Our kids feedback at church.

Something that we have started to do since we came back from Mexico is to help our kids to 'de-brief.' It was important when we came back from Mexico almost 8 years ago, as it helped us to process the time that we spent and prepared us to live in the UK again.

For our 3, we have been thinking about things that we learned, and things that we loved. This Sunday past, it was time to let them share some of their own thoughts with the church, just with some questions. We didn't script them or tell them the kinds of things we wanted them to share, but Carol did take some notes from their dress rehearsal in the house, in case of stage fright in front of the church.

It was amazing not only to watch them share what they felt was important, but as a dad, and someone who was pushed to the front at a young age to sing and act, it impressed me how they felt comfortable, and how the congregation enjoyed listening to them too.

The memories we will have as a family are precious. The way God worked in us and taught us things will last for a long time. I think too it will have been a special time for our kids to understand their mum and dad just that little bit more and why we are the way we are watching us in the MEFI ministry, and with friends in one of the biggest cities in the world.

Our prayer going forward is that they might have been excited for the world wide church, and missions abroad as well as at home. Maybe they will take a year and go somewhere to serve, maybe they will feel that they need to help in the UK. Wherever God wants them.

Next Sunday, our friend Heather, who joined us for the last 2 weeks will be sharing, and then in 2 weeks, we will get a chance to share. Join us if you want to hear more...

Thank-you & we're home.

We really felt that we needed to go back to Mexico this summer. It all started 2 years ago when our old Spanish teacher from Mexico came to visit and commented that she was surprised that we hadn't lost much of our Spanish. We decided that we needed to start saving to finally go back, with Zara finishing Primary 1, and Tabitha getting ready to start High School.

Now we are flying back, and it is hard to believe that years of saving and planning are over and we returning to our home. Of course we come back just that little bit changed, but we are so grateful for so many who not only followed and read what we got up to, but got in contact from time to time, and especially who prayed for us. A special mention needs to go to the Wallyford Livingroom Church leadership and members who worked to fill the spaces left by Carol and I for 6 weeks.

We felt safe. We felt useful. We were healthy for the most part (and we don't take that for granted) and we had so much opportunity to share Jesus as well as to deepen friendships there. Our Spanish held up, and the kids learned so much Spanish too. As I write, we are 50 mins from Edinburgh, and Zara is 'out for the count' and I have half feelings of guilt for dragging her half way round the world, and yet hoping that she will have many amazing memories.

So, hoping that I didn't write too much, and state the obvious too often, thank-you again and again and again for reading this blog this summer. Our 6 weeks in Mexico was never to be a holiday, it was to work, and as we come back it isn't just to get back into the routine of family life again, it is to get back to work in Wallyford, being a blessing there, helping those who need, sharing Jesus and praying for our home village.

God bless you,

The Agnews

What do you love about Mexico?

That's a question we ask the kids all the time. Sometimes the answer is the food, sometimes the answer is the heat and sun, and sometimes it is the friends that they have made.

There is no doubt that we have tried to give our kids a diverse and cultural experience. They have picked up loads of Spanish words and been confident to use them in public. They have endured hours upon hours of traffic, and learned about Mexico while we have been driving.

They have been read a life story of David Livingstone, which told them about a father who had to leave his family behind most of the time he worked in Africa. How missionary life has changed! They have had a good taste of Missionary life with Sunday mornings at the La Loma church, and MEFI drop in centre.

And there have been the day trips, this time we went to the largest stepped pyramids in the world. An amazing trip just outside of Mexico City.

But now the suitcases are being packed and we have one last trip to the city centre and a Christian bookshop in the morning, before we get on our flight at midnight tomorrow night to fly to Toronto and then on to Edinburgh.

This is me signing off for the Agnews until we get home now. We hope you've enjoyed the blog while we have been away. Thanks to those of you who have let us know that you have been following, and we look forward to de-briefing with OMS Mexico and UK when we get back, never mind sharing a little at our church in Wallyford.

God bless you, and now that this blog is back up and running, we'll keep you up to date with what's happening with the Agnews at the Livingroom Church.

The Agnews...

Hasta la vista MEFI

It has been a time never to forget. Kids who are feared on the streets became kids who looked after our family and played with Tabitha, Oscar and Zara. Kids who didn't need to bother with us, allowed us to be part of the MEFI family.

They are never to be taken advantage of, and we didn't want to ever take close up pics, BUT, as family, many wanted to have a photo taken with us, and so, just as a little example, here is a kid who loved to make our kids laugh, and who our kids loved to be around.

It's very Mexican to not smile, although we'll always remember him for his laugh and jokey nature.

Friday was the street kid church service, and Heather shared some of her life story and why she became a Christian. It was especially interesting for the kids to hear about how her Dad had lived on the streets in his younger days, but how he found hope in Jesus.

Thankfully Carol translated. She's so much better at switching between languages than I ever was.

Then it was time for the Agnews to do their Von Trapp time and share a song, and after some group singing, for me to preach for the last time here. I shared about a Parable that Jesus told from Luke 14. It's about a Master who has a feast and invites people to come who end up making excuses not to attend. This Master then sends his servants out in the streets to bring in the poor and disabled. Even as there is more room, the servants are sent to bring people in so that the banquet is full. It's an amazing story that teaches that God wants His Heaven full, and everyone is invited, you and me. A terrific thing for these kids to hear.


As we say 'hasta luego' to the drop in centre, memories will be of the singing. Not as tuneful as you might like, but full of passion. The food, corn tortillas, the pool game and the table football that we bought about 10 years from a donor, and is still going strong. The bible studies, when kids asked questions not to be difficult, but genuinely because they wanted to know more about the God of the Bible. The prayers every meal time for other street kids, people in hospitals and prisons.

