Journey into the Weald

Brief update with some links

2011-10-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, it has been way too long since we have posted an official update. We have recently crossed the 3-year threshold in the UK! Time has flown by. You may or may not remember that 3 years was the length of our original commitment to our work here. Things have been going so well, that upon the invitation of our pastor here, we have agreed to stay on longer. It seems right--to us and to the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28)--to continue the work He has called us to here.

Although I don't have time to write a full update now, I promise to do so soon. In the meantime, I am posting a few links to some relatively recent speaking engagements I've had the opportunity to be a part of.

The following is a link to a radio interview conducted a few weeks ago on Premier Christian radio, based in London. In the interview, Andy Peck asked me about our journey from America to Rudgwick :
interview

This one is a sermon I preached last Sunday at our church, Holy Trinity on "God's Heart for Children" from Matthew 19:13-15 : sermon

. . . and another here from a series in Joseph, taken from the book of Genesis. My topic was "Food, Family, and Famine" -or- "The Top Ten Signs Your Family is Dysfunctional" :
sermon

And finally, there is a brief, 10-minute talk I gave last year at the Youth Work Summit (www.youthworksummit.com). The talk is posted on the YouthWork Podcast, and my portion comes in at about 17:00 into the podcast, and can be found here :
summit

I only share these to give you a snapshot of what we are doing here, and the kinds of doors the Lord has opened for us here. Please forgive my vanity for sharing them all here. :)

Loyd

A Landmark Winter

2010-01-27T02:23:00.000-08:00

It's been an uncharacteristically cold winter in the south of England. We've already had snow twice, which is rare. The second occurrence saw accumulation of 10-12 inches. Locals here tell me that the last time they saw that much snow was in 1985, and even then it wasn't quite as much as we've had this year.
For a youth worker, the snow is a gift. It's funny how this white, powdery, cold stuff brings people together. Because they're not used to the snow, life slows down to just above a snail's pace. We had no trash collection for nearly a month due to the icy roads. The residents on our road finally took matters into their own hands and spontaneously shovelled the snow off of our entire street. It was great seeing people come together.
More importantly for me (Loyd) is how the snow allows me into the lives of youth. Many teens—who won't come down to the youth centre—will show up at my door asking me to meet them at the park for a sledge (English for sledding) and a snowball fight. It breaks down barriers and allows me to have conversations that wouldn't normally be had.
On the other hand, the extra time off school drives some youth into trouble. The boredom and aimless wandering the streets, for some leads to vandalism, air rifle shooting (pellet gun), snowballs thrown at windows of homes, and general negativity. This has caused us to do a lot of thinking, praying and soul-searching about our role here. As a youth worker, I'm not a policeman, but I am a sort of community liaison. Over the winter break, there were roughly 20 separate incidents of vandalism and anti-social behaviour (ASBO) in our small village. Please continue to help us pray that we can be instruments of God's love, grace, and where appropriate—a challenge to those who need something better to do with their time.
The search for a new vicar (pastor) is going quite well. We have a promising candidate and hope to have someone here by Easter. Help us pray for the candidate, his family, and their potential transition here to Rudgwick.
This winter is a landmark for our ministry here for two reasons. Firstly, this week we are celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Rudgwick Youth Centre being open. We are amazed and thankful for how well the past year has gone, and we anticipate where God wants to take things from here. Secondly, next month marks the half-way point for our 3-year contract. Yes, time really flies when you're having fun! At the same time, this raises a lot of questions for us. What will we do at the end of our three years? We are already asking the Lord what He has next for us. Will we sign on for an extension of our contract? Or should we begin preparing and looking for a place to minister in America? At this point, only the Lord knows. And we want to be where He wants us to be. Help us pray to that end.
The owner of our house is putting the house up for sale. At the end of February (roughly 4 weeks), we will be moving house within Rudgwick. At the time of this writing, we do not know where we will be moving to. Help us pray for a) a house that suits the needs of our family, b) at a price within the church's budget and c) in a strategic location—as much of our ministry here is impromptu, and a natural extension of our day-to-day lives.
Finally, Rudgwick Primary School (the school Isobel and Aiden attend) is raising funds for a building project. Some of us dads have taken it upon ourselves to get involved. We are doing a sponsored hike on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, a 25-mile hike up and down 3 of the largest hills in Yorkshire (northern England). Many of you have asked how you can give or help in our ministry here. While most of our personal needs are met, this is a way you can get involved—by extension—in our ministry here. Even if you can only donate $1, it will help us reach the £5,000 we are trying to raise towards the £50,000 need. The link to donate safely and securely is here: http://www.justgiving.com/rudgwick3peaks.
We love you all and think of you daily!
Loyd, Christy, Isobel, Aiden, and Amelia

Meditation for Today

2009-10-21T03:06:00.001-07:00

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
Knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations
That will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects
Far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,
And there is a sense of liberation in realising that.
This enables us to do something, and do it very well.
It may be incomplete, a step along the way;
An opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter
And do the rest.

