A couple weeks ago Convoy of Hope asked Nolan and I to join them on a trip to Middlesbourgh, England. Convoy of Hope is a humanitarian organization that aids in disaster relief and social work. Our missionary, Michael McNamee, is also the president of Convoy of Hope in Europe. We went to Middlesbourgh through a contact we have with a new church plant there, called Rivercity Church. The pastors, Nathan and Lindsay, are a young couple who really have a heart for the city. The church is right in a dominant Muslim area and right down the street from the church is a Elementary School. Rivercity Church contacted the school about doing some work there for them. At first they were reluctant because a teacher there had had some bad experiences with a Church. In the end they agreed to let us build a playground for them. When we came the school yard was bare. We worked hard for three days planting flowers, digging up turf, building a play house, painting two murals and making the playground look nice. The teachers and faculty of the school were so excited about the work that was done. Here are some pictures of us working as well as before and after pictures of the yard. Be sure to click on the pictures.
After we finished the building project at the school we had a big outreach. There were bounce houses, face painting, dance lessons, soccer trick lessons, free ice cream and we gave out 500 bags of groceries. One of the woman was so moved by the gift she had tears streaming down her face. There was such an incredible spirit of joy and excitement that was there. I spent some time painting faces of the children. There was a whole group of Muslim boys that I painted and as I did they shared with me what it is like in their Mask. It was just evident to me the bondage they experience through the Muslim beliefs. We really believe this event gave a major break through for the church in this community. It put them on the map and gave a reputation of God's love to the area. Here are some pictures of the outreach.
Our prayer is that the church will gain its influence on the community and that God's love will break the barriers between the cultures.
For more pictures. Go to our album of Middlesbrough.
