MISSION COMPLETE!

So my 10 months at the message academy has come to an end! Months of training and then 6 weeks of mission came to a close at the commissioning last Friday, where we celebrated all that had happened. It has been an amazing experience and definitely life changing! If you've read the rest of my blogs you'll know what I was up to in the months of training, if not feel free to scroll back and give it a read! However I'll tell you what I've been up to for the last 6 weeks. This will probably be my longest blog, as quite a lot happened hah!

Officially I was on 'Mission', which is a proper Christian word. But just means that we've been serving various people around the country, working in tough neighbourhoods, youth settings & schools and most importantly telling people about the amazing news of Jeus Christ!!! I was heading up a team of 4 (including me), where we severed in Salford, Wythenshawe, Sale, Hull, Offerton & Partington!

We had the sickestttt time!! Like I said before, most of the time we were serving the community through outreach work, like youth groups and alpha, detached work, where we just did youth work out on the streets. Schools lessons, where we were telling kids that God has and wants an amazing future for them & that he loves everyone of them! Here's a very brief overview of the 6 weeks, I could write so much more but I'd be here for days!

In Salford we served with Life church, with the legends Chris & Andy Lane. Where we did a week of primary school lessons in the sickest school called Willow Tree, it was mental, the kids loved it and we got a bit of the bible into their lessons, it was so cool. We did tons of lessons and assemblys which was the best. After schools we served in the life center, doing after school youth work and activities. We also did a bit of detached work with some of the kids who were out late... Totally broke my heart for the lost kids out there! Here's us doing the doing mental actions at church on Sunday, with kids who came from the school! #week1

In Wythenshawe, we got to serve the community, clearing out gardens/ house cleaning etc. We also went out on the Eden Bus, with the amazing Sid & Chaz, who led the week. On this we did youthwork, got to know and hang out with kids on different estates, which was awesome. On Sunday we out on a fun day at my amazing Church: Ivy Sharston, were we had amazing BBQ, bouncy castle, live music etc. Sid also told the gospel and we got to see 6 people give their lives to Jesus, which is AMAZINGGGGG! Here's a selfie from the garden clearance we did during the week! #week2

Sale was a very different week, we served at Life Church, led by the amazing Tom Butler! We mainly served the youth at the church, as well as helping with after school youthwork, down the road in Stretford! It was such a cool week, to work with guys in church, trying to help them on their walk with God, trying to use our experience, to encourage them to draw closer to him. My team smashed it, hoping that God used us for an impact on their lives Here's a little promo we did for the group we ran on the Friday evening! #week3

Hull was back to school! We served Eden Preston Road, working in the estate, as well as in the academy teaching RE lessons, like I said earlier, we were telling the kids that God has a plan, hope & a future for their lives. We weren't really allowed to do a response in the lessons, but we were speaking truth over their lives & praying God will use our words for them in the future! We also did detached youthwork, working with kids off the streets & helping build a even better relationship with the Eden project based there. Here's us in the academy, about to teach an RE lesson! #week4

Not gonna lie by this point we were ruined, but with a a lot of help from Him (& a fair amount of coffee/ Red bull we kept going!)

Stockport was legendary! We got to know and work alongside a team of total legends from the Glo project, led by Dan Cook. We worked alongside the Eden bus & glo center to deliver some community outreach for the community Offerton we were working in for the week. We got to tell people about Jesus, pray for people and serve them . On the Friday we did an outreach day & gig alongside the legends twelve 24, who rocked the community center & on that night we saw about 32 of the kids we worked with respond to the gospel! Which was sickkkkk! Heres me with some of the sick team doing a bit of outreach! #week5

The final week of mission in Partington went offff! We got to serve alongside the Eden, run by the legend known as Joe Smith! We got to again work in school, telling so many more kids that God loves em and has a plan for their future! Which was sick! We got to also shoot a short video promo for the Eden, do a lot of detached work, run a youth alpha and Sunday service at the church! It was an epic week, which also involved a lot of Starbucks (we were kinda dead by this point!) Party-town (As we called it) was soo epic! #week6

God has taught me so much whilst we've been on mission, so much! One of the main things he's shown me by it, is just the massive amount of people that NEED to hear the gospel, they need to hear it! Which means someone needs to tell them!! Who? Not the super Christians, the big speakers, the huge churches, sure they have their place and I ain't dissing them. But what God spoke to me about, is not being complaisant, we've got no excuse! Sure living like a Christian, and God showing through is a sound way of showing Jesus in our lives, but we also need to tell it straight, tell them about Jesus boldly & loudly. Cos if we don't, who's gonna do it??

