Mission week

"It's great to see Bible College students in their natural habitat- it's like gazels freed from their cages to run wild on the plains"

So frequently (very frequently!) stated Andrew Cameron- Ethics lecturer at Moore College and leader of the mission team to Albury which Tim and I were apart of in the last week- as he observed our team on mission. The idea behind the statement is that at Bible College you see people doing what doesn't come naturally (locking themselves up with books and essays)- but on mission you get to see people doing what they are meant to do- what they are training to do. And to my suprise- despite my so-far enjoyment of studies- mission really did feel like being let out of a cage to do what I actually truly love.

The team I was on went to St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Lavington- a family orientated community on the outskirts of Albury. The Senior minister is Bruce- the most country country-minister you could ever imagine. He talks country- looks country- thinks country. He is also probably the most evangelistically minder man I have ever met. Every conversation, every relationship, every event- Bruce is thinking about the message of Jesus and how important it is to pass on. And he doesn't do it in a unnatural and forced way. He just loves God and wants people to know him. And this attitude- slowly but surely- is having an impact on the attitude of the congregation.

How exciting to go to a church and meet people who became Christians directly through its ministry! To hear of parents coming to church because their little girl heard about Jesus at Scripture class and insisted upon it. To hear of Mums responding to the unconditional love they received at play group by reading the Bible for the first time. To see women and men trade in their "good Christian morals" life for an actually relationship with Jesus. I am not saying that this doesn't happen at other churches I've been too. But I think the spread across the ages is what inspires me the most. As Tim pointed out- theoretically churches are on about evagelism and people are to share the gospel with their friends- but its just phenominal to see it actually working and it reminds you again that what is impossible with man is possible with God!

Tim and I have been discussing next year on and off- and particularly whether if circumstances present themselves whether I should go on to do 2 more years study to get a Bachelor of Theology. One of Tim's concerns was that he thought I'd go a little bit crazy not doing ministry for all that time- and I demissed this at first because I love study. But I realised this week that while I love study- it is not ministry. Ministry is harder and scarier- but as I did it I couldn't understand how I could have been happy without it.

It's like evangelism in a way. When I don't have someone to share the gospel with it seems like this overwhelmingly scary thing and I start to think that maybe evangelism isn't really my gift and passion because how could it be when I'm so scared? But give me the Bible and someone with an open mind and I find my eyes once again covered with the lense of God's grace and everything else is better, or purer or more worthwhile! And I'm reminded again of that moment of realisation I had when I was 18 when I knew- I finally knew what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing- and that was sharing Jesus- and I started to laugh and cry at the goodness and grace of God.

And so, a week of kids clubs, women's events, family days and family fun events was tiring but it was wonderful. And it really gave me a greater sense of what life might be like (God willing) when Tim and I are serving a church together. I also got to meet two very different but great models of a ministers wife- but you will hear about them on my next post!

Thanks for all your prayers! God blessed our mission. Keep praying for St Andrews- that God in his mercy will pore out his Spirit and swap Albury with gospel growth!
lots of love
B