The Boaz Trust

So, following Medair I'm now working for the Boaz Trust. The Boaz Trust is a Christian NGO which aims to meet the needs of asylum seekers suffering destitution and hardship in the Manchester area.

Immigration and asylum are contentious issues wherever you go in the Western world. To give you some idea of the problems here in the UK, we have about 3000 failed asylum seekers in Manchester alone. For London, you could probably multiply that figure by at least 10.

Asylum seekers are people fleeing persecution and violence in their home countries. The people we meet here in Manchester come from various places on the African continent, DR Congo, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, as well parts of the Middle East and the Far East, such as Iran and Afghanistan. They often arrive via Southern Europe, and many have taken huge risks to get here.

When asylum seekers arrive the UK, they are initially supported by the Government. Many of their applications for asylum are rejected, and these people then have no recourse to any public funds. The consequence is that some do become homeless living on the streets, others are helped in their communities, will find a sofa or a floor to sleep on. There are so many of these people now here that the government is incapable of either supporting or deporting them, often they don't have any travel documentation and their home countries will not accept them anyway.

So, i guess if you've read this far, the asylum issue is a complex one and my role as the Programme Manager is a demanding one. I'd suggest reading the Boaz website if you want a more in depth view of what we do, but in brief we resource Churches and Christians around the city to help run a housing and hosting system, we are running an advocacy project to assist many of their clients with their cases, and we run several social programmes to try and provide holistic care for our clients.

OK, so some of you may be reading this and be thinking that some of these asylum seekers probably don't have a genuine case, and are simply seeking a better life in the UK, and I'd be the first to admit you are right. With the development of advocacy and legal expertise, Boaz are getting better at identifying these situations when clients first come to us for help.

Boaz are serving some of the most rejected and despised people in our society, and in reaching out to such a forgotten group of people, hopefully we are showing something of Jesus to all the people we meet. I'll update you more soon on how the role with Boaz is developing. Bye for now

Prayer Storm

This is a plug for something we've been to in Manchester recently. Its exciting to see God moving so powerfully in this city. When in Colorado, me and Jennie visited the Toth Ministries Ranch for 48 hours. We were impacted by the power of Gods presence, the freedom and joy that was such a part of the community there, and the total reverance of and worship four our God. There was a similar atmosphere at the recent Prayer storm meeting we went to. Prayer storm is a movement of young Christians in Manchester which is challenging Christians on their lifestyles, its really a movement of radical worship and intercession.

Check it out on http://www.prayerstorm.org/

Back home

Wow, a lot has happened in the last few months since I last blogged. After getting married in Denver Colorado, myself and Jennie moved back to Manchester, in the UK. Its been a busy few months in many ways, but we are now starting to feel settled with life in England. I had anticipated that it would be fairly difficult to integrate back into life here after being away for so long, but that has not really proved to be the case. My life with Jennie has been an adventure since the day we met, coming here together has certainly helped us both to re-adjust. 

I've had plenty of time to evaluate my time in DR Congo now. When I left Africa in May, I really needed some time and distance to think about everything that I had experienced in my time with Medair. My time in DR Congo was full of adventure, disappointment, amazement, frustration and change. My own journey with God took a dramatic new direction, I often felt out of my comfort zone, my faith and reliance on Jesus went far deeper than I could have imagined, and in the midst of all the chaos of working in an African conflict zone, I met my new wife, the amazing Jennie, my best friend and now my wife. 

To state the bleeding obvious, working in the DR Congo was a hugely challenging time for me. The country remains deeply affected by war, corruption and poverty. The need there at times was overwhelming, the insecurity and the difficulties of work, frankly, stressful. I feel its only right to mention some of the disappointment and frustration I felt in my time with Medair. Admittedly, as Christian workers in such a dark place as Eastern Congo, the spiritual battle is of immense importance, but even so, for most of my time there, the expat team was embroiled in chaos, silly disputes and arguments, and sadly, there was not a great deal of care for one another. 

Since leaving the DR Congo, Jennie and me spent 2 months in the US. It was a period of recovery and transition, but there was also much to enjoy in the present. Meeting new family and friends, and of course our wedding in Denver was an incredible time for us both. God spoke to us in many ways, Im sure we will reveal more and more on this page over the next few months, but we are so excited to be starting married life. 

Jennie is working for a grassroots Christain NGO called Redeeming Our Communites, and i am working for the Boaz Trust. http://boaztrust.org.uk/. We are excited to see how the adventure with Jesus unfolds over the next few months and years for us both, we would not have it any other way.

Superabundant Grace

Superabundant Grace

Over the centuries the Church has done enough to make any critical person want to leave it. Its history of violent crusades, pogroms, power struggles, oppression, excommunications, executions, manipulation of people and ideas, and constantly recurring divisions is there for everyone to see and be appalled by.

Can we believe that this is the same Church that carries in its center the Word of God and the sacraments of God's healing love? Can we trust that in the midst of all its human brokenness the Church presents the broken body of Christ to the world as food for eternal life? Can we acknowledge that where sin is abundant grace is superabundant, and that where promises are broken over and again God's promise stands unshaken? To believe is to answer yes to these questions.

We're in this together

Hey folks, we decided it was time to merge blogs since we've merged so many other areas of life through marriage! We'd love to keep updating with thoughts and adventure from this journey we're on, so check this web from now on: www.jennieandmark.blogspot.com 
Both of us are now working full time in the UK - what a blessing! Mark is working with Boaz Trust as Services Manager. They are a small charity working with destitute asylum seekers here in Manchester. I'll let him share more about that work and how he's finding the job! 
I am working now with Redeeming Our Communities. My job title is Executive PA though we're are still sorting through what all my job may entail. I love what ROC is about - inspiring and empowering Christians and citizens to come together with schools, the police, fire depts, and health services to network resources, seeking to battle together against the issues harming their community. For most communities this is bored youth, resulting in anti-social behaviour, as well as unemployment, breakdown of families, and substance abuse. 

We are both humbled to find ourselves working in organisations we can truly put our heart behind, and be part of God's work here in Manchester. What a blessing!

The Created Order as Sacrament

The Created Order as Sacrament

When God took on flesh in Jesus Christ, the uncreated and the created, the eternal and the temporal, the divine and the human became united. This unity meant that all that is mortal now points to the immortal, all that is finite now points to the infinite. In and through Jesus all creation has become like a splendid veil, through which the face of God is revealed to us.

This is called the sacramental quality of the created order. All that is is sacred because all that is speaks of God's redeeming love. Seas and winds, mountains and trees, sun, moon, and stars, and all the animals and people have become sacred windows offering us glimpses of God.

---

These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey

Keeping It Together

Some days I need a reminder of this, especially when anxiety feels as if its pulling me apart...

Keeping It Together

How can we not lose our souls when everything and everybody pulls us in the most different directions? How can we "keep it together" when we are constantly torn apart?

Jesus says: "Not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives" (Luke 21:18-19). We can only survive our world when we trust that God knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. We can only keep it together when we believe that God holds us together. We can only win our lives when we remain faithful to the truth that every little part of us, yes, every hair, is completely safe in the divine embrace of our Lord. To say it differently: When we keep living a spiritual life, we have nothing to be afraid of.

---

These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey.

Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!