Hope mission academy @ nottinghamyfc #1

Hope mission academies at Nottingham yfc are a merging of our 30 hour missions and hope mission academies. The main idea of them is to help young people experience being involved in mission alongside training and equipping them to go back to their own communities and make a difference.

A group of ten of us set off to work with north staffs yfc and support the work they do with churches in the area. 

We started by meeting some of the local young people that we would be working with at the YMCA and looking at some of the issues that are faced by young people today but also what others think about young people. We were sleeping on a church floor over the weekend so it was nice to have a local base. From there we were able to go into Newcastle town centre and bless the community with an acts of kindness treasure hunt while also giving out hot chocolate. After playing some games we went out for a nice meal before planning our Sunday morning work which included leading worship, Sunday school and being involved in the preach.

Sunday morning was great and even better as throughout the weekend one lad had decided to follow Jesus and he just shared his story. Another girl, after losing her iPhone 5 on Saturday night had prayed and found it straight away, a girl who only a day before had said she didn't believe in God, shared on the Sunday morning that she understood that God had revealed Himself to her. 

Isn't it great to have opportunities to be part of what God is doing. Anyway it might be worth you listening to what the young people who came with us had to say about it. Check out the video diaries here http://youtu.be/ESNeVd1-GP8

Us being given breakfast on our hope mission academy

India13: video diaries day 11 and 12

Due to lack of Internet here at the last 2 regular video diaries if India 13 with hope, joe, Helena and Richard.

http://youtu.be/to5awM2QxNk

http://youtu.be/tFlFrfUXSNo

India13: video diary day 9

This time it is the turn of a becca and Jake to tell you what has been happening on today's travels. Includes our last 2 bore well dedications and sticking needles in bottoms.

http://youtu.be/i-iZdCrqDfI

India13: video diary day 8

Ben and Helena go over day 8's antics including henna and an Indian head massage.

http://youtu.be/vebpcOihQHA

India13: video diary day 7

Check out the Leah and Richard show as they talk about the happenings on day 7. Filmed in front of a live studio audience.

http://youtu.be/5o7nOEM7Ya0

India13: video diary day 6

Find out how Chung and Hope found day 6 of our mission trip which included visits to a medical camp, children's day care centre and an old people's home.

http://youtu.be/1wuHBTOkW8Q

India13: video blog day 5

Sorry for the delay in this but here is Becca and Jacob reliving today's events.

http://youtu.be/0uQK2o5oU60

India video blog day 4

So day 4 of our mission trip took us to a little village where we dedicated our first well of the trip and visited a school. We then went to a reap India staff meeting and finally led an outreach meeting. Hear how Helena and Jo found the day on our videos below:

Part 1 http://youtu.be/p8Xg6NOCmhs

Part 2 http://youtu.be/sFgs_KQOoJ8

India13 video diary: on the way

Check out ben and Leah's thoughts on the way to India  http://youtu.be/ZSb5CxV1xkY

India 2013 video blog

From this Thursday (hopefully) this blog will contain images and videos of our trip to India. Our flight leaves Heathrow at around 25 past 9 in the evening and we are due back on 25th. Keep up to date with all that is happening as 10 people from across Nottingham aim to bring God's kingdom in India as it is in heaven.

Look out for posts from Jake, Jo, Becca, Leah, Helena, hope, Chung, Jacob, Ben and Richard throughout the next couple of weeks.

Are we happy to be told we are wrong?

A few months ago I was working in a school and supporting a R.E. teacher as she taught a group of year 9 young people. The class a few weeks before were asked to prepare small 10 minute presentations about a range of ethical and relevant topics from ‘abortion’ to ‘bullying’ and ‘the ivory trade’, and then argue their opinions on their individual topic. These presentations were then rated out of 30. In this lesson the young people were asked one-by-one to present their presentations to the rest of the class. It got to this boys turn who as he started his presentation suddenly got quite upset and said that he couldn’t do it. As a result I and another girl in his class were asked to assess the boy in the next room. As we did this and he started his presentation, the reason for why it was so upsetting for him become clear – he was talking about how a member of his family died as a result of the topic he was studying. When he finished myself and the girl in his class started to discuss what his mark should be. I without knowing too well the marking scheme (about it being out of 30 and not 20) said “why don’t we mark him 15?”.

What happened next I would never have predicted. The normally shy, well behaved, perfectly polite, quiet and content girl suddenly looked at me with disgust and said “Mike that is wrong! He has just shared a personal and difficult story, he deserves a higher grade than that!”….and she was right. Even though I was a member of staff, I had authority, I could have told this girl off and got her in trouble… she didn’t care because she was standing up for what was right.

It can be easy sometimes to feel that young people don’t really care about the things that we talk about as they can appear to just look bored and emotionless, but young people have a real deep sense of what is just and what isn’t, and they are massively prepared to fight for it. The girl in the story didn’t care that i was a member of staff who could have got her in trouble, she was fearless for justice; and we as Youth Workers just need to have faith in young people and to give them the opportunities to use these abilities to fight the injustices in the world.

Mike Harrison is key worker in Nuthall and Kimberley
He also works for NYfC in Radford and Bulwell