MEFI is one special ministry, which provides a family for those who have run away from their own. A safe place for those who sleep rough. Hope for those who for the most part have given up. Praise God for this team, and place. We will truly miss you.

Please join me...

This blog is a news feed, but forgive me if tonight I need it to share some more difficult thoughts. We have started this week praying every day to be useful and with Heather here, we have been able to offer a time for kids to share some more personal physical ailments.

So far Heather has been dealing with the usual cuts and scrapes, but also fungal infections, and STDs that I thought disappeared a long time ago. It's been so good to be able to offer this so that kids can put their minds at rest and also receive treatment in confidence.

We are in our last week of working with the MEFI ministry and even now if amazes us how kids open up and share a little of their stories. There has been a common story this week with kids who have talked about what has led them to be living on the streets. A separation of parents, a mother's new boyfriend, and then physical abuse, resulting in kids running away from their families. It's hard to imagine, but some are 9 and 10 years old when they do that.

One kid this week broke down in tears as he told me that he had been sold by his parents when he was 7, and they had come to find him last week and asked for his forgiveness. He had never finished his primary school studies and couldn't really read. Now he is 24 and involved in prostitution. (There are a few kids who are involved in prostitution who are at the drop in centre at the moment.) He wasn't sure if he could trust his parents again.

What a privilege it is to be allowed into the world of street kids in Mexico City, to be trusted to hear of their hurts, and listen, and shoulder pain, and take it to God in prayer. I need to do a lot of that tonight. Please join me...

Tired but fulfilled. Please keep praying

We've had such a busy week.

After another amazing day at the drop in centre, this week teaching the kids about why the Bible is the ultimate authority when it comes to talking with people who have other different views about theological matters (for the past weeks we've been looking at Jehovah's witnesses, and Mormons...) and they've been thinking about how they would know whether something is true or not, or whether to trust it or not.

It was one of our most absolute joys, the first of many this week, to see a family which meant so much to us when we were here. Cesar and Irma are such hard working and humble people. They run a church in the south of the city, when we left Mexico 8 years ago, we had been privileged to help with English classes, kids clubs and my first time preaching in Spanish. Now, their children are grown, and at the best public University in Mexico City and Cesar and Irma continue the church work. 

Then Heather arrived. She's an amazing family friend and is a hard working Sunday School teacher from the Livingroom Church. Her flight was 5 hours late arriving, it came in at 5 in the morning, but she was up for a cultural tour to ease her into Mexican life, so we took a trip to see one of the most important cultural sites in the Americas, La Villa, the Basilica. It's important to know about why Mexico is the way it is, and why it holds the beliefs it does. 

Then another day at the Drop in Centre, where I had to preach again, we played football and Unihoc with the kids, while Heather began to get ready for treating some of the kids, their wounds and illnesses.

When we got back from football we had a visit from 2 ex street kids who are now back with their family, have their own children and made a trip down to the centre to see us. This is the kind of dream that the work here exists for. Showing Mercy, so that kids can hear about Jesus, and find hope, and re-integrate back into their families where possible. 

This work is slow, and needs more patience than the average saint, but the smiles in this photo tell a story of hope and courage, tears and joy. A faithful mother who searched for her girls and wanted them back, and a team who encouraged and prayed and bridged a gap in love.

It's been a long week with less sleep. We've had time with Alex and Paty in the evening, catching up more, with a missionary family, and all the while driving hours and hours every day in horrific traffic, avoiding pot holes of course, and we are tired. Very tired. Please pray for us in what will be a week of mixing street kid ministry with helping with a holiday Bible club for 2 days.

Monday - Drop in Centre. (Bible study, crafts, games and health checks)

Tuesday - Visiting the streets again. (Football, Uno, giving out food and sharing something from the Bible)

Wednesday - Drop in Centre (same as above)

Thursday - Helping with Holiday Bible Club in La Loma church

Friday - Drop in Centre (Street kid church, sports and health checks)

Saturday - Holiday Bible Club

Sunday - Preaching in La Loma and sharing some songs as a family.

God bless you all and thank-you for praying and remembering the Agnew family.

A visit to the streets

A scrap of land, surrounded by traffic, with the tell tale signs of rubbish strewn around and some tarpaulins hanging. That's when you know there are street kids around. We went as a family today to one of the most well known and trusted groups and were reunited with some faces that we met in 2001 when we first visited Mexico to help someone working with street kids.

Oscar brought one of his footballs that he has bought here, knowing that he'd need to leave it behind, so we got to kick the ball around with some of the group first, then we had a time to share some hope and challenge from the Bible. The group here is varied, from some who live here, to some to used to live here but now have left the streets, to some who are good friends and will come hang out from time to time. Some have been on the streets since their teenage days, and although some are in their 20s and even 30s, they are still classed as street kids. The group here are older than the kids who come to the drop in centre.

After sharing from the Bible, it's time to eat. Our kids had no fear of being part of the team, giving out food. They love to help, and with their little Spanish, 'gracias' and 'de nada' go a long way. Here in the photo you can see Pati in the purple, Julio in the Yellow and Alex with the white striped polo shirt alongside team Agnew. They visit the streets to continue the work of sharing their lives and the hope of Jesus with groups in the city as well as run the drop in centre.

This was again a day of mixed emotions, for although it is good to see some of the kids we knew still alive, it hurts to see some of them continuing to harm themselves with drug use.

