Final Destination...

By the end of Transit Challenge we had...

travelled 10,870 miles (17,494 Km) in Wanda

driven through 22 different countries

done ministry in 10 different countries...

and slept in over 30 different beds...

(which means that we had to pack our bags and the van at least 30 times too!)

Yes...it's the end of our seven month journey and it's definitely been a journey full of challenges, adventures, fun, tears, prayer, excitement, ministry, tiredness and of course - lots of singing!

We have seen God provide for us in so many ways throughout our whole journey, both as a team and individually...and we have all been challenged in many different ways in our own walk with God...

Please pray for us now as we have all gone our separate ways - some of us continuing to work in mission and others going home to figure out the next step...

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do..."

Ephesians 2 v 10

Thank you for coming on the journey with us...

Love

The Transit Team xxx

Cheese and mountains...

On our way home we stopped at Toni's house in the beautiful Emmental region of Switzerland for two days...There was no mountain climbing like we hoped, due to bad weather, but we did get to experience an open air cinema, explore a castle, visit an Emmental cheese factory and of course, eat an Emmental cheese fondue!

We got to watch the film 'Heidi' in German!

After our time in Switzerland we set off on our last Transit journey as a team up to Belgium for our debrief and arrived just in time for the OM Belgium BBQ...Saturday was spent in rainy Brugge and then two days of debrief and praying for each other before just 5 of us set off back to the UK...

On our way...

We finished our outreach in Lake Como yesterday and tomorrow we will begin our journey home. First, we will stop in Switzerland for two days to stay at Toni's house (and hopefully climb a Swiss mountain) and then we will drive on to Belgium for our debrief. Please pray for us as we begin our final few journeys - that we can have time to relax in Switzerland and then as we spend some time reflecting on the past seven months...

Lake Como...

Our ten days in Lake Como have proved that Italy is just as beautiful as it's reputed to be. We've enjoyed the stunning scenery as well as the passion and hospitality of the people, not to mention the food! It's true: pasta really is better in Italy.

Our time was spent doing an outreach in the town. This was the only country we've visited where our outreach was entirely based on street work. This posed a challenge for those of us who find that hard, but the week has highlighted the fact that there are many aspects to, and styles of reaching out. We learnt that praying really is as valuable as speaking to people, that listening is sometimes more necessary than talking, and most of all, our availability is our greatest ability.

"I was personally encouraged by discovering that music could be used by God in this style of outreach too. I was reluctant to play my saxophone on the street because I thought that you had to be really good to carry off street performances and I struggled to see how my average playing would help - it wasn't going to pull in crowds! But once I began to play I enjoyed the freedom of openly worshipping God in a public place and was surprised (and pleased) by the team saying that the music encouraged them as they spoke to people. I was reminded of Belgium, one of our first countries, where we heard that worship through music was powerful and made an impact on a place." (Amy)

A devotion that Tomoko shared on our last morning of planned outreach has certainly been true for us this week: 'But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.' 1 Corinthians 1v 27-29

"I love street Evangelism! - and during our ten day outreach in Lake Como we got to do a lot of it! For a few days we went to the local park and then later on during the week to the Piazza. I had many great conversations; it seemed God answered my prayers of putting me at the right place at the right time. One thing I learnt during this outreach was that I truly need to know who and what I am following. During many conversations it occurred to me that people thought church was just something that you do in your free time and God was just someone you said you believed in. They didn’t realise that believing in God is about having a relationship with him. It caused me to see clearly that the relationship we have with God is really really special and so much more than a church building on Sunday or reading your bible occasionally." (Hannah)

Transform 2010

The first week of our time in Italy was spent at the Transform 2010 conference near Rome. Hundreds of people gathered from many different countries to take part in a week of worship and teaching before going out into the Mediterranean countries for outreach. This was a really valuable time of input for us and gave us renewed energy for our last outreach which would be in Lake Como in the north of Italy.

