Spotlights on the Team

With our departure for England fast approaching, we thought this would be an opportune time to share more about the team and the reasons we've each signed on for the Cross-Cultural Project this year. The aim is that our words may be translated into fuller prayer requests for the work God may do in and through each of us this summer in the U.K.

Michael Jolivette – Bethel – Senior – Youth Ministry major

Why am I doing CCP?
“I heard a sermon about missions and felt moved by the Spirit to prayerfully consider joining a short term missions team. I am about to graduate from college and I am not tethered down by life circumstances like a full-time job. There may be no better time in my life to commit to experiencing a different part of the world, reach the lost campus and be sharpened by Christians who worship the same God. I believe God has positioned me to grow closer to Him in ways I do not expect by doing this cross-cultural trip.”

Fun Facts
“I love running, listening to music, playing the board game Risk and teasing my fat pug/corgi dog named “Porgi.”

Michaiah Melody – Northwestern – Senior –  TESL major 

What do I look forward to in the U.K.? At the Universities?
“I am looking forward to going to the U.K. so I can experience a new culture and meet believers from across the world. I also really like rain and I heard that it rains a lot in the U.K. and so I am looking forward to that as well.” 

Fun Facts
“A big goal I want to accomplish during my lifetime is to write a book. When I was young, my favorite super hero was Superman because he was the only superhero I knew about. A quirky habit of mine is that I absolutely love making Powerpoints.” 

Jake Wood – Northwestern – Senior – History major

What am I most scared about going into this summer?
“I am excited about experiencing a new place, in a new culture and learning how to love people and share the gospel in that context. But I am also very scared about social interaction. I am a very introverted person, and starting new relationships is not one of my strengths, but I am excited to change that!” 

Fun Facts
“The number one thing on my bucket list is to travel EVERYWHERE. And to own a Saint Bernard.”

Devin Smith – CO Resource Staff – Fearless Leader

What do I look forward to in the U.K.? At the Universities?
“I'm excited to partner with the CO Sheffield team and to engage British students about what they believe. There's a need for the Gospel in the U.K., and I'm excited to see how the Lord will work. I am also motivated to gain some overseas experience and to see if doing missions long-term is something my heart is drawn towards.”

Fun Facts
“I was a competitive weightlifter in high school. I loved hiking in Glacier National Park last summer. I am an avid Star Wars fan, so I purchased a Jabba the Hutt action figure and put it on my desk at work.”

Aaron Wang – Bethel – Junior – Math major

Why am I doing CCP?
“I felt led to serve in England and want to develop a vision for the needs of the world. I am also excited about having a flawless English accent and driving the wrong way. I'm most scared for being labeled an American "Yankee."

Fun Facts
“I am a mutant like the ones from X-men. I have an unattached ear and an attached ear. I also do not like the X-men movies.”

Sarah Trapp – Northwestern – Senior – Psychology major

What am I most excited about going into this summer?
“I am most excited to travel with our team and encourage the CO staff over in Sheffield, and also to interact with the British students. And go to coffee shops! I am a little nervous to be rejected if I go up to students to talk with them and they give me the cold shoulder… but maybe that will be good for me!”

Fun Facts
“I am related to the VonTrapp family (Sound of Music). I love to dance and especially tap dance (even though I haven’t done it in awhile). I am all about those coffee shops and latte art, and sunrises/sunsets are literally THE BEST!”

Alli Wood – Northwestern – Senior – Psychology major

What am I most excited and scared about going into this summer?
“I am very excited to live with other students my age who are from Britain. It will be intriguing to see what our differences are and how I can learn from what they do. I also am already in love with our team from the States, and I guess I wouldn’t mind spending most of my summer vacation with them... As you can see, I’m just excited for new friends! Probably my biggest fear walking into this summer has to do with my lack of experience in sharing Christ in an environment where I am not fully comfortable. I hope to grow in challenging unbelievers in their worldview and simply resting in Christ during times (maybe all the time) when I do not see efforts come to fruition.”

Fun Facts
“My favorite drink is coffee for sure! And my guilty pleasures include Ben & Jerry’s 'The Tonight Dough' ice cream. And also, 'The Office'!”

