Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sheffield Saturday

We would appreciate your prayers over the next couple of weeks for a couple of things. Several of the team, along with a local Christian GP, will be travelling down to a conference this weekend in Sheffield.  The conference will involve organisations from across the UK who are involved  in providing accommodation for destitute asylum seekers.  As you know, the team have been involved in the creation and running of a Winter Night Shelter.  Our long term vision is to have accommodation available for a small number of long-term destitute asylum seekers in Glasgow.  It's quite a daunting task but one which we believe God is leading us towards.  Please pray we would all be rested enough to be able to make the most of the conference, to ask the right questions and make good contacts, learning from others who have already done something similar.  Pray for relationships with a potential partner in this venture (a Christian Trust who may provide the purchase of a property).
We would also be grateful for your prayers for our team-mates whose financial support is not enough to sustain them in this ministry. Please pray for God's provision and guidance, and if anyone knows of somewhere they could stay rent-free in Glasgow, please let us know!
Posted by Paul and Emma at 12:00 am | 0 comments  
Friday, January 20, 2012

New Year, etc.

Long time since our last update...! Here’s some news:

We spent a quiet Christmas in Glasgow and had our friends (and teammates) Andrew and Faegheh over. Headed over to Belfast the day after Boxing Day and spent a couple of weeks seeing family and friends in Northern Ireland.

It was great to be back in Belfast. It was a blessing to spend time with Newtownbreda Baptist and have the opportunity to share about the work in Glasgow at the midweek prayer meeting. In addition to catching up with friends, it was good to see so many new faces at the church. Always exciting to see what is happening, how the church is Loving God, Sharing Jesus, and Caring for People locally and abroad.

Another rough day (among many) in Glasgow.  Thanks to the Night Shelter, some people don't have to spend a night in this terrible weather!
 Now that we’re back in Glasgow, I’ve been taking a night at the Night Shelter for destitute asylum seekers. It’s a long night, but definitely worth it. We meet the guys at the Glasgow Central Rail Station and then walk to the facility we share with the Glasgow City Mission for the Night Shelter. We prepare a meal for the guys before they go to sleep. In the morning we put out a simple breakfast (boiled eggs, bread rolls) and give some lunch packs that have been kindly donated by local cafes. 
Last Monday was my second time in the Night Shelter and many of the same guys were there. Probably the best thing about the Night Shelter is not just that the guys are safe and off the streets, but that we get to know those who come. It’s a place where they can find support and friendship. It’s brilliant that our teammate Brian has devoted much time and effort (and sacrificed many hours of sleep!) to this project; it makes a huge life-changing difference to the people who stay in the shelter. One Lybian guy, a regular at the night shelter, told me, "I have nothing else in Glasgow, so the night shelter is really like a home to me; I know that I can be safe."

The Bishopbriggs International AFC is going from strength to strength. We’re currently top of our division and first place in our group in the Daysoft Friendly Cup (where we’re competing against teams in the division above us). The guys are growing as a team and the level of football has improved accordingly.

Some half-time analysis

Since the New Year, the St Rollox drop-ins have been more busy than usual. Word is out amongst the Somali community that Emma can help with many varieties of papers. She’s so popular, Emma doesn’t even have time for a cup of tea!
We are still supporting the destitute at St Rollox with bus tickets provided by the Refugee Survival Trust and food packs. Some of the funds raised by Emma’s 10K last year is still going towards this!


Some shopping for the St Rollox destitution support.
Now that we’re back in a regular schedule again, hope to be more disciplined about getting news up on the blog.

Appreciate your prayers!

Paul
Posted by Paul and Emma at 5:35 pm | 0 comments  
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