Taking a Gap-Year For God

I have to say that I never thought I'd encourage people to give anything but their lives on this blog but I am keenly aware that there are a bunch of young people who have given up a year of their lives to learn more about their faith and themselves by embarking upon the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) 'Year For God'.

This has taken one of the young people from our church (and I have to be honest and proudly admit that they are ours) and has opened up the opportunity for five of them to work In Romania with Roma people. An opportunity that will yield more than the financial costs - and they've already raised money to get out to work where they are now - but still means that there are costs.

To this end they've set up a site which tells a little more about them and gives people the chance to be part of the work by supporting them. The site can be found here and reckon that if everyone who visits donates a solitary pound then they've probably got enough to change the lives they seek to work with and their own too.

And for those who don't feel called to give - can I encourage you to contribute in a much more important and effective way than mere money: Please pray for them and their journeying, the work they do and the changes to their own lives that the experience will bring. Changes that will live with them and make them better citizens.

Thank You

Pride, Sorrow and Prayer

As this morning we set off as a family to see off our eldest daughter as she embarks upon a TWAM (Youth With A Mission) 'Year For God' (YFG). The surprise when she came back from New Wine last year and told us she was thinking of taking a year out and doing 'something' was  increased when she decided that this was what it was going to be. But here we are, she's raised money towards it (about half) and been inoculated against most of the diseases I've heard of and has packed, re-packed and then packed again to get everything into her bergen and we are ready for the off.

Yesterday, as I looked at photographs of her steering the boat as a really tiny thing through to the latest images of a grown woman I couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow that our first born was to fly the nest. I know it had to happen some day, but surely fifty is a good age for that :-)

So here I sit thinking about the journey to Heathrow with the words of Psalm 121 banging in my head and resounding in my heart as the prayer I will be praying for her and those she works with:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you-the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.