On the Move Throughout Europe
Mission Household Experiences Many Successes
Dave Quintana reading scripture during a Lord’s Day celebration.
Three thousand eight hundred and forty-four miles is a long way. Indeed, it’s just about the length of road needed to get from Belfast in Northern Ireland to Astara in Iran, or from Anchorage in Alaska to Miami in Florida. Criss-crossing Europe you learn to keep your lights on during the day when driving in Poland, bring 70 cents to use the toilet in Germany, and always stop for a croissant, not a “pain au chocolat” from a sleepy café in France (the croissants are baked in smaller batches so they’re warmer – at least they were in Dunkerque). These vagaries of the road have been the lot of the brothers in the first “mission household” of The Servants of the Word in Europe. For the past three months, from September to December, Dave Quintana, Anthony Eid, and Tadhg Lynch have been travelling, living, and serving throughout the European Region of the Sword of the Spirit – with a couple of extra stops along the way.
The aims of the mission household are manifold, but chief among them is an effort to better serve those communities of the Sword of the Spirit in Europe that don’t have a permanent household of The Servants of the Word; to be available to reach out to more young men from around the continent; and to grow and develop connections and relationships with various non-Sword of the Spirit mission partners.We three brothers have lived household life in Scotland, England, Poland, and Germany, and have passed through Holland, Belgium, France, Austria, and the CzechRepublic on our way to living with about 40 young men in varying different situations and accommodations. Plans for the coming year are to add many more miles to our Ford Focus across the roads of Ireland, Belgium, and London – with further possibilities in Spain and beyond.
Glasgow
During the month of September we ran two households in the city of Glasgow. While living with ten young men we helped out with the launch of the local University Christian Outreach chapter, running evangelistic coffee stalls and motoring up and down to London for student mission training. Speaking at community meetings and men’s evenings, teaching courses, and helping out in any way possible took up much of our time with the community. Life in Scotland also enabled us to connect with the local Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Celtic Prayer Community in Paisley and visit the 24/7 International Prayer Conference in Edinburgh, one hundred years after the famous World Mission Conference of 1910 had brought about a new initiative in ecumenism.
Poland
Throughout our time in Poland, the three of us ran two temporary households for young men from our base with the City on a Hill community in Bielsko-Bia?a. Youth retreats for young men, Fan into Flame retreats with students, and separate visits to Vienna and Prague were a part of our efforts in Poland. Although none of us could speak Polish, the good will of the brothers and sisters in the community and the common language of those who call on the name of Christ ensured that our time was a great success.
Germany
The team arrives back in London after many action-packed weeks.
While visiting Brot des Lebens (Bread of Life), our Sword of the Spirit community in Munich, we also spent a significant amount of time with another ecumenical community based around the YMCA hotel and youth work in Munich city center. While participating in a two-week evangelistic program named “Faithlift,” we were able to take to the streets and give our testimonies at coffee stalls, evangelistic rallies, and worship times in the beautiful parks of Munich. We also shared life and fellowship with a team of about 30 volunteers who joined our “household” at the YMCA hotel.
The mission household brought the life and mission of The Servants of the Word into the heart of the European Region – embodying our desire to be the brotherhood of the Sword of the Spirit. As always, what we brothers found among our communities as we travelled was great joy in the Holy Spirit at the life God has called us to live with others and the blessing it is to be a part of a community of disciples on mission. Please pray for us in the coming year as we continue our travels.
—Q, Anthony, and Tadhg
This article appears in our 2010 Christmas Servants of the Word Newsletter [1.0 MB PDF]