It was also a reminder of the sadness that hangs over groups of street kids. Oscar Suarez Islas was one of the most amazing street kids we knew, and they have this cross as a memory of his death in 2013. He inspired the naming of our own Oscar. The streets claim the lives of too many of the kids that MEFI work with. Asking some of the guys about other kids that we would have known from this group, we found that some have died since we were last here.

We have 2 weeks left here now before we return to Scotland. Please pray for us as we continue to encourage the MEFI team in their work, and come alongside some of the kids whose lives are touched by their compassion and dedication.

A typical Sunday

If you've ever been to the The Livingroom Church, you might know that we are very grateful for the use of the Wallyford Miners' Club, which is normally a pub, so we have to be out of the way for normal working hours. Usually we get in at about 9.30am, and have 30 mins to set up the rooms for our service and Sunday School, then we have 1 hour and 15 mins for what we do, which includes time to sing, pray, let people know what's happening during the week, and then get into the Bible.

Things couldn't be more different at the church that we have been going to on Sundays.

We arrive at 12pm taking about 45 mins to get there from where we are staying, although some from the church have been there from 9.30 for prayer, then Sunday School for the whole church until 11.45am, then the normal church service.

So, while in the Livingroom, we have to be done in 75 mins flat, in La Loma, just for the service, they sing for 60 mins. It's loud and lively stuff in Mexico. Part of the singing time is a prayer time, when many people go up to the front to pray, and so the Pastor will pray for them in their needs. Tabitha declared today that he must do the longest prayers in history.

Then there is the preaching. Our time in the Miners' Club is limited, here, if the Pastor wants to preach on, he does, today it was 1 hour and 10 mins. (And good stuff too!)  ((I preached the Sunday before and was considered very short at 45 mins!!!))

In the background you can see the Mexican flag. It's important to have that in the churches here. In a country where the majority have been brought up Catholic, for some, to be Mexican is to be Catholic, displaying the flag reminds people that even though they might not be Catholic, they are still true patriots.

We started at 12, and finished at 2.15 today, then we had 20 mins of announcements and asking for help for various things in the church, including a holiday Bible club from 25th to the 29th of July, which we'll be helping at a little. We finally left church at 3pm after chatting to folks that we knew from being here before and finally we have an hour's journey in heavy traffic to get home. 2 more to go...

Stretching your limits

On Friday, it was time to share with the 20 street kids again in their 'Friday Church' service. What do you do when you only have a limited number of occasions to share with a group of kids who have experienced different abuses, losses and disappointments in life, and are sitting right in front of you?

We arrived at the Drop in Centre, and Carol went with our friend Margaret and Tabitha to the centre of the city to look for craft materials for MEFI. (I make that sound easy, but I assure you it is not). Meanwhile the street kids were finishing their shower routine and getting something to eat. (Not a great idea before a church service.) I was trying to go over what I had chosen to say, and first one of the kids who has been really incredible at the centre, very respectful and considerate, came in to chat in the office where I was working. He just wanted a quiet space to chat, to find out a little more about our family, how much longer we were going to be helping with the work, and how he was grateful that we were there.  As soon as he went out, another kid came in. He started to tell me that he was from Veracruz, and his father had walked out on the family when he was very young, and his mum had a new boyfriend who hated him, and would hit him, so he ran away from home. He was 7 at the time, and after street homes for young kids, and moving cities, he had been in Mexico City for about 7 years now. He's about 24. I told him that he had been just a little younger than Oscar when he ran away from home. It was hard to stomach.

Food time again.

Talk about raising the stakes. What do you share, in Spanish, with a group of kids who want to know more about God?

Well, you tell them about Jesus, who helped the poorest, the outcasts of His society, and showed them respect, and told them how to be right with God. You tell them that they are valuable in God's eyes, and that they can turn to Him. With the best Spanish you can muster, stretching your vocabulary and grammar to their limits, you point them to One who died for them because He loved them.


This is the work of MEFI, the work of the team who give their energies to talk, play, give haircuts and pick out head lice, treat wounds, (we've seen all that and more this week) and yet take the time to share with them something that can actually give them hope for the future. PLEASE pray for this team.

Just to finish though, I hope you can make out in the picture below our Oscar, who has fulfilled a dream to play football in Mexico with street kids. He even scored 2 goals this time. (I think he gets his football skills from his mum...)

Meanwhile right beside the football pitch was a play park, so Zara got to find ants, butterflies, flowers and weeds, slides, cobwebs and plenty of dust. 2 happy kids.

What about our kids?

We can be in our car for up to 3 hours on the days when we go to the Drop in Centre. That means making our sandwiches and getting our lunch ready and travelling over an hour to the Centre and then back for dinner. There is an office where the kids can have some time out from the street kids, to write, read, draw or eat.

But Agnew kids don't sit for long, so here are some of the kinds of things they love to get involved in.

Tabitha and Oscar love to wait on tables when it comes to meal times. Here is the service hatch from the kitchen and on the right in the photo is the Drop in Centre cook, Rosa, who has a lot of work to do preparing 2 meals for up to 25 people at a time. When the street kids have had their first serving, if they are still hungry, they can line up for more food. Zara loves to help in this way. It may mean filling up plates, or giving more tortillas, or pouring more juice/coffee/other Mexican hot drinks.

Eating is very important in the Drop in Centre of course, and it must always happen after a time to pray and thank God for the food, remembering other street kids who may be in trouble, without food, in prison or in hospital. It's also a time for the usual games of making sure that everyone gets their fair share.