Our team is very thankful for the support our friends, family, and communities have shown during this season of preparation. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”

A Word From The Team

Hannah Henley
"One thing that I have loved about our time in Sheffield is the church we attend: The Crowded House. Through The Crowded House we are placed in life groups and this has really shown me what the body of Christ is and how it works to glorify him. Kayleigh and I had the opportunity to have tea with a woman named Dorothy. She is 91 and is from our life group. She has been attending the church since before it was TCH and she is such an example to look up to. She has seen many people come and go at the church and many changes happen, but she continues to love everyone the way Christ would. It is amazing to see so many generations come together and worship our Lord."

Kayleigh Marks
"This summer I've learned that being a great listener is the best attribute to have when you're trying to share the gospel with someone. When you are truly listening to someone, they feel cared for and are typically willing to share more about their life. You can meet someone where they're at much easier if you listen to them and try to understand what makes them think the way they do about specific topics. People don't want to hear the gospel in a way that does not resonate with them. God is a personal God and He meets us at a personal level, we need to do the same with those we come into contact with."

Harmon Squires
"Being that a majority of students can be apathetic to the Gospel, it has been very exciting to meet one who is excited about it; Derek. Derek is an international student from Hong Kong that Matthew, Larry, and I met at the University of Sheffield Student's Union. He has been one of the more open and responsive students that we have met on campus and now knows all of the guys on our team beacuse of that. He has been intentional with us in hanging out to play sports and get meals together, which has been awesome as it gives us more opportunities to share with him. We were able to share the Gospel with him and he agreed that devotion to God should be something we do out of thanks for God instead of something done to earn favor. Pray that we are able to continue to spend time with him allowing God to show him what the true Gospel is through us."

Torrin Nelson
"This summer I have learned a lot about the difference between understanding God and knowing him. I have often struggled with wanting to pursue God on an intellectual level, putting him into a box of things that I can understand. I have realized this more as I have talked with English students who sort of view God in the same way. But, I know that the times I feel closest to God are times when I am not pursuing him on an intellectual level (usually for my own selfish gain), it is when He is pursuing me - my heart, my emotions, and my mind. Knowing about and understanding God in certain ways can be good, but it will never be satisfying. I will never understand God fully, I will still have doubts and struggles. But thank God (literally) that my salvation is not dependent on how much I understand God or how much I believe. My salvation is dependent on his pursuit of me through Christ, and that’s a truth that he allows me to feel beyond my understanding."

Matthew Hunt
"I was coming back on a 4-hour bus ride from London after visiting a friend I made in Hong Kong. I was really tired and wanted to sleep or read on the way back. As we were about to leave, this guy came walking down the aisle, and I thought, “I hope he doesn’t sit next to me.” I offered the seat if he wanted it, and even though there were empty seats in the back, he took it, and we began talking. Turned out he lives in Sheffield and is an open-minded Muslim from the region of Kashmir that my life group focuses on. Basically got to hear about his life story, talk about the gospel for several hours, and pray together on the bus. And just a few hours before that, he’d been talking to some catholic nuns as well. We both left thinking our meeting wasn’t accidental."

Lauren Dunlap
"As a team, we are reading and discussing Prayer by Tim Keller, which has made me reflect on the trends of my prayer life. Multiple times in the book, Keller talks about the importance of not only knowing about God, but knowing God. I am learning to know and enjoy God more through reflecting on His promises in prayer. Also, being on campus has caused me to feel needy in prayer, knowing that God alone gives favor in friendships and that it is His Spirit, not our words, that are powerful in people's hearts. Throughout the summer, I have noticed my ministry partner, Torrin, and I have prayed more for people we've met on campus and become more dependent on prayer."

Josh Netterlund
"I met a student from Spain named Gerard who attended the University of Sheffield this past year and is headed back to Valencia, Spain this fall. Talking with and being able to spend time with Gerard has been one of the best moments of the summer. Right away we were able to connect very well and became friends quickly. We were able to have great conversations about what he believes in and also about what I believe in and how I believe that we are sinful people who are in need of a savior and how Jesus filled that need by dying on the cross and now offers the gift of eternal life to anyone. When I asked him why he was so curious about Christianity he responded that I reminded him of his grandma who is a Christian and is always smiling and happy and trying to serve other people. He told me that he saw that same heart in me and then I was able to tell him that the reason I have that joy and serve others is because of my relationship with Jesus and that he can have that same relationship with Jesus. He was very interested in Christianity and came to church with me before he left to go back to Spain but now has left so I would like to ask for your prayers that God would continue to work on his heart."

