Beach missions at Downings : 8^th –15^th July 2006

Em, the main things about beach missions, what can I say?! Each day we had good numbers down on the beach. The children were very attentive and did seem to take in what they were listening to. The teen night was quite disappointing numbers wise in that we only got maybe ten children which included maybe 3 teenagers.

It was also quite good though in the fact that one of the teenage boys did express a keen interest in becoming a Christian. He spoke to a guy on the team and then went and had a further word with the team leader.

One of my favourite aspects of beach missions is the Prayer Time in the afternoon meeting. This is were we try to teach how you can pray. The picture shows the faces Prayer Time, which was the first of the week. This was to demonstrate how you can come to God when you’re happy and thank him for things, the sad face was to show how you can ask God for his help and strength, and how you can tell him your worries etc, and the final face was the shocked/worried face to show that God will help you face everything, strengthen you and look after you. The Prayer Times are always really simple ideas like that but I think they are quite effective.

Finally, I had a really good experience on the Thursday of the week that encouraged me quite a bit. All week I was having doubts about me getting saved at 4yrs old. It was something the team leader said on the Monday morning in team time and it really got me thinking. So yeah, I couldn’t find it in myself to pray or do my quiet time for a few days and then on Thursday, after the afternoon meeting, my leader called me over and said that a wee girl (Ruby) about 5yrs old wanted to speak about the story, which had been told. So I brought her over to the side of the mat, where no one could disturb us, and I started to talk to her. The leader had been telling a story about a young boy that got saved, and she told me that she wanted to get saved like that boy. I had a tract that she wanted me to go through with her and after she went to her car, her dad came over and thanked me for talking to her and going through the tract with her, and it really did encourage me and made me certain that even at 4yrs old, you can get saved! So, that was the most memorable point for me from this year.

SOME POINTS FOR PRAYER:

1) Teenage boy (Owen?)
2) Ruby and her family
3) That the team were blessed and may continue to tell of Christ
4) The families that come to Downings every year for beach missions