Back in Belfast – one month on.

I arrived back on the first of August. It has been great to see folks again and see where they'er at. I like the summer time here as you can get out and about more as more poeple have free time. Climbing Sleive Donnard was good experience to bring it home to me that i as actually in Northern Ireland again.

The summer time also brings many Christian conferences and guest speakers. I have been attending to the Bangor Worldwide Mission Convention, and before that, listening to K.P Yohannan, the founder of Gospel for Asia (GFA). Before hearing the speakers my concentration was a bit all over the place as during my stay of six months in children’s homes life was full of the busyness that I love to get involved with.

At present my thoughts are gripped with the fact that I now have to start putting my vision in action. I have come back having eaten into my

student loan, with no job, and not wanting to return to my architecture degree which I dropped a year ago. My mind is swirling around the fact of not knowing really the best move to take next. Right now I know that some sort of job is in order, so I have signed on jobseekers till something turns up. I know with so many people on the job hunt it could be a long hunt for me too.

I have enrolled in some small courses about youth ministry and also gone back into volunteering as a mentor. I went yesterday to a College open day. Afterwards, talking to my friend in the rain under a tree, I thought how does someone that is really nobody get to have a vision for setting up a children’s home (and as my vision goes, it’s a big one – a home plus many other things that work alongside it also). Later that day I heard that a 29 year old builder from here has been setting up a children’s home during the last few years in Africa, and is now setting up a school. Then I hear of a 22 year old girl from England who visited Bolivia and has not returned as she is at the start of setting up a children’s home too.

In the Bangor Convention I sat listening to mission

representatives and missionaries reporting on the work in many countries. They spoke of a God that really works in many ways and that we cannot have an excuse to say that God does not do his work.

I also talked to others at stalls about children’s homes and had very encouraging conversations. you see the idea, It’s not just a social work idea but to bring many to know God and get alongside them discipling and reaching others.

So in all I sum up:

In a hundred years from now, what will the things of this life be worth? Really my wish would be is that if I could set up a Home back in Arequipa city where I was adopted, that many of the kids that I took in would stand by my side in heaven. Then it would be worth it! I also desire that the home and all the other ministries would keep on going. Then what a joy it will be to come across people in heaven who say:

“I was in Arequipa as a child and was taken in to the children’s home”, or “I saw the good works you did and understood that it was because God loved me first that Christian do this. And I am here

because someone said that they would follow God and do what he was calling him to do.”

Please pray that the vision may be accomplished:

· That I may take the risk of living for God, and not to play my life safe.

· That I may seek God’s will in every day as

every day counts to reach his will.

· For the things like courses that will equip

me in my thinking for this ministry.

· For employment to keep me afloat financially

· For the idea of setting up a charity and what that all entails.

· For wisdom in all things

Thank you for your on going prayers. An army of prayer can do so much more than you realise.

My Last 2 Weeks at Children’s Vision, Bogota...

The second week I was in the home, the team from my home church, Strandtown / Holywood Baptist, arrived. It was really great to have them there! Peter Lockhart who had been with me in Peru at the very start of this trip was among them. To see him again was really nice as he

could understand more about what I was getting up to.

I have seen many teams visit children’s homes. Last year I was there myself a s a member of the S/H team. But towelcome this team and to see their work and love towards the children made me realise that, yes, God does dowonderful things using his people - for two weeks of their lives, the kids had very friendly, loving friends from Northern Ireland. Most of the team were already sponsors and God-parents of the children.

As my role was being a mentor for the rest of my time here,

I worked behind the scenes with the kids every day. Which I thoroughly enjoyed! As an ordinary tea

m member you only see some aspects of the work. At the beginning I just made friends with the children before becoming a mentor.

So I got really close as friends to the boys in the home. In some way I was picking up what it means to live in a home from their point of view. I understood their issues and in some way looked out on the team and the workers from where they stood.

I know that this is quite something to say, but they opened up to me as a big bother or friend or even as a daddy. I saw their biggest need - they need love. Some one that is a tutor who deals equally with all the kids of the group and comes in because it’s their job is different. But as I worked there

as a volunteer with my full conviction to devote my attention and efforts for them I saw

that this meant so much. Then the team came and when they shared their love and friendship you could see that the kids really were very happy because they knew it was real.

I became a God-parent of Miguel. Through him, God showed me what He can do when He fills a little heart with the love of God. How powerful it is and how attractive it is! Miguel in many ways did want me as his Father-figure and him to be as my child. But talking to him, I realised that the One who came first in his life was God... He often would say to me, “God comes first, then me!”.. As I know that with all his heart he meant those words, I know that this child will grow up to be a strong follower of the Lord.

As we prayed and even sang songs before he went to sleep, we gave thanks to God for his work in all the children’s homes. We gave thanks that He has not forgotten about us. I reminded Miguel that I was adopted but God did not forget about me, He picked me up and gave me hope for this life. He gave me the opportunity to know Him and to follow Him.

I mentioned to Miguel that God had put it in my heart to reach many more boys and girls for God so they too can fully be in relationship with Him, to be an instrument in bringing God’s love to them, in setting up a children’s home in Peru where I was adopted.

Miguel knew that His God definitely can fulfil His purposes, and we gave thanks together for God’s leading in our lives.

So having finished this 6 month tour

of visiting and helping in many children’s homes, I want to close this post with the words I left the boys on the farewell evening at the end of July.

“I did not choose my name

I did not choose where I live

I did not even choose my parent.

But then I grew up

And got to choose a new name

A new place to live

A new parent

My new name is Christian

My new place to live is Heaven

And my new parent is my Abba Father”

Colombia post (4 weeks over due!)

Job 10:9
Remember that you moulded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again?

SORRY, This post is 4

weeks over due..

Now I am back in Belfast, I am thinking back over my experience and remembering the lessons I learnt. I value the insights so much as I still have on my heart to open a new home for children in Peru, in Arequipa, the city where I was born..

This post is about the time before the Standtown Baptist team came from Northern Ireland.

When I arrived in Children's Vision Internationakl, Bogota, the kids were on a 3 week break from school so not all were at the home - they were with God-parents and mum’s and/or dad’s..

Most days we went on planned activities with the 20 or so that remained. Downtown was nice as I had not really seen the centre of the city.. we went to art galleries and parks and generally out and about.. the boys and girls all enjoyed this very much and I enjoyed it too..

My role was to be a helper with the other mentors that look after the kids. Then when school started I was to get on the rota and be a proper mentor.. I was looking forward to this as I knew I would learn a lot. I have met most of the kids before and so really got alongside them very easily. I remember the boys asking me last time I was there when I would be back and I said next year.. so it was nice to have fulfilled that.

“Mould me” this is what we say to God as we call on him to work in our lives.. I said it many times each day that I was there and now I say to him too: lead and guide.. mould me..! You know.. God did just that .. As the weeks passed in Colombia I called out more and more to God as I knew that this life of mine is not mine but God's and therefore I wanted to go and do what He wanted for me and give me guidance for the next step back in Northern Ireland..

As I looked up I prayed for God to show me the future I realised that it really would be to help kids like these, but in Peru not Colombia. So the future was getting clearer, but I know God has to work lots on me before all this.. Dismantle me to build me up in his way so that I can be more effective for Him and that He can use me in his way..

I believe as I went through the next week He showed more of his love and the need of my life to be fully dependent on Him..

2 Corinthians 4:6-8 (New International Version)

⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"^]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;