Magazine for October 2011
Summer in England
Hi all, I hope you had a great summer. I hear a lot of you went outside the country, and came back with pretty awesome tans. Well, I think I also had a great summer: my first summer ever in the UK.
I started it off in the Lake District, at the Keswick convention. Most of you have heard of it; it was muddy, cold and raining. But the meetings were filling and inspiring with extrapolator’s like Ajith Fernando from Sri Lanka, who took us through the book of Jonah. Most of you know the story, he completely did the opposite God was telling him to do. He was actually running away from God, simply because he didn’t want to do what he was asked. But he didn’t go far, did he? I saw some pretty amazing scenery and climbed mount Skiddaw, which I hear is the sixth highest peak in England at 3,500 ft. You can’t see a thing up there. The rain, fog, wind and steepness of the mountain, are a real challenge, actually they work against you.
The following week, I took a week off. Spent some of the week in Oxford, and the rest with Careforce colleagues who were going back home. It was a little of bitter sweet, saying our goodbyes while having fun in each other’s company. The next week was a Venture week, didn’t need to unpack much. I carried the same case of clothes to Kingsmead camp. Now this is a different kind of camp, it’s where the 11 to 14 year olds with special needs like dyslexia are invited for a fun packed week in Cheshire. This was a learning curve for me. Some of them you’d say, “There is nothing wrong with this one”. But unless you spend time with them and study their behaviours, that’s when you’d start seeing the difference.
Back at home in Kenya, we don’t group them. Probably it’s a new term or just lack of facilities to cater for them. If you couldn’t measure up, you’d either get a beating from school or your parents and told to ‘pull up your socks’. If you are lucky and have wealthy parents, you would be given private tutoring. Or it’s just survival for the fittest, nothing like given an equal chance.
It was tight work, always having to check where my members were. Be with them from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep, to just make sure they enjoy the day. For my lot, this was actually a safety net. They would be best mates at one time, and the next they are simply clobbering each other. If asked what had happened, you wouldn’t explain it.
But again it was nice seeing them build back their relationships, learning to love each other, enjoying the activities and worshipping the Lord. They simply ‘grew’ on me, I enjoyed their company. I nearly forgot, we went to Chester Zoo! And I learnt how to pronounce ‘west Kir……by’. It’s not west Kirby, it’s ‘west Kir……by’.
The following week, guess what? I went to Edinburgh, 10½ hours on the bus. Just because it was cheaper. Anyway, I enjoyed it. It was the time of the ‘Fringe festival’. It was just amazing! There was a lot of people in the streets of Edinburgh, flame acrobats, knife throwers, jugglers and groups of people in costumes presenting a small skit. I mean, I walked with my mouth wide open.
Other days we took the speed boat and went under the Forth bridge, it was my first time ever to be under a bridge of that magnitude. And they were two of them, one for the train and the other a motorway. I always see them on magazines and wonder if they are really true, and it was right in my face! How about that, I just can’t help it but say Praise God!
You know what? I got to know this family in Keswick, and when they mentioned they lived in Scotland. I said “Me and my mates were planning to come up there”, and they were like “well when you do, please come and stay with us”, just like that. Leave alone that, call it divine appointment. The lady I was leaving with actually works part time for Scripture Union. Apparently, one night she sat next to our leaders and the conversation of Careforce ending next year kicked in.
My leader didn’t have a clue that she works with Scripture Union and just poured out to her how she was devastated that Careforce was coming to an end. And also little did she know that when Careforce is planning its closure next summer, at that same time Scripture Union in Scotland is re-launching its gap year volunteers’ ministry. And this lady was the one given the task to find out why it wasn’t doing well in the past, and what can be done to improve it!
So yeah, we spent loads of time together asking me different questions. She even took me to one of her meetings with her bosses just to find out more about Careforce. To my advantage, I was being chaperoned around. I was even taken to a party.
The following week, went to Shepton Mallet for Soul Survivor. Talk about camping in the rain, I couldn’t get enough of it. There were nights it rained and I thought the tent is going to be blown away. I woke up each day to check if the pegs were in place. But I enjoyed it; I was privileged to see Helen Manuel and Steve Willis dancing. Take my word for it, they can groove.
The worship was phenomenon. I particularly liked Mike Pilavachi’s style of communication, he spoke with a language that the youth could understand and was full of jokes.
I particularly liked his sermon version of compromising; it’s a detailed story of how he had conversations with his creamy cheese cake which lured him to eat it. It was a work of art, to say the least. When everyone was in silence the Holy Spirit would take over. He had a way of calming the crowd. He would say in a humorous manner, “Don’t get shocked by what’s happening around you. It’s okay! If it wasn’t I would be the first one out of those doors, but since am still here, there is no need to panic”.
My final and last week of summer, I went to another Venture camp. This one was for ages 14 to 18 years. Now this one was relaxing and chilled out. We considered them as adults, no scrutiny. We actually let them take the lead in most cases. They were behaved, while having a time of their lives. I would join in most of the activities, and even decided to be a fitness (zumba) instructor just before the morning meetings.
Yep, we danced! Although it was for a few minutes, it was worth it, just to see their smiles, them engaging. It woke them up, ready to worship and praise. During our time there we dwelt in the book of Luke, it was more of discipleship. Helping them to understand the Word and grow deeper in relationship with God.
What can I say, but Praise the name of the Lord for giving me this privilege. Did I have anything to do with it? Nope! But He did.
Gideon