We may never see the end results;
But that is the difference
Between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders;
Ministers, not Messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Oscar Romero

One Year in Rudgwick

2009-09-12T04:50:00.001-07:00

A lot can happen in a year. For the Harp family this has been quite a momentous one!
One year ago, we set off from America on an adventure of faith that brought us to Southern England.
Our goals were this: to create a place for teens both Christian and non-Christian to hang out, find community, and become church. We knew that church is the people, not the building, so we wanted our youth centre to be “middle space”. Middle space is neutral ground—neither our turf, nor theirs, but middle ground—were everyone is accepted regardless of who they are and what they believe. As we see teens come to a place where they are loved and accepted, they open up and allow the Holy Spirit to draw them into a relationship with God and his followers.
This is not an easy task. Most of the young people we come in contact with are not only non-Christian, but have little or no interest in Christianity. Young people tend to be very uncomfortable with the idea of religion. It’s not enough to say that religion has become irrelevant in the UK. It’s worse—it’s not even on their radar screen. Religion has very little to do with the majority of people in the UK, and for teens, this is even more true. Only 3% of the population in the United Kingdom attend church on even a semi-regular basis (our village is slightly higher at 5%). Compare that to America where around 40% claim to attend church regularly.
In response to the vast need, Holy Trinity (Rudgwick’s parish church) committed to opening a youth centre and hiring a full-time youth worker to run it. The plan came into reality when the local governing authority (Rudgwick Parish Council) agreed to lease a building for free. The Harps arrived on the scene on the 10th of September, 2008, after a lengthy application and interview process.
Time flies. Although a three-year contract sounds like a long time to move to another country, upon our first anniversary here, we are realizing that it’s not very long at all. At the same time, the Lord has done a lot in our midst in just a short year. What follows is a brief look at what has happened over the past year.
• Harp family of four pack our bags and move into our new home in Rudgwick
• Isobel and Aiden start school as the “American kids”
• Begin integrating into the local faith community, getting to know as many church-based youth and families as possible
• Start a small, home-based Bible study with around eight 11- and 12-year olds; one group of 12- and 13-year olds already meeting in another home
• Begin work on the youth centre: complete renovation, painting, etc.
• During family prayers, we saw our first two converts—Isobel and Aiden, touched by the forgiveness of Jesus, pray to receive Christ for the first time
• Loyd begins serving as a volunteer leader for Scouts as a way to connect with un-churched youth
• Somewhere along the way, Isobel and Aiden completely lose their American accents and frequently correct mom and dad about the correct terms for “pants” and “trousers”
• We find out our family will be increasing by one, in roughly 9 months
• Work completed on the youth centre, grand opening with local bands, games and snacks—around 60 youth, parents, and local village authorities show their support by attending
• Loyd intentionally focuses on getting to know youth through local village events, snowball fights, hanging out at the school bus stops with free snacks, etc.
• Two home-based Bible studies combine to form one Wednesday night small-group Bible study at the youth centre
• Open Thursday night “middle space” event for older youth, aged 15-18, simply called Conversations—14 teens show up on the first night!
• Loyd and Christy each preach quarterly in Holy Trinity Church
• Loyd teaches a confirmation class involving 7 teens interested in making their faith public—all 7 complete the course and publicly announce their commitment to Christ in a formal ceremony
• Loyd given the opportunity to speak in a chapel at a local, posh private school attended by the children of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour
• Because of Loyd’s involvement at Scouts, he is asked to do a session called, “my faith” and is subsequently asked to be in charge of closing each night with a prayer or reflection
• Loyd meets weekly with local youth musicians for an informal “jam session”
• We take 5 youth and 3 adults to MayCamp, a youth camp during the May holiday—this is the first time Rudgwick youth have done a spiritual retreat together (to my knowledge)
• Amelia Rose Harp is born, July 28th, 2009 at 8 lbs.
• Summer 2009, we had many special events during the school holidays, one of which was transformed into the new Tuesday afternoon group for 11-14s (we had tried this earlier but failed). 14 youth attend on the first day.
• We now have a total of 3 separate meetings for youth during the week, with occasional additional events. Around 40 unique visits to the youth centre occur weekly, with many others in contact with the youth work on a less-regular basis. If we added Scouts to that number, we are seeing well over 50 youth per week.

