A Change of Seasons...

Conference season has ended and autumn brings a whole new feel to this IJM internship. 

This summer flew by and I still can’t believe we are nearly half-way through September! Summer Madness, New Horizon and Bangor Worldwide were all really wonderful in different ways. 

New Horizon was very different from Summer Madness and honestly much different than any conference I have ever been to. My experience of Christian conferences has been limited to those specifically for youth or for women. New Horizon is a whole new ball game. Everyone welcome and there are tons of things for each group to be doing at all times. From games to seminars, it felt like there was never a dull moment. Which was a bit overwhelming for me at first. However, as the week went on, I could really see the value in gathering such a large number of people to recharge a bit together and be encouraged by what other Christians are doing in Northern Ireland and around the world.

Our IJM stand was in the main exhibition area, which led into the main tent for the morning and evening services. We had great conversations with people as they passed by and over 80 people signed Advocacy Cards for our Government Relations Campaign against Police Abuse of Power in Kenya! You can learn more about this and sign a card here. (You can also feel free to admire this Post Box, above, that I made for everyone to put their cards into.) New Horizon was a completely new experience for me, and I was really glad to be part of the week as an IJM representative.

We were also at Bangor Worldwide a couple of weeks ago. This is a conference entirely based around mission! IJM was one of over 80 missions represented in the exhibition area, so as you can imagine, I was once again a bit overwhelmed! Just being in the room with so many stands and people who represented these missions that God has called them to felt really powerful. It was a real reminder that although I am so passionate about IJM and issues of injustice and truly feel that God is calling me to a mission of justice, God has designed each of us so uniquely and has a different call for everyone. We made a few great connections during the week of Worldwide and I am excited to see these strengthen over time. 

Now conference season is over and we are in the midst of beginning the months of Autumn. Autumn brings great things for us at IJM UK. So many speaking engagements, meetings and events to organize. It is a really exciting time and one that requires great patience and prayer. Please be praying for our team as we will be extremely busy over the next few months. 

One specific thing you can be praying for is the Sara Groves UK tour! This is a great opportunity for IJM UK, as Sara has supported IJM for several years through her music. As part of this, she writes an IJM song for every album - one that will keep the message of the organisation in front of people. For an example of the beautiful music Sara makes, watch IJM's 15 year anniversary video with the soundtrack of the song, 'Add to the Beauty'. We are so looking forward to this time with Sara, so please be praying for these events!