Well, I've been away this week at residential. It was a completley mixed week, in that on Tuesday and Wednesday morning I had hit a big low and asked questions regarding the point of the week was, even whether there was much point in me being on the confused. I was confused, and felt genuinely quite pained to be there. Before I went I had desperatly tried to tell myself to go in positively and mix with people like I hadn't previously done. However, when it came to it, I just couldn't do it. On Wednesday morning Kelly, Barrie, Katy and myself all felt relatively disheartened by the week - the lack of lectures, and the cancellation of worship for things such as the boat race. There was a lecture that morning on advanced critical writing which none of us particularly wanted to attend as felt we could write critically without going to a two hour lecture telling us what we already knew. So we sat at a picnic table trying to work out what we could do instead. We talked about going into Oxford and going shopping, but decided that was really the last thing we wanted to do as none of us had any money, and really didn't want to be walking around the shops anyway. We then talked about going for a walk or to a tourist attraction, but as we had no Internet access, decdied against that too. Eventually a bus pulled up beside us, and we get on it... it was going to Oxford, a place we'd already said we didn't want to go.
After we got on the bus we all said how we didn't do anything spontaneous, and couldnt really work out why we'd ended up on the U1 bus into Oxford!!
When we got into Oxford we went for a coffee, and then couldn't work out where to go next. Anyway, Barrie suggested we should go into a church, so we walked to the church closest to us, and went in. After spending time walking around, and Barrie spent time praying, we sat down together and talked about the week, and then went onto to talk about some other stuff.
At this point a man walked past us, and said hello to us. We smiled and said hello back and then continued talking. Eventually he walked past us again, and stopped and started asking us about the Bible we had open, and if we read it/believed what it said. When we told him we did, he starting telling us how he felt the need to come and talk to us, and pray for us. After asking us what we were doing in Oxford, and us telling him we were on a course he prayed for us... during this prayer it was clear that God had done is wonderful job of managing to put us all in this place together, and we all felt completley refreshed by it all. It also happened that Steve (the man we met) was now living in New Zealand and was only back in England for three weeks!! He picked out phrases we'd used between us that morning, and then after he finished praying, told us that no matter what we should not let people drag us down or put the fire out that burns for God inside of us. This went deeper down, as was almost exactly what we had been talking about previously that morning. It was like he knew us, had spent time with us, and knew exactly what we needed prayer for. He then prayed for us again with such passion, laughed, said 'Man, you guys are too much' and walked off laughing. He left all four of us hugging each other in a state of tears! It was such an amazing experience.
Barrie and I have both emailed him today, but Barries email is so eloquent... I shall paste it hear, as it explains the situation so well, and thanks Him, and God for the amazing experience.:
'Hi Steve,
How do I start this e-mail?
I'm one of the 4 student Youth Ministers you met and prayed for in the church in Oxford on Wednesday morning (We were so brought there by God that I don't even know the name of the church!) I'm the easy one to remember as I'm the only guy in the group!
I just want to say thank you for your courage - for approaching us and talking to us as you felt the Spirit draw you to us.
We'd had absolutely no intention of coming into the City from Wheatley that morning, in fact we'd agreed it was the last thing we wanted to do, however when a bus drew alongside us, we just got on it. After coffee and a walk, the church seemed to appear out of the faceless shops, and we wandered in.I spent some time praying in the Lady chapel, and I could feel the Spirit beginning to move in me - I knew something awesome was going to happen, I didn't realise quite how awesome.
All morning we'd been complaining about the organisation of our college - bringing us to Oxford from the Midlands for 3 days in our busy schedules, and then offering us a programme of pointless lectures and cancelled worship. Meeting you, and your words to us, was like a great big Godly slap in the face. It was like He was telling us in no uncertain terms that He is at work in each and every life every single second. Who are we to question Him?More than that, your words spoke to us as a group of friends, and certainly to me as an individual. It was as if you knew us, in fact you even spoke phrases lifted directly from our earlier conversations. That's how we all knew you were speaking God's words to us.
At a point in the week when we were all feeling pretty low, meeting you and us all being ablaze with the Spirit gave us the lift that we needed. After you walked away laughing, we spent several minutes hugging and crying (scaring off a few visitors to the church in the process). When we left, I felt like I was walking on air.
Someone back at the college asked me where we'd been. I told her we'd been into the City, to a church, where God had sent a man from New Zealand to pray for us.
I hope and pray that the gloom and greyness of England has lifted somewhat from you, and that you enjoy your homeland. There are those of us here with fire in our hearts for Jesus, and with the passion to see lives changed. May God continue to bless you and your family and the work you are doing
Shalom
Barrie - I hope you don't mind me using this here, but it explains it so well!
Thank you God, Thank you Steve, and thank you Katy, Kelly and Barrie - you're such good mates, and I appreciate you so much. I feel like this week has made us so much closer, and it's meant the world to me. Residetntial may have been a complete waste of time in one respect, but on the other hand it was a huge learning curve, and I am so glad we were together to share it
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