So much has happened, and your role in prayer, emotional support, and giving has helped make it all possible. As you can see from the above, there are so many stories we could tell and it’s hard to just give a brief list of everything that’s taken place in a year. So let us now just take the time to tell one story that serves as a snapshot of what God is do
In October, I (Loyd) met a young man whom we’ll call Joe (not his real name). At the time, he was 17 years old. I met him at Apple Day—a local village fall festival. I had met his younger sister already, as she was a participant in my home Bible study. Although they are very kind, upstanding members of the community, none of this family attends church. As he had been involved with the youth program under the previous youth worker, our friendship came easily. We’d see each other at the local social club, while throwing snowballs in the park, and he came to the Grand Opening of the RYC.
Over time, Joe began to attend the “middle space” events at the youth club. He is a very popular, outgoing youth. As we talked more and more, we found out we had a lot in common—a love for music, being the most obvious. We began meeting weekly (usually with one other youth, sometimes 5 or 6) to have informal jam sessions. He played guitar, I played bass. We generally had a drummer as well, and sometimes some others showed up to help out. As we were rocking out to some cover songs, we were developing a relationship, and most importantly trust.
Often, the Jam session would evolve into a few blokes sitting around talking. We talked about bands, movies, life, anything. As it often does when we are open to it, the subject of faith would come up from time to time—never in a forced way, just naturally, as any taboo subject can do when there’s trust. I wish I could tell you that Joe is now a Christian, but that’s not the case . . . yet.
Joe told me how he’s struggling in his friendships. He recently gave up smoking pot. He just doesn’t want that to be part of his life anymore. Trouble is--the majority of his friends still do it. He’s also currently re-evaluating all of his life choices, many of which have been destructive—views on sex, drinking, partying, fighting are all now in question. He has told me point-blank before, “I’m not really religious . . . but I’m interested.” This is the kind of fruit we are seeing in our work here. It’s subtle but it’s profound. Joe recently asked me if I needed any help on Wednesday nights with the Bible study group. I gave him an emphatic “yes!” I’ll put him to work in the concession stand, handing out flyers, anything that gets him there so he can hear the life-giving Word.
When people talk about missions, they generally envision elaborately decorated primitive tribes in the jungles somewhere. For us, the face of missions looks just like ours. But the need is the same as the need in the jungles. Perhaps it’s more so. Preaching the Gospel to someone who has never heard it must be immensely difficult. But what we’re finding is that sharing the Gospel in a post-Christian society is difficult as well. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Love,
Loyd, Christy, Isobel, Aiden and Amelia

Amelia's story (as told by Christy) . . .

2009-08-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well the past few weeks have been such a blur. I wanted friends and family to know what has been going on in our little family, so here is Amelia's story. ( we will have some stories to tell her someday!)

Loyd and I made a decision to try natural childbirth this time. The reasons for this would be another long story but to keep it short, let's just say I had been reading a lot about birth and felt like with my other two kids when I had the epidural I remembered very little of the birth process and this time I wanted to be more aware of what was going on in my body. (BOY was I ever aware:) I had a great midwife who was supportive. somewhere in the middle of pregnancy I was writing in my journal about this decision and I felt like God was whispering these words to me "Trust the process"...hmmm I had no idea what that was going to really mean.

For about the whole last month of my pregnancy, I kept having increasingly painful Braxton-Hicks contractions. So much so, that at several points I would think I was in labor only to have the contractions disapear. This was frustrating but I kept thinkning, anyday now these will turn into the real thing. Then the week before I was due (after both kids had been getting over a virus) I started having contractions 3 min apart and increasing in strength. I woke Loyd up at 3:00am saying . . . "I think it's time!" to which he responded . . . "I think I am sick." He woke up burning up with fever, body ache, sore throat etc. SO I make a phone call to the hospital and they said #1 with this being your 3rd baby and you live 30 min away, you need to come in right now! #2 your husband is showing signs of flu and will not be able to come into the delivery suite AT ALL in case it was swine flu.

This was not what I wanted to hear. I began to tell the nurse on the phone
that I was probably not in labor and that I would just stay home and wait for Loyd to get better before the baby came. She just laughed at me and said, "Mrs. Harp, I will see you here in 25 to 30 min we will have a bed ready for you." So after crying like a little girl and being whisked away to the hospital by one of my dear friends from church (this is like 3:30 in the morning), we get to the hospital. Guess what. My contractions stop. I am only 3 cm ( all you moms know that this means that I am headed back home...) I come home with no baby, a swine flu husband and two disappointed kids.

