It was there, squatted over a hole in the ceramic tiles of Mumbai railway station, that I realised I'd run out of Kleenex; and that I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be. It was my first ever mission trip, and I was about as far from my comfortable British upbringing as you could conceive.
When I left school, I desperately wanted to go into acting. 'Oh no,' my parents protested. 'You'll always be broke. You'll never be in work or have a regular income; you won't be able to support a family, or get a house, or a car; and you'll barely be able to eat.' They got their way. Parents always seem to get their way.
So instead of acting in the West End, that year I found myself in West Bengal, India - teaching in a school for children living on the streets of Calcutta. It was my first experience of what we call 'mission', and there was something about it. Something attractive, and addictive in sharing the love of God and bringing his Good News to a hurting world. Maybe it was the rawness of the experience. Sleeping on little more than wooden frames, shaking the freezing water from shower heads, donning the dirty clothes I lived and worked in, and enduring plate after plate of wet, lukewarm rice was strangely exhilarating. I may have been living life at a basic level, but I was living! There was something about leaving behind luxuries and home comforts that made me feel freer than I ever had at home; and I loved every second of it! Just walking down the road was exciting, while crossing it was a life-and-death experience; and day-to-day tasks were an adventure and a challenge. And I caught the bug.
But it was hard work. I was often tired, ill and uncomfortable; I lost weight, I craved things from home, and I went right from elation to anger frequently, on a spectrum of emotions. It was tough. This kind of mission was the most challenging thing I'd ever attempted, but in every way I was rewarded by God for pushing myself to do it. I had never had to rely on God so much, and I never saw God's power and intervention as much as I did that year. Every day was incredible.
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.
