Jesus’ Birth Quiz- answers are true or false

1. Jesus was born in 0A.D.
2. Mary wore coins in her hair as she journeyed to Bethlehem.
3. Mary was aged between 18-22 yrs.
4. The Bethlehem innkeeper showed Joseph and Mary to a shed.
5. Mary arrived in Bethlehem about a month before she gave birth to Jesus.
6. Mary’s delivery of Jesus is the miraculous Virgin Birth.
7. After Jesus was born, he was placed in a wooden manger filled with straw.
8. Jesus (Yeshua) was a very common name in the first century Israel.
9. The fact that shepherds are included in the story hints at Jesus’ death.
10. The angels who appeared looked like a church choir singing praises to God.
11. The Magi were twelve priests who came from Babylon.
12. The men from the East came the night Jesus was born.
13. The three gifts represented prosperity, peace and health.
14. Jesus’ parents were unusually pious.

Sean & Tasha Missionary Training Update 10/02/12

Back to the books!

We returned to college following the break and went straight into work placements for 3 weeks- the intention for which was to gain some experience in different church/ ministry area’s which we might not have done before. As I previously wrote, we were allocated to Handsworth Baptist Church which is run by Pastor John Prem Mall from India, and his family (below left). This experience provided an opportunity for us to be corresponding with this Asian Pastor, which proved to give us an insight into Asian leadership styles, organisation and ministry style (and sampling some home cooked Indian food- mmm). The most interesting learning for us was that of friendship evangelism with the inter-faith Asian culture. Much of Pastors John’s time is spent with Hindu’s and Sikhs who live in the local area and have a living knowledge and understanding of Jesus. Many of them hold Him in high esteem and even have them on their walls as they include them as one of their God’s they idolise. As you can imagine, this experience has really provoked some interesting questions and encouraged us to seek a deeper understanding of how to share the Gospel with these faith groups, as we are likely to meet them in Bangladesh!

We were all blessed to attend a commissioning service for our Brother Phil who is now residing at his project in Nepal doing graphic designing (above right). As a fundraising event there was a Ball and auction evening arranged by Phil’s family and church friends which raised over £1000 to support his time abroad, which was a wonderful blessing!

Following the placements we have all now returned to the books and are studying some new courses which include; Ethics of Jesus, Jesus Culture and Context, Mission themes in the OT, Spirituality 2, Psalms, Romans and Other Faiths. We are also all attending ‘The Marriage Course’ which is a set course derived from the Alpha course (something I’m sure many of you may have done before). The new modules are exciting and we are especially enjoying Ethics of Jesus, as this brings up some very interesting topics for debate, which are often very emotional and thought provoking including issues of money, power and homosexuality. We are able to discuss these issues in a private and confidential space, in relation to our previous experiences but also to mission and our future ministries. We are reminded of the phrase ‘What Would Jesus Do’ during this course and are encouraged to reflect prayerfully throughout.

As one of our first lectures back into the classroom, we studied the Nativity story in its true context and culture. There were some details of this extremely well known story that we as a class were able to analyse and find the answers for, however we were surprised at how little we actually DID know! Just for fun I have attached the questions we were given to this update, for you to explore for yourselves and I will then post the answers in the next instalment- enjoy!

A recent update for our project at LAMB hospital in Bangladesh was brought by our regional team leader (RTL) Margaret this week. We will be leaving the UK in time to start language training on July 29^th. In Dhaka which is up to 3 months. We will then be moving to the project and living in an allocated house which will be fully furnished on our arrival with the previous mission couples items, which will save us going to find it all when we get there. We have had it confirmed that Sean’s medication can be sourced from Dhaka when we arrive which is at a lower price than in England which is a great blessing- afterwards we will discuss the possibility of the hospital getting them for us during out time at LAMB. Visas for our trip should be OK due to a recent update on the visas situation in Bangladesh- these are being arranged by the RTL. The hospital Physiotherapist will be leaving in September so we pray that we can meet her before she leaves and will perhaps visit the project during our language training to discuss each of our job roles further with the existing staff.

Huge thanks for all your on-going prayers and support. We are waiting in anticipation for the arrival of little Shemwell now! As baby is due on March 4^th we pray the next update will include a photo for you all to see! Following regular check-ups, all is looking good and baby is on target for arrival as planned, therefore it is nappies and wet wipes at the ready. Thanks to everyone who have responded recently to the support letters sent out, and to all those who have donated clothes and other items for the baby- we have been so blessed by your giving and know that you will be blessed in return:

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” 2 Corinthians 9:7

Prayer requests for February please:

1. Handsworth Baptist Church and the ministry of friendship evangelism with inter-faith outreach.
2. Ongoing strength and health in body and mind, for our preparations and birth of baby.
3. Financial support for all Mission Trainees here at IMC.
4. Arrangements to be made regarding visiting link-up churches before leaving.
5. Pray for the IMC and BMS as they face challenges in re-structuring.
6. BMS workers in Bangladesh including Margaret Gibbs (RTL) who are serving- that they will enjoy fellowship and spiritual refreshment together, during an up-coming meeting in Dhaka.

Blessings to you all in the name of our beautiful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Tasha, Sean and 6lb Bump!

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Happy 2012!!

We pray everyone had a blessed Christmas time and celebrated the coming of what is going to be a very exciting new year for all I’m sure!

We had a really lovely time during the Christmas break, starting with a visit to Stoke to Sean’s family, where God showered us with the wonder of His creation of snow, and then it was on down to Devon and Somerset to catch up with friends and families. Thank you so much to all of you who hosted us and looked after us during our visit- you have all been a great blessing to us!

During the last few weeks of term leading up to finishing for Christmas we were all quite distracted and focused on the hand in dates for our assignments, which were all completed and marked on time. Thank you for your prayers of endurance and wisdom in writing as this has been challenging for us both, but particularly for Sean who has never really done academic assignments before! The feedback was useful and helped us to think more deeply and apply our knowledge for this coming term.

We had a commissioning service at the end of term, for our mid-term mission colleges who are off to different corners of the globe during this month of January. This service was an opportunity to really reflect on why we are all here and really put God at the centre of what we are doing and studying. It was such a blessing to send folk off on their journey, and reminded us that it will be the rest of us soon, before we know it!

During our first week back we discussed our independent development plans with our pastoral care leaders and had an opportunity to reflect on our thoughts and feeling at the beginning of the course, and to assess how far we have come. Upon arriving at IMC it was very evident that we both felt we had an inadequate amount of knowledge of the Bible, and the Christian faith in general, being such new Christians. We knew that being here was God’s plan, but why would he choose people like us who knew so little? As we settled in we were reminded that no matter where on the journey towards Christ we are, all Christians share this sense of longing to know more and to have more from Him- which is EXACTLY how God wants us to be. We are reminded of Moses and his feelings of inadequacy (Exodus 4:1-17), Gideon (Judges 6) and Elijah (2 Kings) who were all humble people, yet in their weakness God used them for amazing things! We are all chosen and will be used!

During this next month we are all completing placements in different areas of Birmingham. Sean and I have been placed at Handsworth Baptist Church which is headed by an Indian Pastor and is comprised of a mixed Asian/ British congregation including Indians, Bangladeshis and Nepalese. The plan is that we will have an experience under Asian leadership, be involved with Bible study groups, community house visits and Sunday services- the rest is yet to evolve! We are keen to get as involved as possible and are sure to be over fed everywhere we go, which pleases Sean immensely, though my meal sizes are dwindling due to ever increasing lack of space in my tummy! We will update you how things go!