It was great to attend the Transform 2010 conference in Rome. Although Italy was the last country on our trip it was very refreshing to be part of a conference with lots of young people who were taking part in their first ever mission trip. Six months of being on the Transit team has been filled with a lot of programmes and performances - sharing with people and ‘being on stage’ was an essential part of our ministry. At Transform I went to a lot of seminars and workshops and just enjoyed the different teachings. Also, the worship times in the evening meetings and the services in the mornings gave me great joy. It was good to receive some input and I felt that I regained some new energy for the last outreach in Como in northern Italy. At Transform there were also people from all over the world and I liked the atmosphere of this international community. I had many good conversations and was also able to see some friends that I had met along the journey of the last two years - first on the Doulos and then travelling across Europe. This conference was a blessing for me. (Bennet)

All roads lead to Rome (via Torre Pellice...!)

We're on our way to Rome! After a small problem with the van this morning (no petrol!) and only a few hours sleep for most of us, we left Austria behind and began the long journey of toll roads to Italy...It took a long, hot 12 hours before we arrived just in time for dinner with an OM couple - Matt and Rose, at their house in Torre Pellice. Now we'll set off again in just 3 hours time (3am) to begin the second part of our journey to Rome, ready to begin the conference tomorrow evening...

So long...farewell, it's time to say Adieu....

This is our last night in Austria, and we can't quite believe how fast these three weeks have gone! Austria always seemed like such a long way away: our penultimate country, and now we leave for Rome in four hours!

Our time in Austria has been beautiful in more ways than one. Austria is a beautiful country and a balanced schedule has given us chance to enjoy this. We have loved swimming in Austria's lakes and climbing its hills. We've also enjoyed some excellent food during our time here, and can heartily commend Austrian barbecues having had about 6 of them during our stay!

Each week here has had a different focus. During our first week we had some cultural training and worked with a local church in Linz. We did some street outreach: talking to people as well as connecting them to the local church through invitations. It was an encouragement to see a Nepali family we invited come to an event run by the church and get connected with people in the church who could speak Nepali.
















The children's programme we ran at the Sunday evangelistic service...



In our second week we worked with a different church alongside a short-term team from Finland. We helped the church run a three day event called 'Parkfest' in a local park...This was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the local people - especially since lots of the people came from the Balkan countries we had just visited...Lots of Kosovo and Bosnia flags were face painted! Each day around 60 children came to the park to play games, do craft activities, eat cake, play football, and hopefully build up relationships with the local church members.

At the end of the week we had the opportunity to run the church youth group for around 20 teenagers. Our theme was 'Where do you put your trust?' and Toni had the chance to give the message (for the first time...)

Our final week was spent working with the beginning of a church plant in a nearby town. Again we talked to local people and tried to build up awareness of the church's presence in the town. We were encouraged by how open and willing to talk people were.

One of the hardest things in Austria has been the heat - so...naturally, we found an excellent way to cool down!!

The hills are alive...

The 27th June was a special day for our team, for two reasons....First of all, we would be leaving Sarajevo behind and driving all the way to Austria to begin our next three weeks of ministry, and secondly, it was the day that Germany would play England in the World Cup...Having three Brits and one German on the team the tension was high all through the journey...each person convinced that their own country would win (though the Brits were slightly less convinced)...The Australian was also hoping England would win - (which could have been something to do with a previous Germany v Australia game...)

We figured that now Wanda was better, we could do the journey in 10 hours easily...However, as it approached 4pm and we were only just approaching the Slovenian border we realised that we would have to just imagine what was happening on the pitch...Stopping at a petrol station in Slovenia we managed to catch the last two minutes of the game, and wish we hadn't - 4-1...! The Brits had been defeated....

However...some more good news was about to follow...as soon as we entered Austria we were able to reconnect again with our Navi-man...The last time we heard from him was in Germany and I don't think that he was happy about being kept in a box for the last 3 months. But let me introduce him properly - his name is Daniel and he is very British. He's quite a sensitive guy and doesn't like it when we make fun of his pronunciation of Austrian street names. He's not so up to date with the short cuts just yet but he has been kept in a box for a while so maybe he's just readjusting to working again. He has a Navi-partner, whose name is Emily, but she always sounds annoyed so we are just sticking with Daniel for the time being. We are very grateful for his return to the van and feel like he has become an eigth member of the team...

Toni reconnecting with Daniel

Our journey took a total of around 15 hours, passing through Croatia and Slovenia before we arrived in Linz, Austria, where we will be until 18th July.

Bosnian Coffee...