Another thing that is very important in the Drop in Centre is play/game time. 'Uno' is a great game which produces lots of laughter when someone has to pick up cards, and here you can see Tabitha remembering her numbers and colours in Spanish. We'll need to buy new packs of these cards for the Drop in Centre soon, as they have been so well used that you can hardly shuffle them anymore.

Another terrific game that they love to play was made by a team from America who came down. Starting with 6 pool balls each, you set them up as you like at your end, then take turns to throw the 'white' down the channel to try to knock your opponent's pool balls into their trough before they can get rid of  all of yours. If it is a draw, you then start with 5 etc. etc. until there is a winner. It's a great game for some kids who's motor skills have been impaired by solvent abuse.

There can be a lot of banter during these games which of course goes over Tabitha, Oscar and Zara's heads, but the street kids who use the centre love to include our kids, and try their own English words out, and with Mum and Dad in sight, they feel involved, useful and safe in the Drop in Centre.

We are so proud of these 3. Even for Carol and I it can be daunting when you are in another culture very different from your own, so please keep Tabitha, Oscar and Zara in your prayers too. From the travel, to the food, to the language, this is quite the experience for them, and not an easy one.

Thanks again for following our escapades, and more at the weekend. God bless you.

Quite overwhelmed

Our lives seem a world away. Today I listened to one young adult who attended the drop in centre who had fled the insecurity of Honduras to try to make it to America, only to have his money and identity papers stolen in Mexico. Now he has nothing, and has lived on the streets of Mexico City for 7 years now, trying to find work.

We had a visitor to the drop in centre to catch up with us, someone we loved so much when we were here, whose family has suffered things that we just can't write in this blog. Carol had time to listen, and pray with her.

Things that people are living through are quite overwhelming.

Today was the drop in centre church service for the street kids and a time to share some hope from the Bible, and singing some Christian songs. Of the 23 young folks who came to the centre today, they sang as though their lives depended on it. We are in awe of this work.

I asked the kids as I was about to share from the Bible, why they came to the drop in centre. While some admitted that the food and a warm shower first drew them, now they come because they want to learn about God and grow in their faith. It shows when they share their food and take turns to help one of the young mothers with her 6 month old baby.

Not that they are saints by the way. We had to stop one from stealing on the way back from playing football in a local park, and others who were terrorising a group of school girls walking down the street. Lovable rogues they sure are...

Looking forward to spending more time next week with this crew.

Thank-you for praying

I can tell you now, Carol is the photographer in our family, and if it wasn't for her, you'd have nothing to look at, she's been good at snapping some pictures of our time, so we can describe to you what we've been up to.

We let Zara have 2 days at home, she still has a cough which we don't want to get worse, but her asthma was not bothering her at all today and she has been feeling much better. Thank-you for praying. She's taking a decongestant at the moment, and we are very aware as parents that we need to go at a pace that suits all our family.

That being said, we have been throwing our kids into some challenging situations and we are so proud at how they are coping. Last night we went to help our friend Margaret with 2 English classes that she teaches. At times, Tabitha, Oscar and Zara had to split off to have conversation with people who have been learning English, so having their little photo albums of their pass-times in Scotland has been a good starting point.

They continue to pick up more Spanish words every day.

Not only that, it was our first time together at the Drop-in-Centre in Mexico City. There were 17 kids there today, which is a good number. They are teenagers mostly, and 1 girl there today had a young baby. Our crew got stuck in serving breakfast to the kids, and playing games with them too.

You can see Zara serving some tacos to a queue of hungry street kids from the kitchen. Tabitha, Oscar and Zara have really enjoyed their time, and the street kids who have been coming have enjoyed encouraging them to take part playing table football, Uno and the likes with them.

We'll be back there on Friday for their Church service, and it will be the first time to preach in Spanish for 8 years, although I had to give a class to a group today, which was a good warm up. Teaching needs to be interactive, cause after a good meal, and a shower with clean clothes, they do feel like having a good kip!

Today it was amazing to pray for some of the kids as they shared their needs. For one it was a mother with Cancer. For another, it was strained family relationships which had pushed them to the streets in the first place. For some, they didn't even want to think about their families, let along have someone pray for them.

We feel so very privileged to be accepted into a group of people who carry hurts and difficulties, but take time to listen to some N.Irish folks. That's all for now, so thanks for remembering us and God bless you!

Introduction to the drop in Centre and a prayer request

This will be our base during the day for the next weeks, it's the amazing drop in centre where the street kids come to get some good food, to wash, and to get some hope in the form of learning about Jesus.

I won't be taking too many close up pictures of the kids, since they are not there to be exploited, but hopefully you will get a flavour of the work that needs to be done for these amazing kids.

I remembered the way, and didn't get lost, which is a blessing, but road works made the trip take 2 hours, instead of the 1 hour I hoped it might take. Coming home was much quicker thankfully. Tabitha and Oscar are learning that mad driving is just normal in Mexico.

Just to explain a little from this picture, in between Oscar and Tabitha are 2 people who are absolute saints. 14 years working with the street kids now, they are Alex and Pati. Alex even shared with them about how he had been in prison, a drug addict, but when he found Jesus, his life totally changed, and he promised that when he left prison, he'd help street kids.

Beside Oscar to the left is someone that Carol and I met way back in 2001 when we first went to Mexico City. He worked at traffic lights cleaning car windows, but is now working for a local hospital and earning proper money. It is a little selfish maybe, but it was a relief to see some familiar street kids in the drop in centre, even after 7 years.

The other gentleman brings teams down from America to help with projects in the street kid ministry, and is a terrific support to the work. In the background you can see clothes on shelves, where the kids can get some fresh clean clothes when they arrive, all donated for the kids.

