#purejoymissions

[thefrizelles]

We've just been in one of the care homes, sharing songs and spending time with the residents - we've got the choruses we sing most weeks that they all know, and then I'll share a newer worship song, as well as one of the team giving a devotional message to encourage them in the Lord

[thefrizelles]

Yesterday we were in the other care home and were once again able to share the gospel presentation - please pray that each of these precious people would know God with them at this stage of their life and would continue to grow in their relationship with Him

[thefrizelles]

Yesterday we shared a gospel presentation and prayed with the residents in one of the care homes. We sang some choruses and one of the residents came and shared a mini-message of his own for all of us too. It's encouraging to have time with these older folk and they tell us how encouraged they are by the visits too. Thank you to all of you who partner to make this ministry possible ❤️

[thefrizelles]

Liam was insistent that he wanted to come in the car with me on Monday, not knowing where I was even going, so ended up coming along to Club Exploradores this week 😃 he fell asleep on the way but woke up when we arrived and wasn't really sure about his decision, so followed me around everywhere and just watched the activities from a distance, but it was fun to have him there 😁 not sure if he'll want to come again just yet but I guess we'll see 😉

[thefrizelles]

It’s been great to watch the Learning Centre start to take form over the last few weeks. Praise God that it shouldn’t be too much longer before it will be useable for our ministries & for serving the local community!

[thefrizelles]

Thursdays are when we get to go and see our friends in the care homes - please continue to pray for these precious people

[thefrizelles]

It was great to see the kids' Bible club restart this last Monday 🎶 singing & dancing again 🕺🏼sharing this time about the faith of Abraham and Sarah 📖 doing arts & crafts by age groups 🖍️ and so on. It's always encouraging to see the kids smiles and their joy at being in the club, and although numbers were lower (not unusual for the first week) we're lookin forward to seeing those who will come back soon too 😃 Please pray that this club would continue to catalyse discipleship in these communities through the sharing of His Love and His Word

[thefrizelles]

I'll call him Thomas

[Posted 2022-08-16]

Today I want to share with you about one of our young people, who I will call Thomas (not his real name).

I'd like to ask you to join with us in praying for him and his family as he is now in his teenage years and it seems is currently being enticed into behaviours that are not going to serve him well at all in the long run.

(Stock photo, praying over an open Bible)

We went to Thomas' house a few weeks ago after it had come to light that his teachers had reported him being absent from classes while he had told his mother that he had been at school. We've been doing home visits as part of our ministry outreaches and so that week we went and visited him and his mum.

Having been confronted with this discrepancy he stayed very quiet, not responding to the questions he was being asked other than to admit that he had gone to the market with some friends to play on the penny arcades. His mother preceded to list all the problems she was having with him as he sat there until it was too much and he got up and left the house.

(Stock photo, two guys chatting in the woods)

I felt the prompt to follow him outside as Wendy and Yeni stayed inside to talk with his mum, and managed to get him to open up a bit. He explained about the trouble he was having with one teacher who he felt singled him out and didn't properly explain homework, then laid into him when he didn't do it properly. He also shared that he felt his mum was always fighting with him.

I spoke with him about a few things, such as how we can see what look like easy choices in front of us - going to school is hard, playing with friends is easy - but behind them are the things we're really choosing - getting a job with qualifications makes life easier, whereas a life without school qualifications is going to be harder.

(Stock photo, troubled teen boy)

It's been up and down since then. His mother took away his phone and hasn't given him money when he goes to school since he was abusing that. He has been going to all of his classes, however, he seems to have also chosen to do things to intentionally try and upset her in some sort of retaliation. Despite not having a phone he had a friend message her with pictures of them with a liquor bottle and holding a handgun (they're much easier to get hold of than in the UK, though probably not as easy as the US).

Last week I took him aside for some one-on-one time during our tutoring program and we went for a walk (while remaining in the sight of the other leaders) as I asked him things like what he wanted to be in life. I'm trying to encourage him to think about who he wants to be and what kind of friends he wants to have around him - I didn't ask him about the photos directly, but I did talk with him about the kinds of things in them, and the impact what might seem to a teenager in the moment like little choices can have in the long run.

(Stock image, contemplating teen boy)

This is obviously a significant potential crossroad in his life as all of these options weigh on him, and I have talked to him about the importance of not only thinking of the moment but holding a long-term view as well.

Please would you pray that he takes seriously the magnitude of potential options in front of him. Please also pray that we would have wisdom when we talk with him and also in how we try to advise his mother, who is understandably somewhat distraught and doesn't know what she should do at the moment.

We don't know what choices he will ultimately make, and we certainly can't make them for him, but we have a God who can turn lives around in miraculous ways. Would you be a part of that process by praying for life change, for a touch of the Holy Spirit over Thomas?