One of the first things we were introduced to when we arrived in Bosnia was Bosnian coffee. This wasn't popular amongst the team as it's quite strong, and there is amusing evidence of our reactions to it earlier on our blog. However, as we experienced more of Bosnia we saw how significant a part coffee plays in the Bosnian culture. We discovered that Bosnians have a strong café culture. The culture here is very much relational, and this is reflected in the amount of time spent in coffee shops; it seems that Bosnians can make a cup of coffee last for hours. Consequently, coffee shops are actually a vital part of OM Bosnia's ministry, and we were able to also experience this during our stay here. When we were first told that we would be going to local coffee shops with the specific purpose of talking to people I was privately filled with dread. I find building a connection with strangers very difficult, and when I imagined going to a coffee shop expressly to talk to strangers I imagined a coffee shop in England. If I were to sit down next to a stranger in an English coffee shop and try to talk to them, they would probably think I was quite strange, and I would feel deeply uncomfortable. However, I underestimated the relational nature of Bosnian culture. People were so eager to talk to us, and so friendly, it was actually really enjoyable, and I experienced a first: having a lengthy, deep conversation with a stranger. It was such a good insight into how OM Bosnia operates and one of the many times on Transit when I have been able to experience local culture in a way I never could as a tourist. (Amy Woods)

Bosnia...

Bosnia is split into two different parts - one being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is made up of mainly Bosniaks and the other being Republika Srpska, which is made up of mainly Serbians. The border of these two parts runs through Sarajevo. During one of our prayer walks we were able to walk from the Federation of Bosnia into the Republika Srpska. There is still lots of division between these two parts and we were able to spend time praying for reconciliation.

One of our activities during our time in Bosnia was 'Community Time' on an open grass area near to the high street. Each day we went down to this field and did a programme for the local children - Bible stories, drama, games, craft, face painting and balloon modelling. We loved going down and just spending time with the children - especially the gypsy children that came along as we would often see them in the town during the week.

The kids especially liked being face painted as tigers!

As well as the community time on the field, our other main area of ministry was to meet people and talk to them. This could be done quite easily on the street or in one of the many coffee shops.

The World Cup was a great conversation starter! Here is Hannah and Lisa with one of the girls they met on the street...

Fancy a cuppa?

We heard from many people that Bosnia is a coffee drinking culture, and the team wasted no time in introducing us to Bosnian coffee - This wasn't even the full strength drink - I just hope that they like their tea too!!

We will be in Bosnia until 27th June...

Climb every mountain...

Journeys in Wanda have become one of the highlights of Transit Challenge! Just before this journey from Kosovo to Bosnia Wanda was a little sick...not knowing that much about car mechanics, all I know is that the bit that holds the front wheels together wasn't in a good condition! Thankfully, there was a garage in Peja we could take it to and so Toni and Adam spent the whole of their day off fixing her up, ready to drive to Bosnia the following day! (I'm pleased to report that Wanda is now in perfectly good health!!)


So, we began our journey, back through the mountains from Peja to Sarajevo -about a ten hour journey - up and down mountains, reaching over 1800m high (5900ft) and higher in some places. Even though the road was so windy, the scenery was absolutely beautiful...




This is where we stopped for lunch...

Some of the scenery along the way...

This photo is taken from a bridge over this river...

Finally, we crossed the border....We were a little worried when we saw this sign - thought we had driven to the wrong country by mistake...but we were in the right place!

We even found our meeting place straight away, without getting lost!...

Between two fires...

So, this is one of our favourite games at the moment....We learned how to play it in Moldova and it has been called many things, but 'Between two fires' is my favourite! It's kind of like dodgeball...we get all the kids in the middle and then throw a football at them! Great fun!!

This game we played in a village when we went to work with some Roma children. These were probably some of the nicest kids we have worked with in Kosovo...

We also attempted some face painting (on some very sweaty faces...) and balloon modelling with the kids...

As pretty much always, the kids sang with all their hearts - songs about Jesus...they learned a memory verse from the Bible and heard stories about how God loves them and made them special. These children also heard how God has invited them to be a part of his kingdom and the consequence of not accepting His invitation.

Many times I sit and watch the children as they sing and listen, and I wonder how much of what they are hearing and doing really impacts them...how many of them go home after the programme and think about what they just heard? These kids, who are so often rejected by society, really need people who will invest in their lives and encourage them to be more than what other people tell them they can be. Most of all, they need to know with their hearts the never-changing, never-ending love and grace of their saviour...