Fast forward to the day after my due date--Tuesday afternoon July 28th. Loyd is getting slowly better but was still sick. That afternoon my water broke. Another dear friend from church ( a woman who is an amazing speaker and gifted minister) takes me to the hospital. On the way, my contractions begin to feel like fire shooting through my body. The line to get into the car parking is backed up and TONS of people are at the hospital that day. Liz drops me off at the entrance so she could park and bring in my luggage. I get inside the hospital and throw my big self into a chair . . . and wait . . . she later tells me that she almost got into a fist fight for a parking space:) I am in full-on labor and a little old lady who is sitting next to me runs over to tell a hospital employee that I was needing to get up to delivery NOW! sooooo they wheel me through the crowd of people as I am trying not to scream my head off.

We get to our room and get things going . . . and they go very quick! My midwife was so amazing and Liz became a champ--she had to put up with me screaming I CAN NOT DO THIS! and squeezing her poor hand off and shouting some choice words (sorry mom and dad). And in a wonderful, messy, chaotic situation, Amelia Rose came into the world. She is the most calm sweet laid back baby. We are now at home with a daddy who is healthy, a brother and sister who can't keep away from her, and a mommy who is still learning to "TRUST THE PROCESS"!!!!

Good Friday at Holy Trinity Church

2009-04-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

We had local artists draw the stations of the cross and had some interactive prayer/footwashing stations.

Jesus on the Street Corner

2009-04-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

There are only 2 shops in our village. One is a high-priced specialty shop with a coffee machine, organic produce, fresh meats, baked goods and extensive international spices. For those of you in Cleveland, TN, it’s similar to Gardner’s Market--except without the sandwich bar. The other one is The Co-Operative, or simply “the Co-op.” Although not a full-on supermarket, the Co-op has what you need to get by. It’s the typical English “corner store.” It’s only 3 blocks away from our house, so several times a week I walk up there in the evening to replace our milk, juice, and whatever sweets my pregnant wife might be craving at the moment (tonight it turned out to be strawberry cheesecake).

The Co-op, strangely enough, is also a hang-out spot for bored teens. They loiter outside, smoke cigarettes (it’s alarming how many teens here smoke--I’d guess somewhere around 40-50%) and have a laugh. Tonight as I made my way up to the shop, I saw 3 teens who hang out at the Youth Centre. They have been coming regularly for about 2 months so I am starting to develop relationships with each of them, slowly but surely.

As I prepare to enter the shop, one of the teens--a female--stops me and says, “I know you’re a youth leader and all, but if I give you money will you buy me some fags?” If you didn’t know, “fags” are cigarettes. Of course, I decline. (It is not only unethical, but illegal.) She retorts, “if you buy them for me, you can have one.” I quickly quip back, “I have nothing against living a long and healthy life so I don’t need to smoke.” She gets my joke, and her friend does too. Being a non-smoker, the friend very much approves of my judgmental jesting, all in good fun of course.

Another teen walks up. He is the brother of one of the present teens. He approaches sipping on an open beer bottle. As he is eighteen, it is legal for him to purchase and drink alcohol (although I’m not sure if he is allowed to do so publicly). He also reeks of marijuana. He also happens to be one of the teens arrested for breaking into our youth centre 3 months prior. Fortunately, he and I still have somewhat of a relationship. Soon after I found out he had been arrested, I phoned him and invited him back to the Youth Centre any time. It seemed like the Jesus-thing to do.

He asks his sister to hold his beer while he fumbles through his pockets for something. She nonchalantly takes a sip of his beer while his back is turned. She is sixteen. I take this as my cue to head into the shop for my supplies. Juice, milk, strawberry cheesecake.

As I leave the Co-op to head back to my house, I say goodbye to my congregation. Although they would never consider themselves that, and I don’t use that term to their faces, it seems appropriate to me. The sounds of church bells can be heard, ringing from high atop the hill a half-mile away. As I walk down the street toward home, I can’t help but reflect on this surreal experience. And I have no doubt in my mind that Jesus would be standing on the street corner with these teens. No thought given to his reputation. No thought given to whether people would think He is condoning their behavior or not. Just loving them enough to be out there with them.

Pray for us as we attempt to represent Jesus to these teens. God is stirring in my heart in ways I haven’t experienced before--or at least not for a long time. I have a hunger for revival. And I pray that these very teens will be the catalysts.

