A YEAR IN: Part Three

DECEMBER IS A BIT of a no-man’s-land in the GAP process. The orientation period is over, and the Great Adventure™ yet to begin. At the moment, this adventure feels very much like the Great Unknown! Nothing more of what Tom and I will be doing in Lubango has yet been confirmed, beyond what I shared with you in the last prayer letter. We aim to fly out on January 10^th, if the visas have come through from the Embassy by then.

In Angola, SIM now works ‘under’ the national church, and only sends missionaries at the request of church leaders, who decide what they’d like us to do. Dagmar Henchoz (right), the SIM Director in Angola (whose flat I will be staying above), sent us an email last week to say that the scheduled meeting to decide our roles had had to be postponed due to a funeral that everyone was attending some few hours’ drive away.

Reading the GAP literature some months ago, there was a phrase that jumped out at me. It went something along the lines of, “we encourage you to see this year not as a year out of full-time education, but as a year in service for God”. Perhaps this clears up any mystery surrounding the title of my prayer letters! I am learning, though, that service for and relationship with God is not always about doing things for him. There is a need just to be in his presence, and all of this waiting seems to be encouraging me to do just that.

Meet Tom!

Yes, this scary-looking lad is Tom Castle (great-grandson of Roy Castle’s great-uncle, y’know). From Towcester (pronounced ‘toaster’), Northants, Tom will have the dubious pleasure of spending the next six months living and working with me.

Tom’s parents single-handedly run a veterinary practice, and are, as you can imagine, very busy people. Please pray for his parents, Helen and Charles, as they miss not only Tom, but also the great contribution he makes to family life.

Tom’s sister, who is at university in Norwich, is waiting for a hospital appointment to investigate further a lump found on her lymph gland. Please also pray for her, and the younger brother that Tom will leave behind in Towcester.

petitions and praises

Give thanks:

· for God’s calling on the lives of my team-mates and the wonderful fellowship we shared

· for the Angolan church’s willingness to have us go and work with them

Please pray:

· for the church workers in Angola as they re-adjust after a seemingly important death

· for all the GAPers in our language study, that we would be able to communicate effectively upon arrival with a spirit of learning

· for safe travel for those leaving in early January

· that God would move in the Angolan embassy so that Tom and I may receive our visas soon and be able to fly out to Angola

Thank you. Be assured that you all remain in my prayers too.

MONEY MATTERS

Thank you so much for all the generous donations that I have received. As expected, the Asian Evening really helped in contributing towards flight and visa costs.

Please pray with me that God will continue to provide the remaining thousands of pounds, and that I will be able to spend money frugally and wisely when I am in Angola. Thank you.

I had a wonderful two months to kick off this gap year. This orientation period was successful not just because of all the teaching sessions, although these will no doubt be invaluable in Angola and beyond, as well as in this waiting period. One of the best aspects was the fellowship that we enjoyed as a team. The fourteen of us and Bernice, our leader, all got on wonderfully from the word “go” and I don’t doubt that many lasting friendships have been made. We look forward to being reunited in July at Wetheringsett to share our experiences.

Some of you have had the pleasure of meeting a few of the team members (at least half have spent some time in Purley in the past few weeks), and many have been asking after them. In order to inform your curiosity – and of course your prayers – you will find below a brief introduction to each of the pairings and their assignment.

	Tim and John Hailing from Chorlton in Manchester and Downpatrick in N. Ireland respectively, Tim and John are flying to Loja in Ecuador on January 4th. When they get there, they will be working in a café for students, where they will be serving folks and teaching English – building relationships with the students in order to share Jesus’ love.
Avril and Philippa These two Northern Irish lasses are bound for Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Probably the most wealthy of any of our countries, Uruguay is extremely secular, although there is a tradition of Roman Catholicism. Avril and Pip will be primarily involved in children’s work, in camps and schools.
Bernice Our Brummie team leader Bernice is no stranger to world missions, having served in Ecuador for over 10 years with OMF. Having now completed Bible school and worked (unpaid) with us, she is searching for a ‘real’ job, probably in a pastoral role with a Christian organisation. Please pray that God would lead her in the right direction.
Beth and Jenny The West Country and the North of Ireland come together in this pairing. Beth and Jenny are off to Thailand, where they will be working with students, teaching English and engaging in friendship evangelism.	Helen and Zara These Northern Irish get everywhere! In this case, Zara and Glaswegian Helen are going to Asia. Please pray that God would guide them to get involved in the right opportunities to suit their gifts.
	Connie and Hannah Known better as Sconnie for her baking skills, Connie is one half of the Carlisle/Luton duo going to teach in a Christian-run school in Eldoret in Kenya. They are likely to be teaching all manner of subjects, including (much to their bemusement) Physical Education.
Isaac and Colin Born in Korea and raised by American missionary parents in India, Colin is no stranger to different experiences. Yet he and Isaac may be set for one of the most ‘different’ of the lot. They are headed for rural Senegal where they will be ‘storying’: using picture books to explain the Gospel to the nomadic Wolof tribe. One small problem – they have not been able to find any way to learn any Wolof language yet!