Prayer requests for January please:

1. 1.       Ongoing strength and health for Tasha and the baby as she becomes increasingly uncomfortable- particularly for Tasha’s back.
2. 2.       Prayers for Phil, Laura-lee, Jyoti and Annette who are all heading off on their projects this month- for safe travels and a friend to be made on their arrival.
3. 3.       For all mission trainees here at IMC as we complete our placements and begin to think about our new list of up-coming assignments!
4. 4.       Please pray for yourself- that the spirit of God will be ever present in your life and re-light your relationship with Christ for this year to come. Pray that you are blessed and know that you are worthy and chosen for a love filled and joyful life.

Until the next time- may the spirit of God be ever present and shower you with grace and peace.

Tasha, Sean and 4lb Bump!

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Sean & Tasha Missionary Training Update 16/11/11

Hello all!!
I can’t believe it has been a month since we last wrote- though have had a week for half term in that time. We hope you all had a good half term for those of you who it affects- those of you who it didn’t, thanks for keeping going whilst the rest of us had a little break!! We used the half term to visit family and catch up on writing essays etc.. which was a real blessing.
Firstly we would like to thank you for all your prayers and e-mails- it is lovely to hear from people and how life is ticking along in the world outside IMC… it prevents us from becoming too institutionalised! God has answered prayers the past few weeks- Grandad’s surgery went well and he is on the road to recovery; the action teams all left fine and are enjoying their first month overseas; we had our 20wk scan and all is perfect with baby Shemwell, so we have plenty to thank God for!

We are not finding out what sex baby is- waiting for the surprise on the day!! Thanks to all those who have donated maternity clothes and baby stuff- everything we get is so helpful and you are truly blessed by your giving: Matt 6:4.
A highlight for last week was a visit to a Sikh ‘Gurdwara’, which is their temple for worship. This visit was part of our intercultural studies module and was an opportunity to learn about the different culture and ask lots of questions about their faith. It was a really interesting experience and the hospitality they showed us was amazing. The Gurdwara is open 365 days a year, 24hrs per day and they believe that no one should go away hungry, so offer free food around the clock. As you can imagine this means they have a great connection with those in the local area who are in poverty and they often support the homeless. The main belief about God is that there is only one God, but they accept all other world religions on the basis that we are all worshipping the same God, just from a different perspective- interesting and thought provoking stuff! As you can imagine the visit raised many questions and we had a great de-brief session to chat things through- all in all it was a great experience and a good practice on learning from other cultures.
Following the street evangelism experience, the Holy Spirit really laid it on the hearts of Sean and two other guys training here to go out and do a similar thing on a Saturday night, so off they went onto the streets of Selly Oak last weekend. Tasha stayed behind with a prayer team whilst the guys had an amazingly blessed time speaking with many men after enticing them with some free sweets! We were all unexpectedly surprised at how open people were to chat about their faith, and how many people actually said that this type of thing should happen more often! God even engineered a conversation with a Sikh man which he had equipped the guys well following our trip to the Gurdwara! All round it was a blessed experience and the guys are keen to get out and do it again soon!
Finally people, just a thought regarding an exercise we had for personal spirituality this week- how compassionate towards others are we REALLY? We know that Jesus teaches us through the parable of the good Samaritan how we should care for others; He even commands it as being as equally important as loving God,
“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matt v 22:37-140, NLT)
We were challenged to do something every day to show our compassion and love for others this week, and I chose to do a ‘secret act of service’. I really encourage you to try this- it is easy; simply pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you to a person who needs a little uplift and when that person is given to you, find a way to show them how valuable they are. As this is a ‘secret’ you must not claim that you have done this thing for them, but you are to remain anonymous. It is a real blessing to see the results of God’s love on a person, and you will be blessed in return by Him who loves us all! Give it a go!
Lastly a few prayer points please- we really value your input with these so thank you for your on-going support and commitment:
1. That all the short-term volunteers who have been here at IMC for training this week have met with God and they will be filled with His Spirit to go overseas in service
2. A special thought for persecuted Christians around the world as we focus on the area we will we be going to, in this week’s world prayer session on Asia
3. For continued health and strength for all three of us in this time of planning and preparation before our new arrival in March
4. Please pray for the ministry of street evangelism and that when the team set again to the streets they will be anointed by the Spirit
May the God of Peace be with you, and we pray that you are blessed throughout the coming weeks.
Speak soon
Tasha, Sean and (ever-increasing in size and energy) Bump
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Sean & Tasha

Greetings!