Rob Eller
"In the first couple weeks, Josh and I talked to lots of students in the Student Union at the University of Sheffield. We started talking to this one guy about politics and eventually got on the subject of religion. At first he said that he was an atheist and he had lots of reasons why, but after a little bit of discussion he admitted that agnostic might be a better word to describe himself. Unfortunately we never really got to follow up with him again, but I consider it a success because the gospel was shared and the Word was spoken. Also he now readily admits that there may be a God, although the Spirit has not yet opened his eyes to truth."

Mckenzie Smith
"Being welcomed into the Crowded House community has been one of the richest and most delightful learning experience here in England. My life group models an inspiring dedication and effectiveness in loving and meeting the needs of one another as well as making disciples of international students who are searching for Christ. I’ve also seen God’s love and Lordship alive and active in their families while getting to share meals with them, babysit for their playful kids, and simply sharing in what the English love best: a chat over tea. While participating in one of the investigative Gospel courses they offer for international students, I’ve been encouraged by how the members of my life group relationally invest in their unbelieving friends, seek to truly understand and challenge their beliefs, and boldly and truthfully engage their hearts in regards to Christ. I’m hopeful for how this may equip me for ministry to people from other nations as well as unbelievers in general in the future. I also count myself blessed, through the welcome of families of my life group, to get a clearer picture of the everyday lives of native Brits - seeing how they raise their kids, debate over political, social and personal issues, view education and work, and relentlessly lace their conversations with a lilt of sarcasm." 

Talking With The English

Surface Level

Last week was our first full week spending time with students at the University of Sheffield. Walking up to random people is probably one of the most terrifying things for me, but after the initial awkward tension (usually) a friendly conversation develops. It is this way with most of the students here in Sheffield. Once they get over how weird it is to talk to a random stranger, they open up quite quickly. Willing to talk about the weather, their lives, politics, and (of course) religion. I don’t think I expected people to talk so freely about religion. If you bring up Christianity or God at the University of Minnesota, people usually greet it with hostility because a lot of the time they have been personally hurt by the church, or grew up with it and don’t want anything to do with it. In Sheffield, church or religion is so far removed from their lives that they are able to talk about it as easily as one would politics. But it often doesn’t make a personal connection to their own lives. I think we are learning that a way to get personal is not by talking about religion, but by asking questions about what they believe, whether it be success, happiness, purpose or whatever. It’s finding out what what people are putting their hope in.  

Personal

But, once you ask them a personal question of what they believe, they begin to get more closed off. This can be hard when the God we believe in is such a personal God. A God who sympathizes with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15), has a plan for our future (Jer 29:11), loves us even when we don’t love him (1 John 4:10), and knows us deeply (John 10:14-15). This is the God of the Bible. He is not an intellectual concept that can be solved, He is a personal God who loves us in ways that we cannot understand. This is something that has been so hard in talking to students; they don’t want to believe something unless it can be understood fully. But, we as believers know that we will never understand God. And yes, we could have conversations for hours debating whether God really exists, why evil is in the world, or why there are other religions. All of which are good things to talk about, but those things are not getting at the heart. And the God we believe in gets at the heart of things and that is what the gospel does and is. It is God loving us so much that even while we were still sinners (and continue to be sinners) He sent His son to us to take on that sin so that we could be united into a relationship with Him. It is so much better to know God through that relationship, then to fully understand him.

God Still Works

One thing that can be hard with all of these conversations is feeling like we are not getting anywhere. It can feel discouraging to talk to someone for an hour and walk away feeling like nothing was “accomplished”. But, God is accomplishing something so much bigger than we could ever imagine. He is a very creative story teller and is drawing people to Himself in ways we could never understand. 2 Corinthians 3:6-7 says “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants, nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” It is important for us to remember that in our time here, we are not the ones saving people; God is. God is the one who changes hearts, but He is gracious in honoring our feeble attempts to make his name known. So even if we walk away from a conversation that went really well; able to ask lots of questions about what people believe and articulate the gospel in a personal way, God can work in their hearts. Or, if we have a bad conversation; we didn’t talk about God, or didn’t get their phone number to follow up, God can work in that too. We cannot see into God’s ultimate plan for people, or the story He is telling. All we can do is be faithful to what He has called us to do. Whether that is by loving them by listening, or loving them by telling them the best news in the world. God is still working in both the surface level conversations, and the deeply personal conversations.

