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