We trust all is well with everyone and the Lord is close. Soo
much has happened since we last communicated it is difficult to know where to
start really- so I have selected a few highlights for your information.

To follow on from the last e-mail we did indeed go onto the
streets of Birmingham to take part in street evangelism! Having been always
known as quite a confident person, and ‘she who never shuts up’ I surprisingly
found this day REALLY challenging. Whilst I understand and support the ministry
of street evangelism, I never thought of myself as being able to do this, and
as many of you know, would feel much happier standing on a street corner
playing my guitar and singing! But, actually TELLING a stranger that Jesus
loves them and giving them a hug…. no thanks… not for me. The Lord stripped
me of all confidence that morning and I was fearful of the reactions I might
get. So I kept thinking that a few comments and funny looks was nothing compared
to what Jesus went through for me. Then God sent some angels in the form of my
mission trainee colleagues, who prayed for me and reminded me of Psalm 126:5-6

‘Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They will
weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the
harvest’

On the streets of Birmingham I think I hugged about 30
strangers and told them all about the free gift of love from Jesus Christ. I
got told to ’ f*** off.. I don’t need a hug’ and ‘there must be a catch’.
Praise God, by His grace I am still here to tell the tale singing as I return
with the harvest

Another great moment recently was a half night of prayer to
concentrate on the countries to which we are all heading in service. The
evening was from 7.30-11.30pm and we were all given timeslots for our country
continent, so we joined with the action team who are heading off to India and
the other mission trainees going to China and Thailand. Everyone arranged a
station in the corner of the room as a focus point and on our station we had
photos highlighting the main prayer points for Bangladesh (lack of clean
drinking water, political unrest and violence, human rights issues and flooding
and human displacement), and some bowls of Bombay mix. At the end of the
evening we all took part in a communion service with a twist, which included
horseradish and honey! Please read the link write-up done by Matt (our team
leader) for more information

http://www.baptist-heartofengland.org/index.php/monthly-message/298-bitter-sweet-symphony-a-creative-communion

Finally friends- we look forward to updating you soon and
will have the second photo of baby Shemwell as we are off for our 20 wk scan on
Monday… VERY excited!

Prayer points for the coming weeks pls:

1. Linda
   (IMC cook) and her family whilst they mourn the passing of their Father this
   week
2. For
   my (Tasha’s) family (especially Grandad) as we prepare for him going for
   surgery this month
3. We
   pray for a continued renewal of the spirit to deepen our personal relationships
   with God
4. Please
   pray for all the action teams who have now left IMC and are on their way to
   their worldly destinations to serve for 6 months. Lord, be with them and their
   families (see links

Peru-  http://www.bmsworldmission.org/people-and-places/people-with-bms/directory-of-people/peru-action-team,
Uganda- http://www.bmsworldmission.org/people?keywords=uganda+action+team&type=Team&where=All,
Lebanon- http://www.bmsworldmission.org/people?keywords=lebanon+action+team&type=Team&where=All,
India- http://www.bmsworldmission.org/people?keywords=india+action+team&type=Team&where=All,
and Kosovo )

May the Lord Bless you and keep you all

Tasha,
Sean and Baby Sprat (now kicking a lot! )

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We have had a wonderfull meal tonight and shared fellowship with all the new students and staff.  We had an amazing warm welcome this evening and the worship service was interactive, very relaxing and it feels like home already.  We feel truly blessed that God has called us here and we pray that we can continue to grow in his light.

We have registered with the nurse today and will be attending a doctors oppointment tomorrow, this is to arrange a mid-wife appointment and, to get medication for myself.

We are reading bloggs from former or current mission workers, as a first resaerch assignment in our amazing, warm and humble flat.  Looking forward to our first full day tomorrow.

Many Blessings to you all