But you'll notice that Carol and Zara are missing. Zara is a bit congested which is making her breathless, and so she needed to stay home today to have an opportunity to rest. Her stamina is low, so we'll take it a day at a time to see when she is ready to be up and running. Can you pray for her that she'll get better?

Thanks everyone, and God bless you.

3 days in...

It's hard to believe that we have only been here for 3 days, it honestly feels as though we hardly left 7 years ago. We've been finding out way around the North Eastern part of the city remembering the streets and motorways, the speed bumps and short cuts.

3 days in and we had our first time back at the church we used to attend and help with. It was so good to see faces of people we loved and worked alongside. We had so many hugs and were given such a welcome. They were so excited to see Tabitha and Oscar again, and to meet Zara. The kids were absolute stars this morning, speaking their bits of Spanish, and making some friends in the Sunday School. They are very determined to learn as much Spanish as they can so that they can communicate better as the days go on.

I've been asked to preach a couple of times while I am here, which I pray of course will give the pastor a little break as well as be a blessing to the church. It was amazing to show Tabitha and Oscar where they went to the Creche, where they used to pop into a little shop beside the church to get bread to eat. They left the service (Which was 2.5 hours long!!!!) really excited about going again.

Then in the afternoon we met up with our Spanish teacher who became such a good friend and has visited us in Scotland and Northern Ireland a couple of times. She's a good English speaker, so the kids were able to relax and speak in English again.

So far we've been able to visit neighbours where we used to live, meet UK OMS missionaries too and tomorrow we are going to introduce the kids to the drop in Centre, which will be our base during the day for the majority of our time here. Do pray for us as we drive down (which will likely take us over an hour in the traffic) and as we help them to see why we came to work with Street Kids in the first place so many years ago.

God bless and thanks for following our escapades.

We're here!

We've been here for a little over a day, arriving in the middle of the night while you were waking up and starting the day. To be welcomed at the airport by our wonderful friend Margaret was a relief. (Never mind that all our suitcases were here...)

We are relearning the difficulties of being in Mexico. The traffic, the terrible driving, the heat, the altitude. Even in my first driving experience to get used to driving again (with Margaret as my co-pilot) we are quickly remembering that you need to keep your eyes on the road with motorbikes weaving in and out of cars, and remembering that no-one here sat a driving test...

However it is amazing to be here again. We have been easily fatigued on our first day. The altitude has made us very tired, and the heat has zapped our energy too. We've had to push the kids to stay up so that we can get used to the time difference, but we are blessed to be staying with Margaret who is helping us to settle in.

Over the next few days we will be meeting up with friends and going back to the church we attended while we lived here, which we know will be an incredible time, and very emotional. Our Spanish is kicking back in again, and we are preparing for the beginning of our work with MEFI next week.

Zara took this picture, which in itself is so telling. It is a different world. Tabitha, Oscar and Zara saw their first humming bird, tasted different crisps and have even begun to speak in Spanish with people they meet with their simple words and phrases. We will re-experience Mexico this time with their help.

God bless you all, and I'll report in again on Sunday.

Packing....check!

Some things to keep the kids busy on the journey, some clothes, and some presents...

We're almost ready. We are looking forward to seeing some people who have meant so much to us, who we have prayed for, and who have been faithfully serving the Mexican people for years. We fly to Toronto, and then on to Mexico City, it will take 24 hours for us to get there with the stop over in Canada.

Pray that we get there safety and that our baggage arrives safely too. (We don't take that for granted.) Looking forward to updating you from the other side of the pond.

Prayer for MEFI

Apologies for not writing anything in a couple of weeks, just safe to say that we have been busy in our amazing village with a Gala, and a visit from Carol's parents and writing a dissertation (which is nearly finished its first draft). Glad to say that my supervisor is confident with my direction, and so it's looking like corrections in July and beginning of August, then printing to hand in for the end of August.

We have just heard that the director of MEFI is going in for surgery just before we arrive, so she will be out of action until the middle of July, but we will still be able to be part of the ministry through our amazing friends Alex and Pati, who were the first people who showed interest in the ministry all the way back in 2004. Please pray for Carmen, the director of MEFI, that she will recover quickly, and the team as they pull together without her around.

There is much to do this week, packing, cleaning, getting ready for our Sunday School prize and family service this Sunday, and making sure we have injections finished, church rotas completed until we get back, and making sure we have everything we need to get on those flights.

Thank-you so much for following our travels, and I'll be posting again before we go. God bless you.

3 weeks and counting

Can I just ask for some prayer as we prepare?

1. For Andrew to finish his first draft of his Dissertation. It's about people who affiliate to a Church denomination but who never attend. This need to be printed and handed in during August, but there will no doubt be many corrections to do.

2. For the church in Wallyford. We will be making rotas and giving responsibility over to our amazing church family while we are away. It is our responsibility to care for the church.

3. For our plans as we discuss with our friends and co-workers in Mexico about our schedule while we are there. Without exhausting ourselves, we want to squeeze as much in as we can.

4. For preparations to share while we are there, with churches that we loved, and the MEFI team that we were part of.

5. For our children. They are excited, but they have little idea how hard this will be with their limited Spanish.

6. Most importantly, that our missions trip and our preparations will be useful to God in His amazing Kingdom as we depend on Him and seek to do those 'good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.' (Ephesians 2:10)

Thank-you so much for following us. God bless you!

Recovery

Yesterday was a day we all dreaded. The first round of injections. We had one child telling us, through sobs, that it would be OK to leave her behind, while the rest went to Mexico, cause she did NOT want the injections. She was the same one who burst out laughing when she finally got her first one, cause she didn't even feel it going in.


