What's next?

After praying and talking and more prayer and talking...we are very excited to be heading back to Tauranga, New Zealand in October for 2 years to work with Justice Reach which is part of Youth with a Mission(YWAM). We're really amazed and grateful for the way God has led us and orchestrated things as we've sought Him about what's next for our lives.

We had an amazing time there January to the end of May doing a Justice Discipleship Training School. 3 months of lectures learning to go deeper with God, growing in our walk with Him, but also with the justice focus learning about all sorts of injustices around the world and gaining more of an understanding of God's heart for these issues and the people caught up in them.  Followed by 2 months of outreach in Thailand and Cambodia, working with vulnerable people and learning how to outwork our love for God and through that our love for people , communicating God's heart of love, compassion and mercy to people we encountered. 
So this time we will be heading back to be staff in the same program. We will be particularly focusing on worship and prayer and engaging the students on the Justice Discipleship Training School as well as the wider church community with justice issues through worship and prayer.  We are also excited to be involved in discipling, encouraging and facilitating the students growth in their walks with God and heart for justice. Justice Reach is working in other ways to bring justice to communities in New Zealand and Cambodia particularly, so we will be involved in those too, particularly fighting human trafficking.

Here's a bit more of how we got there...

Just after our DTS graduation in June we spoke with our course leader and she asked if we would come back to staff with Justice Reach and head up the prayer and worship side of things in justice reach as a whole and on the DTS. She wanted more of a foundation of prayer and worship to be established in Justice Reach. So she asked if we would possibly come back and pioneer that. Looking into possibly establishing a Justice prayer room, raising awareness/encouraging/challenging/envisioning the DTS students but also the local church in Tauranga. Kind of just looking into how prayer and worship can be happening within Justice reach and the DTS.

We took some time whilst we were travelling in New Zealand to think, talk and pray about it and decided that it was what God was leading us to do. God has been incredible in what He has been doing in us in the  5 months of our DTS but also longer than that, to prepare us and move us towards this point. We were able to look back at all that He's been teaching us and see how right this next step is for us in moving forward. so many different things line up its crazy! From one of the main things God taught Ben on DTS to do with identity not being in his job or in earning money but in God. God giving us both on outreach more of a heart and passion for prayer and seeing more of the value and power of prayer, to change things spiritually to prepare for physical change. To us both knowing that God wanted to work together the passions that he's put in our hearts, Ben for worship and me for justice , how we've grown in each other's passion during DTS.

Towards the end of lecture phase we were beginning to have a heart to see how God wants prayer, worship and justice to go together. God has also been speaking to us lots, over the last year and a half, about trusting Him. Learning to obey and trust Him as we follow after Him. It's been a big challenge to us but God has been so good throughout this time of showing us that we can trust Him, that He is our father who loves, cares and provides for us. This has been a particularly tricky thing with finances, and learning to trust God fully in this area, knowing that for the next 2 years we will be working for Justice Reach without an income. When we were praying on the last day in New Zealand, we were sat by a lake with mountains in the background. Ben had his eyes closed and God told him to open them and look around. God was again speaking to us saying "look around you. This is who I am, this is what I can do/create, how much more can I care and provide for you. You can trust me"

So this is a crazy leap of faith for us. We don't know what it will look like, we don't have the finances. But we do know the one who has invited us on this adventure - who we long to know and love more. So we choose to follow where He leads and trust Him.

As we head out on this adventure we invite you to join with us. Whether that be prayerfully supporting us or financially supporting us too. We'd be so grateful.

Prayerfully: We will keep our blog updated and will send emails upon request and receipt of email addresses. But for now please pray for the preparations; raising money, visas, packing. But please pray in the midst of all of that our focus would remain on God and not on the details.

Financially: This is a solely voluntary position. So we are looking to raise £800 per month which would cover accommodation, food, and day to day living costs and also flights for outreach. You can support us by giving a monthly amount or a one off gift. For monthly giving please contact us/Gloucester Community Church to give through them. For one off gifts you can, again give through Gloucester Community Church, or give through our fundraising page https://www.youcaring.com/benandnai

(please note youcaring amazingly doesn't charge you or us any fees, you can select to give a contribution to them or just put in £0)

Thanks so much for your love and support.
We look forward to sharing this journey and adventure with you

Please continue to follow this blog for more updates or contact us by email at benclayfield85@gmail.com or naomiclayfield@hotmail.co.uk

Now that I have seen I am responsible.

(It's taken awhile to process and express my (Nai) response to the situations of prostitution  we saw in Thailand and Cambodia. Here is some of it now though!)