Love,
Loyd

Loyd's sermon

2009-02-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,
Much is happening with our new youth center and we have begun to see many pivital relationships forming with local teens. We will write more and update you with pictures soon! In the meantime, Loyd preached a powerful sermon Sunday morning with a large response from the church. You can listen here: www.rudgwick.net. Go to Holy Trinity Church and click on this week's sermon by Loyd. You will be glad you did!

*Christy

God of Surprises...

2009-02-02T02:03:00.000-08:00

"When people use their imagination on Gospel scenes, they are often suprised at the Christ that they meet. Suprise can be a sign that we are encountering the living Christ, the image of the God of surprises."
"In the parables, the Father is presented as lavish, and somewhat foolish by our standards. His value system would not get him very far in the world! Jesus shows the same lavish characteristics as the Father. At Cana, he produces an unnecessarily large quantity of wine, 180 gallons, and of unnecessarily high quality for the tail end of a feast. When he feeds the five thousand, there are twelve full baskets left over." ~Gerard Hughes, God of Surprises.
I (Christy) am just reading these words as I sit snuggled up on a cold snowy morning in England. I am thinking of how far I have to go. In the past, when I would picture Jesus in the gospels, it was always the good Sunday School Jesus, so full of God and holiness. Perhaps I overemphasized the deity of Christ, at the expense of His humanity? (That is a good and fine Jesus, but a one-sided Jesus at best.) After reading this book, and as we go further in our journey here, I am challenged to re-evaluate that mental picture, and my own life in the process of following Jesus. Oh, to be the one who gives with an open hand, asking nothing in return. One who lives a big life, who excludes no one. One who is full of God, and full of life. How sad, how tragic is our inability as Christians to really get out of our little church bubbles and engage people out in the world the way Jesus did. Maybe because we lack the capacity to love, to welcome, and to affirm others. Instead we focus on our own reputation, wealth, and circle of friends. What would it look like for me to put my own need for affirmation aside in the quest to love and serve others? This question actually bothers me. I know I have far to go. It would mean I would have to place fear of what others say/think at a much lower priority in my own life. I would have to be able to hold much more love in my heart, and open up my hand without worrying so much about myself and my family, trusting and resting in the fact that the Father will supply all of our needs. I would have to care less about temporary, silly, disposable stuff, and teach my children to invest in what is important.

I have a long way to go, friends.

But cheers to the journey.

A new Year, and a LOT of new stuff.

2009-01-14T05:47:00.000-08:00

So our first Christmas in England has come and gone. It was just as much of a blur as it always is, visiting friends, wrapping gifts, and trying to make special moments with the kids. It was great. One of the highlights was a trip to London with our family and a big group of friends to the Science Museum followed by ice skating outside. It was so cold that night, but we all huddled together on a busy London street to eat Chinease food (Christy's current pregnancy obsession) out of takeout containers. It's funny how little moments like these stay with you. We rang in the new year with good food, friends, and Jools Holland's Hootenanny on the telly.

As many of you know, we are working hard at opening a local youth center that will help us facilitate outreach to our local teens. We were slightly disappointed when, after nearing completion, we had a break in. Fortunately, they did very little damage, and it served as a reminder to us that the young people around here need something constructive to do with their time. We are happy to announce, that this Saturday January 17th we will open the new youth club! We will have a small cafe' and stage along with an office for us and space for games and meetings. We kick off the new youth center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday afternoon, and a rock concert that night. We have already had a huge response from youth and village folks that are not a part of our church body. People have donated time, money, and even a new dishwahser all to encourage the work with youth. Our church has rallied around us in prayer, friendship, and encouragement. Even this week, as we do all the last-minute preparations and details, we have been reminded of how we could never have pulled this off on our own. So, here is to a new year, a new baby, and a new youth center!

Please continue to remember us in prayer for our youth work here. On the homefront, we have just suffered the breakage of a water pipe that runs underneath the living room of our home. Our living room floor is currently soaking wet on one side and we've had to turn off many of our electric devices in the room. Please pray for a quick repair process, and that this potential distraction would not keep us from doing what God has prepared for us this week!

Much love,
The Harps

Grand Opening!

2009-01-07T02:53:00.000-08:00

Christy's quote for the day...

2008-12-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading the book God of Suprises by Jesuit Preist Gerald W Hughes.
Here is a pretty profound quote from chapter two...