#telltheworld

#graduatedButItAintFinished

Message Academy 2014. Most epic year of my life so far! #thankYouJesus

Trusting! Final term

So many of you know, that I've now completed the first two terms of the message academy year. For me they've been the busiest, most tiring but the best, most amazing, crazy months of my life! God has blessed my with some amazing placements, some amazing teaching & amazing experiences, which could never of happened if I didn't step out and come to Manchester! Thanks so much to my amazing placement managers, who've put up with me for this time, it's been fantastic!

So this next term, I'm not gonna lie, I think is gonna be the hardest of them all. This term is gonna be just full time mission for about 6 weeks (Just put my schedule together on my diary! Ahhh!). Each weeks gonna consist of something different, from schools missions, to street/ community outreach, to running youth groups and events. This means were stepping out, putting ourselves out there, doing mission, which is scary!! But one thing I've learnt is that...

FAITH is spelt R.I.S.K. God blesses us so much, when we put ourselves out there and just trust in him!

Although I've had fantastic training this year, it does feel a bit intimidating but I can trust that God is constant and he hasn't failed yet and he ain't gonna start now! Romans 5: 1 - 11 talks about how we faith brings joy, develops endurance & stregnth of character. So I'm praying and seeking that God uses this time to really do that!

Pray for me as I'm in these different places, each week I'm gonna be somewhere different.
Here's my Schedule:

Week 1 - Salford // Primary school week
Week 2 - Sharston // Eden bus / estate / proximity conference
Week 3 - Sale // Life Church
Week 4 -  Hull // Eden / Schools
Week 5 - Offerton // Glo
Week 6 - Partington // Eden / Schools

Thank you for reading, I'll try keep an update flowing on Facebook mainly, as I think I'm gonna be pretty busy. Thank you to my sponsors for my ongoing support - and to others for praying and paying an interest, it means a lot! Y'all rock!!!!

Update!

So. Here's the normal opening line... So sorry I haven't posted for ages... I've been flipping slammed! Haha, yup once again I haven't posted for ages, sorry!

So life here in Manchester is flipping awesome! My hear is completely and utterly broken for Manchester and tough people here and everywhere. Gods taken me on a journey of amazing stuff which has changed me (for the better) ;).

This term so far has been so hectic, challenging but amazing. I've been totally amerced in youthwork, team work, numerous out reach projects, all whilst fine tuning my talents and gifts.

I do four nights/ or avos of youth work. The kids I work with come from about every part of the scale as you can imagine, some are from church fams, got a relationship with God and doing goood (THANKYOU JESUS), some of the others I work with literally on the street, they are awesome kids and we try get alongside them and get a bit of Jesus in there on a Friday night, they might then also go off and have a smoke of the cheeky stuff and then come back but were hoping to get into the dark place and tell them about the amazing God who thinks THEY AMAZING!!

I'm working with ex drug/ alc addicts on another day. Let's just say, this isn't a breeze of day. I've had to totally rely on God during this time, cod it's kinda like OH WOW, esp when I come from nice lil Ringwood and they telling you their crazy story! Anyway, the project that I'm working with, gives them a stable routine to help them back into society, so me and my house mate, literally get in there on a Thursday and work alongside these guys, encourage them along and try speak some God given wisdom into their lives! So scary but sooo amazing!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Im still working with LZ7, at the moment were working towards producing a discipleship resource for young people. The kids respond to Jesus at a gig, and in turn we hand them a AAA pass, which directs them to a 9 week discipleship course, where they can learn the basics of what it is to Live for God. We've filmed all this and is now being edited for release on 25th of May. Here's us filming with LZ and Guvna B a few weeks back!

Next term, I'll be on full time mission, with my youthwork team. Well be going intomeden projects/ on the Eden bus/ in schools (that's scary) etc. basically telling the world that Jesus Saves! It's gonna be amazing but very challenging I know!! This is my crazy team!

