Last Friday Ruth and I ventured over to England for the day!! IJM UK holds quarterly prayer days for the team, this was the first one I have taken part in. Our 6:15am flight to London required that I wake up at 3:45am to get over to Ruth's house on time to begin our journey. (A big thanks to our husbands for getting up early to drive us everywhere! Poor Paul had to work at 6:30 so he rushed back home for a nap before work. Thank you!!)
Starbucks at the airport was a necessity. (:
The flight was quick and the Krispy Kreme donuts made the early morning worth it! We got two each (no shame!) and Ruth bought a box to take with us for the team.
Stage 2 of our journey over was a bus ride into Colchester. This hour and a half bus trip was actually a really big blessing to me. I have always felt close to God when I admire His creation. In the UK yellow rapeseed fields are my favorite and I saw countless yellow fields on our way in. I just think this vast burst of color among the green rolling hills is so joyful. They felt even more special tucked away among the quaint English villages, filled with thatched roof cottages. It felt nice to be out of Belfast for the day. And the day hadn't even really started!
Terry was kind enough to pick us up and treat us to some coffee on our way to the church for the prayer day. When we arrived, it was so lovely to meet the rest of the UK team. After probably hundreds of e-mails, it felt good to meet everyone in person. There was a real sense of unity even though we don't operate out of the same office... let alone the same side of the Irish Sea. 
A couple of women (?? oops! I forgot their names!), who have a prophecy ministry, prayed over the team as a whole and then over us each individually. This was a really encouraging thing to experience and even though I don't know the team really well, it was clear to see that God was speaking to each of us really specifically through these wonderful women. She asked each of us to record her prayers on our phone so we could listen to it again later.
After a second listen, I am still just as curious as I was when they were praying for me! I could see so much truth in everything they were saying and I still feel really uplifted by their prayers and prophecy. One really interesting thing they said was that they saw me working with children. A lot of children, about 30 of them, perhaps in an orphanage or in community. I have never really considered working with children to be completely honest with you. But this definitely has me intrigued. Not something I will pursue probably, but also not something I would turn down. We will see where God takes us! (:
The girls prepared a lovely lunch for us all and it was great to chat to everyone a bit before we had to head back to Stansted for our flight home. Becky took us to the airport (thanks!) and away we went. The day was long but I wish we could have spent more time in England. It was a real treat to be with the team. A reminder that Ruth and I are part of something much bigger than ourselves. Our mission extends way beyond our tiny office in East Belfast. IJM is working all throughout the world and we get to be a part of this mission of justice that is so close to God's heart.
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