Recurring Theme

Re-reading George's diary from last week, it's again clear from the experiences of the last couple of days that we're all subject to stresses and strains and, being human, we often fail.

This isn't discouraging though. I suspect the Lord uses us (the Outside Light Team) because of our weaknesses. We're the best people for the job because we CAN'T do His work in our own strength. We HAVE to rely on Him.

Monday it was my turn again to fail. This was especially hard for me because I've spent quite a lot of time recently, thinking about church, thinking about what the Bible says about sharing the Gospel and also about what we as 'Good Christians' need to do in our lives in order to maintain a strong relationship with our Lord, as well as what we need to do for Him. And then... Monday I did the complete opposite and wound up the evening in a totally negative frame of mind again and regretting my weaknesses - but actually our weakness is exactly the point and what He uses.

This has happened to me a couple of times, but each time I've discovered a couple of things come out of it. Firstly, because we work in close fellowship, it gets noticed and prayed for. Secondly, the Lord lifts me back up again and that great feeling of closeness to Him returns. He forgives EVERY time I turn back to Him: unconditionally.

And again this evening out in Old Woking, others shared feelings of tiredness and slight anxiety about things going on in our everyday lives. Right now a couple of us feel really vulnerable and in desperate need of prayer.

Monday night we went back out to Alexander Gardens. Rae, and George (St John's Church), Phil and Michelle (New Life) and Nen, Rob, Vicky, Matt (HTC) and Gazzer - Vicky's boyfriend. Rae and I stopped on the way into the park, to chat to three girls, one of whom was stuck about 11' up in the side-netting having climbed up for no other reason than it was there. Somewhat frustratingly she called the Fire Brigade from her mobile and they arrived just as we were able to get hold of a ladder from a really helpful neighbour. I think they were too excited about seeing the firemen to get any sense out of them, but they did say thanks afterwards for trying to help. :o)

Meanwhile, Nen and Michelle prayer-walked around the field, and George, Phil and Rob with Gazzer and Matt were off playing football with around 25 lads, with another 30 or so lads and girls hanging out next to the basketball enclosure. Many of these were older kids on motor scooters, and as last week, they weren't very open to conversation. However there were some other young people in the group who we knew quite well. Interestingly, one of these sprung to my defence when one of his mates responded in a slightly negative way to a question I was asking about what they might want to do when it gets wet and cold later in the year. In fact I probably wouldn't even have noticed that he was negative, except for this other lad telling him to be quiet because I was 'just being kind'. This lad, let's call him Will, keeps popping up and we all have a feeling that the Lord has his eye on him especially.

What we discovered is that during the school holidays these kids mostly just hang out in the park. They're bored silly. Some of them had been there since 2pm that day (most other days are apparently the same) and they were still there when we left at some time after 9pm. Next week we hope to take hot chocolate and a picnic. We might also be able to tell them about the music events that the Knaphill Residents' Association plans to organise later in the month. I wish we could do more for them. GIven that our young people are this country's most valuable resource, it's a little worrying that they're not finding more to do. It's a shame too that society mostly leaves them to their own devices. Is it really a surprise that young people up and down the country get into trouble when they're bored and left alone to do whatever springs to mind?

Once George finished playing football it didn't take him long to get his rucksack and start distributing the little coins with the Ten Commandments printed on them. The young people really love these and for a few moments they seemed to swarm around George so that they could collect theirs.

Tuesday night out in Old Woking we were again short in numbers, but this time we had Rae with us again. I'm hoping that George will update this write up with his and Phil's meeting again with the lad they played snooker with a few weeks back - call him Sam. It seems that his mate (call him Joe)(also there this evening) has been chatting to Ali at Christ Church Woking. Hopefully you'll forgive us our excitement that the Lord seems to be working in the lives of both of these lads. More from George later. Please come back soon.

Nick met up with four lads, who were there on the way, and also on the return home. Rae knew two of them from our time prayer-walking around Waterer's Park several months back. One of them, new to me, delighted in the use of every swear word in the book. I confess a slight anxiety. Being a bit old-fashioned I don't much like standing back while this kind of language is used in front of a lady. Rae wasn't phased by it though. It's part of the servant mentality not to judge and she and the Nancy's and Helen's have this in spades. Thank God. I do pray, though, that one day this lad and others like him will grow up and become a little more respectful.

Inbetween times, Rae and I chatted to a mother (call her Sally) and her daughter and son. Tomorrow is the daughter's 16th and we delivered a present that Nancy (who is in Cambridge currently) had got hold of for her before leaving. The people in this family are, unfortunately, not strangers to the law. Conversations on the doorstep are often surreal, and what I always hear is the story of a family that rejects authority of any kind, that doesn't trust easily, that is poor in many ways, that doesn't do a great job of looking after itself. They are nevertheless open to talking to us. Not once in all the time I've been visiting that house have we been told to go away. They always come out to the doorstep and Sally talks about her week - unfortunately, a week in the life of Sally isn't much to write home about.

A few weeks back we gave Sally a Bible and pleaded with her to open it. This really is something to pray hard about, please. She's also looking for a 3-piece suite, as hers is falling to bits. Anyone with a spare/unused suite could let me know, please, if they're prepared to make a gift of it. We've helped Sally in other ways under Hope08 BUT there is a danger of her completely missing the point and taking Hope08-help on face value only. This, perhaps, is the biggest single prayer, which is to ask for our Lord to help Sally move forward from the obvious help she gets from Hope08 and the Gloster Road team - and to start looking at life as having hope and possibilties - and hopefully take her family with her. Pray for us too, as we need to be able to handle this sensitively and with the Lord's leading. We don't want to do any less or any more than He wants.

Rae and I finished up again on the field, playing frisbee with a small group of kids. The father of one came out - I was some distance away but Rae had a useful chat with him. We both feel that it's important to meet the parents, especially those of the younger kids. It seems right that the parents should know who is chatting to their children - and why. With this in mind the group is meeting in September to formalise a number of things. One of these will be to agree a logo, with which we hope to make 'T'-shirts amongst other things. It seems responsible that parents should be able to know that the people their kids are talking to, are who they think they are.

Anyway, LOTS of prayer is needed for us as we realise our weaknesses, and as Outside Light starts to progress to the next stage, which will help realise its true potential because that's what we truly believe is what He wants.

For His Glory

John