From Malachi: Update from Liverpool 4

For the last three weeks my priorities have shifted given that my time in Liverpool is nearing an end. I have focused on finishing existing tasks and strengthening relationships and connections that have been established. I am thankful that Michelle is connected to the church, and I believe that she will continue attending after I leave. Two weeks ago we were thankful that she joined a home group activity. She is still asking many good questions about salvation. I still am in touch with my Afghani friends and was able to have them over for dinner and games one evening. I am hopeful that next week I can introduce them to some people in church and maybe take them on a hike. Lastly, it would be great if Eddy from the park were able to meet people from church. I only have met him twice, but my prayer is that I might see him one last time and connect him to the church. He seems to acknowledge clearly his need for eternal life and peace but seems hesitant to seek it in Christ.

I have also had opportunity become better acquainted with members of the church that I don’t know well. Hope Church is a young church and many of the members have recently become Christians or came from circumstances where there was little or no discipleship. This immaturity comes out in decisions and the more mature Christians spend a lot of time listening and giving counsel and correction. Some of this is unsurprising given their circumstances: being drug along in visa processing, being impoverished refugees who lost financial security in their home country, swamped with academics, living with physical disabilities, separated from their children, in another pregnancy with another negligent partner, relapsing as an alcoholic, etc. These circumstances don’t justify foolish decisions but knowing them has shed light on the depression and anxieties which they allow to influence their choices.

There is however fruit which is evident, and it has been encouraging to see what God is doing and how the church is growing together. I have had delightful conversations with Christians who are faithfully serving and making sacrifices to bless their community. I got privy insight into the sorts of decisions that some are making and how they are trying to honor God in their lives and actions. Some sense God’s work in their lives and are filled with zeal. Others are going through times of trial and are overwhelmed with depression. It appears that God is using these times to grow their faith.

I was really blessed recently by the family that I am staying with. I have heard many testimonies about their faithfulness in serving. This has also been evident in some of the activities that they lead and organize. Nevertheless, I had one challenging task that I really needed physical help with as well as a vehicle to haul heavy materials. I was a bit anxious to ask the husband of the family for help because I knew that it is a lot of work for him to clean out his work van. That said, on very short notice he did not hesitate to offer help, and we quickly sorted out a task that had been causing me a lot of anxiety. Although he works most days and does not have as much capacity to serve it was a great example to help me appreciate his eagerness to serve.

I am a week late writing this newsletter because I was very busy visiting Birmingham and Leicester and just returned recently. I swung down to Leicester to meet the team from Redeeming Grace during the Hope 2024 events at North Evington Free Church. On the way I stopped in Birmingham for two days to meet the team there and acquaint myself with my future living circumstances. Life there is unlike anywhere I have lived before. I will be staying with another young man who is serving the church as a short-term missionary. Our house is close to the center of Birmingham and outside of the apartment building I am greeted by tall buildings, construction, and cranes. I always have dreaded big cities so I think this will stretch me in good ways. The church in Birmingham is about two miles away from my house. I have yet to sort out which mode of transportation I will use most frequently. That depends somewhat upon what types of ministry activities I pursue. Given my location we are still deciding where I might be best suited to spend my time.

The church in Birmingham was intentionally planted to reach out to refugees and immigrants that come from countries in eastern Africa. There are many Muslims as well as Eastern Orthodox. The church’s building is in the shadows of high-rise apartment buildings. When these were built, they were the popular method of government subsidized housing in England. There is no shortage of spiritual or material needs around the church. I was able to hear a bit about the ministries that are taking place and how God has blessed the church with converts. There are two short-term missionary workers who serve at the church. They gave me a tour around the city and while walking we had two Mormon missionaries stop us seeking to share their faith. I do not think they expected to encounter missionaries. That was a good opportunity to become better acquainted with the team as we labored to defend our faith and reason with them about Christ.

Last Saturday I journeyed on to familiar Leicester for the week of events at North Evington. It was nice to see familiar faces from America and in the church. Over the last three visits I have come to really appreciate the congregation in Leicester as well as esteem the work that they are doing. They pour out deeds and words into the community revealing the glory of Christ. Their activities are family oriented and the children who come are delighted. Parents from the community are overwhelmed with gratitude at the free activities that the church hosts. Many members of the church rush to opportunities to meet visitors and tell them about Jesus. One person in particular set a great example on the first afternoon of events. It seemed that he greeted and conversed with as many men as he could who came to the event. When I mentioned this to him, he commented that he is actually very shy. Although he is not naturally outgoing, he feels compelled to meet these people and witness to them. One of the elders of the church commented that this fellow really has a heart for evangelism which outweighs any anxieties he might feel toward strangers.

I also have really grown to appreciate how equipped the leadership of North Evington is to minister in that community. They have a breadth of biblical knowledge and practical experience. Whenever I have visited we have had a really edifying time discussing how to witness in the community as well as how to understand and obey God’s word. Some elders in the church have a very broad knowledge of Islam and are equipped to debate with Muslims. I am thankful at the opportunities to learn from them and seek their advice. One takeaway from the trip is to exploit the Muslim perspective on Jesus in discussion. To gain credibility Muslims will say that Jesus was a prophet and that they love his teaching. They will also say that they believe the Torah, the Psalms, and the gospels. Yet, while they really “love” Jesus’s teaching it seems that very few Muslims have ever read the gospels in any real search for truth. It was worthwhile to exploit this claim. If they say they love Jesus’s teaching, why do they not read his teaching? At that point the ones I met would retreat to claims from their own academia that the Bible has been corrupted and that it prophesies about Muhammed coming but that those prophesies have been changed. They must trust their academia and their apologists because they must admit that our current Bible does not teach the same Jesus that Muhammed did. I was thankful for one opportunity in particular to talk with a young Muslim fellow in the park. I told him that I was thankful for the opportunity to talk with him because he may never have heard anyone talk about Christianity who was actually a Christian and that I only occasionally had talked about Islam with someone who was Muslim.

I have one week left here in Liverpool and then I plan to catch a train to Birmingham on Monday, September 2^nd. Hopefully that transition goes smoothly and I plan to spend the next three months in Birmingham before returning in December. Here are items where I would appreciate prayer.

• That I would complete final tasks in Liverpool and connect some of my friends to the church.
• That I would adjust to living and witnessing in Birmingham which is unlike anywhere I have lived.
• That God would shape my desires/convictions such that I have clear direction for the future.