Then we had another that I needed to hold tightly, both arms and the head away, while he had his done. When it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, he told the nurse to quickly do the other one.


Then there was the littlest one. With no time to think through what was going to happen, it was a huge shock to her when she got her first, and then a battle to receive the second.


We had a nice treat to finish with (thanks to Tesco vouchers) and we all sat rather emotionally drained, but a little proud of ourselves that we had made it through.

Then came the evening. Our arms felt as though they had been thumped numerous times in the same spot, on both arms. Pain killers before bed, we woke up to the NEXT DAY. Typhoid must be terrible to catch, and we needed to have our inoculations for that, but it has floored us all today. Mild headaches, aching all over, and just wanting to lie and do as little as possible.

We still have a few more to get, and it is the reminder for us that missionaries all over the world, and their children are trying to keep bugs, beasties and diseases at bay. We are so thankful that we can get most of these free on our own NHS. Are we best to call it pain-before-the-gain, or just wise preventative medicine? All so that we can see people we love, and minister alongside them.

Fresh news from Mexico

Fresh news from Mexico arrives as an email, and there are new faces that we might meet while we are there. It is so encouraging for us that the work that we were a part of continues. More and more street kids are becoming ex-street kids as they come into contact with the Good News that Jesus died for them and that they are loved by someone who will never let them down. Someone who understands temptation and someone who understands weakness.

It will be the greatest privilege to share with some of these young rejected people about the offer of a relationship with someone who has their best interests in mind ALWAYS.

There are times when in Scotland it seems that people don't feel they need God. It seems good to share with a homeless drug addict street kid the love of God, but does the UK need Jesus? I believe it does. A relationship with the maker, the forgiveness of a King, the love of a Father, the self sacrificial love of a Saviour.

Maybe it's the wealth of the UK, the stability of a government and the standard of living that we expect which stops us seeing our own need for God. Maybe we are in a much more dangerous position than the poor street kid in Mexico City.

2 clocks ticking

It's 50 days until we board our planes and touch down in Mexico City, and as a preparation, it was wonderful to meet up with Steve Cosslett who served in Mexico with OMS, as field director and developing the ministry with the Street Kids called MEFI (link to the side of this page). It is always so amazing to connect again with people who have smelled the same foods and driven the same terrible roads, never mind working in a foreign country. What an encouragement to get together for a catch up.

It was a reminder that the Agnews have less time to get ready. At the same time there is another counter ticking. Almost 5 years ago I started a Masters in Moorlands College, Christchurch. I had 2 years of lectures, and essays, and then I was set loose to do a dissertation. The procrastinator that I am has pottered away at this for the last 3 years, but now the deadline is approaching. 31st August this year. In 50 days, I am attempting to complete this ready for printing, but it will require me to write around 1000 words each week, never mind do any corrections that my supervisor wants me to make.

I need prayers for this. It is a piece of research into why people would claim an affiliation to a denomination on their census form, yet never attend a church. I have been doing a survey of my village in order to obtain some data for this project. It's been interesting, but it needs to be written up correctly and see if I can draw any conclusions to inform the practice of the Livingroom Church.

2 countdowns. HELP!!!

A Potted History

I have just been listening to my wife be interviewed for a radio programme. Listening to a quick recap of our lives, meeting in Edinburgh, running a kids club in our church which had about 60 kids coming along to it. It was a terrific training ground for how to develop and team, and how to work out how to explain the amazing news of the Bible and Jesus to kids on the Royal Mile.

From there we felt that God wanted us to serve alongside a Mexican pioneer working with street kids in Mexico City. Through that we would visit groups of children on the streets, and then helped to remodel and equip a drop in centre for street youth in the city, leaving behind an incredible team that are still serving.


Of course, the door closed to our time there and we moved back to help the church we had served in Edinburgh to start a new church in a village in the outskirts called Wallyford. How we love this place. We serve a small community with a BIG heart through the Livingroom Church. The Agnews, a potted history. Great interview.

But of course, it is our privilege this summer to revisit our friends in Mexico. Will you follow us and pray for us? We can't wait to give you updates on the work there.

A good team

I am blessed to have been in and continue to be part of some amazing teams. I learned the importance of a strong team when I worked with a children's outreach at Carrubbers Christian Centre when I was part of a team that I eventually went on to co-lead with my wife. We invested into that team, spending training times together, encouraging team members to develop and grow, and even venturing on a weekend away each year to pray, chat through ideas and changes and just hang out.

When my wife and I went to Mexico with One Mission Society, we were part of a superb team that worked in many different areas to tell people about Jesus. We were part of a Street Kid team, there were others part of an English Teaching team, others in a School team, a Bible College team and Church teams. We began to refine our team work and leading more in another culture.

Then we came back to be part of a Church planting team for what has become Wallyford Livingroom Church. A small team began the work, and is still led by a team of elders. I have always loved this team, and we have learned to work so well together. There is incredible wisdom and care in this team.

The team I love the most is of course 'team Agnew,' and the woman that I married nearly 17 years ago. She is hard working, dedicated, and constantly looking for innovation and clarity. We work to teach our kids to follow Jesus in this team.

We can't work without our teams. It is so good to be part of a good team at that. We are so looking forward to being part of the MEFI team again this summer, the UNIFAM La Loma team, and the OMS Mexico team. 2 months to go!

Living in the light of the Resurrection

What a busy weekend! Apart from the normal setting up for a Church service in a building that doesn't belong to you (but you are grateful to use) and celebrating as a church together, we had a church lunch after the service to have time to hang out together for longer. Due to the rehearsals for the Resurrection 2017 concert in Edinburgh, it was a dash off to that for 2pm. Here was my view for the rest of the day.

