MATT'S STORY

Matt

Preston

Matt did the ProGo internship in 2013/14 and had the chance to visit several WEC fields as well as study the Bible and learn more about Global Missions

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

I have been going to church since I was 7 years old; it was only until I was 22 that I searched for a personal relationship with God and wanted to serve him for the rest of my life. Whilst praying and asking God for opportunities the ProGo Internship with WEC became the most obvious route for me. It gave me an opportunity to understand God’s word more, to be with people who love God, and the training equipped me to go into new situations with confidence.

Neighbours Worldwide, October 2013

In October 2013 I assisted joined a WEC ministry called Neighbours Worldwide who are working in the Midlands in the UK. Again I got to experience cross-cultural living as I worked alongside an Irishman, an Englishman, a South Korean and someone from Pakistan. During this trip I learned a lot about other religions as the Neighbours Worldwide team outreach to the Asian population who are mainly Muslim, Hindu and Sikh. One of the ministries the team is involved in is teaching English as a foreign language. It was amazing to see that there are some many people around the UK who have lived here for a long time (some of them all their lives) and can only speak their native language. The team are also involved in door-to-door evangelism, distributing Christian literature and giving out free copies of the Jesus Film (which is in a thousand different languages and dialects). It was my first experience of door-to-door evangelism; at first it was quite daunting, but I soon got used to the pressure and now I feel more confident in expressing my faith

to strangers because of this experience. I was surprised to learn that Muslims

like to talk about religion. The evangelism process really gave me an insight

into other religious beliefs. My most enjoyable experience with Neighbours

Worldwide was visiting an Asian Christian church whose service and worship

was in Punjabi, I was really encouraged to see how important mission work is

in the UK as well as overseas.

Roubaix, November 2013

The next stop on my world tour was Roubaix in the North of France. Whilst

there I was working with a missionary who ministers to North Africans living

in Roubaix. Discovery Bible studies was one of the techniques that we used to

help new believers grow in their faith and understanding of the gospel. The idea

is that scripture is the authority, the leader only leads the first 2 studies, and

then the new believers lead the discussions using a passage from the Bible and

discussing what it tells us about God and what it tells us about people.

I had a great time evangelism on a Friday night, which involved setting up a coffee table outside a Metro stop and between 2 Mosques. Hot beverages were offered to passers-by, and this is a good way to form relationships and get to know the locals.

The biggest challenge I had in France was not knowing French. I really saw the value of missionaries learning a local language or dialect, as it shows local people that you want to be there.

Betel, Watford, December 2013 & March 2014

After France is was back to the UK where I was working with Betel. Betel has houses all around the world, 6 in the UK, and aims to change the lives of men and women who have become addicts and/or homeless. I lived, worked and ate in the Watford house with men who voluntarily entered the centre to give up their addictions, and this was such a rewarding experience.

Life in Betel is really full on. They rehabilitate people by putting them into a strict program and giving them skills that include; furniture restoration and

landscape gardening. As well as this the Betelitos (people who come through the

programme) will get into the local community handing out flyers, bag packing in

Tesco, going door-to-door asking for donations as well as picking up and

dropping off furniture. The daily routine is long and hard, but this gives the men

who are trying to restore their lives a purpose. I heard a lot of amazing

testimonies from those who have come to know Christ through Betel and their

stories really touched my heart. The Christian message is a vital part of Betel;

there are devotionals in the morning before everyone starts work, Friday night

there is a time of worship and on Sunday there is a meeting in the morning full of

worship and preaching.

Central Asia, February 2014

The longest trip during the internship was a 1 month Trek to Central Asia. I was there to teach English and this was a very challenging experience for me. I had never taught English before and had little training, the place where I stayed had limited resources and the classes had a mixture of students with different levels of English. Despite being thrown in the deep end I learned to use my initiative and used skills that I didn’t know that I had. My faith grew during this experience and I

learned to put my trust in God. I was the only native English speaker on

the team and the only one teaching English as I was living with South

Koreans who teach Korean. As I was the only English speaker, there

were times when communication was a struggle. Even though I was in

Central Asia I experienced a lot about the Korean culture and this was a

culture shock. I got to have a taste of Korean food, which is absolutely

delicious but so spicy. The weather was also a challenge as it reached

as low as -20°C, and when outside I had to be well wrapped up some-

times wearing 2 pairs of trousers and 5 top layers.

Madrid, June 2014

Madrid’s weather was much warmer than Central Asia as it was around

30°C. I was living and working with a missionary, a short term worker

and a man from Columbia. An after school homework club called Apoyo

Escolar was the main focus of the ministry. This involved helping children

with their English homework. Again, communication was sometimes

difficult as I cannot speak Spanish and the children knew very little

English. However, one particular boy enjoyed trying to teach me Spanish

after I taught him English.

Street evangelism in the centre of Madrid with OntheRedbox was something I also got to experience. One person would stand on a red box and share a testimony and afterwards the team would talk about Christ to listeners and hand out tracts to passers-by. I even got to pray for someone in English. I also assisted the missionary with an English conversation class outside a tapas bar. This was such a relaxed way of forming good relationships, getting to know the locals and learning about the Spanish culture.

Throughout the course of my internship I really encountered God in new ways. It was fantastic getting to see the variety of ministries WEC works in. This whole experience has given me a better understanding of scripture and I feel more confident in talking about my faith as a result.

WEC International, Bulstrode, Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8SZ

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