Mission Team on Campus

February is mission week season for Christian Unions across the UK. Its an exciting time and also a challenging time. Who knows what God will do during that week, what seeds will be sown, what hearts will be changed. This week will be my 8th Mission week and so here are some of my thoughts/tips that will hopefully help you if you are student and about to have a mission week on campus...

1. Pray - pray for this week, pray for the weeks afterwards. Pray for your non christian friends and pray for yourself and energy and wisdom. Pray for the speaker and the CU guests, pray as a mission team...enjoy lifting up the week to our heavenly Father that hears our cries.

2. Sleep/Rest - Don't think you can function well without sleep. Get early nights and enjoy the sleep given to you. Find time to rest because you are not God and cannot do everything!

3. Eat well and together- Eat fruit and veg... don't live off popcorn and pot noodles... this is obvious, but eat well and invite your friends to dinner before an event so you can go to an event together... Share Jesus over a meal and enjoy eating well.

4. Invite by talking - Conversation is brilliant. So open your mouth and invite your friends to an event instead of shoving a flier in their face... talk and enjoy conversation. Chat about Jesus, hopes, dreams, desires and the Gospel...

5. Go to your lectures - Its tempting to skip lessons and go to everything that the CU is putting on. But that doesnt display a good witness to your friends. Go to your lectures and enjoy the truth that the CU event wont fall apart cos you are not there...

A good talk to listen to:
Why it's ok to stay in bed for the whole of mission week

A Polish Snapshot

My trip to Poland in some pictures:

Off to Poland!

I won't be around for a week as I am off to Poland to help with a Christian Union Mission. I am not sure what it involves - but please do pray for us! I fly out on Saturday and return next Thursday :O)!

Thank you!

My 6th Mission Week....

Last week was my 6th Mission Week since starting Uni in 2004... I was a CU Guest at Marjons, which is a small Uni in Plymouth. I learnt alot of things this week that I want to share with you.

• 1. The Gospel is true...
• 2. Small Cu's are great and they have such a family feel about them
• 3. I have never met so warm and loving Christian Students before
• 4. Seeds are planted and God grows them.
• 5. People are hungry for the Word of God. They can't stop talking about it.
• 6. God answers prayers.
• 7. It is good to encourage...always find the good.
• 8. 8am prayer meetings arn't too bad.
• 9. Talking about Jesus is the best thing ever.
• 10. Listning to people is key. Listning and comforting when all they want to do is cry and talk. Then pray.
• 11. Jesus took on the punishment I deserved. This is AMAZING.
• 12. I love students
• 13. I love seeing student passionate for Jesus and still going for it when they have little resources.
• 14. You don't need a huge CU to have a Mission week.
• 15. Not everything is black and white - we need compassion and love.
• 16. We are working with real people, with real needs and hurts. They don't need church jargon or do's and don'ts - they need to see how God loves them and that the Gospel is real for them.
• 17. It is good to see students have Joy in what they do and joy in having fun, going out and being with their non Christian friends.
• 18. I LOVE my job.
• 19. I really want to do this job forever....
• 20. This is my 6th mission week....and its been my favourite one!

Free Week overview

Free Week was amazing. Apologies for not finishing off blogging on what happened, lots of stuff happened and if you are on my prayer letter list then you would of got more regular updates!! So I thought I would do a review of the week:

Seven Reason Why Free Week was Amazing....

1) The Gospel is True and we got to share it to over a 100 people in each event...

2) Two students became Christians last week...this is awesome.

3) Bostons Tea Party was a great success and the atmosphere was amazing...

4) The day started with a long walk and then prayer. Praying with students and seeing God answer them was amazing.

5) Eating in halls was fantastic and some good conversations were had.

6) Spending time with CUGS was brilliant - encouraging and really fun!

7) Jesus is amazing. The whole week made me praise Jesus more. Love it!

Thank you for all your prayers.

ECU Free Week Day 2

Day 2

God is amazing. His word is amazing. Jesus is Amazing and I can't stop smiling. God is moving in Exeter and doing fantastic things. It makes me realise that actually none of this is about me, but it is about Jesus. I am just a Jar of Clay.

Today was exciting because a 1st year at Exeter became a Christian! She is our new sister in Christ!!! Praise God for His word and softening hearts. Please pray for her, please pray that she will see more of Jesus and just love Him with all her heart!

The events have been having a fantastic turn out and there have been some really encouraging conversations and prayers answered. The evening events have been drawing in over 100 people each night and John has been faithfully explaining the Gospel so well. It is really exciting to see God doing amazing things!!

Please continue to pray. Prayer works! :O)!

Thank you
Cat xxx

ECU Free Week Day 1

Day 1...

As my alarm sounded off its beeps which awoke me from a nice slumber and then the radio blasted out the gentle tones of radio 4 talking, I realised that it was 6:45am and my 5th mission week had begun. Once dressed and semi awake, I flicked to Psalm 111 and was reminded that the name of the Lord was Holy and awesome... that was a nice start. I then stepped outside and the heavens had opened - rain was falling hard and strong. A part of me wondered why would it have to rain this week when we had snow all last week... but God is good and He knows what He is doing!!

Prayer with the Hallgroup was encouraging. It was good to lift up everything this week to God, knowing that it is for His Glory and not for us...

Which leads me on to what happened wonderfully at the lunch bar... As everyone was tucking into their food and finding a seat, John started talking. He was grappling with the idea of "Why am I Here?"... Then suddenly a sound blasted from the room. Yes it was that sound that pierces your ears and can wake you up from a coma... the Fire Alarm went off. So we all went outside in the rain, umbrellas and hoods up, shivering and yet the crowd still remained. So what could we do at this point?... Well - have the talk outside! So under a small covering we crowded round the speaker as he told us about Jesus. I felt like I was in Acts, re-living one of Peters or Pauls sermons as the crowds gathered to hear the Good News. Questions were asked, people discussed...God was moving among them.

What is also exciting was that at BTP (Bostons Tea Party) where the evening events were held, God drew in a crowed of about 150ish people. It was amazing, people were standing and crouched just to hear the Good News!! What an encouraging day to start with...

Please do pray on a personal level, that I would have oppertunities to talk to people about Jesus - with boldness, courage and love. I find starting conversations hard, so need to rely on God!

Also..pray for energy, not just for me, but for students and for the other CU guests helping this week.

Thank you so much for all your support!!

Are you Free?

Next week is Exeter Christian Unions Events week. They are putting on a week of events that include lunch time talks, evening talks, prayer breakfasts and fliering. This is my 5th mission since becoming a Christian and it is still as exciting. You would think I would be use to it all by now, but I still get nervous and scared about meeting new people and about telling them about Jesus. I shouldn't because the Gospel is true and I want people to be changed from next week - not because the events will be great, but because Jesus is better. Jesus is better then they have ever imagined and I want them to see Him, fall in love with Him and follow Him.

Pray for hearts to be opened, soft and eager to hear the Word of God.
Pray for boldness to speak truth, to proclaim the Gospel and to Love.

I will try to blog as much as possible next week about what is going on. Please keep praying!

Thank you :O)