Here are some photos from the last week of our team and some new friends we have made along the way. 

Our New Home

Traveling 

Well we are finally here and settled in to our new home. It feels like the past week has been a whirlwind, but here is a short snippet of what went down in the past 5 days. We boarded our plane on Tuesday afternoon headed for DC with a connecting flight to Manchester, England. There was a lot of looking out plane windows, watching movies, reading, and trying to sleep in an upright position. As we descended down into Manchester it was obvious we were somewhere different. Many beautiful old houses with red brick, rolling hills, and roads winding every which way. As we made our way by train to Sheffield, the beauty of the countryside blew me away (even though it was really hard to stay awake after not sleeping at all the night before). Once we got to Sheffield our group lugged ourselves and all our luggage a mile (or should I say kilometer?) up some pretty big hills. The amount of people staring at us as we walked by in our zombie-like state was almost laughable. We made it to the Wilson Carlile Center and checked into our home for the next two months.  We weren’t allowed to go to sleep because our body clocks would be way off, so the rest of the Wednesday was spent going over a few technical things like finding the nearest grocery stores, and getting a taste of the local food (which, contrary to what everyone has said, food here is pretty good). After dinner we welcomed the long awaited comfort of sleep.

Exploring

Thursday was spent exploring the city, which is pretty large and has about 550,000 people. We were given a very tiny map with no labels and expected to find different buildings, landmarks, and parks based off of it. I’m convinced it was made really hard on purpose to force us to get help from the locals. As we were exploring the city one thing became very clear: there are hills everywhere and we walk everywhere. I have never walked so much in my life (I’m talking like 6-7 miles of casual walking a day!) Although it has made transitioning into the new time zone pretty easy, I’m out the moment I hit the pillow each night. The next two days were a mix of exploring, talking to people, and learning. On Saturday we went to campus and finally met some of the college students at the universities we will be spending so much time at. Surprisingly, most people are so friendly, and very willing to talk to us. I think we have a little bit of an advantage by being American in that we can get away with walking up to random people and asking them to talk. I think everyone on our team was able to connect with a student that we can follow up with in the coming days. It seemed to be gracious of God to give us some nice friendly people as our first interactions, it definitely helped to calm some nerves that I think all of us are experiencing.

Church

On Sunday, we had our first gathering at the Crowded House Church that we will be attending and partnering with for the summer. It was great to be in the company of believers, after hearing and witnessing a culture that is turned off to God. Our relationship with God through Jesus connects us to people across any culture. What a beautiful picture of what heaven will be like someday (Revelation 7:9). After church we were able to meet with the life groups we will be a part of for the summer. These life groups meet together after church and spend the afternoon eating, talking, and drinking tea in each others company, but more on that later...

Prayer

Overall, I think the team is excited to finally be here. Pray that God would continue to comfort nerves that we have in sharing the hope that we have in Jesus to a people who are in desperate need of a savior. Pray that God would grant us boldness through the Spirit. Lastly, pray that God would be softening the hearts of the people we interact with and love. 

It's Finally Happening

INTRODUCTIONS

It’s crazy to think that 11 days from now the CCP team will be boarding a plane headed for Sheffield, England. Eleven days to finish finals, raise remaining support, buy power converters, pack our bags, and tie up loose ends. The time to leave has kind of snuck up on us, but I think the team is ready!  But, before I even write another word, I think it is important that you see who exactly is on the CCP team this summer.  And because I think faces are beautiful and important and putting names to faces is important, here is a lovely picture of our team. I have really loved getting to know these people better over the past 5 months. We have had multiple retreats focusing on support raising, team building, and British culture. I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun these retreats were with the team. It made me so excited to spend 2 months leaning on them, learning with them, and laughing (a lot) with them. 

