To my friends and family,

July 2009

People keep asking me "So what is it you'll actually be doing next year?" I guess most
people who will receive this letter already know that I have been a student at UCLan in
Preston for the past two years, studying French and TESOL. I have to spend the third
year of this degree in the country of my target language. I was eager to find something
to do that would not only be of use in terms of my degree, but also that could serve an
eternal purpose, and I thank God that people in charge of the year abroad scheme at
university here were willing to allow me to pursue this.

I believe that student ministry is a really vital and strategic work in proclaiming the
Gospel. Students are probably better placed than any others to reach other students
with the Gospel, both in terms of physical location, and means of communication. It was
with this conviction from learning about the work, and seeing student-led mission teams
in action in Preston, that I applied for the IFES InterAction programme earlier this year.

“So what is InterAction?”

InterAction is a programme which places Christian graduates/year abroad students from

around the world, with national student movements around Europe for periods of 1-3
years in order to partner with local CUs and churches, to encourage and equip students
around Europe in living and speaking for Jesus. It will be as much of a learning and
growing process for me, as for them. I will not be going to 'advise' or be put in charge of
student groups, rather I'll be there to serve, equip and strengthen the national
movement in the ways that they choose to share the Gospel with others.

So, I applied and had an interview and have now been accepted onto this programme
and will hopefully be leaving for Brussels, after a week of orientation and training, in the
first week of September.

“What will you actually be DOING though?”

It's kind of hard to know exactly what I'll be doing until I actually get there as a lot of it is
apparently down to your own initiative and seeing what needs and opportunities there
are once we're there. As in this country, CUs can change quite a lot from one year to the
next as students begin and move on from their time at university.

In Brussels next year there will be two InterAction workers: myself and another girl
called Lucy who is a language graduate and who had been on the Relay discipleship
programme with UCCF this past year. There are also two team leaders, Tim and Emily
Haye, who live in Brussels permanently with their three children, to work with IFES and
the national student movements of GBU (French-speaking) and Icthus (Dutch-speaking).

Both Lucy and I will probably each be placed with two of the four CU groups in Brussels,
and could become involved in: leading Bible studies and/or one to ones, helping to run
evangelistic events, working with international students, flyering and manning street-
side literature tables. Regular meetings to attend will include team meetings once per
week, one to ones with my supervisor (Emily), two regular central CU meetings (one for
each group), and fortnightly 'Focus' meetings. These meetings are put on by all 4 CU
groups together, on a variety of themes such as "Is Jesus' resurrection a historical
necessity?" and "Darwin and the creator God: arguments and analyses", they are open
to anyone who is interested to go along to.

“Where will you be living?”

When we arrive in the first week of September, a couple of weeks before the start of the
academic year there, we will be staying with Tim and Emily temporarily whilst searching
for our own accommodation, hopefully in a shared house with non-Christian Belgian
students. (We figured this would be a good way not only of meeting students and being
able to witness day to day, but also of improving our French!)

“How will you be funded?”

Mainly via statutory student funding from the government, however because the work
placement I am undertaking is with a private organisation, as opposed to one with links
with the university, I am not eligible for a full loan, which means I will need to raise
roughly another £1000 in support to fund my living, travel and ministry costs whilst I am
over there.

Thank you for your encouragement and wanting to be involved in this work. I'm really
looking forward to seeing God working in the lives of students and being able to share
what is going on with you over the course of the year. If you're reading this letter, I
probably will be sending you more updates over the course of the year. If you'd prefer
not to receive them (and please don't feel bad if that is the case, I realise that there are
a lot of prayer letter writers out there who need your prayers just as much as me) then
please get in touch. They hopefully won't always be as long as this one though... I just
have had a lot to explain here! :D I’d really like to be able to write proper letters to
people who are supporting me in prayer back home too, so if you would be happy for
me to do that, please let me know your home address. You can also follow me on
Twitter: 'MiriamFord', add me on facebook and join my group ‘mim en belgique’, or
read/follow my blog: http://miriam-ford.blogspot.com .

Please get in touch if there are any details I have left out that you would like to know
more about. Alternatively there is more information available (in varying languages) at
the following websites:

IFES www.ifesworld.org
IFES InterAction www.ifesinteraction.org
GBU (Belgium) www.gbu.be

Things to pray for:

CUs in Brussels: for strong and gifted student leaders to be raised up in what are
very small CU groups, for them to be organised in their planning, and that evangelism
would be a priority.

Preparations: that I'd get all the paperwork/boring stuff sorted and not forget
anything important! That I'd be using my time wisely by revising my French and
getting into that again (even learning some key verses in French), and by reading the
Bible and the piles of Christian books I've acquired at bargain prices whilst a student.
Please pray that I would grow in the love and knowledge of God, and treasure Him
more each day.

Raising financial support: Having done some calculations... I'm trying to raise
another £1000 in support (If you'd like to see how and why and where I get that figure
from... let me know! :D) Please pray that there will be people who are able and willing
to contribute in that way.
Saying Goodbye: I'm really going to miss being at university and will feel quite left
out for a while I think. Please just pray that I won't be too sad about it, but will be
encouraged by the fact that I am serving God and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,
to bring Him glory and so won't miss my friends and family too much.

Thanks again!
Love,

Miriam xx