Update from FP intern Scarlett

Scarlett Payne, our Frontier Project intern, has sent an update on her work - in the form of three poems! Enjoy!

A poem to the Lord of all

Lord, 
You make the leaves dance, 
The roses smell sweet.
You are in the changing of leaves
      from green to orange,
Oh how I adore Your creation. 

Lord,
Your grace abounds,
Your joy fulfils,
There is nothing like Your peace.

Lord,
As I walk I am with You,
And You with me.
You are in the process,
Making all things new.

Lord,
I look to you.
In the midst of turmoil, of pressure
    and toil.
You give compassion, 
We’re blessed to be made in Your image.

God Chooses

You rule and you reign,
You take me high when I am low.
You give me hope, keep me sane,
On my knees to you I’ll bow.

I know you’re here when I’m afraid,
I know you’ll catch my fall.
I know the truth is what you’ve said,
And not what I’ve felt at all.

There is no other like you,
There could be no greater name.
There, Jesus lay in the tomb, 
            bruised.
But He rose again three days late.

Thank you God for loving me,
Thank you for your patience.
Thank you that your grace runs
          deep,
Chosen by You , not coincidence.

His Hand Made (Madagascar)

My soul awakes, 
For the Lord. 
The sun is risen, 
I hear the chords. 
Of birds singing,
The wind whistling. 
“Oh what a beautiful morning, 
Yes! What a wonderful day.”

Cheers of laughter, 
Parents shout after, 
It’s time for breakfast I hear.
Grace at the table, 
Food on the table, 
Toddlers or cubs, I can’t tell?

But come 08:15,
No adults I see,
It’s time to take an adventure. 

Games & crafts, 
Make a good start, 
But bible stories are fun!

Kids gather together,
Discuss what matters,
Our God in heaven above. 

A prayer here,
A prayer there. 
How many? 
Who cares!

The Lord knows our hearts;
Who we are. 

Lunch is a rush, 
Kids come back to us, 
More energised than ever before. 
Go down to the woods, 
Build a den in a bush, 
Please, no poking any eyes out! 

Great minds,
Creative hands,
In His image we stand.
Our purposes yet to be revealed...

Then bickering starts,
Families are hard,
But it’s nothing our God cannot
       sort.
Music on, 
Praise the One,
Who was and is to come.

Dinner appears, 
Kid’s table, or here?
An invitation to both leaves me stuck.
But the cooks are great, 
Though my French I grate, 
The veggies come out and I smile.

Sun setting,
Showers wetting, 
Another day of bliss in God’s land.
Can’t forget that woodpecker,
The lizards or flowers,
His hand is what made
       Madagascar.

Livewires in Madagascar

Livewires touched down safely on African soil late Saturday 27th October and have lots to they wish to share about their time there! 

Pete, Ali and Scarlett led the children’s work at an Africa Inland Mission conference for missionaries across Madagascar. The theme for the week was Serving Together in Outreach and they demonstrated this through the many directions God takes us in life...

The kids explored looking upwards - at God and understanding who He is and what that means for them - and inwards - at themselves and exploring who they are in Christ, how He loves them, and has given them gifts to help spread His love to others. They also looked backwards - at times when God has been faithful in loving them - and forwards - in prayer that they will be used to help build His kingdom. 

Teaching ‘withwards’ and outwards were the most challenging directions. The missionary children were largely home schooled and often faced with language and cultural barriers between them and their Madagascan peers. Therefore, their time spent building relationships with them and helping them develop their relationships with the other children at the conference was a key part of why the team, the kids and their parents valued the week so much.

A scrap book has been made (see it on Rachel and Scarlett’s fundraising table containing some of the children’s crafts and thank you cards/letters if you should wish to see. One of Scarlett’s *poems* also tells of her experience in Madagascar. 

Overall, Livewires’ first experience of international children’s work taught them a lot about the benefit of working with children of different ages (the kids in Madagascar were ages 4-15), from all areas of the world, and at various stages in their faith journey. Please join them in gratitude to God for providing such an authentic experience of sharing His truths, and pray that more opportunities arise for their children’s ministry!