On our team!

Marc and I were asked to lead a Family Service in our church at the end of May. Not long after we were asked to do this, one of our supporting churches in England (Christ Church Bedford) said that they would like to send a small team of people to visit us. They would be able to spend time with us to encourage us, and to find out more about our ministry in Benin and our current life in France. We said we'd love to have them, and asked whether they'd be prepared to help lead the Family Service, which they said they would.

We chose the theme of "teamwork", and Marc prepared a short talk around the idea of the bench that footballers sit on when not out on the field playing. He pointed out that in our Christian life we sometimes find ourselves not out in the centre of the action but "on the bench" ... where we still have our part to play, encouraging our teammates and celebrating or commiserating with them.

He gave the example of missionaries, saying that when we are out in Benin it is really important for us to have people "on our bench" - meaning the churches who support us financially, in prayer and with messages of encouragement. But we also play that role to other people who are "on the field" in other activities, encouraging them from Benin as we rejoice in their service for God wherever they are.

Our friends prepared a game, a story, a testimony and a song on the same theme of teamwork, and despite them only arriving on the Saturday evening, our service held together very well. We then had a lovely afternoon and evening with them. It's great to have them on our team!

At the Botanical Gardens: