“I’ve been back home for two months from my trip to Niger now, and as I look back on the past year it is very easy to see God’s goodness through my FirstServe experience. My experience started with 2 months in Scotland and the remainder of my time was spent in Niger, Africa through ROCK International.
The first month in Scotland was spent at Tilsley Bible College where I spent time studying God’s Word in a way that I never have. I was challenged to know what I believe, and why I believe it through intense studying of the Bible. It was also very encouraging to be surrounded by other students/friends who were also seeking to grow in their faith.
My next month was spent at Greenview Church in Glasgow where I spent time serving the church in every way possible – everything from working in the cafe to helping with Sunday School and maintenance. The church really made me feel like I had been a part of Greenview for years and I really enjoyed my time there.
The two months I spent in Scotland were amazing!! It was a time that I learned to depend on God and that I really just grew closer to Him in my walk. I made so many great friends who had a great impact on my time in Scotland and who I miss very much.
After these two months, I spent two months at home and then I left for my four month trip to Niger. These four months were incredible! I’ve never experienced a more physically and mentally challenging place than Niger but with the Lord’s goodness and help from the Rock team in Niger I was able to make it.
As soon as I made it to Niger I was placed in language classes, but the first month I was there was very frustrating because of the language barrier. As I learned more of the language I was able to help more with some of the many kids ministries that the Rock team has. The main ministries I helped with were kids’ club, soccer, and bush ministry. Kids’ club was done every Saturday at the youth centre that the team has built. One hundred to one hundred and fifty kids from the streets would come to this and it was truly amazing to see them singing songs and playing games and learning about Jesus.
The soccer ministry was one of my favorites! Everyday 15-20 kids would come to the centre to play soccer. We would play matches against other teams as well as play in a few tournaments. It was so fun to spend time with the same guys every day and to just get to know them and to try and show them the love of Christ!
The most physically tough ministry is definitely bush ministry. These were trips that we would spend out in villages sharing the story of Jesus through film. Most of these trips lasted about a week and it was really amazing to see God work.
It’s hard to sum up four months in a couple of paragraphs but my time in Niger was truly amazing and I really did fall in love with the work that the Lord is doing through such an amazing team in such a dark country.
Please continue to pray for Niger!”