"A mark of true Christianity will be it's intellectual vigour and it's search for meaning in every aspect of life. True Christianity will always be critical, questioning and continually developing in it's understanding of God and human life. The subject matter for religion is every human experience. In Christian understanding, God is immanent, that is, He is present in all things, and creation istelf is a sign, and an effective sign, of his presence- a sacrament. That is why there has been such an emphasis on scholarship and learning in the Christian tradition. Faith, as St. Anselm wrote,"seeks understanding", for it is the nature of true faith to trust that God is at work in everything and that there is no question which falls outside the scope of religious inquiry."

Well put, I hope his is an encouagement to many of us who are asking questions, and who are serving others who ask.

2008-12-11T03:10:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Sermons

2008-12-01T03:08:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know, Christy preached yesterday and did a bang-up job. The sermon is posted online at www.rudgwick.net. Follow the link to Holy Trinity Church at the very top of the page. When that opens, there will be a sermon menu on the left-hand side. Christy's sermon is there. If you scroll down a few weeks, Loyd's sermon is still up as well if you haven't had a chance to hear that. Both of them are very short, because that's how we roll in the Anglican church. :)

humbled, blessed, encouraged, terrified.

2008-11-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

The title of this entry says a lot about where we stand right now. I'm teaching a confirmation class for 12-15 year-olds. For those of you who aren't familiar with liturgical churches (don't worry, I wasn't either), that's simply a class that helps a young person articulate his or her beliefs and officially affirm them. I like to think of it as a discipleship class.

In this particular setting, there are about 7 teens. They range drastically from kids who want to be involved in community service and reach out to their friends with God's love to those who don't really believe in Jesus and are in the class to figure out if they believe in God at all. I left the meeting Sunday feeling a strange mix of emotions that I only feel when I know I am at the center of His will for me. I simultaneously felt humbled, blessed, encouraged, and terrified. I'll explain more in a moment.

The next day I met with a local village man. He is a retired painter who has offered to donate his time and expertise to the painting and decoration of our new youth centre. He is incredibly generous, considering the amount of hours it will take to render the building visually usable. He also makes it incredibly clear to you that he wants nothing to do with the church or Christianity. When I talk to him I feel humbled, blessed, encouraged, and terrified.

I feel humbled by both of these circumstances because we deeply believe God has called us to this mission. I am grateful that God didn't give up on us, but allowed us to try again by "throwing our nets to the other side." I'm encouraged that even though this student who says she believes 'Jesus is dead,' she still keeps coming to a discipleship-oriented small group. I'm incredibly humbled--with a sense of divine awe--that He has chosen me to represent Christ to her. I'm encouraged that Jesus has allowed a man who doesn't even believe in Him to donate hours of expensive time to our gospel cause.

And yet, I'm terrified. Not primarily in a negative way. Do you remember, as a child, being in a worship service where the presence of the Holy Spirit was moving in tangible, yet mysterious ways that you had no faculty to understand? The result for me, was fear, reverence, awe. I'm terrified that God has chosen to use people like me, like my family, like you, like Peter, of whom He said "upon this rock I will build my church."

But I wouldn't have it any other way. Your prayers are a source of strength for us. We love each of you and thank God for you.

Loyd (and Christy, Isobel and Aiden)

