1. BehindtheScenesLIFEHOPE
lifeline issue 1 - 2015
our mission
Bringing life and hope to
the communities in the UK.
Partnering with the
Church in its mission.
Reaching and discipling
people from many nations.
www.lifehope.om.org
Some people may not think that getting somebody a cup
of tea is missionary work, but for Rachel Rice, it’s an important part
of her ministry. Rachel joined OM in 2011 and made the move to
Lifehope in 2014 to serve in kids’ ministry.
“I love children’s work but caring for people is really where
my heart is, so I wanted to find a way to combine those,” says Ra-
chel. After finding out that Birmingham Children’s Hospital accepts
volunteers, she applied on their website, thinking, “All right God, if
you want this door to open, you open it, I’m just going to click the
button and see what happens.” God definitely had a plan in place for
her, since she began weekly volunteer work there last September.
Rachel’s time at the hospital includes cleaning up the play
space that children will be using, directing kids to the toys and help-
ing out parents, bringing them coffee or tea. She also provides a
friendly face, willing to listen. “Some of them come in and they just
don’t want to be bothered by anybody, they don’t want anybody in
their business, they’re very, very closed off. But some of them are in
a place where they need to talk.”
Being American can help this aspect by opening up oppor-
tunities for Rachel to talk about why she came to England in the first
place, possibly leading the conversation towards God. She’s had
several opportunities to pray for families, and was able to sit with a
girl who was on suicide watch. “She told me that she was being bul-
lied at school a little bit so I was able to talk to her about how some-
times we start to believe the lies that other people say about us, but
that’s not what is true about us,” Rachel says. “It’s little moments like
that. They don’t happen every week, but they’re very special to me.
They keep me going.”
Above all, Rachel’s goal at the hospital is to glorify Christ.
Her theme verse comes from Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” For
Rachel, “It’s more than serving tea. It’s trying to show the love of
Christ.”
would you like to join om lifehope?
Here are some upcoming opportunities:
Short Term
Outreaches 2015
Long Term
Communications Team Leader
Turning Point Transform London (2 options)
Lifehope Transform Birmingham
Lark in the Park (3 options)
Are you passionate about communi-
cating what God is doing? Are you
a good leader and able to manage
a team of people? OM Lifehope is
looking for a Communications Coor-
dinator who will manage all aspects
of communications such as written
materials, photos, videos, our web-
site and social media.
contact details:
info.life@om.org
OM Lifehope,
Little Cornbow, Halesowen,
West Midlands, UK B63 3AJ
+44 (0) 121 585 5662
for more information:
www.lifehope.om.org
by Megan Peet
tea & Jesus
act 5
act 5
act 2
act 4
act 3
act 1

2. transforminglivesandcommunities
lifehope lifeline
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It’s something that most people don’t want to
think about, and yet it’s at the front of everybody’s mind:
money. For missionaries, the idea of living solely on the
gifts of others can be an intimidating one. None of the
positions at Lifehope are paid ones; staff, volunteers,
students, etc. all have to raise enough money to be
here. Some people send out letters asking for support from friends and family, some put on fund-
raisers, some even pay out of their pocket, and many people do all of the above. It can be a long,
hard process, but through it, God can bless His people in amazing ways.
Brenda Lozano, a communications intern at Lifehope, says, “The hardest part of raising
support was probably convincing people to believe in your dream and goals, especially if it’s do-
ing ministry work and asking non-Christians to invest in a Christian organization to spread God’s
word.” But, “I am blown away by all the work that goes on here in Lifehope, and that shows me how
God is working not only in my life but also in this community.”
Gaby, an ELCO teacher, has experienced both the generous provision of God and the wor-
ry and stress that come with raising support. Even though she’s currently struggling with money,
Gaby knows that God will work things out. “What I’ve learnt over the last three years is that if God
wants you to do something, or has called you to do something, He will provide.”
