Northumberland Coast

"A National Treasure." This describes Lindisfarne quite accurately. A beautiful castle built to help withstand Viking raids on the Northumberland coast, this tiny little castle really is beautiful. We enjoyed a day of hiking around it and wondering at some priory ruins almost 800 years old. This is only accessible once a day or so due to the tides swallowing up the lone road out to it.

Group Picture

(Bob & Sue Mole, our wonderful and gracious drivers and guides, on the far left).

On the approach to the castle.

Lily, I'm king of the world!!!

Group pic from inside the kiln.

Olivia Dupree enjoying the garden.

Olivia Wall...having been stung by a nettle...

Another group pic inside the ruins.

A picture of the old priory destroyed by Henry VIII.

Lunch

Bamburgh (pronounced bam-bruh). This was truly amazing. I wish my pictures could do it justice.

We are just a few hours away from being loaded onto a plane for Seattle. God has shown Himself amazingly gracious this last week. This morning we were thrilled to see several kids, and their family, attend Sunday morning service. Leo gave a sermon on Luke 18:9-14. We were reminded that our righteousness before God is not based on comparing ourselves with others but on relying on Jesus Christ as our substitute who's taken our "red card" (soccer term) for us.

Last night we spent some time together as a team debriefing on our experiences. From cultural differences, to gospel questions, to applications we'll take home with us back to the States. What I saw in my young brothers and sisters this week was a willingness to dig into the gospel and be challenged with the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

What we were confronted with this week, along with many other things, was the therapeutic culture of our faith. Our English brothers and sisters, have a incredibly powerful witness about them because of their deep and abiding understanding of Jesus' kingship. This is something we tend to shy away from in Spokane; at least it seems to me we do. We like warm, fuzzy thoughts about Jesus as our friend.

But as we were reminded this week. Jesus is not just our friend, He is our Lord and King. He commands us and has saved us from hell with His righteousness. Therefore we have no fear of the judgment to come.

The other thing that stuck out to our team was the earnestness and length of prayer that surrounded the sport camp this week. Oh saints in Washington! If only we would be convinced of the necessity of prayer in our ministry. Your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters in the Lord, will be coming back to challenge you on this point.

Dare we rush into ministry without prayer? The apostle Paul would say something about this.

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Ephesians 1:15-19

May we be a people who learn to pray as our brothers and sisters in Durham do.

Prayerfully yours,

Loren

Camp Update...

It's nearly midnight here, and we've had a long day finishing camp, having a picnic with the families of the kids, cleaning up the buildings and taking everything down, and then a barbecue for all the leaders. I will try to write more tomorrow, but I couldn't sleep without posting...yesterday, Daniel, a boy from another group, professed faith, and today William and Oscar from our group did the same!!!

I pray you are celebrating with us, half a world away, at these new brothers in faith!

Rejoicing,
Megan

Thursday Recap and Prayer Requests (From Megan)

England has been amazing on so many levels. Of course, there is the fact that everything is so OLD! The house we are staying in was built around the time America was founded! It has three levels, three spare bedrooms, a beautiful terrace out front and a lush garden in back. The townhouse next door is a posh bed and breakfast. We feel like we are staying in one, as well! Our hosts are a couple named Bob and Susan. Bob is a retired human resources director, which has spurred many good conversations and warmed my heart, missing my own dad who had the same profession. The similar struggles we've shared has made them feel like a long lost aunt and uncle rather than complete strangers halfway around the world! We are very, very blessed!

Camp has been amazing. We were told of how little the gospel is preached here, but I think I still came with the expectation that the English are Americans with cool accents. How wrong I was! In the midst of the beauty of castles and cathedrals, there are very few churches here that are preaching Christ. One of the boys in our group at Sports Camp told us that this week was the first time he had ever heard that God created the world. He has been very open to talking about the gospel and asking questions. So far this week, we've talked about Creation, Sin, The Cross, and tomorrow is The Choice. Only two of the ten kids in our group are from a church, so please pray, as we intentionally try to gauge where each child is at tomorrow, that we would be bold in proclaiming the gospel and that kids' hearts would be changed. Like Izzy said, we are having a lunch tomorrow for the kids and the parents, and on Sunday there will be a special church service (and "medal ceremony"!) that the families are invited to as well. And, of course, pray for the leaders here, that they would be intentional in following up with the families.

Hearing the little boy say that he'd never heard about a creator God was so moving to me today. What an amazing, sobering privilege, that we could very well be the first people to ever pray for this boy. In the midst of all the beauty around us, camp has been a constant reminder of the reason we are here in England, and I think has spurred us all on to go back to the States and continue reaching out beyond our comfort zone.

