front of us. Please pray that God gives us wisdom on how to show His love to these girls.

I had my ipod on shuffle the other day and this song came on I hadn’t heard before.I’d bought the album for one song so I hadn’t listened to the rest of it. But when it came on I ended up sobbing. It really paints a picture of what so many kids are going through. Only Jesus can heal this pain. It breaks my heart to think of the people who haven’t met Him yet.

Thank you once again for your donations and prayers. Please keep ‘em up. I love ya’ll.
 God is good.

Something's Stirring

So here's another update on things happening over here:

I told you about the girls' night we had last week. Well, one of the girls left her coat at the house by accident. She later sent a text to one of the leaders saying to just bring the coat to church  on Sunday.

From what I understand this girl has not been going to church for the last few years, so we were very excited to learn that she would be coming to church. And she came! She showed up Sunday morning, brought her little sisters and came to join Sunday School.

Later on, during class, two of her friends show up! Friends who wouldn't normally want to be seen in church. Now we knew they were all too old for Sunday School, and while one sitting in to help the teachers is permitted once in a while, we couldn't let the 3 of them sit in. So I ushered all three of them into the big church service. I showed them where they could sit by an adult they knew in the back row, but the girls walked right passed her and went right to the front row.

(I don't know that I will ever understand the reasoning in some teenager's minds. I know I would have sat in the back!) Anyway, although I was helping in the kids' class I was told afterward that all three girls sat through the whole service! These particular girls are known for whispering, giggling, and various other distracting things during our short lessons during the youth club we hold during the week, so I was really curious as to whether or not they could sit through a whole sermon.

And they did! The two friends were completely engaged in the service and didn't want to leave even when the first girl said "Let's go". This is very encouraging to see when you're working in youth ministry. Not the let's go part, but the fact that they even came to church and wanted to stay! A lot of times in youth ministry it feels like you're not really doing much. Like you might be trying to tell them about Jesus but it feels more like talking AT them rather than TO them. And we invite them to join us at church every week, but often times just get some laughs and comments like "Yeah, right".

But we are seeing a change! And one of the girls has even come back by herself this past Sunday! God is working in these young ladies' hearts, and we are starting to see the results of this.

Keep praying for what God is doing in these young people and in Wales. The embers of the last revival that seemed so dull and dying are being stirred up. Life is coming back! Maybe one life at a time, but this is just the beginning. And Heaven rejoices with each new life brought to Christ! So let's keep praying. Pray that God would blow on the embers and start a flame.

And thank you so much to my family and friends and home church, Heartland, for all of your continued support and prayers. Sometimes it feels like we're a long way from the finish line, but I know God will come through. Please pray about giving to my ministry in Wales. And again, thank you.

The Little Huge Steps

I've been getting closer to the kids we're working with. Building relationships always take time, but I'm glad for what's come from these few weeks of knowing them. I love watching the kids and getting to know each of them.

A lot of these kids we're working with have come from broken families. More often there's only one parent in the house and in any situation that's hard for the children to deal with. A lot of these kids don't feel they can trust adults, so it can be difficult to show the love of Christ.

But we have seen some small breakthroughs this week! We had a girls' night on Friday and we had more girls show up than we expected! It got a little chaotic, but when I saw one girl sitting by herself I decided to join her at the craft table. She refused to sit with the other girls who were watching a movie and she didn't want to tell me what was wrong, so I just sat with her, doing a craft beside her so she knew I was there to listen. She did eventually open up and tell me what was bothering her. It wasn't much more than a petty argument with a friend who was there, but I knew to her it was more than just something small. She was feeling hurt by her friend and she didn't want to sit with her.

I encouraged her to tell her friend about what was wrong. I know that girls' grudges, no matter how small they start out, can ruin some good times ahead. So eventually when her friend was separated from the group, I saw the girl approach her and talk for a bit. It seemed that within a few minutes the problem was resolved and they were back to being friends. 

I know this seems like a small victory, but some of these kids feel like they are either a bother to most grownups or they are ignored completely. So to have someone sit there and listen to them, no matter how small the matter might be, can mean a lot to some kids. I want these kids to know that someone does care for them and that Christ cares even more.

Please pray for more opportunities to show God's love to the people of this community. Please continue in praying with us for revival to come again to the country of Wales. God has done a big movement in this nation before and He's not done with Wales. God's not done yet.

