i'm not the biggest fan of hot weather or beaches or any of those common summer things, but after growing up at camps and pools in the Arkansas heat, experiencing a summer in England is a bit of a shock.
first, i could not be more thankful for the weather these past three days. we've had a high of 60-65, which to most of you probably sounds freezing. to us, it was a heatwave. the best thing about this weather is that it brought out the community of stockton. three days in a row we were outside playing sports and having conversations with people in the town. this is rare. in a place where the weather is usually pretty cool and dreary, the people tend to have negative or tired attitudes. this is not absolute, just a general observation. but all over town people were out, and the ones we had the chance to talk to caught a glimpse of the hope and light that comes from Christ.
as i have said before, we made friends with some of the kids who live in stockton. right now i want to tell you the story of one of them. this young man is 17 years old (he is on my left in the picture below), and for the past few years he has been living on his own. every member of his family either has passed away or has moved from the area. i'm not sure what it is, but something has kept him here. he is homeless. i don't know how long it's been this way, but it is overwhelming to think about. compared to the other kids we know, he is the most clean cut, most concerned with his looks... i was a little bit confused when he was so drawn to us from the beginning (he has been where we are almost every single day... he can't stay away), but then i realized he has no one else. he has a couple of close friends in the area, but it is likely that none of them show they care as much as we have been. on Sunday, we were heading out to Saltburn to hike a little bit and have a worship service/baptism on the beach. while we were waiting on our team at the church in Stockton, Joey walked up. after talking for a while, he hopped in the van and came with us. we chatted on the way there, we could tell he was nervous. he knew he had just gotten in a bus with a group of American Christians. he had a blast. it was all good, clean fun. probably something he hasn't experienced in a while. as we talked to him, he told us all about his dreams. i thought about how he maybe has never had someone encouraging him to pursue them until now. we are excited for him, genuinely. we want him to succeed. but more than anything, we want him to know Jesus. he heard the gospel. he saw Hannah's baptism. i think he is starting to get it. we are praying HARD for his life. as much as we want him to come to faith, the Lord wants him even more. Jesus wants him to know that even though he has been left with nothing, he is not alone. Jesus loves him.
please. i am begging you to get on your knees and pray for this boy. the Lord is faithful and he can draw him in. he, along with everyone else here in northeast England NEEDS Jesus. we are learning the power of prayer. sometimes all we can do is plead with the Lord for their salvation, ask him to bring hope and life to this area. it is dark and it is lonely. we have been shown mercy, and we want them to know it, too. these. people. need. Jesus.
it is in faith we pray.
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