We are, however, very excited about coming home, but in a sense we feel that we are leaving “home,” too. The folks at Ducklington Baptist have embraced us completely and have truly become our family. On July 4th, they actually hung the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes in the front of the sanctuary. We will miss our Monday evening Bible study together and our Wednesday evening prayer times.
We will miss joisting with Janice on Monday mornings over whether a word is English or American and who had it first. It is easy to see that the Lord has melded us all together in our love for one another and for Him. There are a couple of our elderly members who continue to need lots of love and care and their spouses need continuous encouragement from the body as well as practical help with some of their daily responsibilities. It is sweet to see the body of Christ function so beautifully as they care for these precious saints.Our replacements, Brian and Paula Brewer, have left their 3 young adult daughters in Illinois and are settling into our little house quite nicely. We had the opportunity to Skype with the Brewers twice and instantly felt that they were going to be a perfect fit to carry on the work here. Their hearts are also firmly grounded in discipleship and they will continue to encourage this church to wait on the Lord and seek His vision for the ministry.
When we arrived last January, we were met with snow, rain, drizzle, more rain, more drizzle, darkness by 4 p.m. every day, more rain and more drizzle. The skies were gray until at least March, but 9 Bartholomew Close became a place of sanctuary and prayer for us as we sought the Lord’s direction as to where to begin. Little by little His plan of nurturing, teaching, uniting, and loving this sweet body of believers became amazingly clear to us. Sometimes daily we found ourselves sharing Christ with our neighbors and others we met as we acclimated to our surrounding. We found that the British were not as reserved as we had been prepared for them to be. In most cases they quickly opened up to the subject of “the church” when they became aware of why we were here. However, without exception (unless they were believers), they kindly verbalized that they really saw no need for “the church” or “faith.” Life, in their opinion, was pretty good. They have a home to live in, food in their cupboard, a job that provides for their needs and most of their wants, someone to share life with (not always a wife or a husband), and they really didn’t “need” the church or faith. Each time we tried to explain to them that what we were doing was really not about “the church.” It was about a relationship with Christ. We have found them to be very much like Americans. Along the way we hope and pray that seeds have been planted and that those who remain here will be blessed to harvest fruit from our labor.
The beauty of this country is astounding and is almost impossible to describe! This past month as the sun has come out and the temperatures have warmed, we have taken every opportunity to walk the countryside. The Public Pathway system of Great Britain makes is very easy to see the country by walking through fields and villages, along rivers and sometimes right through people’s gardens. We have continued to be enthralled by 900 year old churches left unlocked and open to the public with 300 year old Bibles laying open on the pulpits for any visitor to look through. The heritage of faith is everywhere, yet the guest books in these old sanctuaries read like those in fine museums. “Beautiful Building!” . . . “Thank you for maintaining such a rich historical treasure.” . . . “Lovely, peaceful place.” We always wanted to write (and sometimes did) in capital letters – “What about Jesus! Remember Him!?” These beautiful old buildings were raised to the glory of God shortly after the turn of the millennium, but now the One Whose Glory they represent is never mentioned. Yes, this is a mission field!
Yet! . . . the Spirit is on the move. God’s people, those who have a passion for His Truth and who love this country, are sensing a fresh new call. They are looking past their historic buildings, outside the walls of yesterday’s traditions, and are communicating to the upcoming generation. They are praying for a revival. We attended a service recently on a Sunday night in Burford complete with guitars, drums, and even a harmonica. A young Scottish woman (Yes, muster all your grace! She is the pastor of the church.) brought a passionate message quoting from John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life issuing a challenge for us to seek God’s Spirit and His call on our lives. There was a sweet, sweet Spirit in that place. He is moving in extraordinary ways and it is spreading through churches that have been gasping for a final breath. Churches much like Ducklington Baptist are experiencing new growth and vitality. Those churches are learning to pray and wait on the Spirit to guide, but then they are also committed to do whatever He asks them to do. That evening we met an older couple from a nearby village who told us that 20 years ago their church had 5 members. Today it has over 200. God is at work here, as He is everywhere, and His people are learning to pray and wait.
It is an exciting time to be part of this movement and we are in hopes that He sees fit to bring us back. The thought of leaving England weighs heavy on our hearts as the hour of our departure draws near, but it’s time. We have missed our friends and our family very much. We are trusting that regardless of where we are, He will be at work in our lives. We will soon be back in our own house and adjusting to Texas temperature and driving on the right side of the road, but, Oh! the beauty of England and her people are set deep in our hearts.
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