#ActsofCourage - Lizzie's story
Lizzie from Hope Church in Sittingbourne has shared her #ActsofCourage story with us. We love that it was inspired by hearing about Jimmi’s #ActofCourage story from earlier last year (read it here). This is why we love to hear your stories - they encourage others to be bold and ask God how he wants them to step put, and so the blessing spreads…
We also love that this wasn’t just one couple going it alone, but the whole church got behind them in praying for fruit, so they get to share in the joy of seeing what God has done through the team effort.
We heard Mike Betts speak at church recently about being courageous and listening to what God was asking us to do. He shared the story of a man called Jimmi who had written to his neighbours telling them his testimony about how God had healed him of cancer. I felt struck by the idea of writing to neighbours and God gave me the prompt to put on a little Christmas party for ours.
We’ve recently moved into a house which is set in a walkway of about 20 houses and we wanted to meet the people who live in them. Small talk and meeting new people is not something I feel most confident doing so this was a step out of my comfort zone. As a couple Adam and I really enjoy showing hospitality and welcoming people into our home, so this was also a chance to use that gift God has given us in a new way.
I wrote out some handwritten notes introducing ourselves and our daughters to each of the houses and inviting them to come over for a mince pie on Sunday afternoon that week. I delivered them through each letterbox not knowing how they would be received. We just didn’t know who would show up but our church got behind us and prayed with us for fruit of this little step of courage.
“God is clearly so involved in what is going on in our little neighbourhood we are pleased we didn’t chicken out.”
Praise God that on the day we welcomed 14 guests, 11 of whom we had never met before and who represented 8 houses between them. One of the men who lives a few doors down from us had served Adam petrol just hours before and used to work with his Dad. Another lady has a mutual friend from our sending church and is finding her way back to a church family herself now. How amazing.
Generally people were so lovely and grateful for what we had done by putting on the party. Comments like “no one has ever done anything like this before” were made and there was even talk of making a neighbourly get together a more regular thing with BBQs and street parties in the summer! It was a buzzing atmosphere in our living room and we are excited for what God is going to do next through these brand new connections. We can now invite people more naturally to things like our Christmas service and hopefully continue to see them, get to know them and have opportunities to share the gospel with them.
It’s a simple thing really but it was an act of courage for us to put ourselves out there in this way. God is clearly so involved in what is going on in our little neighbourhood we are pleased we didn’t chicken out as we do believe we have seen the start of something very special.
What #ActsofCourage has God prompted you to take recently? Here’s how to share your story with the rest of the RM family.