Adventures in Missional Living

2008-11-10T03:40:00.000-08:00

So we have read all the right books. We have been passionately been trying to teach and live out the idea that church and church work is about more than progams and catchy slogans. We have been dreaming for over 10 years now of starting a missional community of people who are at various places in their spiritual journeys but who may be on the margins of traditional "Church." We love youth culture and are energized and excited to test some of our theory on cultivating community, not just doing "church" as usual.
Now the rubber hits the road or the poo hits the fan so to speak.
We have been in England for two months now and we have come to this conclusion: missional living ,(i.e. living life as missionaries to the culture you live in, going to them as opposed to expecting people to come to us.) is messy, slow going and difficult work. Quite frankly, we feel that's why most people don't do it. In today's microwave culture, if we don't see the results immediately, we give up and find something else to do. Even for us, what is most tempting to revert back to is 'church as normal.'
In the UK, the prevailing majority of people don't go to church. Period. They just don't. So to interject the American notion of successful church--"if you build it, they will come"--would be futile. The thought that if we do the right programs, attach the right marketing slogans, print up a fancy mailout, and be the best church in the area (by the way, there are only 2 churches in our village of over 3000 people, that's 1 church per 1500 people), we'll see scores of people come to church and ultimately to Christ. The problem with this mentality (at least in the UK) is obvious. Your average person on the street doesn't feel a need for church. It's not part of his/her agenda, their circle of influence. Their sense of community comes from the pub, the social club, sports team, etc. Even those who do attend church occasionally, overall lack the kind of reverance for church that we are accustomed to in America. So if our primary goal for ministry here is simply to "make church better," we will have completely missed the mark.
Over and over, what we hear the Holy Spirit saying to us revolves around two very basic things. It's so basic and foundational that we have to remind ourselves literally every day that although it's not rocket science, it is precisely the goal. The first is simply listening. If we are to be successful in ministry here (by "success" I mean being faithful to God, and bearing fruit), we must listen to God, to one another, and to the needs of the community. We have to be willing to put aside even our most basic, engrained assumptions of how ministry should be done. Secondly, we absolutely must focus on relationships above all. Our relationship with Him takes precedence, and our family relationships are intertwined in that. From those relationships, we open our home and our life to others. We cultivate authentic relationships with the people in our community, and love them. For us, that might mean making sure a drunk friend makes it home safely. Or it might look like mountain biking with my Hindu friend, regardless of whether he ever comes to accept my Christian faith as his own. It's unconditionally accepting the teenage girl who confessed to me, "I'm here because my mom wants me to be here."
Missional living is hard, but it is undoubtedly the life to which God has called us. Pray for us as we fight the hustle and bustle of life, and the noise and crowding voices to simply listen. Pray for us as we seek above all relationship with God our Father, within our family, and with those to whom we seek to serve.

First day of School

2008-10-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

First day of school

2008-10-03T09:04:00.001-07:00

First day...

2008-10-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

We're here!

2008-09-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

So we are in England. Sorry it has taken so long to update everyone. As you can imagine it's quite busy around the Harp house. So much has happened in the last few weeks. We went to Florida for our nephew's wedding and spent our last night in America sitting at Disney World watching the fireworks. What a great way to go out!

The next day we flew to England, and of course flying with a 4 and 5 year old is exhausting. The kids did very well on the plane and were so happy and excited to see our new home. When we walked into the house, our church family had stocked the shelves with groceries, the rooms were ready with beds made, and fresh flowers were in vases. The next few days were filled with visits, cakes, cards, and well wishers.

We are a part of a community. People live life together, all of the parents walk together to school in the morning, and play together after school. We have met so many people who are not even connected to church in any way, who are so friendly and welcoming. We have run around to barbecues, gone on bike rides, and to dinner with several really great couples.

So now the tricky part. There are so many young people here. They fill the local schools, stand around the shops, and hang out at the sports pavillion. Most of them have little to no interest in church or even Jesus. So,now what? We have felt the need to ask God what HE thinks about it. We met with our youth leaders recently and had a call to prayer. We handed out journals to them all and told them to listen to God and write what they're hearing. We are slated to open a new youth center in 6-8 weeks down at the sports pavillion. We have all kinds of ideas and thoughts about programs and COOL things we could do once we are up and running. But none of that matters until we stop and ask God what He is up to, until we listen to his heart, until we listen to the youth of Rudgwick.

So, that is what we are doing.

Our church, Holy Trinity is kicking off a week of Spiritual Renewal. There are all kinds of special prayer and worship services being offered. We are praying for a fresh touch from God to enable us to do the work He has called us to do. Pray with us that we will have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, and the courage to put it into action.

Much Love,
The Harps

PS: Will post new pictures soon!

Rambler Forever

2008-08-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

A friend of ours had a dream about us a few years ago. In the dream we called her from the hospital to tell her that we had just given birth to our third child. We told her the child's name which was "Rambler Forever".
I look back on that dream now as we pack the last few things away and sit in an empty house. It actually feels good to clean out this house and get rid of so much of our stuff that we deemed so important at the time. None of it matters. We have a fresh start, a new beginning, a new life. Thank God for this new beginning.
We leave for Florida this Sat. and will stay overnight in Atlanta with friends. Then we will celebrate my nephews wedding with my whole family and fly to our new home in England.
Here's to the next adventure!
~Christy

Goodbye OHIO...

2008-08-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

Germs, Hives, and Fevers Oh My!

