We’ve just come back from our outreach in Blackpool. We had no idea whatsoever that this would be our destination until about 2 weeks before the end of the lecture phase. We were praying as a group that God would reveal to us where He wanted us to go for the last 15 days of the UK outreach, since it still looked pretty much unsorted. The answer was Blackpool.We were hosted by a church in the most needy area of Blackpool. Their hospitality and generosity were amazing! We all felt as part of a family there. During our time there we were able to pray for the city, considered to be one of the darkest places in England, and speak life onto it. We also prayed for our host church, the spheres of society and people we came across. We picked up trash on the streets, helped out at a cafe that is run by a lovely couple from the church who happened to be my hosts, and got actively involved in activities at the church such as giving testimonies and leading Bible study, Sunday School and Prayer Meeting.

The highlight of this outreach though, was, for most of us, helping out at the Hope Project. The project consists of bringing hope to the homeless people in Blackpool by providing food, clothes and assistance for them. I got in touch with many beautiful and valuable people so full of potential who have gone through lots of pain in their lives. I felt helpless and all I wanted to do was stay quiet, look them in the eyes and listen to them. We were able to pray for the original design of almost everyone there and give them words of encouragement from God. It was touching to see some people with tears in their eyes as we were telling them how precious they are to God. We also handed out leaflets about the Hope Project in 3 big blocks of flats where apparently most drug dealers and addicts are concentrated. It was quite an adventure…

I was so blown away by how much the leaders of the project care for people. There’s so much love in their eyes that, honestly, I just wanted to stay near them just to feel a bit of that love. As I watched people all excited gather around the van to get something to eat, I remembered that passage in Matthew 25 which says: “whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”. I could visualise Jesus Himself queueing to receive pot-noodles, coffee, a new pair of jeans and love. A massive amount of love.

We went to Blackpool to bless that city but I reckon we ended up being the ones who were blessed the most.

Ester, Brazil