November 07

The Milligan Times

Monthly Update  

Two months on and work is now well underway. I currently visit Hindley Young Offenders prison four times a week.

On Monday nights I lead a Youth Alpha course for the Juveniles who are ageed between 16-18. I both prepare and lead these sessions each week and try to think of fresh and new ways to present the Gospel in a relevant and interesting way. It's quite difficult as the lads are very restless, but it's very rewarding and the progress they are making is exciting.

On Tuesday nights I am involved in the detached work during the Juveniles association time. Basically this involves trying to get the lads to open up and talk to us about themselves and also we try to encourage them to come to Chapel on Sundays and our Youth Alpha course on Mondays. Some great links have been made and a lot of the lads who we speak to have joined our course on Alpha.

On Wednesday during the day I help run another Youth Alpha course in the Young Offenders wing, these lads are aged between 18-21. The lads on our current course are really well behaved and it has been a pleasure working with them and three of them have made commitments to Christ and it's amazing to see how much they are changing.

On Thursday during the day I set up a discipleship course called Mettle to follow on with the lads who have made a commitment during the Alpha course and the other lads who are Christians and want to continue along the path. This course  lasts up until the lads leave prison, where we set them up with a mentor and a church and help them integrate into church life. I prepare and lead the Mettle course, and it has been awesome to see the lads develop whilst at the same time watching them get excited about studying the bible and learning about God.

So as you can see life has got very busy in the past two months but the work I have been doing has been really rewarding and the success of all the courses has just blown me away. God has been very gracious and he has moved in powerful ways in the past two months, and I pray that he will continue to do so. 

Standing on a beach in Blackpool just for the fun of it

Bible bit

1 Chronicles 17:v 1-2 After the king had made himself at home, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Look at this: Here I am comfortable in a luxurious palace of cedar and the Chest of the Covenant of God sits under a tent."

Nathan told David, "Whatever is on your heart, go and do it; God is with you."  

Here in this passage we see King David asking the Prophet Nathan if he should build a temple or not? Nathan's response is one that initially confused me while because in the verses following this passage God speaks to Nathan and says that David will not be building the temple, but his son Solomon will. So why then does Nathan initially say to him “Whatever is on your heart go and do it; God is with you”? As I studied the passage more and more I realized that Nathan's response was actually quite intelligent and almost like a challenge towards King David. He is telling David that as a man of God he should go and do whatever God has laid on his heart because if it is of God it will come about. This verse really challenged me in my daily living because I began to realize how  slow I am to act because of my fear of making mistakes. But the reality of the situation is, if I am man of God then whatever is on my heart I should go do it, if it comes then praise God, and if not I can step back and realize that God has chosen someone else for the job.

Prayer requests

 - Thanks that I'm feeling loads better, and no longer have my tonsillitis.

- Thanks for the ways in which God has been working in Hindley Prison and just how gracious he has been throughout all the work.

- That I won't overwork myself too much and that I get all the proper rest that I need.

- For Mettle on Thursdays that the lads will continue to grow in Christ and be an influence towards other lads in prison. 

Financially

God has really been blessing me financially this month and I have just reached the £1200 target which I have to have reached by January. So my next target is the remaining £1300 which I  still have to raise and any contribution you could make towards this would be awesome. I am really lacking in supporters who give monthly and so if you feel called to give in this way please fill in the enclosed support form and send it to the address on the form. Or if you feel called to support me with a one off cash gift this form can also be used. Don't forget to claim the tax back on your donation!

Thanks for all your continued prayers and support, hope you are all keeping well. All my love and prayers.

    Andrew Milligan