Stay tuned for the next testimony of what God's doing in this place. It might seem small, but it's a huge step forward!

Building a Wall and Rolling the Ball

So I told you to stay tuned, yes? Well, things are going great over here. Unfortunately, fundraising has come to a standstill since I've left home. I love you all, and I'm grateful for all of the contributions from friends and family. We've reached the $4,000 mark! Yay! However, in order to stay here the full 12 months, I should need another $9,000.

I know it's a daunting number, and you may be thinking that nothing you could do would change that. But there is something you could do. Every small bit helps. It takes more than one brick to build a wall, but if you put them all together you can build a fortress. Even if it's skipping a coffee once a week, or not taking that $5 luxury once a week, we can build that wall. So I ask you friends, to not think that you have to give every cent from your bank, but to do something small on a regular basis, would you help me stay in Cardiff and to finish what I've started? 

If you would like to help build the wall, you can send whatever you are willing to give to Heartland Church at 1025 Vance Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46825. A small monthly contribution can put up a good section of the wall. Thank you for your help and prayers.

We are getting the ball rolling with some things over here. Coming up in the near future me and some others from the ignite team will be going into a high school in Tremorfa and will be paired up with some students to be mentors! I'm really excited about this opportunity! The school knows that we are a christian group and yet they are still letting us come in mentor these kids. I believe it will be a very good thing. Challenging, but good.

So we are doing the training for that in the meantime. Learning how to respond to the things we may be faced with, be it a rambunctious teen, someone dealing with abuse, or someone who has just shut down and doesn't know how to take love anymore. Please be praying about this as we prepare. Pray that we would show the Love of Christ to these kids, and that God would be preparing their hearts as well, whether they know it or not. 

We did a prayer-walk this morning, walking around the area of Tremorfa and claiming this neighborhood for God. There is so much poverty and bondage to the enemy going on around us that a lot of times we don't even notice it anymore. But God is doing something behind the scenes. We've seen changes in some of the kids behavior towards good, and kids are getting saved. This whole ministry is about relationships. A lot of it takes time, so I do get a little impatient, but the others are telling me of these changes. 

Please pray that God will continue His work in the city, and that revival will come again to this nation. 

Joy In a Stolen Bicycle

So this past week has been an interesting one. I've been settling in with my host/flatmate, Diana. She is this amazing woman of God who is Spirit filled and Spirit led. It's awesome to be living with such a wonderfully sweet woman who truly lives out her faith. She can sound a bit cooky at times, but that's partly because she doesn't mind standing out in the crowd.

I started gaining a little independence this week by learning the routes and borrowing a bicycle to take those routes! It was great on Monday, biking to the office in the morning and not making anyone have to give me a lift. It was also great on Tuesday as I got a little lost and was a little late arriving in Tremorfa. I got independence and exercise! 

Then came the interesting part: I locked up the bicycle on the bike rack outside the church where we were working on Tuesday. It was a bright, sunny day, the blinds in the church were all open, and we had someone doing some maintenance on the building from the outside. We were having a great time inside building relationships with some mothers of young children, playing with the kids and having lunch with all of them, when I took a look outside. What I saw were 4 bike racks with no bike to be seen. I went outside to double check and found that all the racks were empty and under the one where the bike had been was what was left of my bike-lock. My bike was stolen!

So for the rest of the day I was left to carry the heavy bag that was designed to attach to the bike. And while I was able to catch a train nearby, I still had to walk a bit more than a mile. So here I am, walking home and really just having a pity party. I started listing all the things that had gone wrong that week and of course things just spiralled from there. 

But somewhere in the middle of my complaining, I felt God nudging me. Suddenly this happy, kind of goofy song popped in my head and I felt like I should sing it. I really didn't want to, but ended up singing anyways. I don't know what the other people on the sidewalk were thinking, but I started singing, and then the song turned to a worship song, and then another! Soon, I was praising God instead of just complaining to Him! It turned my whole day around. I was happy the rest of the day, no matter what happened, and I've still been surprisingly happy whenever the bike is brought up. I've started praying that whoever took the bike would feel so guilty about taking it that he would return it and get saved! You may join me in praying for this if you like.

God has been teaching me to praise Him, no matter the circumstance. And it turns out that it will change your view entirely. It's like when you smile while you're in a bad mood, you will suddenly be in a good mood and thinking about why you're in a good mood. 

So thank you, Lord, for what you are doing in this community and with this unknown person who will soon be saved. I pray you will be blessed this week. 

If you would like email updates, please email me at Natasha@heartlandfw.org.

We are still well below our goal financially, so please pray about contributing towards this trip. If you are unsure if you can afford to contribute: stay tuned for the next episode of Natasha's Journeys

Across the Ocean At Last

Well, I finally made it over! I actually arrived on Tuesday morning, but this is my first evening off since I’ve been here, so I thought now would be a good time to update you all.

I’ve been to a couple of meetings with the young people over here and things have gone about as expected: kids being kids. A lot of these kids are new Christians (which is amazing!) so they are asking a lot of questions trying to figure out what they believe. It’s awesome to see this stage of Christianity, especially with all these young people exploring God for themselves. I grew up around mostly Christians, and while I have done youth ministry before, it was mostly mentoring young people who have already accepted Christ.  This is a whole new experience for me and I look forward to learning more about God on this journey. I always feel like you learn more about a subject when you teach and have to explain that subject to someone else. Please pray that God gives me wisdom and opportunities to share and talk about His love to others.

All this has been great for a first week , but unfortunately it’s not going to last if my finances don’t come through.  For those who would like to donate on a monthly basis here is a chart on how much I’ll need for the basics on a monthly basis. It would be extremely helpful if you would commit to donating for a need that will be coming up:

Rent per month: $430

Bills per month: $362

Food per month: $172

Transportation per month: $52

Plane ticket home: $1,000

*This is based off the expenses of a previous American intern

Unexpected Plot Twist

Even as recent as Monday I was expecting that today I would wake early, get on a plane and be halfway to Europe by this evening. But that is where the plot twist came in: some very important things had not yet arrived in the mail. Things so important that there was no way I'd even make it on a plane without. So here I am sitting at home writing this blog because now I have another week and a half to pack up everything and leave. 

Needless to say I was very disappointed when I heard we would have to set the flight date back so far and I'll admit there were a few tears. I think some of my tears were from the disappointment, but some were from realizing that the stress I had put on myself to get everything finished yesterday was not even necessary (not that stress is ever necessary, but that's a whole different point). 

I kept wondering what I could have done differently or paid extra for or something that would have sped the process to help me leave at the appointed time. I was venting a bit to my mother and she reminded me that though it was an unexpected delay for us, God wasn't surprised by it. She suggested I use this time to pray and journal about the journey ahead (something I'd not been doing much lately due to busyness getting ready to leave).

I suppose it really is a blessing in disguise. While I am still rather bummed that I won't be arriving early tomorrow morning, I can use this time to focus on the One who put me on this mission in the first place. We can get so busy working for God that we can forget to focus on Him. 

Also, I need to learn to trust God with everything. I've been really trusting when it comes to finances, but because of this holdup I'm forced to face the fact that I was worrying about other things that I should have put in God's hands a long time ago.

So if you're in need of something to pray for: pray that I learn to trust God in all matters, not just the ones I choose, and that these papers arrive in the mail before the next flight.

Here's a quick praise God: We have passed the $3,000 mark!
Please pray about giving to support this trip. We still need about $10,000 or more. 

Thank you so much to those who have already supported. I love you all.

Your sister in Christ,

Natasha Utz

Pre Travel Jitters

So you know before a wedding the bride and/or groom might get jitters and start to rethink this whole idea?
Well, I've had a bit of that. I know I'm not making a lifetime commitment in my moving to Wales, just a year long commitment. I've committed to things like dance and other things of that sort for a year. I guess what really hit me today was the full time part of it. I can't just call off on a day when I feel I can't handle things.

This is giving my WHOLE LIFE for a year to God. I've stepped out in faith before for different mission trips, but never putting all of myself into His Hands before. I don't know where the finances are to fund this, I don't know who I'll meet or what I'll encounter, but I know I will be challenged. I will have my faith tested, my morals questioned, and will have to rely on God for my everything. That's hard, when you're not sure how God will provide next months rent.

But I know He will. I know things will be difficult, and that I will probably be pushed way beyond my comfort zone and beyond what I think I'm capable of doing. But I also know that God will be my strength and my provider. I know that by myself I can do nothing, but with Him, I am capable of all things. God will help me rise to the occasion and push the boundaries that I put on myself and Him.