Gods taking me deeper and the more time I spend doing this, the scarier it gets but the more I know I'm in the right place haha!!!

Few prayer points... Strength & sleep... One thing I don't get much of, is down time, so please pray when I can sleep that I get amazing uninterrupted rest (esp noise from various places). For unity & creativity in my youthwork team for next term. And for focus, completely on the course and especially on God in my quiet time with Him!

BIG LOVE! Thanks for my sponsors for sticking with me, y'all rock! Thanks to my mentors for keeping me sain and for my amazing fam and friends! Peaceeeeeee

Don't forget today

Just a thought to throw out there... Don't forget today. Today is important. God has given you today as a gift. Today's never gonna happen again. We can go through the day to day without even stopping to appreciate what gods given us today! the extraordinary days that he's giving us. We can be too focused I what's happening next or what's happening in the future, that we can miss what's happening now.

Sometimes we can be distracted by the 'Grass is greener on the other side' mentality. Ya know, 'what they have is better' their job is so much better than mine' 'their house is so much nicer than mine'. Etc etc, were all guilty of it, but this isn't meant to be a guilt trip! All I'm saying is, if you're always looking over the fence at the other side, maybe you're missing out!

Just a thought...

God's been telling me to do this exact thing...

Pete

Heres a few crazy things about this year

This post is to thank all the people who made/ are making this year so siiiick! Thanks!

I'm gonna start this years blogging by outlying the insanity of why I'm actually now here in Manchester. God has completely planned everything out to the last detail and I've just realised how amazing that really is.

So it's actually mental that I'm here. I like the most south guy you could come across. Born in Plymouth and grew up in Bournemouth. Very, very south, yet I now live 7 hours north of there.

So God has used so many people to get me to this year and make it possible for me to be on the academy.... I flipping love them all, cos this year is amazing! Here's a few things I find mental about this year:

 So I find it mental that Lindz decided to invest into a silly 15 year old fan boy and let him film his band... And eventually come to manchester and intern in their office/ at their shows. The fact that he persuaded me and other people that I should be coming to Manchester. That my course leaders decided that they'd invest in me and give me a place on the Academy and believe in me! The fact that so many people gave me money to come to academy. That a steward who I met at momentum in the summer, caught the vision and invested in me and the dream of this year, it blows me away!! That so many other individuals give me money every month and have invested in my dream as well. They made this happen (thanks for listening to God!!!!)

That so many people believe in me whilst I'm here. My amazing mentor listens to my moaning, prays for me and listens & invests in me. That the whole of the message trust seems to love us and be behind me, and loves me, even though I'm the annoying 19 year old student! That so many people in Manchester have blessed us with food, support in the house. That my pastor at Sharston seems to do any favour that I ask, even when I forget! That Linz, Remi, Tori, Dave & Nathan let me share their office and give me all the new boy banter! That Bruce and Dave let me join in on the video projects and still talk to me even after I dropped their mac.... That Josh Green gave me a hug when I came back after christmas.... And Ryan is always seems genuinely pleased to see me! That my two house mates are absolutely siiiick! That people who shouldn't care about talking to me... Go out of their way to spend the whole morning, buy me amazing food or take me out to sick burger joints and treat me like a true friend.... people of audacious you blow me  away.... Jamie Hill you rock,.. Your worship leading and wisdom is unmatched!

That non Christian kids from benchill now talk to us.... Even about God and come to church sometimes!! Ahhh! That I've see people come to God all the time. That I seem to meet ex addicts and criminals all the time... that now love Jesus with a passion... And that I get to be a really little part in this!

That no matter what seems to go wrong, no matter how many times I tell God he's screwed it but he turns up and smashes my expectations out the water... in the words of Guvna b.

I'm Blessed.

Woow. It's crazy! Thanks for reading my rant! Looool. Lattaaa! ;)

Term 1: COMPLETE.

So,first, I'm so sorryt hat the updates haven't been very constant but I've literally been slammed this term with few days off to think about writing!

I've had some of the busiest but most amazing weeks of my life this term, it's been an awesome journey. I'll give an overview of what each day generally included.

