Building deeper 

During April 2024, Colin Nichols and Paul Simpson visited the UK to share news and build friendships with partners of Mobilise Global. Colin writes this report.

In some ways our trip to the UK in 2023 was about connecting with a wide range of old friends. Covid was over, Mobilise Global was now a real thing, and we wanted to share what we were doing, for anyone who wanted to hear.

2024 was somewhat different, as we spent more time with churches and individuals that want to pursue this relationship. This trip was much more about building deeper.



Worthing is still ‘home’ for Pam and I, with family and friends still too many to squeeze into a few hectic days. It’s always a joy to see old friends who are still going on with God, and we love to hear stories of what God is doing in that community. We are already connected deeply there, and grateful for how God has helped us maintain these relationships even though we are in our ninth year since leaving.
 


Paul and Ruth Barratt are old friends that we reconnected with last year, and, somewhat surprisingly, our link has blossomed into a great friendship. They came to stay with us in Hilton in January, and on our recent trip Paul and I spent three days with them in North Wales - chatting, eating, meeting friends, and dreaming of what God will do in those tiny villages and towns around them. Thanks for the fun, the openness and the hospitality. Paul has renewed my love of snooker in the brief time I was there, and Ruth packed up some Rocky Road for us to take away.

Our two weekends in London were also very encouraging. Hope Church in Bromley have been good friends to Pam and I, even before we left for South Africa. One highlight for me was to visit their Downham congregation, a genuinely multi-cultural group with a real African flavour. We were also privileged to visit East End church, one of my favourite churches in the world, led by Tom and Rachel Head, two of my favourite people in the world.

So, relationships were renewed. Funders were encouraged. New connections were made. What’s next? One of the joys of partnership is that we can serve each other. I have invited many of the leaders we met in the UK to study our new material ‘Heart of a leader’ as an online course. This will also include leaders from Africa, and I’m excited to see how this mixture of different cultures and backgrounds will stir up and challenge each of us to go forwards in our own relationship with God, and help us to mentor other followers of Jesus. That really is building deeper!