2008-07-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Well let's start of with some great news . . . Loyd's visa was approved! We should have it in the next few days via the mail. We are so happy to have that taken care of. Now Christy and the kids will apply this week for dependents' visas which should be very straightforward and we should be set in two weeks .
This weekend was very interesting. Late last week Aiden came down with a fever and sickness for a few days. Pretty average kid stuff. THEN Isobel started on Friday to break out with welts and rash all over her little body. We took her into an urgent care center where the Doc. just said she must be having a pretty bad reaction to something. He also noticed some bronchial swelling as well. He gave us some meds and sent her home. By that night she had what looked like red burns all over her body, behind her ears, and in her scalp. She was such a trooper, it was so pitiful to see such a perfect little face covered in swelling, itchy red patches. We tore through the house searching for the culprit causing our baby to be so sick. Was she allergic to the fresh sunflowers on the kichen table? The new sunscreen she had on? The peach she ate for a snack? We kept calling her doctor who helped us decide that as long as her breathing was normal and we kept giving her the steroids, we should stay home with her till she could be seen on Monday. In the middle of all this, Christy began to feel ill and developed a fever and sickness as well. So our weekend was pretty interesting. We called several loved ones to pray for Isobel, and she began to clear up signifigantly.
Today we took her to the doctor only to be told that the rash and welts were a reation to a virus. So strange. She is doing so much better although we still see a few welts pop up now and then, nothing half as bad as it was. Thank God! Everyone seems to be getting back to health. We are looking forward to the next few weeks of packing, making plans and spending time with loved ones before the big move . . . Yikes! Things are moving fast:)

8 Years and Counting; 7 Weeks to Go!

2008-07-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for the outpouring of prayers and support we have received in the past few weeks as we prepare to move to England. It means so much to us to have friends “in our corner” holding us up in prayer. We currently have around eighty people on our mailing list! We have heard back from so many of you and feel the prayers of those we love.

Things are moving quickly now. Our house has rented already (thank God!) and we will not have to pay rent for September and October because they will take over our lease. In addition, the folks that are moving in are buying our washer/dryer and are interested in buying more of our furniture.

Many of you have asked about our visas. We arrived at the federal building in Cincinnati only to discover that we had only filled out the online application for Loyd and paid the large fee (which is what we thought we needed to do). We actually had to go back online and pay the amount 3 more times (for Christy and the kids). So it turned out to cost more than we had imagined. But the good news is that Loyd’s paperwork is already being processed and the rest of us won’t be far behind. We will let you know when we hear back from the consulate.
We celebrate 8 years of marriage this month, and we stand in wonder at all that God has done in us as a couple…the best is yet to come!
How can you pray for us?
-That all of our visa paperwork will process quickly and smoothly.
-For grace as we work full time and prepare our home to move out by Aug 25th.
-For all the details to come together as we take the next steps in our Journey.
-For Holy Trinity Church as they take us on!
-For wisdom/strategy/insight as we serve the young people of Rudgwick (and surrounding areas).

How can you help?
If you live in the greater Cincinnati area: We need to be out of our house Aug. 25th (Monday).
We may need a place to stay during that week as we wrap up our jobs and prepare to drive to Florida on Sept 3rd. Does anyone have some room for a family of 4 and some suitcases during that time? We would all be at work/school everyday and would only be around at night during the week. Shoot us an e-mail if you know of something or if you have any questions.

2008-07-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

On my mind

2008-07-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Things I(Christy) am Thinking About Tonight:

1.How long my "To Do" list is.

2. Our Visa appointment/interview Friday July 18th.

3. Several friends that are going through very difficult and chaotic situations...I pray that God brings order and purpose to them.

4.Our new friends in Rudgwick.

5. That I started this journey with Loyd Joseph Harp almost 8 years ago:) Happy Anniversary

'Cross the big pond!

2008-07-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Luke 21:4-6 "Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them , Friends, haven't you any fish? NO, they answered.
He said, Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. When they did, they were unable to haul the net because of the large number of fish."

Throw your nets out again...even though you have been fishing a million times before, even if you think you have missed the boat, TRY AGAIN.

So, the Harps are ready to get back in the boat. We have been on a year long sabbatical in Ohio spending time with family and working on financial stability. It's been a great year of rest, relflection, and preperation for the next phase of our lives. God has been good to us. Out of this season of rest, we are excited to announce our upcoming move to Rudgwick, England (45 miles South of London).

About 6 months ago, we sent a resume to Holy Trinity Church. We began a conversation with the Vicar, Richard Jackson and the connection was immediate. The people of Holy Trinity have a passion for passing down the faith to young people. They are converting a football/sports complex into a youth center that will provide space to host youth services, concerts, and other events catered to teenagers.

We have just returned from a 7-day visit to Rudgwick. We are so excited to bring our family and join with God in what He is doing there.

Your prayer support is greatly needed and requested as we apply for the visa, prepare our hearts, and make many other preparations too numerous to detail here.

Love and prayers,
Loyd & Christy, Isobel & Aiden