If you were to walk along the streets of Cardiff, it wouldn’t take long for you to notice the ethnic and religious diversity.
Why do internationals come here? Some are immigrants whose families have been here for generations. Others are more recent arrivals: asylum-seekers who have left their country in search of a better life; international students who have come to study at one of Cardiff’s universities.
Cardiff is home to a large community from the Horn of Africa. We also meet many from North, Central and West Africa. This is the setting where God has placed our family after years serving in Africa. The task is so great, though, that outreach cannot be the exclusive domain of the ‘ministry professional’. Please pray for us as we serve alongside local churches in various activities such as an international women’s sewing group, women’s English classes, Globe Café for international university students and homework club.
Homework club
Providing help with homework is one viable way to help international families.
Homework club is a time for students (ages 11-18) to come and do their homework. Volunteers are on hand to answer questions. We find that homework in subjects such as religious education generates interesting discussion as they study different religions and consider moral and ethical topics like abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty. We are often asked what we think and believe.
At the start of this school year, we distributed leaflets in the neighbourhood where we hold a weekly homework club for teenage girls. One man took our leaflet saying that this is exactly what was needed. He then asked why it wasn’t for boys. Answer? We need more volunteers!
So, where do we find them? In speaking with Christian university students here in Cardiff, there are many who have a heart to be a witness among the nations. Just prior to the pandemic, one Christian university student and I were working on plans to launch a homework club with Christian university students as the volunteers. Please join us in praying that God would lead, guide and provide in this new initiative.
