There
is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the
heavens
(Ecclesiastes
3:1)
It is
time for me to say goodbye.
The
past year has been a tough one for me. I have known that I would likely be
leaving you, but could not say too much as all the pieces were not yet in
place.
But
now, I can tell you. And I want to say goodbye properly, and tell you the whole
story.
My
husband, Isaac, heard God calling him to become a vicar in the Church of
England. For the past two years, he has been meeting with other vicars, writing
essays, and generally preparing for an assessment and selection for going to
Bible college.
To cut
a very long story short, on Saturday 1st August, the Bishop of
Norwich approved his application, and we’re moving to Durham at the end of
August to start a new adventure.
And
so, as I said above, it is time for me to say goodbye.
The
past 3 years I have spent in the Anglia division as your DYO have been amazing.
There have been highs, and there have been lows, but overall, I am so grateful
that God called me here to minister to you during this time, and that I have
had the chance to share in so many of your journeys with Christ. It is such a
privilege to have been there as you have made a decision to follow Him, or as
you have learned something new about the Bible, or praying with you in the
tough times, or even just laughing together at the pranks you have pulled.
The
last 3 years have stretched me, challenged me, grown me, and shown me how good
God is. And I thank you all for being a part of that.
Every
single one of you is precious in God’s sight, and I hope that in some small
way, I have been able to show you each how much He loves you.
As I
leave, and you wait for your new DYO, I encourage you to stay strong in your
faith, and really bind together as the young people of Anglia division. Get in
touch with your friends from around the division, and just meet together. Ask
your youth leaders to organise ‘youth group’ exchanges and visit one another’s
clubs, fellowships, Sunday meetings, whatever!
Don’t
forget to thank your youth leaders. They are the ones who are there for you,
week in, week out. They are the ones who spend hours preparing in the week,
turn up early to make sure everything’s right, and stay behind to tidy up your
mess. And I thank each of them as well for all their hard work and support to
me while I have been here, and for supporting you.
There
is a time for everything. Right now, we’re saying goodbye, but that does not
mean it is time for the end of youth work in Anglia division.
The
team at DHQ are passionate about the work that has been going on, and are so
keen to see you all continue to grow in your faith and yourselves. Please
continue to support events like Youth Councils and Summer School, and attend
Youth Band and Youth Chorus.
God
has great things planned for each of your lives, and for the work in the
division. I’m sorry I won’t be here to see it, but I believe it will happen.
And one day in the future, when we meet each other in a random place, I can’t
wait to hear all about it.
Becky