Mon to Friday include at least half hour of prayer and worship before. The day starts, which is just an awesome way to start off any day!
Monday - Mondays include teaching to start the week off, we've had awesome teaching from Jamie hill (department manager) to Marrianna Yates (course leader) to Lindz West (LZ), and many more which could go on for ages... They've all given us insite I many different topics and taught us a lot. Mondays avos consist of music tuition from the awesome Pete Treble, who's taught me to pick on my guitar and Jen out vocal coach, who simply had made my voice better! Then gym... Sometimes. The evening includes a mad youth club in Didsbury, which is always great fun!

Tuesdays are awesome, I have team challenge in the morning, which have varied from planning assemblies, to a solo performance of our musical abilities. In the afternoon, I work with Message creative, with projects from Twelve 24, LZ etc, which means I get to use my skills on the PC and camera, which is simply just awesssomeeeee! (The pic below is from when I got to help film on Twelve 24's acoustic performance: youtube.com/watch?v=TF1hAB0K6Uo). Tuesdays evening include another sixth form youth group which rocks, apart from when my bike got knicked from the church but hey I live in Manchester and Jesus is still Lord init.

Wednesdays are generally quite tough, cos I am normally pretty tired from the first two days of the week so I. Have to pray a lot into over tiredness! Wednesday start off with more teaching from some of the awesome people I mentioned earlier! The afternoons have been in a justice workshop, learnt about social justice & human trafficking, whilst planning a event to raise awareness for it, we managed to plan and pull off a pretty cool event to do that which was wicked. Avos include fitness with Marrianna whoop (like I said I'm normally tired, so this is a challenge) Lindz came for the last week and killed us all but it is always a laugh :D. I then have a night off!

Thursday rockssss. Tom Butler. The amazing Tom Butler, has come and taught us how to practically be better youth workers, (He's my favourite teacher so far) through biblical truths and practical teaching. Literally so good, I loved it it! Thursday avos I'm with LZ, in the light office which obviously flipping rocks, this goes from lyric and back video creation to filming a christmas vid this week, including egg nogg lattes from Starbucks, flipping love these avos! Here's a pic from when we went to Liverpool cathedral, sickk venue! it was rockiinnn. On thursdays I also have another night off and chilllll or edit videos i'm working on.

Fridays start off with reflections in the week, on what we've learnt, what a Gods been teaching to us! This varies in style from week to week bit is always helpful to stop for a few hours. Friday afternoons have been with Tim or Emma Owen looking at ourselves/ how we present ourselves on stage or in my performance situation, these are always really helpful, lovin these tingsss. Friday evening are the favourite of my weeks, we get to go on the Eden bus project in my area, all the kids are coming from the estate onto the bus, chilling, playing the games and we basically preach the gospel to them each week (even if they're playing FIFA), quite a few have come to church, which is awesomeeeee and some starting to really think about God, which just,flipping rockssss, always the hilight of my week!

Saturdays are my chill days. Well quite a lot of the to me they've been full, I played for brightline on one week, served on the production team at message vision night, loved it! Another included being on the video/ media team at prayer storm <<< This was soo soo sick. I've loved serving on these weekends, when I'm not doing stuff I've been chilling, even went to the cinema last week, whooooo!

Sunday is a lie in! Thanks to our church meeting at 4pm HAHAHA goodbye early Sunday mornings!! I'm either on the worship team or leading on the youthwork, which include silly games and A God slot, to be honest I think I enjoy it more than the youth do, coming up with ridiculous games and then watching the youth do it hahah! We then have food after and I'm loving getting to know people at church! Gooooood times!!

All in all it's been a real journey!! I've had so much fun and experience over the past term, I've been living the dream to be honest! I've had little time to stop, sleep or think but I've definitely had time to get to know God a lot more! I've only been I'll twice and missed just one day ( this is waaaay to good to miss). Pray for me as I now start this new term. Pray for my health to be as good as last term! Pray that I learn to say no this term and make sure I handle my time (& time off) really wisely! Pray that I have a siiiiick term getting to know God even more and that I let him use me the way he wants!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MY SPONSORS (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!) You'll making this year possible... with an occasional caramelatte as well... lol. Seriously though you're all SICKK.

I've had an awesome break over Christmas, Here starts term 2 (& a healthy diet again). 2014 here I come. :D

MANCESTAA UPDATE VID

So here another little video update of what I'm getting update. The clips are in no particular order! Hope you enjoy it. I'm having a blast!!