Today as my team ventured out to our "zone" for the day my prayer was simply that today be the greatest of all our days in London. Wow, our God is so faithful.

We walked in front of a school and approached a group (that was larger than we anticipated) and as we began to talk to them we learned that they were the very people another group engaged the day before (and were the topic of yesterday's blog post). As we began to dive into a deeper conversation I was surprised by just how interested they were in us and what we had to say, in fact, they approached us with a spiritual question. As we began to talk about cultural differences, the topic of gay marriage, politics, and going to university in the fall, our group somehow split into two groups with the two other people in my group talking to a couple of the students and me talking to the others. They were able to go through an entire gospel presentation and pass out four of our New Testament Bibles. As they were engaging those students, I began to talk to this one girl (and even though I talked to her for about an hour I somehow neglected to get her name. So seeing as she was Irish, we nicknamed her Iris). Iris told me she grew up in a Catholic Church but when she was younger her dad passed away and after that she fell away from the church. She told me now she didn't really believe in a God. I began to ask her the world view grid questions, about how she thought we got here, and she answered saying she thinks there's something up there but she isn't sure of what it is or that she would associate it with God. After this I asked her about how it's evident through poverty, war, genocide, and etc that clearly something is wrong with the world and what she would say is the cause of all this turmoil. Her answer was that she believed it was caused by corruption from world leaders and their selfish desires. What was interesting about this was that she was just as interested in hearing my answers and would ask me what I believed about each of the questions. Due to time I wasn't able to go through the entire gospel presentation but by the end of the conversation she seemed very interested and curious, so I encouraged her to read through the Bible we gave her.

One thing we've talked about all throughout the week is how at Hoover High School it is easy to go for a week without running into people if you don't have classes with them, but even though London is a million times bigger than Hoover, God has orchestrated it to where everyday this week we've run into people either we've seen or other groups have seen previously in the week giving us the opportunity to dive deeper each day with these people and allow us to truly invest in their lives.

Today God very clearly answered my prayers from the morning, and looking back through this week it has been amazing what all God has done in our week here. The song "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin has been on my heart this week. "You're the God of this city/You're the king of these people/You're the hope of this nation" it's so comforting to know that in a city so lost, God is still here and on his throne and in control of everything.

As the lyrics say, "Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city".






























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Location:Thursday

As I'm finally settling down after a long and tiring day in London, I realize how amazing the work is that God is doing here. Each day we have been reminded of God's perfect timing, His faithfulness in answering prayers, and the incredibly intricate way He plans each moment. For me personally, today I was taught the importance of building relationships with people.

After beginning a conversation with a group of three teenage girls (not entirely confidently), I found myself in a two hour conversation with, who would have thought, a group of their friends who I had happened to meet the day before. There is no way this encounter was not ordained by God himself. In a city of millions, the chance of a second encounter with a person is close to zero. Yet, here I was with people I had seen the day before and gotten to know. As the conversation progressed I began to bridge the conversation to more serious talk of their concepts of God. While our conversation didn't end in my friends accepting Christ, I was able to tell them my beliefs. I learned about Laurent, about Oli, about Sammia, Ardita, Mostafa, as more than just faces, but people with life stories. I learned that the first step in sharing the Gospel is beginning relationships. I was able to show these teenagers that Christians are more than the church, more than people who judge others and condemn them of their sins. I told them I was a Christ follower and then loved them for who they are.

In short, God is working in London. His ways are often unexpected, but always for our good and His glory. Continue to pray for the team's safety, a boldness in sharing God's word, and our new friends made!

Here are some pics of our day.
















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Location:Wednesday

Monday

How thankful we are for the prayers of everyone at home! Prayers are already being answered and we are reminded of God's faithfulness every day!

One blessing from The Lord came today through a conversation with a man named Sean at the British Library. Sean is a British man in his early thirties, single, works in the postal service, and he desperately needs Jesus. Our prayer was for The Lord to give us eyes to see someone who we might engage in a conversation with. Maybe we would serve as an encouragement for a believer, have small talk, or be able to share the beauty of the gospel! Madison and I had the opportunity to first pray for our teammates, Amy and Macy, as they engaged in a conversation with a man named Marco from Estonia, and as we walked away we saw Sean sitting in a crowded study area yet he had a small space open beside him so we decided that it must have been saved for us! :) The Lord had prepared the way and we quickly entered into a conversation with Sean and he welcomed the company. The weather, family, jobs and hobbies made up the beginning of our time but thankfully The Lord opened up an opportunity to engage in a spiritual conversation.

How I wish there was time to walk through all of the hour and a half conversation but I will give you a snapshot of our time. While Sean believes the world was created he most definitely does not believe that God is the creator because He isn't a woman and most certainly a man did not come up with such intimate, detailed designs and then have such care for His creation. I chuckled! Sean also believes man is to blame for everything that is wrong in the world but certainly a perfect God would not allow such horrific injustice to occur. He knows we are all looking for satisfaction and trying to fill a void in our life but thinks the answer is love, money, cars, job and a family. He sees that we had a happiness that he clearly does not have but doesn't know how to get it. He knows we have faith in the unseen but does not like the thought of trusting in anything that is not tangible. He even realizes that he always finds himself in spiritual conversations but seems them as simply interesting. He told us that he feels like a foreigner in his own country because he just doesn't belong here. I wanted to just hug him and tell him he is so correct! He isn't made for this world. This is not our home! While i wanted to jump up and down to say this I refrained and we listened, prayed for The Lord to gently speak through us and tried to point him to Christ! It is in Christ that his deepest longing for satisfaction will come! We left Sean with the truth that God loves Him and a Bible to take home and read! We will also connect him with a believer in London who can continue investing. It is always hard to leave but we know the Lord goes with him and loves Sean more than we can imagine! Our prayers will continue for Sean and how we long to one day call him a brother in Christ! Sean's last words to us were to not be discouraged by how others react to what we believe and know is Truth! He said he may never believe but do not stop telling people. Incredible... Such wisdom spoken from a man who does not even believe in the gospel. It was a sweet reminder however that we know The Truth, anytime the gospel is shared God is glorified and our obedience to boldly share Christ should not be determined by others response but out of our desire to bring glory to God!