And then it happens...you get to that place where its no longer stories in a newspaper, photos of strangers, random names, films of situations far away. And you're no longer far removed from it, you can no longer brush it off as being a problem that doesn't effect you, a problem that you're far removed from.
That moment when the stories become reality, the faces belong to people who have names, the names are people you know, the films are situations that you've encountered. And the pain of these situations goes deeper, deeper than the surface emotions. The tears are no longer there, its penetrated deeper than that, your heart hurts for these people, these situations. The reality hits home like never before. What your head has always known about these situations and the people in them, now clicks with your heart and your deep emotions, because its no longer something you know happens, its something you're seeing happening. 
You see...
Yes, prostitution does happen, YES trafficking is going on, YES, under age girls are being forced by their families to be raped 20 times a day every day to earn money for them, YES, boys are being forced to be girls to make more money for their families than they could as boys, YES, women are being forced into prostitution by their husbands. YES people in these places are using their own people, YES English average,hard working, married family men are going for holidays, for a laugh, for a 'good time' to use these people. YES it is disgusting, traumatic, violent, upsetting, dark.
YES this harsh reality does truly exist, YES this ugly truth is there like never before. 

But the stronger, louder, more powerful YES is...
YES God cares, YES God rescues, YES God's power is greater, YES God's light is brighter, YES God's love is for them all, YES God's name is higher, YES God breaks chains,YES God is with them, YES God is Saviour, YES God sees, YES God knows, YES God suffers with them, YES God is their Father, YES God longs to know them, YES God pursues them, YES God's heart is for them, YES God never gives up on them.  YES God is hope!

But what does that mean for me?
I am responsible, now that I've heard, now that I've seen.
I'm responsible to not stay silent, to speak out for these people, these situations that are REAL. I choose not to stay silent for fear of making people uncomfortable, I choose not to stay silent for fear of talking about an awkward/taboo subject. I choose to speak out for the girls, boys, women and men who are trapped in this, both prostitutes and perpetrators.  I choose to help their voice/their cries be heard. 
I choose not to be overwhelmed by the problem but be overwhelmed by the one who has conquered all.  I choose to look to God as the answer. I choose to continue to hope in Him for these people and their situations. I choose to remember them and not forget them. 
I choose to pray, to act, to respond.

Thaibodia Team!

Thaibodia Team!

So tomorrow (3rd April)we head off for Auckland with our team of 14 students and 2 staff. We will be flying out from Auckland on Saturday 4th April .

And then will be in Thailand from the 4th-27th April and  Cambodia from 27th April until 23rd May. We will be spending these next 7 weeks working with various justice projects, doing ministry in the red light district, teaching english, working in the slums, ministry in the prisons, working with vulnerable and at risk children, working with some anti-trafficking charities. Just generally seeing how we can serve and come alongside the vulnerable, needy, marginalised and oppressed in these places. 

Learning to follow the mandate in Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do right, seek justice, defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

We would so appreciate your prayers for us and the whole team during our outreach. 

Please pray for:

- Protection and smooth travelling

- protection, strength and peace as we work in these difficult places

- unity as a team and with the ministries we're working with

- divine opportunities and connections in ministering to people

- God to be at the focus and glorified in all that we do

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support we're so grateful. 

Our team will have a blog whilst we're away, so although we will try and post when we can, our team blog will have a weekly update. http://thaibodia16.blogspot.co.nz/

Books!

Yes! I am very proud of my achievement. 3 books read and a book report written on them all in less than 12 weeks. Pretty good going for me especially with all the busyness! (For those of you who don't know...I'm not much of a reader! In fact I try to avoid books as much as possible. The most fun thing I find about libraries is the machine that you use to check books in and out. Although I do like some novels.) Anyways getting sidetracked! 

Btw they weren't picture books or short books either! 

They were all interesting books 

1) 'God in a brothel' - by Daniel Walker - was about an investigators story of rescuing victims of sex trafficking around the world. Its the story of young girls and women being rescued and freed from oppression and darkness. But it's also the story of the despair and trauma of those left still in these situations. It's also great because it puts the challenge to us Christians to join in the fight against human trafficking across the world. 

2) 'Good News About Injustice' by Gary Haugen from the charity International Justice Mission. This book looks into the all to common and often crippling questions raised when we as Christians face issues of injustice; what can we possibly do in response? Can ordinary Christians make a difference? And where is the God of justice? It also does three main things; challenges the reader and the church to be part of the fight against injustice, it instils hope in the God of justice,the God of compassion, the God of moral clarity and the God of rescue and it takes a look at tools aiding the rescue of the oppressed. 

3) 'Foreign to Familiar' by Sarah Lanier is a good book preparing for outreach in another country. Looking at cultural differences and how to be prepared to go into those places respecting the culture your entering into. It looks at hot-climate cultures and cold-climate cultures. Concepts of time, planning, formal, informal and hospitality. Knowing that were going into  hot-climate cultures for outreach some of the things we need to be prepared to run with and be sensitive to are...

a) being more relaxed and less structured - will present the need to be flexible and just go with the flow!

b) high-climate culture will mean they're more of a high context culture - which will mean they're more established in traditions etc and they're more formal -  some of the things we'll need to be aware of and sensitive to are: respect for elders, dressing smartly and respectfully, and being careful to follow protocol in eating, greetings, table manners etc.

c) Hospitality is another concept to be aware of. Hospitality in hot-climate cultures is the context for relationship - so is very important! It is important in hot climate cultures to consider the personal aspect of hospitality. This will be important where we go in terms of how we accept hospitality. As its seen in this way - we will need to be careful and sensitive to respond to hospitality with gratefulness and acceptance knowing that it isn't just an offer of food it's an offer of friendship.

