It has been a while since we wrote to you all. So I think I will begin with Christmas. We had a very stress free Christmas. We planned a small Christmas Eve service for children. Then that night we had a Midnight service. Joey got to so the talk. It was really cool because you get people in the church that night that wouldn’t normally come. And Joey really did a good job. On Christmas morning we got ready and we to church for The Christmas Day Service. We loved the idea of going to church on Christmas Day. (Maybe we should do that back home, Bro. Jason?) A man called Terry that leads the songs at church thought it was crazy that we don’t have a Christmas morning service. I think we decided that it was a bit crazy as well. Lol. Some of the kids in our church here aren’t even allowed to open their presents until after church. We thought that was very different! We also realized that most parents don’t spend very much money on their children on Christmas. I think they spend maybe $75 on each child. Some don’t even spend that much. We kind of liked that. Anyways, after church that morning we went to John and Liz’s to spend the rest of the weekend with them. We had a lovely time! We mostly played with Izzy. It was really fun! Then on Boxing Day we went to their friend’s, Doug and Hilary to eat. They actually have like 100 people come through their house to eat on Boxing Day. So that was pretty neat.
Then on the night of the 27th Laura (the GAP group leader) planned a sleepover/lock-in. So we went to that. Joey taught the youth how to play underground church. It was pretty good. Laura did the talk and she did very well.
After that Joey and I had a break for a few days. Then on New Year’s Eve we went to Carol’s with some people from the church. She lives in a flat so all the people in here building had a party and fixed food for everybody. It was good fun!
On the 2nd of January we had our Convicted Service. It was really good. We had a good time with all the youth. It was just a time for us to be together and we just talked about all sorts of things. Ruth played keyboard and sang for us. We just looked through the books and picked out some songs. Joey talked about The Leper. It was also the most people we have had at Convicted. So it was a really encouraging time for us. Please continue to pray for this service. We hope that we can maybe get some youth from other churches to come. It is very hard for young people to meet other Christians here so we hope that that can happen. We also hope that they will start bringing some of their non-Christian friends. So please pray!
We recently had an eye opening experience. When the Boys Brigade started back up after the holidays, Joey and I went to help out. We were sitting in on the devotion time with the Company Section (the older group) while Pete was talking. He was using the creation story to talk about new beginnings since we just celebrated New Years. So he told them that he just wanted them to be honest with him. He asked them what they thought God was like and would they describe Him. Out of the 8 boys there only 2 said they even believed in God. I think the rest said that they didn’t. I was a bit shocked. One that said he believed in God said he did but he had his doubts. My thought was that this is a Christian organization so all the kids that come must at least come from a Christian background, but unfortunately they don’t! So Joey and I are really working to make good relationships with them and hopefully get the opportunity to share Christ with them. So please pray that God would be working on their hearts so that when we do talk to them that they would be receptive!
We have had a huge blessing happen to us recently! The church has bought us a house to stay in and we moved in on the 9th of January!!! It has been so good!! It was quiet difficult living with people although we did survive!! Lol So now we are expecting a lot of you to come visit within the next two years. Which is another things that we have decided, we believe we will be now staying for 2 years. David, the pastor, has checked with AIPM and GIM to see if that is a possibility and they say it is. So although it is not yet set in stone, Joey and I think that God may be leading us to stay here for the full 2 years. So please pray that God would give us the wisdom to know the right thing to do!
We just had our Saturday Special on the 15th. It was really good!! This is the first one that Joey and I were like in charge of. And it was great fun!! We had about 17 children come! And one family even came to church on Sunday morning, which is like the goal. We did the story of Jesus when he was lost in the temple. So on the 3rd Saturday’s of each month we are going to be going through the life of Jesus. So please pray for us in this, that God would continue to bring in more families.
On that same night we had another Question and Answer Night. It went really well! The question that stood out the most was one about communion at NLBC. The person who wrote question originally asked why the person serving always doesn’t give a blessing. They then carried on to tell their personal view. Their last statement was as follows, “There is a danger that the heavenly dimensions of communion can get lost in the flatness and dullness of our daily lives.” This is where my husband, Joey Wood decides to tell everyone that if they think their life as a Christian is flat and dull then they probably aren’t a Christian. This question was really strange because they thought that we also needed to have more worship in the communion service and more blessings when being served. Joey said basically communion isn’t about you! It’s about Christ and what he did for you and it’s a time to reflect on your relationship with Him and not be bothered with someone saying a blessing. Here when the bread and wine are being served the one serving you may say “Christ body broken for you.” Or they may say “Christ blood shed for you.” So the person asking this question thinks that this should happen all the time. Other people think that it shouldn’t because they don’t want to be interrupted while trying to speak with the Lord. So it was just really good! I believe they will be having another one soon! There have already been more questions turned in! I think God is really working through it!
On last Sunday we went to a youth service with our friend Tony. It is a service like Convicted called Sanctuary. It was really, really good!! Joey and I really enjoyed it. We were able to pull away a few ideas for our service. It very laid back and very biblical! This church is a new church plant. It is inside the village’s school. It is actually a new village. I think they said the village is just 10 years old. And the one who started the church plant is a missionary from…..you guessed it the states! We were able to meet him as well. He has been here for 17 years. He came here before all the visa issues and has been able to live here since his ministry began. So it was quiet nice to meet someone else who knows what we are going through. We aren’t sure what organization he came through but it’s not the IMB. I think he is actually Church of Christ or something like that but the church he planted in the Dickens Heath Village is a Baptist Church. But anyways it was just neat to meet someone from the states.
So that is basically what has been going on with us lately. Daddy just let me know that he has bought the tickets for him and Bethany to come!! I am so excited and can’t wait to see them!! Joey and I are also planning a time for Sarah Blakney and her youth pastor and wife, Michael and Natalie to come! They will just be doing some children’s activities when they come! So there are lots of things coming up!! Please pray that we will stay in God’s will through all these things! We love and miss you all!!!!
