http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org Andrea Siemers - Adventures In Missions - Serving in England en-us Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:25:23 GMT 30 http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=moving-out http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=moving-out Sunday was our last day in the house.  We spent the week before in-between ministry cleaning and packing.  It is amazing to me how much a group of people can accumulate over two years.  Thankfully there is a charity here called "The Mustard Tree" who helps set up homes for people who need help, and they were able to come and take away most of our furniture.  Christine and I have moved into St. John's Court, which is a sheltered accomadations for elderly people (sort of like a Tue, 8 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=love-it-or-hate-it http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=love-it-or-hate-it   Assemblies are one of my favorite parts of the ministry we do here, and today was my last assembly at Crab Lane Primary School.  It was a pretty simple assembly that started out with a game of "Love it or hate it".  We had a few different foods and asked the kids if they loved it or hated it.  Some of the items were licorice, olives, marmite (a pretty disgusting English spread), candy, and marshmallows.  We then talked about how we don't just love and hate food, Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=past-present-future http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=past-present-future Thanks for your prayers for the Where's Wally event at St. Andrew's.  It was a great success!  There were eighteen kids who don't normally come to church, most of which are involved with Boys and & Girls club and Jigsaw, who came.  Some of those kids' parents and grandparents came as well.  It was so exciting to see these kids attending this informal church service.  The actual service went well.  The vicar, Ian, and some of the youth group member Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=saying-goodbye http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=saying-goodbye During the past couple of weeks our team has faced some challenges.  As most of you know, two weeks ago our house was robbed, and six team members had their laptops stolen.  I was lucky not to have anything stolen.  Despite the loss of their belongings, those team members really had a positive attitude.  For most of them, this past week was their last week here in Salford.  They could have easily lost their focus and left England with a bad attitude, but instead they con Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=so-much-to-say http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=so-much-to-say The past couple of months have been a flurry of activity!  The beginning of March brought a much welcomed visit of my parents.  They came for ten days and I was able to show them some of my ministry sites and introduced them to my life here in England.  I really enjoyed seeing my two different worlds connect!  I went with them on a short vacation to London and Edinburgh.  As most of you know, in mid-March I made my decision to return to the states at the en Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=february http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=february The past few weeks have been filled with new adventures.  A couple of weeks ago I went with one of the leaders of St. Andrew's church to help with a homeless ministry called Barnabus.  I met a great team of workers who provided tea, coffee and toast to some of the homeless in Manchester.  I was really impressed with how Barnabus meets felt needs of the community.  Not only do they offer times for meals, or tea and toast, but they also have a place where the homeless can sho Sun, 24 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=lemons http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=lemons Someone once said, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  Well after tonight, I think God is in the lemonade business.  On my way to Boys & Girls club I found out that the room we normally use was unavailable.  The roof had been leaking for a while and the ceiling had finally caved in.  The only place we could meet was in the front of the sanctuary in the church.  I was feeling a little unsure thinking about how it was going to work out having a bunch of Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=returning-to-ministry http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=returning-to-ministry The team has returned to England and is getting back into ministry.  We have a smaller team since Christmas because two of the First Year Missionaries feel that England is not where they need to be at this time, so they have decided not to stay for the second semester.  It is sad for our team to be losing these two valuable members, but it will be good to hear how God uses them elsewhere.  I am enjoying being back in England.  It has been an exciting time of planning f Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=merry-christmas http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=merry-christmas Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! In reflecting over the past few months, I have realized that there are so many things that I am thankful for.  I wanted to share some of these with you.  I thank God for: *The provision of support to return to England as staff. *The opportunity to spend the summer in Trenton with friends and family. *The London mission trip with the youth group. *Being able to continue to build on past relationships in Broughton while beginning new ones in Hig Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=november http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=november I can't believe how quickly November has flown by!  In the beginning of November, we took the Boys and Girls Club on a hike in Yorkshire.  It was great to give them the chance to get out of Manchester and see the beauty of the countryside, an opportunity they don't usually have.  We split Jigsaw into two smaller age groups.  It has been going pretty well since the split.  The younger group has been going over Bible stories and learning how God worked through them.  Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=retreat-prayer http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=retreat-prayer We recently went with about 30 other young adults on a retreat in Wales.  It was really refreshing to get away from Salford for a couple of days, and it was exciting to meet other Christians our age.  These young adults go to a number of churches throughout the Greater Manchester area and most of them have only themselves or maybe one or two other people their age at their church.  The topic for the weekend was "Soul".  When Robin Gamble was talking at one of the sessio Fri, 9 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=whats-going-on http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=whats-going-on   Katie, Jarred and I are enjoying our work with St. Andrew's Church in Blackley.  One of the groups we work with is Jigsaw which is a Monday night program at the church for kids ages 6-12.  During the time they are there, we do a Bible study, learn a Bible verse and play some games.  Right now there are about 20 kids who come and they meet as one large group.  In the next couple of weeks we will be splitting the group into two smaller age groups.  Please be praying Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=rejoice http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=rejoice This morning we started off the day with a time of praise and worship.  We sang a song called "Rejoice" and it reminded me of how much I have to rejoice about.  So, I wanted to share a little bit about what God has been doing here. The past couple of weeks have been great!  With the new team here we are well underway in our ministries.  We had a big answer to prayer with the new team.  Before they came, Christine and I were talking about how we weren't sure how we Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=the-team-has-arrived http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=the-team-has-arrived Last week, I was introduced to some of the ministry in Higher Blackley.  A week ago Saturday, we had a youth work fundraiser for St. Andrew's at Sainsbury's, the local grocery store.  We bagged groceries and were able to raise 400 for youth work.  It was a really great opportunity to meet some of the youth group and spend time getting to know them.  I went to my first service at St. Andrew's that Sunday and in the afternoon helped out with the Commemoratio Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=staff-training-and-moving http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=staff-training-and-moving I just returned from staff training this past Tuesday.  I was in Gainesville, Georgia for 11 days at the Adventures in Missions office.  Staff training was really great.  I learned a lot more about AIM and their heart for the world.  I also had training in leadership, conflict management, and discipleship.  There were about 20 new staff at the training.  It was great to get to know all of them.  Besides training, we also had some bible study sessions where Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=getting-ready http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=getting-ready   This past week have been filled with meetings and preparations for the team coming in.  But in that we've also had the opportunity to start back up some ministries and explore some new opportunities.  Last Monday I was able to go up to Higher Blackley to help out with Boys and Girls Club.  It was the first time I've been able to work with the Club and it was great.  Boys and Girls Club is a ministry at St. Andrew's that connects the church with some of the area youth.& Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=back-in-england http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=back-in-england I've now been back in Salford for four days.  I arrived Monday morning after a long flight.  We have Holiday Club (VBS) at St. James church this week.  So when I got in on Monday, I was able to help set up for the week.  We have had approximately 30 kids coming to St. James each afternoon.  The theme for the week is "Trash Transformers", how we can transform God's creation and take care of the earth and how God transforms our hearts through Jesus.  I've been enjoyin Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=returning-to-england http://andreasiemers.myadventures.org/?filename=returning-to-england I have had a really great summer.  I can't believe how fast it has gone by.  Some of the highlights of this summer have been: helping out with Vacation Bible School at First Pres, the London and Southampton mission trip with the youth group, a trip to Chicago with my sister to see some of my teammates, and a family camping trip in Indiana.  I have also enjoyed spending time with lots of family and friends.  I've been able to see my 17 month old niece grow and change Wed, 1 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT