<---One side to the Other--->

This has been a different time here in England... Welcome to English... Welcome to the real world... the one where people can understand you and you can understand them. WOw.

It was a brisk day out when we started up this morning. We're along the coast here in southern England, in a town called Worthing. They've been hovering near -1 degree temperatures and there are many worried that it could snow. Snow here throws life into absolute chaos. This morning, all the vehicles had a layer of ice on the windshield...and it seems Andrew(the youth leader I'm staying with) that he will use anti-freeze in the windshield wipers, pour water onto the windshield, or use other kinds of sprays... But it's not a scraper that he thinks about. I did it after the water and sprays he put on began to freeze... :P

Anyways, today was the first day here in Worthing that we did a program. We were in two schools. Worthing High...and Davisions. Worthing High was interesting. The class of 40 came into the auditorium to find us still frantic and rushing to finish setting up for everything. We started off with some simple questions and some of them began to answer. But then all of a sudden, the dam broke. Out from the gaping hole in the wall, difficult questions began to pour out... wow. On the far side to the left there was a boy who seemed to be a Christian...even if he wasn't...He knew a fair bit, and he was talking positively about Christians and Jesus. On the right side, extreme right, last chair...sat a young man with red hair. I do believe he had some freckles...This boy asked the most difficult questions. Everything from, how do you prove God exists?, to Carbon 14 dating (Evolutionary methods of telling people how old fossils are), to the Gnositc Gospels and why the Israelites killed everyone in Canaan. Oi... They were very polite, but wow... it was harsh. Most of our team just sat out and watched me go at it with the rest of the students...so therefore when it was over, I was worn out... wow...

But we didn't have long, because after that we were off to Davisions, an all girls school. I must say that when we drove in I was already nervous... Girls in small groups can be really intimidating sometimes... I had no idea what it would be like with 300 in one room (which there were)... But it all went well, other than the janitor had no idea that we were coming. It was all good. :)

But then this evening, I had the opposite extreme. After a rushed busy time of watching the family here get both supper ready, and their house ready for home groups, people finally began to arrive. We had a devotional video, then discussed things for a while, and then we prayed. After that we began to chat. I met a few of the ladies and men from the Worthing Tabernacle, where we've been having our base of operations, as it were. Anyways, afterwards, Brother Andrew, an elder in the church here was having quite a debate with a lady named Brenda. The short of it was that since Andrew wasn't a Pastor, but was being paid for doing, 'the job God gave him'...He must ask God for another job because that one doesn't count... He needed another job...
Needless to say, that spurred a good deal of discussion and debate...wow...
On the one side, having a boy who hated the Church, and on the other finding out that we are amoung the 99% of Christians who are wasting our lives because we haven't asked God for a job. It was such a mind thrash I had to sit down. O.o

Anyways, if nothing else, I hope to talk much more with Brother Andrew. He's a very faithful servant and is extremely sold out on loving people. I want to know more about him, so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, please pray that we boldly declare God's truth... Most of this week will be spent doing evangelism, discipleship and going into schools. We need all the prayer we can get. And may God bless you for your diligence.
Keep your eyes on Christ...
Everything else will follow...
~Brother J