Uprooted...

For three days we worked up at a camp, about 1200m high in the mountains. The owners have a big vision for what they want the camp to look like and hopefully aim to hand it over to local believers to run it in the years to come. We were there to help with some construction so, for three days, we dug and moved dirt, chopped firewood, moved trees from the forest, put up another tent for sleeping, made a new parking space, shovelled more dirt and moved a tree!

Here are the team attempting to move the tree...the first time it was put in wheelbarrows...that didn't work so well...!

Here is how it eventually worked!! Rolling it on pipes and wood! A long, slow process...

Success....the tree was finally replanted....Here's an interview with some of the tree movers!

Mountains...mountains and yet more mountains...

To get from Montenegro to Kosova you basically drive up and up and up a huge mountain...go through some tunnels of rock...drive down a mountain, only to drive back up a huge mountain again! The highest we got was around 1800m where we were met by the friendliest border guards we have come across so far - (I guess there's not that much to do at the top of a mountain except talk to a lovely group of foreigners when they come your way!!)

Stopping for lunch on the side of the road!

This was the highest point of our journey...

The mountains are stunning! The driving is fun! Kosova is beautiful! This is where we will be for the next two weeks...

Montenegro...

The journey from Albania to Montenegro was probably one of the shortest journeys that we have done in a while – just seven hours! But it went through some of the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen! Right through the mountains the whole time until we arrived in a city by the sea in Montenegro.

We would only be in Montenegro for ten days but the time that we spent here was full of new experiences – especially being in a city where there is not yet a church and only one local believer! A lot of time is spent here on building relationships with the local people through activities like an English and German café, football, girl’s club, kids club and of course, going out for coffee and walking by the sea front!

One of the first things we were involved in was a club with some Roma children on the outskirts of the city and a kids club in the old part of the city. By now, we’ve done many many children’s programmes on Transit, but I never get bored of teaching the children how to play British Bulldog, showing dramas, singing songs and teaching Bible stories. Each time is totally different and it is so rewarding to be able to spend time with these children…






For the second half of our time in Montenegro we spent each morning at a Roma family’s home – fixing their roof, painting the bathroom and cleaning…The guy in charge of the household is just 18 years old and has a 15 year old wife and a gorgeous 10 month old baby. He looks after his own family plus his five younger siblings. He faces a tough job looking after everyone, so it was great to be able to help them out in the small way that we could.

Apart from the practical work we also spent time with the children. One of the activities we did with them was to have them decorate some wooden photo frames in which we put pictures of their family. They were so creative, and proud of their work when they had finished!

The second time we did the Roma kids club we taught them the story of the Enormous Turnip and how each person, no matter how small or how big is important to God and that we can all work together as a team. Shortly afterwards, the football disappeared down the hill and into the stream and we watched as the kids formed a human chain to rescue their ball! What great team work!!




Whilst in Montenegro we got to do a couple of things that were a little unexpected! The first was going to watch a volleyball match with some guys from the English café – Germany against Estonia and then Germany against Croatia…(Germany won both times…)

The second thing was climb a mountain – 1600m high (pretty high by British standards!)…The view wasn’t that great from the top but from time to time we were able to see through the cloud to Albania!

The third thing was watching the moon rise…I have never seen this happen – it was beautiful!

Albania...

We spent two weeks in Albania in two different towns. The first week we spent some time with some Roma children in a day centre. We ran two separate programmes, playing games with the children, teaching them Bible stories, singing songs and doing some craft activities.

We also spent a lot of time in a nearby village, working with the Church there. One of the things we did was a girls club after the Church service. We shared testimonies with the girls, made bead bracelets and played games with them.

At the village there was a showing of the Magdalena film (like the Jesus film) so we went out into the village giving out invitations with some of the girls from the church. The film was shown just after we left, in two separate showings. We heard that 80 people came on the first day and 40 people on the second day!

In the village, some of us also had the chance to go to people's homes and share the gospel with them.

The second week we moved on to a different town, by the sea. Here, the boys had a fun time doing some practical work, digging a ditch! and the girls had fun baking cakes for a worship event with the local church!!

We also helped to run a fun day in a nearby village for primary and secondary children, which was lots of fun!

We have now moved on to Montenegro and will be here for ten days, until the 30th of May.