A collection of musicians and singers from all across Edinburgh and outside Edinburgh too, from many local churches, getting ready for a huge praise event in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh at 7.30pm. With a few breaks we were singing from 2 until about 10pm about our amazing Lord Jesus.
"Christ is risen!"
"He is risen indeed!"

Now that Easter is over, we as Christians live in the light of the Resurrection. Jesus' resurrection is so important. At church that morning we were reading from Luke 24 where Jesus asked His followers to examine His hands to see that He was real. Then He ate some fish. Luke wants us to be sure that we know that this was no ghost. Why? Because Jesus had risen not just as 'spirit' but bodily, proves that God has reversed the curse of death that came from sin. Because Jesus has risen, we know that we will rise again too. This world, with its threat of nuclear war in North Korea, with the uncertainty of elections now in the UK, is not our hope or disappointment. Our hope is to rise again and be delivered from death and sin and sickness. Our hope is to be with the Saviour who loves us.

 So, although I didn't get to spend time with my family on Easter Sunday, I got to spend time with an amazing band, with a committed choir, a terrific orchestra, and other singers who are simply outstanding soloists. Singing for hours about the Saviour who loves us.

This week, I get to live in the light of the knowledge that I serve a Saviour who has won the battle against sin and it's effects on me. I am part of His family. I am forgiven. I am cleansed. I am free. Worth singing about, for hours.

Holy Week

It's nearly the end of Holy week, and it is always so rewarding to think through the time line of the the last week of Christ's ministry before the Crucifixion. There are so many useful little e-mail helps that you can sign up for during the season, and as a church we decided to have a Communion service on the Thursday evening, when the Christian church remembers the Last Supper Passover meal, and then we also had a time to reflect on Good Friday, and the events, from the trials, to the flogging, to the carrying of the Cross, to the Crucifixion, and the events which happened around it, to the burial of Jesus' body in the tomb.

Now it is Saturday, and it is a day of waiting. Waiting for Resurrection Sunday, and the hope that we have because Jesus rose again. A funny day Saturday. Tomorrow will be a busy day, we have our church service in the morning of course, but then it is off to the Usher Hall in Edinburgh to rehearse for a concert called Resurrection 2017. It is a yearly celebration run by Origin Scotland, and a time when Christians from across the city and the Lothians join together to celebrate the day. There will be some incredible music, and it always feels a little like heaven.

Saturday. They day before the Resurrection. The greatest days of history that we get to remember every year. God bless you this Holy Week.

Missionary Friends

There are few things as wonderful as meeting with missionary friends. There is always a deep chat with people that know what you have been through, the challenges of living in a foreign culture, the pressures of family life balance with ministry demands, and working within an organisation which may have its own ways of doing things.

We had a wonderful day sharing experiences with these wonderful OMS missionaries, the Reid family, and it was a privilege and a pleasure to listen to and learn from them, especially with us planning our own visit this summer.

After Easter, we will be getting our dates down for ministry, working on injections, and keeping in touch with our friends on the field as the time for our visit approaches. We will of course be working with the street kid ministry, but we know that it will be an emotional time as we spend precious hours with people who we love, and we pray that our time there will be an encouragement. It certainly was today for us all. If you are an OMS supporter in Northern Ireland, you may recognise the location, just below where Castle Erin used to stand in Portrush. We had some memorable OMS conferences there.

Praying

I've been using a new book to help me follow Jesus, a book called 'Habits of Grace' by David Mathis. It reads like a seasoned classic, like something that might have been written long ago by a 'great' of the Christian faith, but without the difficult language. Even so, the chapters are deep and deserve quiet thought.

Last night the author reminded me that God initiates contact with us. He is the 'God of all grace' (1 Peter 5:10). In that part of the Bible, where there are worries and dangers and sufferings, there is a God of all grace who will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish the one who casts all their cares on Him.

In the great privilege of prayer, we don't just 'talk to God', we actually talk to a God who has been working around us and has communicated to us, and so is waiting for us to talk to Him. When we talk to Him, we unburden our thoughts and cares and difficulties on Him, trusting that He will 'restore, confirm, strengthen and establish' us.

As someone who follows Jesus living in the UK, my worries range from health issues to emotional cares, and my need for a 'God of all grace' is great because of my own propensity to try to manage everything myself. For Christians living in other countries, I am reminded by the news that their cares and dangers are more acute, often involving their lives, and 1 Peter 5 rightly mentions the persecutions of Christians throughout the world.

What a gift prayer is. It is a time to cast my anxieties on the One who loved me first, who has initiated contact, who is waiting for me to bow in prayer.

Following Jesus

At our prayer meeting on Tuesday night we reflected on the work that a church does to help other people to follow Jesus. There is so much that a church does. What a church can do is 'lead a horse to water.' Of course we know that it 'can't make it drink.'

A church can encourage people to open their Bibles and read to listen to God. It can encourage people to talk to God and rely on God. An amazing lady from our church is has undergone a life saving operation, and may need some more treatment. For us to walk with her, she has been an inspiration in depending on God, even in the face of a valley of the shadow of death. She has known the rod and staff of comfort of the Good Shepherd.

Through the disciplines of reading her Bible and prayer, she has intimacy with Jesus. She has a peace that is felt and deep. It's a peace that I pray as the pastor of a church that others would experience as they face their challenges and difficulties.

