Belgium, 2005

Published on August 02, 2005 by Mike Forrest

This summer, Neighborhood sent six short-term missionaries to Brussels, Belgium to work with a church planting team that includes Steve Severs, who used to pastor at Neighborhood and his wife Mary Elizabeth.

The team consisted of the band Dead in the Water (Zac, Matt, Ricky and Paul), JJ Soto, and Mike Forrest. The purpose of the trip was to encourage the missionaries there through music, basketball camps and fellowship while working with a large service project that they organized.



About 50 short-term missionaries from the US and another 30 or so from all of Europe joined forces to serve Brussels for six days. We ran a basketball camp in a Muslim neighborhood; gave haircuts and manicures to refugee women; ran a VBS for a struggling local church; taught English as a second language for another small church; and, worked in numerous homeless shelters serving food, sorting clothes, doing construction and more. Through it all, we made lifelong friendship with fellow believers from around the world as together we learned to think of the needs of others before our own.

Dead in the Water ended up playing three shows in front of over 600 people. The shows worked as a catalyst, drawing people to our service team with questions of who we were and why we were there. They demonstrated that following Jesus can be fun and exciting, and that sin is not necessary to enjoy yourself or God's creation.



During a few of the days, the guys played music in subway stations, giving the money they earned to homeless people. They also helped to lead worship during our morning meeting times and at a local church.

Most of us California boys were able to serve with a convent for the Sisters of Charity, a group of nuns following the order of Mother Theresa. I (Mike) was personally touched by their humility, grace and devotion. While there, I read the following quote by Mother Theresa: "Humility always radiates the greatness of God. Let us not be afraid to be humble, small and helpless to prove our love for God." During our two weeks there, each of us on the team chose to serve, to become small to demonstrate our love for Him. While none of us served perfectly, we did learn much of His grace, His sustaining power, and the joy that we receive when we become small and helpless. It is so amazing to be used by God. We praise Him for such an opportunity!



Pray for the nation of Belgium. This place is an incredible mix of all nations, with very little of the presence of God. He is at work and He is making His mark on this city, the capital of Europe and one of the most influential in all of the world. But it is a dark place.

To see God at work in a city that is so closed to the Gospel was really encouraging. To be part of a multi-cultural team from all over the world, and to realize how much we have in common - serving Jesus together - was amazing. And to be challenged to ask "Am I doing everything for Jesus that I could be?" was both difficult and rewarding.

-Mike Forrest