The Right Perspective

 

I will admit, after having been wet and cold most of the day, I was not excited to get into the baptismal.

 

This July marked my third year of going to the Cedarwood Festival. Each year I have held the title of “Ministry Lead.” I got to walk around for about 18 hours a day asking people how they were, getting people tea, praying with them, and in general, trying to show a bit of Jesus’ love to everyone I encountered.

 

One of those people was Elijah.

 

Elijah wasn’t someone who was attending the festival or a typical volunteer. He was part of the contracted medic team. Originally he wasn’t scheduled to be there at all. A last-minute call from his boss was the reason he had found himself at Cedarwood.

 

Of course with God, there are no coincidences.

 

After he conversed with some other volunteers, Elijah pulled me aside to ask about baptism. This led to a conversation about what it meant to follow Christ and what baptism represented. By the end of the day, he had made his decision.

 

And so, I found myself standing in a tub full of water. Stepping in, my mind braced my body for the inevitable shock that would come. Even though it was July, the consistent drizzle throughout the weekend made it feel like autumn. However, the moment I stepped into the water, something happened.

 

I was no longer cold.

 

In fact, for the rest of the day, I found myself rather comfortable, despite clouds and wind that should have made me feel otherwise. For something more important than any earthly need I had at that moment had happened, a new son had been adopted into the family.

 

Moments like these are reminders that when we have spiritual eyes to see, we get to enjoy being a part of what God is up to.

Bible in Britain

For England, summer begins halfway through July.

 

This is because most schools are not out until at least the second half of the month. Practically, this means I got a few more hours in the coffee shop covering different people as they took time off.

 

It also meant that a lot of ministry changes from organized events to organic meet-ups. It could be going to someone’s house for a meal or to watch a show.

 

One event that FLTR still held over this summer time frame was our game’s night.

 

While I always love to play games with people, this has been one outreach that we have been reconsidering. A mix of losing a few volunteers and not having many people turn up has made us wonder if we should be trying to do something else.

 

Then came our last game night in July and we had a full house. It both encouraged us but also made us rethink whether we should end it or not.

 

Please be praying with us for wisdom on the best way to reach our community, and how we can encourage those who attend our church to take part in these various outreach opportunities.

But wait, what is FLTR?

 

If you are new to our prayer letters or need a refresher on what is FLTR and how we are serving our community, lucky for you I recently made a video explaining exactly that! You can watch it here.

 

 

We are again so thankful for the overwhelming support we receive from all of you. It is hard to think that this time last year we were wondering if we would be able to stay in the UK because of our lack of support. While we hope to continue to raise our monthly support levels, we have to praise God for the generosity you have all shown.

 

If you would like to help us reach our new monthly goal, either by joining us for the first time or by increasing your current support, you can do so by using the buttons below.

- UK

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Monthly Highlights

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While I was at Cedarwood, Rachel was back in Bicester celebrating the wedding of two people from our church community. Sue and Steve had met last year during a special course we had hosted at FLTR about mental health. They Both had previously lost their spouses. A friendship soon developed and a little over a year later they are now husband and wife. We praise God with them for how he brought these two together. They both have a passion for reaching our community here in Bicester.

 

Rachel went to visit our friends India and Rob down in Poole. While it was a quick trip (and I had to stay behind to do a shift in the coffee shop), she enjoyed hanging out and encouraging them.

 

Another highlight, especially for Rachel, is that the Olympics are on again this year. While we both enjoy it, Rachel especially loves watching the various events. We hosted several people over to watch the opening ceremony and have enjoyed going to others’ to watch different sports. It has been special to cheer for both Team USA and Team GB alongside those in our community.

 

A special guest stayed with us for a few days: Dee! Dee was the lady we baptized almost two years ago. We hung out, talked with her about how she was doing, and studied the Bible together again. We really love and miss her!

Praise and Prayer Requests:

- Praise God for the great time Shelbey had at Cederwood, especially for Elijah. Pray for Elijah as he is getting connected to a local church.

 

- Praise God for the good weather and good community. Keep praying for us as we continue to build relationships with those living around us. Pray for curiosity to form around faith conversations.

 

- Pray for wisdom about what we want to do as a church and how we utilize our space for outreach opportunities.

 

- Praise for being able to visit and host friends.

 

- Pray for rest for us as we will take a proper vacation in August. The last time we took off for more than two nights was a year and a half ago.

 

- Pray for changes at FLTR as one of our managers will soon go on maternity leave. Pray for a healthy mom and baby as she slides into her last few months.

 

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Bicester, Oxfordshire OX26 6YW

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