This month has FLOWN past! We’ve had two American teams at the house this month. One was Southland Christian Church from Kentucky and the other was Forked River Baptist Church from New Jersey. Both teams were high school youth group teens and their respective leaders . I’ve titled this blog as such because there was not a day of rain in the combined 20 days that these teams were here!! That’s a rarity here for April!
The Southland team focused most of their efforts in the local high schools here. They went to four different schools throughout the week and were able to speak to over approximately 800 students. They participated in the Religious Education classes of the schools that they went to; the team members shared their testimonies with the students IN THE classrooms. REALLY neat to see this take place in schools here! The team also did some work at a place called “Kairos Centre” in Newcastle. This is a center used for ‘drop-ins’ for local kids and teens to hang out on certain nights of the week. It was especially neat to go to the drop-ins with the team because this centre is where our Northview Christian Church team did some of our work on our trip in the summer of 2009! I got to see some of the kids that we worked with two summers ago! For those who were on the 2009 Northview team, I saw Daniel, Joe, and a few of the other boys and girls that we worked with! Yep, they’re still coming and being mentored by some great Christian men and women!! Praise God!
The Forked River Baptist team just left this morning to return to New Jersey. They spent their week working in the Crosspoint Centre in Dundrum with the children and teens we work with on a regular basis four days a week. It was very exciting to see the team interact with the students that I’ve gotten to know here. The team ran the kids club (primary school age) program in the afternoons and hung out with the teens every night; they played football (soccer), pool, hung out, and shared testimonies every night. One testimony in particular really struck a lot of the kids and you could hear a pin drop in the room (something very rare with this group of teens). The girl was also able to share some truths about Christianity and the Christian life with the teens as well, which was very touching. Praise God again!
There are a few new studies I’m involved in this month as well. One is a discipleship group of late-teens to mid-20’s girls who will meet once a week for discipleship and prayer in Newcastle. The other study is one that I’ve started with my Dundrum teen girls. We’re reading through the book “Lies Young Women Believe.” We had the first night for the book last week where I introduced it with some of the videos from the book’s website and the introduction chapter in the book. The girls really seem to like it and they asked many questions that night. I was also able to share more of my testimony and the gospel with them! Haven’t had many chances to do that since September, so praise God for guiding me to this book for the girls! I’m looking forward to the discussions we’ll have in the coming weeks!
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t been hard to be away from my family to be here. It seems especially hard this weekend knowing that they are at my Grandma Grove’s house together to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. I am comforted by God’s promises however, for He has said in Mark 10: 29 – 31 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age and in the age to come, eternal life.” I trust that this time spent spreading the gospel and sharing God’s love will greatly impact me and my family in the years ahead and this truth that God has given me is a HUGE comfort right now.
Speaking of family!!!....I’m looking forward to a visit from my mom next week! She will be here at Murlough House with me for a few days and then we will head to Dublin for about four days as well. I’m excited to show my mom around this beautiful country and possibly get to introduce her to some of the girls I’ve been working with here! Can’t wait to see you mom! Please pray for safe travel for her, Ginger and Mandy who are coming as well.
If you’ve been partnering with me in prayer, I’d like to ask you to pray for the following:
Mondays: Pray for safe travel for all the American teams that come on mission trips to Murlough House. Also pray for the team members hearts to be open to what God wants to do through them.
Tuesdays: Pray for the continued strengthening of John Moxen as he is getting more energy back.
Wednesdays: Pray for the children we work with at Kids Club in Dundrum; especially for the seeds that were sown by the Forked River team to continue to grow.
Thursdays: Pray for the teens we work with in Dundrum; especially that they continue to discuss questions with us from when Forked River was here and stirred up more interest in the gospel.
Fridays: Pray for the study I’ve started with the Dundrum girls over the book “Lies Young Women Believe.” Pray that the girls continue to be interested and ask questions.
Saturdays: Pray that the Dundrum kids and teens would accept Jesus as their personal Lord and savior!
Sundays: Pray for the continued health of all who serve at Murlough House.
Blessings to you all!
Jess Grove
