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PAIS
Have you ever been thrown in at the deep
end and struggled in a splash before suddenly looking around you and
finding that you’re swimming?
That’s how I felt at the start of my
GAP year in
England
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Working for The Pais Project in the
towns surrounding
Birmingham
saw me doing lots of things I had never done before - but loving every
minute of it! With a team of two other girls, I was primarily involved
in schools work. Having just left school for 14 years you wouldn’t
think I would want to spend another day in school, but this was an
altogether different kind of work!
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Every day we went into both primary and
secondary schools in the area, regularly investing in the lives of about
200 young people. Doing assemblies, lunch clubs, lessons, workshops and
after school clubs we explored Christianity in a fresh and exciting way.
We used drama, song, PowerPoint, games, dance and even a plate of fake poo
(!) to convey important messages about God. |
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The aim of our schools work was not only
to inspire young people about Jesus but also to bridge the gap between
the schools and the local church. I was placed with a very
community-orientated church, Bethel Christian Fellowship, where I
assisted with the youth work. The teens that came to our youth club were
mostly from non-churched, difficult backgrounds and we had to bribe them
with chocolate and
messy games to keep them quiet! Yet despite the hard work, I saw lives
change through the power of God. I had the privilege of leading some of
them into a relationship with Jesus and also focused on raising up young
leaders within the group. |
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Being involved in missionary work for a year was
rewarding in a different way to any short-term missions I have been on.
Seeing the difference that our work made in schools encouraged the team
and me. Teachers commented on how the pupils who came to our clubs had
developed in confidence and changed their attitude towards their studies
and towards others. 60 children gave their lives to God in our clubs and
we believe that other seeds planted will come to fruition in due time. |
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I’ll leave you with some of the words
from the kids…
“God is more special than I thought!” – Laura, age 9
“I’ve learned that everyone is unique and that God made me funky!”
– Ginevra, age 11
“You have helped me through many difficult situations… and have kept
me strong. You have made my dream of a C.U. in school come true and even
more awesome, people got saved there! Yey!”
– Will, age 16
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God is amazing the way He leads us to
places we never thought we would be! At the end of an amazing year, I
can definitely tell you that I have left a piece of my heart in the
heartlands of
England
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Thanks for reading!
Christa
Visit
www.paisproject.com |
