We had an amazing day touring London, as we celebrated our final day in England. I’m sure your kids have spent all your money by now so I guess it’s time to head home.
We are so excited to reunite with you in a few hours! Pray for us as we say goodbye to our dear friends in Wallington. Many tears will be shed I am sure. Also pray for a safe journey home. See you Tuesday night!!
Happy Independence Day Eve!
Today was an amazing full day at St Pats. During our time at HT this week, we have talked about spiritual gifts and the body of Christ. So this morning our team lead the family service from 1 Corinthians 12 about the many parts of the body. During our time of worship together, Amanda and Katie read scripture, Trent lead a game, Kristin and Andie lead our teaching time and Laura, Maddie, & Matt lead our prayer time. It was a sweet morning of us all using our gifts.
Then we enjoyed a nice afternoon with our host families and then off to 440. Eloise, Jenna, Sam, and Hunter lead us in a hilarious game that the kids loved. Then our team invited everyone at 440 to share about struggles and insecurities and how God met them in it. Abby got a chance to share deep parts of her story which was really significant.
Then we headed to life time where Tim and Kristin lead us in worship. Then each student on our team got to share about our week in the schools and what God was doing in them during our time in Wallington. It was amazing to hear from everyone and get to see the amazing things that the Lord is doing in our team. If that is all He is up to (which I know there is so much more) then just that is extremely valuable.
Damon and I are so proud of our team for all that they have done, shared and experienced this week. They have been stretched more than ever before and God is changing and molding then into bold Christ Followers!! I don’t think any of us will ever be the same. Thanks be to God for redeeming us and showing us how to share that with others. Such a life changing trip.
Tomorrow we will head into London for a great day of seeing the sights and enjoying being with our English friends one last day!! We are excited to see you all in a few short days.
It’s been an amazing week as we have shared the Gospel. We have gotten so many chances to speak about god in a way we never have at Wally Girls before. It’s been so amazing! We have gotten to not only share about what Jesus did for us to redeem us and give us a new heart, but also share about how He has personally changed our lives. That is something that is totally new for us this year. And it’s been so neat to see Mr. Jones, the department chair, really change over the course of the week and God is really drawing him in. He is someone who claims to be agnostic, but there is so much going on in him. He truly saw the love of Christ in us and I’m so excited for what is to come for him.
Today was Sports Day vs. Holy Trinity and unfortunately we lost Tug of War. David King is very sad about that. Tomorrow we will be running the St Patricks family service and then 440 and each student will get to share at Lifetime tomorrow night. Pray for our students as they prepare to share about what god has been doing this week in them.
We are so thankful for your prayers and are very excited to see you in a few a short days!!
Sorry to not post yesterday. We had a full day of worship and leading 440 at St Pats. Then we were out late last night watching England play football against Italy in the Euro Cup. Too bad they lost in a PK shoot out. But it was good fun!
Today we split up and 6 members of our team went to Holy Trinity Junior School. There they lead an assembly for Year 3 students (2nd grade) and did a religious studies lesson for them as well. The students were so well behaved!
Another group of 12 headed to Wallington Girls Senior High to lead religious studies lessons for Year 7-12 (6th thru 11th Grade). We were asked really challenging questions by some very bright students and teachers. Our team entered right in and answered from each of their experiences. It was really good for some and a struggle for others, but is all part of the process of growing and learning. We also enjoyed teaching some softball lessons, with Laura’s shin being the only casualty.
We reunited at church for a sweet time of debriefing and sharing what God was doing in us today as we went into the schools. It was a time of joy and tears, all so valuable. We then enjoyed some fish n’ chips for dinner, then the 440ers joined us for a time of worship and teaching.
We did have a small incident at church tonight. 2 iPhones and 2 cameras were stolen from the church. Please be praying for us as we process what happened. Also, ask God to not let this distract our team from the work we are doing.
Also, Pray for us tomorrow as the teams shuffle around and new people are at HT and WG. Pray for hearts to be open to the truth of the Gospel. And for safe travel as we head to Cambridge.
Great full day in Wallington!
We met for orientation at the church this morning and met the new Vicar (pastor) of St Pats, David King. Later we took the train, (we are officially it Britain now), to Sutton, the next town over for a game of laser tag with all the Four Fourtyers (the high school youth group). Then we all headed over to the Springates’ for a BBQ of sausages and burgers. It was a great day of initial connection with new and old friends alike. The team is really starting the gel and we are so excited for sharing in the Sabbath at St Patricks tomorrow.
Pray for our students as they help lead Pathfinders (middle school) and 440 (high school) tomorrow morning and afternoon. They will be sharing thoughts on failure and insecurity and how Jesus meets us in those challenging times. Thanks for your prayers friends!
We have arrived in London! So parents do not worry, we are all here safe and sound. It was an adventure getting Abby from her delta gate and transferred to the right terminal with us in time, but we did it!! God was definitely with us in the details.
We arrived at around 7am in London to 6 drivers from St Patricks Church who took us to Wallington to meet our host families. We then headed to our host homes for a much need rest. In the afternoon we met up with Peter Epsom who took us on a walk to Oaks Park. On our walk, Peter, who is a former missionary, asked each student individually if they were to explain their Christian faith in 1 minute, what would they say? It was a great time of practicing sharing our faith, as we move into the schools. We then grabbed ice cream and took a stroll through the lavender fields.
Now we are back at our host homes, having dinner with our new families, and getting some much needed sleep. Please pray for rest and rejuvenation for our team and that we would not have too much jet lag. Also, pray for Damon as he flies out of Knoxville tomorrow to meet us here on Sunday morning. It’s been a great start to our time, so thanks for your prayers. Until next time…
Our team of 13 students and 5 leaders are preparing to embark on a journey. We like to call it l i n k. (London is near Knoxville) We will get the chance to “link” with friends, old and new. God has allowed access into a local high school for the chance to share the Gospel during religious studies classes. Our students will get asked really hard questions, by many girls who think really different than we do as Young, American Christians.
Ephesians 3:7-21
Things you can be praying for:
-boldness as we share
-awareness of the spirit
-opportunities for intentional conversations
-for God to change us as he changes those we encounter
-further connection with St Patricks Church
We are excited to share with you all that God will be up to as we embark on this adventure. Thanks for coming along with us.
Jenna getting ready for #link12!
On a routine trip to Francesca’s, God continues to be so intentional. Journals the perfect size for our training time leading up and during our time in London. And the tube map journal even has the blue Victoria line which takes us all the way in to Wallington. God never ceases to amaze me.