So maybe there is hope for me yet as an avid book reader! 

Final weeks of Lectures...

Life has been pretty jam packed here, sorry not to keep you as regularly updated as we would have liked.

To keep with the jam packed-ness, we're going to combine the last few lecture weeks in one post, with a highlight statement or scripture from each.

Identity -  If our identity is based on who we are then it will be shakeable, movable and changeable based on seasons, struggles, changes. But if our identity is founded in who God is - unchanging, unshakeable, immovable, steadfast, than who we are in Him will be secure. Who we are cannot be shaken by anything, people's criticism, judgements, losing jobs, things not going right, highs and lows.

 It was a fresh reminder/revelation that our DNA, fingerprints and our voice print our different from anyone else in the world... this speaks of his incredible love towards us as individuals. That He would make us different from everyone else, shows how much He wants to know and love us as individuals. He doesn't just want relationship with mankind - He wants a relationship with me. Part of the beauty of all being made different is the understanding of His desire after the individual, His intention, desire, love for me. He made our voices different because He wants to hear our individual prayers, words, cries. He longs to be close to me.

Fear of God - This was a full on week of learning - that the fear of God is to hate what God hates and to love what God loves. The challenge that God is worthy of it all, so He deserves all of us, the good and the bad, Turning away from the things that take away from wholeheartedly loving God. He wants all of us. And He is worthy of all of us. The challenge to go to a new level of pursuit after God. That God would consume every part of our lives. Are we living like Jesus could come back in our lifetime? Not letting our contentment/identity/security be the external fruit of our lives - but being intimately known by God.

Justice Week - We spent this week looking into lots of justice issues. It was an intense time of seeing the injustices that our going on in the world around us. But it was a call to do more than get moved emotionally by these things - to be moved into prayer, to be moved into response. We looked at the issue of child soldiers that is greater problem than we realize, we looked into the chocolate industry and the claims of the chocolate companies that they don't use child slaves (which are untrue in a lot of places). We also had a panel evening of 3 guests struggling with disease who shared their journey of grapling with all the questions of God and suffering. We had the opportunity to hear from them and then have a Q+A time. This week was a hard encounter with the realities of the world we live in, but in all of it it's important to keep our eyes focused on God and the hope and freedom He brings.In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Father Heart of God- Understanding that we able to relate to God in the same way that Jesus does. God sees us as His sons and daughters and not as slaves."For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." Romans 8:15-17 Understanding the Father Heart of God is not just about understanding God as Father but understanding who we are as His sons and daughters. 

Holy Spirit- This was great week of learning about the Holy Spirit and also being touched by Holy Spirit. We were reminded of how important the holy spirit is in our lives. Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring to the heart revelation of the Father and the Son, also the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us into deeper relationship with God and the Holy Spirit gives witness in us that we are children of God. The Holy Spirit is a person that we are to have relationship with.

Biblical Worldview - What a week to end on. The call to go deeper, to aim higher in our walk with God. Our expectancy should be - to be going from glory to glory. Avoiding legalism has become our excuse for apathy. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Phil 3:12 - a straining and pressing on for more - running with God, running for God. The challenge to live a life that is an intentional pursuit of God. - Today's intentionality is about tomorrow's life of intentionality. All of this has a  huge effect on the way we relate and view the world we live in. 

Relationships

It struck us with this week that there isn't anything that doesn't come from relationship...so how important that makes relationship! Everything is relational because everything about God is relational. A lot of our week we looked at relationship with ourself. As this is so important in effecting our relationships with others. As its says in Luke 10:27 "Love your neighbour as yourself" so the way we see ourself is critical in how we see and love others.

Hearing God's Voice

This was a great week to be reminded of  the importance of intimacy in hearing God's voice. God wants to speak to us through relationship. Hearing God's voice flows from a lifestyle of friendship with Him. Time spent with Him, in His word, and learning to constantly be aware of His presence. Cultivating a rich, fruitful inner life with God, rather than letting it be stagnant and barren. If we just go to God when we need something or just to find out something specific, then we will just end up with a transactional relationship with God, where we come and go as we please and use Him just to go to when we need something and then go back to our own life when we have what we need. God wants to be in constant conversation/communion with us and speak to us from that level of relationship.
The more time we spend with God the more we come to know his voice. How does a child know His fathers voice? - by spending time with Him. And how does a child know what is in and behind what his father says? The meaning in His words, the love in His words?
It's about enjoying the presence of God and in that we will we will hear God's voice. It's not about hearing God's voice - it's about relationship and intimacy. Matthew 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
It was great to have some really practical times of outworking what we were learning. We spent some time just enjoying God's presence and God really spoke in those times.