Please pray for missionaries here at Lifehope and across the world as they rely on
God to meet their financial needs.
by Megan Peet
by Kelly Norman
It’s easy to walk through the
Lifehope base and take for granted
the clean rooms and the fridges
that are always stocked. It’s easy to
forget that none of it happens on its own. With time, effort and love by people who seek to serve in
the background, Lifehope’s hospitality team is dedicated to easing the burden of God’s people with
all kinds of support, care and concern.
“Support roles are an interesting dynamic,” reflects Matt, our Lifehope base cook, “you
are a missionary for the missionaries, you help those in front line evangelism do their job.” Matt is
responsible for planning menus, preparing food and maintaining his kitchen. “Cooking has always
been my passion, and this is where Jesus has called me to serve.”
Meagan is Lifehope’s hospitality coordinator and oversees the accommodation and volun-
teer teams. “My heart is to provide a place of rest so people can meet with Jesus...I thought it was
cool to use hospitality as a way to serve people who serve tirelessly.” Meagan wants to use her
gifting for the Kingdom, making sure people are welcome and comfortable while at Lifehope.
Gerson is a volunteer on base and is ready to help anyone when it comes to hospital-
ity. “I make beds, do laundry, vacuum, etc. I am an active person and I like to help people. This is
my first time doing something like this, and I had to learn everything here, but it has been a step
towards maturity in my life, a way to learn English and a way to make others’ lives a bit easier.”
“...they are traveling for the Lord...so we ourselves should support them so that we can be
their partners as they teach the truth.” 3 John 1: 7-8
keepers of one
another
Puppets, drama, music, story-telling: a Lifehope
Kids’N’Things show is made up of many different ele-
ments. But what most people don’t see is all the prepa-
ration that goes into making this kind of theatre show
run smoothly, be entertaining and educate children
about Christ.
Twice a year, the Kids’N’Things team takes time off from performing to write new shows,
one for the summer season and another one for Christmas. Since they visit some of the same
churches and schools each year, they need to make sure the material presented is always fresh
and engaging. The first question they ask themselves is what do they want to teach the kids
about God, and how do they tie that in to what kids are faced with in today’s culture. This begins
a 2-month-long process of writing scripts, building sets, and practicing skits, songs, etc. It’s a very
collaborative work, involving everybody on the team.
Tamara Verboom, one of three long-term staff members working with Kids’N’Things, en-
joys the process of creating new material. “I like to be creative, and I can put all of that into making
a new program or making a new show.” One of her other favourite parts of this ministry is, “after
months and months of rehearsing, to hear and to see the kids respond.”
Although learning and practicing new shows can be a long and tiring process, it’s a neces-
sary one. The team works hard to make sure the Gospel is presented clearly so that kids can
make an informed decision about God.
by Megan Peet
act 2
act 1 act 3
he will provide
by Kelly Norman
act 4
1 peter 5:1-5
“Let the little children
come to me”
Although the word ‘mentor’ is never explicitly
mentioned in the Bible, we have countless examples of
mentor relationships scattered throughout the Old and
New Testaments – Naomi and Ruth, Paul and Timothy,
Jesus and his disciples, who he called his friends. In
scripture we see that theirs was not a relationship of
dominance and dictation, but companionship, encour-
agement and helping to understand what God was doing in their lives.
The Turning Point Community Encounter team has been working together in northwest
London for 2 months, evangelizing and supporting church ministry. The team is away from their
families and cultures, out of their comfort zones and sometimes find themselves in challenging
situations. Supporting them in the background are the team mentors, with a girls and guys men-
tor and a ministry leader always ready and willing to listen, offer guidance and encourage spiritual
development. “Eunice is always there for us, and if we need to talk to her, or we need prayer, or
support, she is always waiting.”
Hael has found having a mentor who is specifically there for the guys to be helpful.
“Sometimes I need to share about my life and my feelings, and I know I can text Ab at any time. Its
good to have a male mentor who I can talk to about guy stuff.”
The team also has a ministry leader who is there to train them in effective evangelism.
“When you are working at Turning Point, it helps to have a mentor who has experience with evan-
gelism and can teach us or give advice.”
Ab, the guys mentor, has been working with GA teams for over a year. “I like to walk with
people as they do life and make choices. I like to hear of Gods plan for them.”