At the end of the year I went back home to my parents, exclaiming that I wanted to be involved full-time in mission in the future. My parents were delighted! But I thought, 'I'll always be broke and not have a regular income, won't have a posh house or car, and I may not eat properly!' Strangely, this didn't bother my parents anymore, and I found myself led by God to start on a mission-soaked path that has brought me to where I am today; the UK National Motivator for the upcoming Mission-Net event.
Ever since I caught the mission bug, I've been eager to see as many people as possible venture out to change our world in a similar way. This is why it's incredible to be able to play such an exciting role in giving people the opportunity to do just that.
Mission-Net is a huge pan-European event scheduled for 8 - 13 April 2009, which is going to bring together 16-30 year-olds from all across Europe to meet in Germany over Easter, to worship God and explore what He is doing across our continent. With a dedicated programme focussing on how to make mission a reality, it's the perfect place for young people to get inspired about getting their hands dirty and mucking in with God's real, life-transforming work in Europe.
But this isn't your average listen, learn and leave conference. With Mission-Net, young people won't just sit there and think about what mission is; they'll be inspired to actually get stuck in, and join any one of scores of mission teams that will go all across Europe that will stretch them, push them, challenge them and give them an adventure that will absolutely revolutionise their life, just as it did for me.
If you've ever wanted to see your young people's lives to be changed, this is exactly the place to start. There's nothing quite like getting a vision for God's mission along with 6000 other people! This is where they can really take up the challenge of proving to God and to themselves that He is worth the sacrifice, the hardship and discomfort of giving up easy Christianity to do something courageous and daring. My first experience of mission was the most testing adventure I'd ever had; but it changed my life. Let Mission-Net be the first step in an adventure that will take them - and you - places you never expected to go.
James Clarke is the UK National Motivator of Mission-Net 09
On the web: www.germancarpark.com/index.htm
