If you could ask God one question…

Today was our first day of more significant ministry, and it was intense. 

White-board street evangelism: We started the day back at Oikos for a little training in white-board street evangelism. The premise is that the team writes a compelling question on a white board easel, and invites passersby to answer the question. Many folks avoid eye contact, some are curious but ultimately in a hurry or unengaged, and for some, the opportunity to write on a white board is temptation enough! The process continues that once a person writes their question, we can ask a follow up question just to open a conversation and begin to get to know and gage the person, and if appropriate, to go deeper. 

Many people are anxious or even fearful to approach a stranger and initiate a spiritual conversation, and the whiteboard question gives the team a way to initiate, and is a very easy way for passersby to choose their level of interaction. The guidance we received was captured in three words: hospitality, weakness, and incarnation. 

• Even though we are visitors to the UK, we can create a welcoming space for a person to engage and have a positive experience. We want the folks we encounter to feel like, If this person enjoys and values me, maybe God does too. 
• Leaning into our weakness and knowing that moment by moment we are relying on God to intervene on behalf of this person and to draw them to himself, accentuates the grace of Christ we are hoping to share. Paul himself said in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “but He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” We are actually in a better headspace when we are aware of our weakness and relying on God to guide and draw. We don’t have anything of lasting value to offer, except Jesus. Besides, people prefer normal and not perfect people! 
• Finally, as coincidentally was also our devo topic this morning (Joe and I smashed it, thank you very much), in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 we are told that we are the body of Christ, and we are promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, and 5:5). Our desire is that the people we interact with would have an encounter with Jesus, and as his body, we can offer them that in us when we are led by his Spirit. If they can get a taste and see that God is good, they can walk away hungry, and perhaps a seed has been planted for them to begin to entertain their spiritual side, or to contemplate God, or even to begin to seek him. That is always a win. 

We may have started out nervous, but we were well equipped, and we ended up having a ball. Naturally some interactions were more fruitful or interesting than others, but I believe for myself and Braelyn, Adria and Raleigh, the highlight was a trio of high school juniors—one beautiful Muslim girl wearing a hijab with her school uniform, one very quiet girl, and one Christian girl who made our job easy. The Muslim girl marched right up to the white board and asked the question “how is oppression allowed in a just world?” The question pointed toward a discussion about whether the world really was just, if God is, and the sinful nature of people. After chatting with them for 10 minutes or so, they had to get to class, and we were much more comfortable. 

In the afternoon we met with and heard the stories of two members of the Oikos community that represent two of the populations they are trying to reach. 

Iranian asylum seeker:

After lunch we heard the story of an Iranian asylum seeker (status when you first arrive before you are approved as a refugee). He is an ethnic Kurd, who predominately reside in the mountainous area along the borders of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, who are a people without a country of their own, and experience discrimination and violence from the Iranian government. The choices for a young Iranian man are either to serve for 2 years in the Iranian Army and kill for things you don’t believe in (or even morally oppose), or be killed, and there have been a series of recent protests across all populations of Iranians outraged over the death of a 22 year old Muslim woman literally by the “morality police” over her hair covering. This young man first refused to join the Iranian army, and later participated in the political protests, and ultimately his mother begged him to leave the country to avoid being targeted and ending up dead himself. He told us the story of how he paid “human traffickers” to secure him passage out of Iran, ultimately on a month long journey, hiding from heat seeking drones and being transported in cargo trucks until he ultimately got on a boat to Dover, England. He now resides in the government funded “refugee hotel” as an asylum seeker hoping to become a refugee, with several hundred peers in similar circumstances, and tells how an unexpected side effect of fleeing Iran and coming to the UK was escaping chaos and finding security and peace in Jesus Christ through the Oikos Cafe. Forty new asylum seekers arrived on a bus today, so our team prepared welcome bags stuffed with basic hygiene items, blankets, and other necessities which Oikos and this young man will use to serve and welcome the other refugees. 

Braelyn, Adria, Claudia, Emma Grace, and Raleigh

We made 15 bags as a welcome and introduction for our new asylum-seeking friend. 

Addiction:

This evening we were introduced to Tim and told his incredible (and heartbreaking) story about his struggle with childhood molestation, all kinds of drug addiction, jail stays, his attempts to get himself clean and find peace with God, nearly losing his family, and ultimately surrender to Jesus Christ and freedom from addiction. The struggle he described is all too common, and doesn’t respect national boundaries or socioeconomics, and in fact he lost his brother to it at 37 due to an overdose of speed. It took decades, being homeless, numerous stints in jail, waking up in the hospital, 2 rehab programs, and a faithful wife for him to finally surrender. One of the most painful parts of his story was how he tried so hard in his own power to get right with God and to be a good family man, only to fall back into the grips of his addiction after the birth of his first child. He describes a specific experience in his second rehab where broken, he cried out in earnest for Jesus to help him, and a warm glow came over him, and he knew that he was changed somehow. On a video chat with his wife the next morning she came to the phone and asked him what had happened, that she could see a change in his eyes. It turns out she herself had been moved by God to get out of bed and get on her hands and knees in prayer for her husband, at the same time he was experiencing freedom in Christ for the first time. 

He has grown to restore the damaged relationships he had developed with his parents and his children, he and his wife welcome the addict community for Bible Study in their home, and he has begun speaking and teaching training with Oikos’ Pastor Dan in the hopes that God will move within Tim’s neighborhood and community. 

Whew!

As I said, today was intense! I honestly can’t remember what tomorrow will hold, although I know we will help at the refugee soccer tournament. Prayers for those we encountered today, and for all nations and tribes to find the welcome and peace of Jesus Christ. 

If you could ask God one question, what would it be?