I've posted a few blogs now about the CRED team trip to Ethiopia that happened in July this year; at the time it was apparent that the was proving to be a significant experience for many of the participants and today I got an e-mail confirming that the impact of the trip continues to grow.
C is from Bournemouth and has just taken his A levels. He is going off to University in a week or so, to study to become a social worker. Over the years C has battled with a number of health issues, not least a non-malignant brain tumour which he still has; and some side health issues as a result of the tumour. But despite all that he doesn't give up, he views obstacles as challenges to be overcome rather than stoppages, and he gives 110%.
C was on the Ethiopia trip. He didn't know anyone else on the team before he went, but he didn't let that put him off, and by the end of the trip, just like everyone else in the team, he felt like he was part of a new family. C has explored the Christian faith before, and in his younger years used to go to church and have some level of belief. But through teenage-hood, and illness, and various other challenges, church fell by the way-side for him.
Until he went to Ethiopia. There he met children who have nothing, except very sad stories, very few clothes, very poor living conditions, and irregular meals. That's pretty much all they have, apart from faith - and they have that by the bucketload!
We met the children as part of the Women At Risk project, and it was inspirational to see how devoted the staff are to improving the lives of the children and their families and, not surprisingly, how much the children respond to, and thrive on, that support and love.
Chatting with the staff and with the children, we heard many sad stories, but each one ended with prayers of thanks and praise to God - for keeping them safe and alive, and for bringing them in contact with Women At Risk. It would have been so easy for them to feel hard-done-by, to feel as though God had turned His back on them, and dealt them a bitter hand in life; but no - they praise God, for all the good things He has done for them.
This attitude really impacted a lot of us, and it really impacted C. As the week went by he found himself wondering more and more about this God of theirs, and asking questions. He borrowed a Bible and started reading; and he hovered on the edge of the little prayer gatherings that were happening each morning.
When he got home C was not very well for a few weeks, but that set back didn't dampen his spirit, and his determination to get involved with a church that could help him continue to explore faith issues.
Today C e-mailed me, and told me that he has started going to a church in his university town, and is really excited about the future and his deepening relationship with God. He also sent me a link to a you-tube video which is a song that he says describes how he felt about his faith in God before the trip, and how it has grown since coming back to the UK.
Click here if you want to hear the song
C's story is really exciting, and underlies the two-way 'missional' aspect of CRED trips. Not only are we going out to help make a positive difference in the lives of people overseas through our partners; we are also going to places where God is very visible, and where the partners, and children of the projects, through their very visible faith, often impact our teams in ways unexpected. We don't force it to happen, we just let God do His stuff; and in true God-style, He does it in beautiful ways.
Brilliant! and such a privilege to be part of!
C is from Bournemouth and has just taken his A levels. He is going off to University in a week or so, to study to become a social worker. Over the years C has battled with a number of health issues, not least a non-malignant brain tumour which he still has; and some side health issues as a result of the tumour. But despite all that he doesn't give up, he views obstacles as challenges to be overcome rather than stoppages, and he gives 110%.
C was on the Ethiopia trip. He didn't know anyone else on the team before he went, but he didn't let that put him off, and by the end of the trip, just like everyone else in the team, he felt like he was part of a new family. C has explored the Christian faith before, and in his younger years used to go to church and have some level of belief. But through teenage-hood, and illness, and various other challenges, church fell by the way-side for him.
Until he went to Ethiopia. There he met children who have nothing, except very sad stories, very few clothes, very poor living conditions, and irregular meals. That's pretty much all they have, apart from faith - and they have that by the bucketload!
We met the children as part of the Women At Risk project, and it was inspirational to see how devoted the staff are to improving the lives of the children and their families and, not surprisingly, how much the children respond to, and thrive on, that support and love.
Chatting with the staff and with the children, we heard many sad stories, but each one ended with prayers of thanks and praise to God - for keeping them safe and alive, and for bringing them in contact with Women At Risk. It would have been so easy for them to feel hard-done-by, to feel as though God had turned His back on them, and dealt them a bitter hand in life; but no - they praise God, for all the good things He has done for them.
This attitude really impacted a lot of us, and it really impacted C. As the week went by he found himself wondering more and more about this God of theirs, and asking questions. He borrowed a Bible and started reading; and he hovered on the edge of the little prayer gatherings that were happening each morning.
When he got home C was not very well for a few weeks, but that set back didn't dampen his spirit, and his determination to get involved with a church that could help him continue to explore faith issues.
Today C e-mailed me, and told me that he has started going to a church in his university town, and is really excited about the future and his deepening relationship with God. He also sent me a link to a you-tube video which is a song that he says describes how he felt about his faith in God before the trip, and how it has grown since coming back to the UK.
Click here if you want to hear the song
C's story is really exciting, and underlies the two-way 'missional' aspect of CRED trips. Not only are we going out to help make a positive difference in the lives of people overseas through our partners; we are also going to places where God is very visible, and where the partners, and children of the projects, through their very visible faith, often impact our teams in ways unexpected. We don't force it to happen, we just let God do His stuff; and in true God-style, He does it in beautiful ways.
Brilliant! and such a privilege to be part of!
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