It's really rather hard to find comfort in Someone I can't see or feel, but He's been helping prepare me for that while I'm still at home. I don't know how, but in some hard circumstances I've been faced with already, I've found comfort in singing worship songs and making music to praise Him. It reminds me of Paul the Apostle when he was imprisoned (one time of many) and he and whoever was with him started singing worship songs and then other prisoners joined in and soon an earthquake caused the prison walls to collapse.

Somehow, even when I don't feel like singing, when I start worshiping God and giving Him praise for His goodness, the walls and whatever was oppressing me shatters and God's glory comes out. I pray that His glory will continue to come forth as I continue to follow where He leads.

I know I said it was pre-travel jitters, and I do get a bit nervous about what lies ahead for me, but I know God will take care of me. Even if I question myself, I can never question the goodness and Love of my God. I'm going forward!

Please pray for me in this preparation time, for peace and finances to come through. Also, please pray about giving toward this trip. God works through His people, does He not?

Thank you so much for the support you've shown me already. I know the Family of God's, really is my family.

My Official Support Letter

Hello Everyone!

As some of you know (and have helped with) I went to Ireland last summer on a two week mission trip. It was amazing, but I feel I would be more effective going on a longer mission. I’ve been praying with my family and pastors and we believe that I should go to Wales as an intern. This time I would be gone a year! Which means a lot more in commitment and costs.

I want to thank you again for the support you’ve shown me in the past and I would like to ask for it again on this upcoming adventure.

For the next year I will be working as an intern with a ministry called “ignite”. I will be a part of several of their outreaches. “Re:gen Tremorfa” and “Speak” to name a couple. 

“Re:gen Tremorfa” is a ministry where they run a youth drop-in center in the southern part of Cardiff, Wales. This is one of the most poverty stricken areas in Wales. As a team our primary goal is to develop an authentic, incarnational ministry, to truly love our neighbors as ourselves. From this starting point action and service will pour out which might include youth clubs, detached ministry, sports teams, kids clubs etc.

“Speak” is a conference that “ignite” does to ignite a passion for Christ in young people.  They also have different courses that I will take part in.
They are also looking to find new ways to share Christ and to connect with young people and I’m really looking forward to taking the gifts God’s given me and giving them back to God for His uses.

The overall cost of the internship will be somewhere around $12,000. I know that nothing I do will bring these funds about, but I also know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I’m now asking that you pray about giving to this ministry by supporting me financially, through air-miles, or through prayer.

The date I am hoping to leave will be September 2^nd. All contributions will be appreciated. These funds will help me continue in the ministry throughout the year, so please pray about giving monthly. If you would like to get a receipt for your donation, please make checks out to Heartland Church with a note attached with my name on it. Please don’t put my name in the memo.
The address for Heartland Church is 1025 Vance Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805

I’m really excited about this new opportunity to do ministry. I’m so thankful for all my friends and family who support me in all my endeavors for Christ.

Praise be to God, Who makes all things possible!

Your sister in Christ,

Natasha L. Utz

Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine, according to the resurrection power at work in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, world without end!”

Faith, Trust, and... Ephesians 3:20

As a child, one of my favorite stories was the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. In this story, the only way the children could fly was to have "Faith, trust and pixie-dust." 

I was recently thinking of this phrase and realized that being obedient to God involves the first two things needed to fly: Faith and Trust. Now I know that God doesn't go around sprinkling fairy dust onto His followers (most the the time ;), but He does give us another sort of power. God gave us the Holy Spirit to live in us and to guide us. This is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. (Romans 8:11) And with this Spirit "God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine, according to the resurrection power at work in us" Ephesians 3:20. If God can go above and beyond what I can ask or imagine, then why can't I fly?

Though I know God could make me fly if He wanted to, right now He has another mission for me. I'm going to Wales. For a whole year. I'm a bit nervous about it, but I know that God's got me. That's where the trust comes in. 

Now the faith will be a bit more challenging. "Faith without action is dead" James 2:14-26. That means that sometimes you have to take action and leap without seeing beforehand where you'll land. I have no idea where I'm going to land during this adventure, and I don't know where the money will come from to support me. But I'm buying a plane ticket and boarding the plane, having faith and trusting that God will provide for His own work to be done. 

I know that God can do all things, and that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13). So I'm going to take the leap of faith. I'm going to jump and not see where I'm landing. But I will have faith and trust in God, and I know that if He doesn't let me land, He'll sprinkle me with His pixie-dust. So it's in obedience to God that I use these ingredients.....

And fly!