What A Day

We continued to have great conversations around Westminster Abbey and people have grown in their interest about what we are doing.

Two of those people were the parents of a US head coach for one of our teams. They were wonderful people and we had a great conversation. Pray that it will be the start of them wanting to know more.

Several MTG teams have shared stories of people beginning personal relationships with Christ! God continues to use this setting to reveal His love to people in amazing ways. What is also fascinating is how He chooses to work it out. Some people plant the seeds, some water, but God gives the increase.

Even though the Games have a secular focus, the atmosphere and unity they create really allow some people to open up about various things.

Another aspect of the MTG focus is social justice. The goal is to raise awareness about human trafficking, which is a major global problem. Part of the passion for the people working on this is that awareness is only one part the goal. It needs to be paired with the freedom that comes through Jesus.

This is a multi front approach because governments have to be informed of the issue, families have to be educated about the dangers of selling their children, and children have to be taught skills so they can work and not feel as if they have no other options but to give in to the lies the traffickers tell them. While that may be hard to fathom, it is happening. Please pray for the social justice teams as they seek to impact the lives of children being sold or abducted into slavery.

Please continue to pray for the people we will meet and the conversations that we will have. As the events wind down, we want to be as diligent as possible!

Office With A View

We have been at Westminster Abbey for two days with the performing arts teams and we have had two different experiences.

On Monday, we had not been on the Underground long when the train was delayed. The driver announced a problem on the line, then later announced that someone was walking on the track. Obviously, that is not a good thing. Soon after that, we watched a woman working her way down the track between our train window and the wall. If you have been on the subway in the States, you know how narrow that space is. The driver announced we would be stuck for a while because the the electricity had to be cut to prevent electrocuting the trespasser or security personnel. Needless to say, you could see the concern that this caused people on the train. The team didn't miss a beat, however, and began to look for ways to talk to people and ease the stress of the situation. Eventually, security apprehended the woman and the train continued.

After we got through that adventure, we reported to the Abbey and mingled with the crowd while a performing arts team with members from several nations entertained people. While this is what we have done both days, the experience was different.

On Monday, people were not interested in the pins we are using, but they would take a "Mini Mag" which has Olympic facts, a Tube (subway) map, stories from athletes and an explanation of the pin colors.

On Tuesday, people were asking for the pins and the Mini Mags as fast as we could get to them. On both days, we have had various opportunities to talk with people and explain what we are doing.

The team continues to have a minister as you go attitude and has had several chances to talk with people as they have been in stores, on trains or walking down the sidewalk.

Please continue to pray for the team. Pray for strength for each day, boldness to step into the opportunities that are present, and wisdom to follow God's leading.

Working near Westminster Abbey has been great for another reason too. You can't beat the view when you stop to eat lunch.

Block 2

Serving as a Games Pastor in Block 1 was a wonderful opportunity. I met and worked with incredible people who have such a passion to minister to the people of London in any circumstances. The conversations we had with volunteers and police officers will hopefully be the building blocks of people becoming Christ followers. Please continue to pray for those who will serve as GPs during Block 2 and the Paralympics.

The team arrived safe and sound on August 3. Upon arrival, they had a day and a half of orientation and training, thus not much blog activity.

I was very proud of the team. Today was basically a day off for them. The plan was for them to be tourists and enjoy the sites. We had not been at the train station long at all when they began talking with people about the Olympics and looking for chances to explain why they are here. It is wonderful to see a desire to make the most of each moment.

We begin our team assignment tomorrow. We will be working in the shadow of Westminster Abbey for the week passing out maps and interacting with the crowds. Please pray for opportunities to share and a willingness to do so.

By the way...

This has nothing to do with Olympic ministry, but I wanted to pass along that the opening ceremony for the Olympics was truly amazing. I am sorry that NBC did not show it in it's entirety. Being able to watch it whole and with no commercial interruption really allowed the show to gel for the viewer, but apparently the network felt it could do that for you instead. London did a phenomenal job and should be very proud of the show they presented.

Dig A Little Deeper

"So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (1 Corinthians 3:7 HCSB)

I promise I won't carry the song theme as a blog title on for long, unless it keeps working.

As this is only Block 1, it has been two slow, but very intentional days for Games Pastors. The first day was about the station personnel getting used to our presence. Today was again establishing that presence and just reminding them that we are there to assist them and help people enjoy their experience at the games. In a spiritual sense, the ground is being tilled. Our hope is that the planting will start soon and the watering can begin. Regardless of our timetable, it is all part of the process.

You can pray specifically for walls to come down that would serve as a hindrance. There are perceptions about the church and Christianity that have to be overcome, and our hope is that a smile, a kind word, a hand with luggage, might be what starts that thought to turn.

We have had some good conversations with several of the official volunteers and station staff. Another team had the opportunity to minister to a man who was contemplating suicide and talked through with them what he was going to do. The team was able to step in and help him realize that his life is too valuable.

On the other side of SC team activity, we have people involved in passing out water with the Salvation Army and they are also fortunate to work as official pin traders in the Coke pin zone.

Continue to pray for the team members who will join us here next week for Block 2 for community outreach.

Also, feel free to ask questions through the comment section. If there is something you would like to know, we'll tell you!

Just Keep Walking

"Fast car driving
Sleek and modern
Public Transit
Photos Waiting"
-INXS

We started our deployment as Games Pastors today. Because we start so early,there is no shuttle from our lodging to the train station. We got up around 5:30 a.m. to get ready and then walked the close to two miles to catch the train. Upon arrival at King's Cross Station, we walked about a half mile to our briefing zone and then walked that half mile back to St. Pancras Station. We walked around the station looking for people who looked to need assistance or a smile. We did get opportunity to fix a bicycle chain. As we continued walking we spoke to the police officers, station workers and Olympic volunteers that we will see daily for the next week. Today was really about establishing a presence in the area and letting people know we will be around if they need anything.
We finished up at 4:00 p.m. and will have the same early start in the morning.

The opening ceremonies are tonight and people are incredibly excited, as you would imagine. Of the thousands of people here, you never know which one we may have the opportunity to impact. So we'll just keep walking to find a chance to do that.

The photo is of St. Pancras Station, which is a magnificent building from the 1800s that was intended to be used for government, but was almost torn down due to the design. A poet laureate (who else?) fought to save it and it serves as a major thoroughfare for public transit thanks to his efforts.

London Fog

Today brought an early start as we had to make our way into London for a full day of training.

In addition to being briefed on our role as Games Pastors, we had sessions led by representatives of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association.

At the training, we met a wonderful couple, John and Elizabeth, who were more than happy to give us a walking tour of downtown London. We walked over Tower Bridge and under London Bridge (funny, as a kid, I was told it was falling down). We learned that the original London Bridge was sold to a man in Arizona. Later, walked around St. Paul's Cathedral, then crossed the Millennium Bridge and went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We heavily considered buying a standing room ticket for £5, but at three hours, thought the play was too long for that. After that, we headed back to our lodging and walked the last two miles on foot.

We are getting acclimated to the transit system, but still foggy on most of it. I should think that it will be second nature when it's time to go home.

We have enjoyed beautiful weather the past couple of days, so please pray that will remain the case more often than not.

As of now, tomorrow is a free day before the madness (that's a good thing) begins. I love Olympic Ministry! There is nothing like it!