An update from John
Good morning from Cardiff Wales! It’s hard to believe that we have been here 2 months and yet it feels like it’s been longer. We have settled in, joined in and, through the Lord’s goodness, have already been provided opportunities for influence.
The mission here is to make disciples through being a bridge to those who don’t know Jesus, encouraging discipleship among those who do and meeting with people who are interested in studying the bible; and the Lord has not wasted any time. Citizen church is where we plugged in and we arrived right as they started their new season of community groups. We joined a group that meets in Penarth which is a 15 minute train ride followed by a 15 minute walk from our flat. There are 5 couples in the group that meet every two weeks and the group is really quite similar to any community group you might find in the states. I am leading a study on a series based on the 5 Things God Uses To Grow Your Faith and is challenging some of our group right off the bat. Also, we have signed up to be student mentors through Citizen Church and they have a large number of students that attend church which is really part of their passion to reach students. We are signed up for some other opportunities that we will use to “fish” within the church and we look forward to seeing what God does with these opportunities; the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.
Personally, I’ve met with a few different men just testing the waters to see what interest there is in studying the bible (and what their personal disciplines are) as well as just seeing where men are spiritually. Niki on the other hand has paired up with 3 women already and has the opportunity for influence with some others. Two of the three that Niki is meeting with have come about through Niki’s answer to the question “What brought you to Wales?”. Her answer, “We came to meet with people who are interested in studying the bible and learning what it means to follow Jesus” which resonated with these women in particular. Niki has also started a knitting group for some young women that live in our building. They are from Nepal, Hong Kong and Iran; what incredible opportunities to influence young women from around the world.
As for our life in Cardiff, it’s really exciting living in the heart of the city. We absolutely love not having to drive anywhere and being able to walk everywhere. Dinner, shops, grocery, markets, church, coffee and really anything we need within a short 10-15 minute walk, well church is a 30 minute walk but it seems closer each week. So far, the only challenge with walking everywhere is learning how to read the weather, knowing how to dress each day and being prepared for the constant changes in the weather. I guess what really amazes me the most here though is the diversity of this city of 362,000 people. Cardiff is so multicultural, which we can talk more about in the future.
What you can pray for. Pray that we speak the truth as boldly as the Lord would have us, that He would provide opportunities for influence and to share the hope that comes from knowing Jesus; in a country that so desperately needs hope that the leading cause of death for men between the ages 35 and 50 is suicide. A country that has been in decline economically since the 1970’s when the coal industry crashed, basically has 0 economic growth and the largest debt per capita of Europe. We feel very fortunate to be a part of what God is up to here and we thank you for your prayers.
Support. We ask that you prayerfully consider a tax deductible donation to support us being here. You can make that contribution through our charitable giving partner at forwales.org . Should you decide to give, after doing so through our giving partner, let us know at johnrogrs7@gmail.com for our own internal tracking purposes (or if you gave in the past and didn’t let us know please let us know now).
As always, we are so grateful for your prayers and support and please come visit so we can show you around this amazing country.