This Sunday in John 7 we will be looking at the dangers of relying on a tradition when it comes to follow Jesus. Robotic routines and cold religion are dangerous. The object of our affection deserves the efforts of our energies as we listen to Him and grow closer to Him. As said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" What satisfaction there is to be found when we follow Jesus.

The COST of Missions

We are sorting out our clinical records! When you have moved a little when the kids were little, not only do you have 2 languages to wade through looking for translations of different injections that the older kids have had, never mind making sure that we have the dates for these, there are other little injections that have been thrown in cross culturally, things that are important in Mexico that kids in our country would never have needed to have been given.

So we went to a great place called Healthlink 360, where we went before as missionaries with OMS to see what we need. Great place btw. They had a look through what the kids have had, what we have had and in trying to save us some money, have sent us off to our own GP to get the ones we should be able to get on the NHS.

So our poor kids have to have injections that they wouldn't normally need, only that we are heading to a country where they could be at risk of some life threatening illnesses. We forgot about that part as we were praying about going. So, none today, but they are coming!!!!

The little talked about but large (in the eyes of children) COST of missions.

WHY Missions?

Christian missionaries head to their communities, and to other communities, even in other lands, to tell people the amazing story of God entering a world to save people. Even in that little phrase, there is a story of death, or impending judgement, but a rescue mission of love. At the heart of the 'telling' is the Son of God, Jesus. Without mentioning His name and His work, His words and His offer to humanity, there is no mission.

Who does Jesus think He is to be so important? We're studying John 6 at the moment in our church, and Jesus' words are striking. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." (verse 51) His claim isn't to be a guide, or a great moral teacher, but to be MUCH more than that. He offers life after death. To get that life, you need Jesus. 

Why is belief in Jesus so important? Again, the words of Jesus, in verse 40. "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Missions happen because people need to know about and follow Jesus. To believe in Jesus is learn from Him, believe what He says is true, and do what He says. Then they will have a life with Him after death.

Where else can you go? Following Jesus is hard. People can think you mad for living your life according to a man who lived so long ago, but if Jesus is who He claims to be, God the Son, then that changes everything. When God enters our world to save people, we need to listen to find out why we are in danger and what needs to be done, how we can escape the danger. That's when Missions happen. That's why Jesus is central to Missions. He is the bread of missions. 

The Body of OMS

We learned about One Mission Society while we first visited Mexico in 2001, having been married for only 6 months as we went to visit some missionaries who worked there. The processes started for OMS to partner with and then to oversee the work with street kids there, now called MEFI.

It was wonderful to have a day on Saturday to meet with other OMS supporters and workers to think about the whole work of the Mission from a UK perspective. There are people who represent OMS as trustees, helping the organisation comply with the laws of the land. There are the staff who work to represent the Mission to churches, and care for missionaries. There are volunteers to meet to do practical work, there is MFM, prayer groups, supporters and of course the missionaries themselves.

So often we forget the people who work in our behalf. People who don't always get the thanks that they deserve, people who enjoy anonymity.  One of the best things about the OMS gathering on Saturday was being with people who prayed for us and supported us while we were in Mexico, people we had lost contact with.

1 Corinthians 12 talks about how the work we do in church and missions is like a body. Many different elements of the body that do their part and work together. It really felt like that on Saturday with OMS.

Just a 'proud dad' moment to share, we brought along our 2 youngest to the day. Loaded with books and pencils and iPads, we were ready to keep them occupied. Oscar, born in Mexico of course, was really captivated by the day. He wants to be a missionary one day with OMS. Could there be any more encouragement from a day like that but that a young boy would feel like a part of the body, and want to help too?

Tired of conflict...

Conflicts. Feels like everyone in our country is fighting at the moment. As a Northern Irishman, there was plenty of fighting in our country, something which seems to have simmered away all this time. Here in Scotland, the fighting over control continues as our policitians seek a new Independence Referendum, never mind living in the Brexit reality. I'm tired of conflict, and yet people are only getting warmed up here in the UK.

Then there is my community, where historical conflict continues after Miners' strikes. Where neighbours fight, parents fight against our school, our community fights against vandals, and we have a police report giving us the numbers of reported incidents in our community. Will things get any better?

Then I turn to a passage in John chapter 6 which I'm preaching on this Sunday. Here is again another conflict. 2 agendas clashing. The people's agenda to get what they can from Jesus, and force Him to be their King against the Roman occupants of the country; against God's agenda to break into their selfish proud world, get their attention and help them to see that He is at work, and can give them life. The people think life is about their comfort, God knows that this world can never give them the comfort they crave. God wants to give them a life that this world cannot match.

2 agendas, but a very uneven conflict. We will only have peace when we submit to God's agenda. We will only have life when we stop depending on the comforts of this one; politicians, to flags, to economic trade relations. Meaning and hope find their fulfilment in Jesus. There's the only comforting truth.

What can you do in 100 days?

What can you do in 100 days? Apparently it is a good time to get fit, or analyse a presidency according to Google. My wonderful wife has just told me that one of our most amazing friends, a missionary to Mexico called Margaret Neff, and an OMS stalwart, has posted in Facebook that in 100 days we will be arriving there. That's quite sobering. 100 days. It's not a long period of time really. That reminds me, we still need to check out what injections we need to get or refresh...

Over the last week we have been contacted by some friends in Mexico who haven't known about our plans to visit, and it has been wonderful to let them know that we can see them soon. Above all, we are so excited to be able to serve with the MEFI team.

In the meantime, we have the OMS Scotland conference this Saturday and a little presentation about being able to re-visit a work that we support and pray for. Maybe we'll see you there. 100 days...and counting...