Bottom Row (Left to Right):
Lauren Dunlap, Junior at Washington University 
Kayleigh Marks, Senior at University of St. Louis 
Hannah Henley, Junior at University of Northwestern
Mckenzie Smith, Sophomore at University of Minnesota   
Torrin Nelson, Junior at University of Minnesota (the person writing) 

Top Row (Left to Right): 
Rob Eller, Junior at University of Minnesota
Josh Netterlund, Junior at University of Northwestern
Harmon Squires, Junior at Bethel University
Larry Martini, CO Staff at St. Thomas
Lynn Martini, CO Staff at St. Thomas

WE'RE ALMOST THERE

After months of planning, support meetings, retreats, and praying we are about to see it all come to life. When people ask me how I feel about going to England, the answer is usually ‘I just want to be there’, we have been talking, planning, and thinking about it for so long that it’s almost like I have forgotten that WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO ENGLAND! A real place, with real people that we will soon be meeting, loving, and sharing the hope that we have found in Jesus. Two real universities with 60,000 students. And a real church, with a body of believers that we will be fostered into for the summer. Our ideas and dreams of what England will be like is about to become very real, and I couldn’t be more excited and maybe a little bit nervous.  By the way, the ‘I’ referred to is me, Torrin Nelson. I will be updating this blog frequently over the summer, just to give a little taste of what our team is experiencing. I’m sure at points it will be hard to express exactly what is going on in Sheffield over the summer, but I will do my best. I hope that you will check back here often to find updates, stories, photos, prayer requests, and learn a little bit more of the English culture.

BEFORE WE GO

Larry (our fearless leader, along with his wife Lynn) just emailed out our itinerary for traveling to Sheffield, and our plane leaves at 11am on May 26th! Another wave of, ‘Oh wow, this is actually happening’ hit when that email came in. Before we go, our team has a bit of support left to raise. Right now our team has raised about 81% of the support we need, which is awesome considering that our goal is $49,000! It has been absolutely amazing to see the ways that God has provided so many generous people to partner with us! It is a good reminder that God provides even our physical needs (Luke 12:24, Matt. 6:31-32), probably an area that I struggle the most to trust God with. God’s providence in support raising has really encouraged us all to see more of his power and fulfillment of his promises like the verses above. Both things that we will especially need to rely on while in England, and will probably be a big theme throughout these blog posts.

 

What We Do Here Echoes For Eternity

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven,"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

As many of us have been wrestling through the sorrow of leaving Sheffield and those we have befriended this summer we have found great encouragement and joy in the reality of God's sovereignty. He has given us 7 weeks here in Sheffield and that was no mistake, even if we may wish we had longer. We have had 7 wonderful weeks to see the Lord working in a cross cultural context through The Crowded House Church, in our own lives, and in the lives of both international and British students. Sunday night was a wonderful opportunity to see two of those areas connect. Maura and I have been involved in the international students life group and our leaders, The Richardson's, hosted a going away party for us to invite all of our international friends to in order to prayerfully get them connected to the local church! It was such an encouragement to see our life group meeting and connecting with the students we have been sharing the love of Christ with all summer. It is clear that the Lord soverignly provided The Crowded House Church for our trip for more than one reason, but it is particularly clear that God is opening doors to continue to move in the lives of our international friends although we may be saying goodbye to them. We are merely links in a chain that God is using to pull dead hearts out of the grave and back to life, as Tim Chester said at Church this Sunday, "You do not have the power to bring someone that is dead to life." Only God does and he is graciously using his people from both The States and The UK to do so. What an incredible joy it has been for all of us to realize how a God so great and powerful would allow us to participate in a mission with such eternal significance! So as we head back to the states and to the next season of life God has prepared for each of us we can joyfully look forward to the wedding feast mentioned in Revelation 19:9, " And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”Even if we never have the opportunity to see our brothers and sisters again at The Crowded House it will surely be an incredible reunion with them in heaven with our savior! Please be praying that we would also be able to be reunited with the students we have met this summer at the feast because they have entered into the family of Christ!

Although our trip is 7 weeks in total it is clear that what has occurred this season will echo into eternity. So far this trip has impacted the team, the church, the students, and the city of Sheffield. Prayerfully as we head back to the States and down to The Summer Training Project (STP) it will begin to impact the students their and grow their vision for and desire to reach the "lost world", which in turn impact their campuses and one day the world! Please be praying that our time at The STP would be just as fruitful as our time in Sheffield to plant these seeds of vision and that we would be able to rest and ease back into the culture and life of America!

Thank you all for your continued support throughout the summer! Please remember that although our time in Sheffield may be complete, the ways that God will be working through this experience is not! We still have one more week of the trip in South Carolina and an eternity to discover and rejoice in the fruit he will bring from it! 

-Meaghan O'Toole

Our going away party at The Richardson's