Mission to Munich
Last month, Iona Richardson and her family were part of our School of Supernatural Life’s mission trip to Germany. She reflects on what it was like to do mission with a baby on the team!
The more mission trips I go on, the more the term ‘mission trip’ changes for me. Often we think of a mission trip as a volunteering opportunity to provide practical support to a local community, such as building a structure, giving out food or aid, or even running a conference. However, I’ve found that over and above meeting any practical need, it is the friendship and encouragement you experience that is most powerful and lasting thing.
The Munich connection
Nathan and Rada Adams, along with their two children, moved to Munich, Germany in 2016 after answering a call to plant a church in this major European city. I first met Rada and Nathan in Milton Keynes (where none of us lived at the time!) in 2014 on a theology course. They are a warm, energetic couple with a contagious love for Jesus, his church and the Word of God. I went out to see them in 2018 with a team from New Life, so when this year’s trip was announced at the School of Supernatural Life *, I just knew God wanted us to connect again – this time with my husband, Andrew, and 4-month old daughter, Esmé!
Team travels
We had a strong, diverse team of ten people, with lots of different levels of travel experience. As we set out, there was a palpable excitement about the long weekend and the testimonies that we would tell from our time in Munich. However, personally, I was filled with apprehension rather than excitement as Andrew and I were travelling with a baby for the first time. Before we left, a good friend texted me with the words: “Esmé will be a help not a hindrance”. This really helped us to actively choose to trust that God did have good in store for us, and that the trip would not negatively impact Esmé, us or the team!
On the ground
Over the weekend, we went to different parts of the city, prayer walking and speaking to people we met along the way. God moved in conversation after conversation, opening up opportunities for different members of the team to speak his life and truth into people’s lives. One poignant meeting for Ade was in the Olympic park, sitting on the hill made from the rubble caused by the devastation of the Second World War. She got speaking with a man in his 90s who went to sit there daily. He shared some precious memories of his life and Ade was able to pray for him.
Open doors
Another area the team spent time in was called Harass. This was a very multicultural area of the city with many non-German speakers. The team got talking to different people and were able to bless and pray for them. On the Saturday, another church group were playing worship music and preaching the gospel. They had lots of written resources including Bibles in various languages. We’d received a prophetic word about connecting with other churches, so, as ever, God’s timing was perfect. The worship music that was playing over speakers around the area could be heard in nearby cafes and shops, and it changed the atmosphere. There was an awareness of God’s presence and it was easy to lean in to what he was already doing there – we just joined in with what he had begun! Sola was able to talk to a new believer, and also to some students and professionals from India and Pakistan, who were curious to know about Christ. Ade reflected later about the easy way we could communicate there, and it came like a revelation to us all: ‘The Lord caused me to realise that we can connect to people in our own country in the same way.’
Being authentic
Another place where the team connected with locals was in the park run event. Nathan and Rada are very involved in their local park run community, and it was great that the team could support them by getting involved there. One thing that kept being mentioned by local runners was how everyone who knew Nathan valued his friendship and held him in very high regard. Nathan always brings his authentic self as a disciple of Jesus, which makes him a kind, reliable friend to many. This draws people in, making them want to hang out with him, build relationship, and ask him questions about his faith.
Both Nathan and Rada are deeply immersed in the life of their local community through their work, groups like the park runners, and in actively building friendship with their neighbours. This model of church planting, going to where the people are, echoes the way Paul in the New Testament spread the gospel. Sharon and I were reflecting on church planting structures, discussing Jesus’ instruction to his disciples in Matthew 28:19–20: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ According to this approach, planting a church is not about filling seats in a building but about going out and making disciples from the people you encounter. We are all capable of doing that in one shape or form wherever we find ourselves.
Sunday celebration
The highlight of the trip for many of the team was the time of worship and ministry we shared on Sunday morning. Usually, Nathan and Rada would gather with friends, both Christian and non-Christian, for brunch and an accessible Bible study. With no non-Christians attending that Sunday, Nathan and Rada asked if we’d mind if we spent the morning in worship, instead. Of course, we didn’t mind! The morning was beautiful, the Holy Spirit moved on us in many ways, ministering to hearts and bringing prophetic encouragement. Church planting can often seem like a lonely activity, and as Sola summed it up, we were definitely in Munich to provide much needed support and encouragement to Nathan and Rada. Time spent sharing with other Christians is the practical proof we are not alone nor forgotten, but all part of one wonderful, varied family of God. Our time together in Munich re-energised and blessed us all.
I’m so grateful that Andrew and I took a leap of faith and signed up pre-Esmé! I’m not sure I would have been obedient to the Holy Spirit’s prompting had I been faced with signing up post her arrival! We can testify she was indeed a help and not a hinderance over the weekend. Her little face, her winning smiles, and her willingness to accept lots of cuddles were just the ticket for weary souls and a great conversation starter. Showing up, obediently saying ‘yes’, and leaning in to whatever opportunities awaited us, is all Father God asked of us over the weekend. And before our eyes, he moved, blessed and encouraged us all.
*Please note that The School of Supernatural Life is changing its name to The School of Missional Life. The commitment to releasing students into Spirit-filled discipleship remains the same. You can find out more details and apply to come on this FREE 10-month course via Zoom here.