Please continue praying for strength, unity and joy for our team! Pray for more opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations, for The Lord to remove scales from the eyes of those who do not known Him and that in all we do The Lord might be glorified!

























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Sunday

Our first stop today was to worship at Highgate Road Chapel. Unlike a congregation of 1,000, this church was rather small, with about 30 people max. About halfway through the service we hear a loud snore coming from the back. I turn around, thinking it was Smokey, but it was a man in the back. Smokey reminded us that we don't need to be "snorers" because it takes away the message we are trying to deliver to the people, but I was very impressed with Pastor Andrew and his perseverance in his devout message about the gospel. After the awesome message, we socialized with the people of the church and learned more about the people and the social scene, before breaking out into prayer walking groups.
Please pray the man who lost his mother, and give him strength to overcome grief through faith in Jesus.
One group went to Parliament Hill, and although it was rather chilly, they engaged with a older man who was sitting, zipped up in the cold. One of the group members mentioned that his mom died a month ago, and also said that they engaged with a small family that considered Camden a home, not just a residence. Another group went to Tuftnell Park. One of the members stated that the church there was mostly Hispanic, ranging from about 300 to 400 people. Problem is the church they were attending wasn't bible-based; they were accepting of all religions.
Please pray that the word of God will penetrate the hearts of the people, and that the right news of the Gospel will be spread by those people in that community.
Finally, our group got to visit a missionary from Hunter Street. She had an amazing testimony, opening our hearts and ears to the opportunities the mission field included. I was personally amazed by her testimony because she use to consider herself a girl that found satisfaction in her success, but Hunter Street reached out to her to have the opportunity to go on a London mission trip a few years ago, just like us. God really opened her eyes to the culture of London and she got to witness to a man at a local church for the first time. Even though he did not become a Christian, she later encountered him at a restaurant, about one year later and he remembered her.
Please pray for this man's salvation and that his heart will be susceptible to hear the word of God.
Overall, today was a much better day than anticipated. I believe the team stepped completely out of our comfort zones from the get-go. Please continue to pray for our safety in the city, our body clocks to adapt to the time change, and that we will advance the Gospel everyday.









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What a snowy start

Our team arrived today and spent a long day in the snow. Please be in prayer for our weather, it looks like tomorrow will be snowy all day as well. This makes for a cold and sloshy day!

London however still goes on despite the snow and we are thrilled to really dig in and start our efforts tomorrow. Please read Colossians 4:2-6 and be mindful of the truths in that passage in your prayers for our team. Here are some pictures of our day.
































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London prayer from last week

Please lift up in prayer the following needs from this past week.  Also, enjoy some pics from our week.

Great week walking the streets of London. Great week sharing The good news with the people that we encountered.  Through God's grace allowing us to put dissipate in his ministry it is been a life-changing week for us all.  

We humbly request for you all to pray for some of the people that we encountered.  Pray for the staff at the vibe Café. Including Charlie Paul Meg Patricia and Joe.  Pray that God will bless them to them and let his face shine upon them.

Pray for Osmond from a Muslim mosque.  Pray that  The Holy Spirit will point him in a new direction to the true God.

Pray for my new at the local butcher in Gospel Oak.  Pray that God will work in his life so that he may pass on Gods Truth to his children.

Pray For Claire at the blue Daisy children store. Pray that God will work through her to let his love Sean upon the people that he she comes in contact with

Pray for Mike who works for M. Y. Construction.  His daughter is trying to get a soccer scholarship to the United States.  Pray that God will reveal himself to The both of them.

Pray for Mark from South Africa who is living in London.   Mark is a follow-up contact from a previous trip.  Pray that the Lord will guide him to a local church of believers.    

Pray for Carmen With global insight Inc.   Pray for her boldness as she travels throughout the world.

Pray for Scott at the George.  

Tosney Team: Day 1

Good day:

Travel and arrival into London went well. Joe noted his amazement at how effective the prayers for safe travels impact and should never be taken lightly. We and our families thank you; be diligent as our return travel is impending later this week. We are staying in the Highbury community, and this is a first for the HSBC teams to my knowledge. Locale and accommodations are very agreeable. We spent the majority of Day 1 prayer walking and taking in Camden and Highbury. Our training prepared us, but seeing it in person as always opened your eyes to the great needs of the people for Jesus. As previously noted, no trip to Camden Market is complete without Banana-Nuttela Crepes, Johnnie and Joe approve this message! The need to stay awake to midnight to offset the jet lag is noted by our team lead, but the desire for sleep was compelling. In the end, we lasted as long as we could and concluded Day 1 with prayers that God would bless us and lead us onward in Day 2.