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It's hard to believe that our time in Chalfont St. Peter has come and gone! How is it that you can feel like you've been in a city for months and feel like you've just arrived all at the same time? It was a wonderful, encouraging 10 days and yet not what we expected at all. The Lord used our team to help support and serve the event, Run the Race, but more than that, I believe He used this trip to help form our view and definition of missions.
This was not a typical exposure trip that you often hear about. We weren't sleeping in huts or doing surgeries, we had hot showers and we all spoke the same language (even though they sounded better). We knew this going into the trip but prepared to be uncomfortable in other ways. We knew our purpose for this trip was to use the 'Run the Race' event to build relationships with locals with the intent of showing them who Jesus is. We prepared ourselves by practicing telling our stories of how we came to know the Lord and getting mentally prepared to seek out conversations with complete strangers whenever the opportunity presented itself (on the train, in a pub, at the church, etc.). This can be a very uncomfortable thing for many of us! When we arrived however, we quickly saw that our expectations would
need to shift and flexibility would need to take place. Instead of conversations with random people, our focus turned into serving the event wherever there were gaps. Many of us worked with children most of the time. Some did security and some did sports. We really just got plugged in where the need was.
As a team we felt some frustration that we weren't given as many opportunities to share our faith as we were hoping and prepared for. However it got us to think about our view of missions. Looking at the Word and the disciples, we see that missions isn't just sharing the gospel with someone who has never heard it, but it's also making disciples. There were so many times this week when we were able to encourage parents whose kids we were watching, volunteers who were
burnt out, all while talking to unchurched people attending the event. Half way through the week we also realized we were all using our unique gifts to serve this church. Registration, soccer, kids with special needs, and pole vaulting were just a few things that the Lord used this week!
We left Chalfont St. Peter realizing that the conversations we longed to have in London could and should be happening everywhere. The zeal and passion to share the gospel we left the States with should be the same zeal and passion we have walking around Fresno. The culture of Fresno and the states is definitely more conducive to these types of conversations and we need to be taking advantage of every opportunity!
Over all the trip was not what we expected but it was stretching and encouraging nonetheless. With thousands of people attending these events, we know that many people heard the name of Jesus who may not have a relationship with Him. We are humbled to be used by Him and pray for those hearts that heard the gospel! Cheers!