Finally, a few specifics on the team:

*We have been privileged to have Burke as our leader, yesterday in Basketball and today in Hockey. I was amazed to hear that it was his first time teaching younger children like this. He's a natural, and it was so fun to watch such a gifted young man use that gift for God's glory. He has volunteered to play the bass guitar on Sunday, stating, "It can't be that hard." :)

*Jonathan also has done a great job coaching baseball, and has had loads of patience for young kids who do not grasp the sport. There has been a lot of running off the field at third base, which is how you play Rounders. The sports are so similar, it's been hilarious to watch countless rules be broken. Jonathan has done a great job being flexible and yet still giving instruction. And I'm sure he felt no small amount of satisfaction today, striking out a college student! :)

*Olivia Wall has been asked, daily, to do more and more art projects for camp. In addition, she's the "Sports Reporter," hamming it up on stage each day. It's been amazing to see her servant heart and great sense of humor. Without fail, at the end of another exhausting day, she comes up with a smile and a hug and reminds me why we are here.

*Olivia Dupree has been so great with the little kids, taking in stride toddlers' "accidents" and cupcake crumbs everywhere and very few attempts at actually playing the games. She certainly has a gift for small children. We are already making plans to coerce her into babysitting when we return. Olivia has also volunteered to help with music on Sunday, and I'm anxious to hear this talented girl!

*Leah has such a servant's heart! All of the things that we take for granted, happening behind the scenes, she is a part of. From hot coffee and tea to setting up the parents' area, she's cheerfully taken on any task that needs doing. I'm humbled by her willingness to serve, doing the things she's gifted with, such as art, as well as the less glamorous jobs.

*Izzy has had so much joy, being here. Every time I see her, whether it's painting signs, interacting with kids, or at the end of a long day, she has a dazzling smile on her face. I'm not so sure she's going to get on the plane with the rest of us! I was privileged to hear her and Lily tell stories about their sister Caroline today, and even in that, there was a peace and joy that radiates from her. When you look at Izzy, you see Jesus.

*Lily has been such a trooper! Even feverish and ill, she never complains! I've had so much fun with her, watching her gymnastics videos and seeing her engage anyone she talks to. I love that whether she's talking to a small child, a peer, or an adult, she is confident and gracious. In the time that she spent with our host family while she was sick, they came to love her as much as we do.

Please be praying today for our last day of camp, which will take place from 1:45-5:00 am Spokane time, and for families to attend the special service on Sunday.

We look forward to returning to Spokane and sharing more of what God has been doing on our hearts!

Megan

Izzy again...

Hello everyone,
Today is day 6 in Durham... and I am just as excited to be here as last Saturday.
Last night I moved in with my new host family. Their names are Duncan and Laura Woods and they have two little boys named Elliot and Theo... and they are so sweet and absolutely adorbale! We've just celebrated Theo's birthday.
Alive and Kicking It, holiday club is also going really well. It has been awesome to build relationships with the people of the church as well as the kids who have been involved in the camp. Most of the children seem to be showing interest and understanding. One of the boys even said that he wanted to "be on Jesus' team" but he didn't know how so he got to pray with one of the team members. Praise God for that! Tomorrow is our last day of the holiday club and we will be having a lunch afterwards with the kids and their parents so please be praying that we would have conversations that would bring glory to God and that the parents would have a thirst to hear more and come to the all-aged service on sunday!

So excited to see what else God has planned for this week!

In Christ,
Izzy

Newcastle and the Beach

Yesterday we took a short northeast to the coast around Newcastle. We had authentic fish & chips and some of us...I'll let you see who...dared to swim in the North Sea.

It was a lovely day and our British brothers and sisters have been a source of daily encouragement to the troop from America.

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take pictures of the kids at camp so it is a little difficult to get some good photos from there. But I'm gonna try tomorrow. Watching a bunch of English kids bounce basketballs or try and figure our running around a baseball diamond is a hoot (check out a game called "rounders" if you want to see the British equivalent of baseball then you'll understand the difficulty).

Please continue to prayer for wisdom for the entire Holiday Club as we continue to tell little sinners of their desperate need for Christ Jesus. We are daily encouraged by the obvious love of the Lord's Word here in Durham.

Are you reading it yourself?

"O how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day."

Psalm 119:97

Day Three Durham - VBS Prep

Another day down. Another 50 miles walked! Oh yes...Durham is full of hills. And walking. Ask the team when we get back. We'll all have stylish calves. And Megan ran for the first time in six months during our picture treasure hunt. There ARE miracles. :-)

Below are some pictures from our camp prep time and then our scavenger hunt. I'll try and have captions for them all.

The camp is being held at a local girl's high school.

Team America, as we are affectionately called, somehow got put in charge of the art. I hope you enjoy the work they've put in. From the NBA finals to the Ashes (that's Cricket), they were at work for a couple of hours in the morning.

Burke and Jon are leading basketball and baseball respectively. They are going to do an awesome job. Also, the Brits apparently don't believe in dribbling a basketball or a backboard so they play a game called "Netball." We've also been tenderly told baseball is not a real skill game. You should have seen Jon's face when I told him THAT. :-) We'll throw some fastballs tomorrow and see how they do with them and their...cricket wicket.

After lunch we had a game of rugby; thank you Burke and Jonathan for not making me the only

American running around looking out of place. We also had a excellent time of Bible teaching led by Leo, associate pastor of Christchurch, and then a time of prayer.

The next set of pics are of our teams for the picture scavenger hunt. There is also a video of Olivia Wall looking like a "lost tourist" in Durham. She played the part well.

Our prayers for today would be continued willingness to die to ourselves as we serve the body of Christchurch (Philippians 2). We would also ask you to pray for Lily Hoch as she is not feeling well and stayed in for some extra sleep this evening. And lastly, please beseech God to prepare us for camp tomorrow. Almost 60 kids were signed up today and we hoping more show up!

We love you all and can't wait to see you again to share our time in Durham.

In Christ,

Loren

Tea and Crumpets

Hello All,

Izzy here.

Today was our first full day in England. My host family is a lovely couple named Robbie and Lizzie Bellis. This morning we went to Christchurch and heard a great message on Luke 22:46. It was on the importance of prayer. Afterwards we had a BBQ at Leo and Vicky Davison's, Olivia Dupree's host family, and that was lovely. The Davison's have three children that are all very sweet and they seem to absolutely adore Olivia! We went on a nice walk and afterwards I came back to Robbie and Lizzie's house and had some down time before going to the evening service. It was just as nice as the morning service. The message was on 1 Samuel 10-11. It was about rejecting, choosing, and needing a saviour (spell check is telling me I need to spell it this way) and God's sovereignty in providing a saviour. I have officially drank more cups of tea in the past day and a half than I have in the last year of my life... and i'm loving it. It is a habit I plan on taking home with me. I feel so blessed to be in Durham and involved with such a loving and Gospel centred (again...spell check) church and I am so excited to start working and preparing for the Sports Camp, tomorrow! Please pray that the team is energized and willing to serve in any way possible!

Izzy

Day One Durham

(Click Here)

Clotted Cream

We made it! The whole team passed through security, some of us more than once unfortunately. :-)

Right now we are sitting in Robbie and Lizzie's living room and have just had some biscuits, raspberries, and clotted cream. We've all decided clotted cream is a MUST. We may be bringing some back for you all to enjoy.

God has answered our prayers for a safe voyage and fellowship with our British brothers and sisters.

Today we took a walking tour of Durham proper, cathedral, university, downtown. It is beautiful!

We finished our day with a time of prayer and the Word by the river. We've now been up about 28 hours and are getting ready for bed.

Our prayer this week is that we would be built up in the gospel as we share the gospel with the wonderful kids of Durham and Christchurch.

Tomorrow there should be some pictures and a short video plus some blogs by the rest of the team.

Please pray for good sleep and for jet lag to be at a minimum. And the verses below are our prayer for the kids who come to sports camp this week...that they might see the Words of Christ and be changed by His gospel.

"When your words came, I ate them;
they were my joy and my heart's delight,
for I bear your name,
O LORD God Almighty."

Jeremiah 15:16

God is good!!!

- In Christ,

Loren

England...Tally-ho!!!

In just 48 hours 9 of us from Spokane, WA will be enroute to Durham, England for a week of Holiday Club with our gospel-partner Christchurch Durham. We'll be ministering to the brothers and sisters in Durham and the surrounding area to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:3-5

Our team includes:
Loren & Megan Baker (chaperones)
Leah Slater
Izzy & Lily Hoch
Burke & Olivia Dupree
Olivia Wall
Jonathan Rooney

The team met last night for a time of prayer and to go over final details for the trip. We have the following requests we'd like the church to pray over while we are away:

1. Safety in travel, good connections (flights and people)
2. Good gospel witness
3. Prepare the hearts of the children at Holiday Day Club
4. Prepare our (the team's) hearts
5. Give the team servant hearts
6. Bonding and fellowship amongst teammates and British brothers and sisters
7. Stay awake on the Saturday we arrive and get adjusted into the new time zone

We are excited and ready to go! Be checking back over the next 12 days as we'll be updating this blog with entries from the team.

In Christ,
Loren