Miriam Ford, InterAction Worker – Brussels

December-January Newsletter
Avenue de la Couronne, 162, 1050 – Ixelles, Brussels, BELGIUM +32 470 579270
miriamford@hotmail.co.uk +44 7738 356096

Helloo!! Happy 2010!! So December and January are funny old months, I spent a lovely, relaxing
two weeks in the UK (successfully avoiding any traumatic Eurostar experiences) not really doing any
student work, and now January’s here, but its exam season, so still not so much student work going on!
However, Christmas time was exciting so I’ll fill you in on what was going on here then, and thought I’d
take the opportunity of having a bit more space, to explain a bit better what stuff like Focus and Prayer
Meetings are about, and to share some stats to hopefully give you a better idea about the size of the
student work in Belgium. Thanks again for your support, hope you enjoy… 

Woluwe lunch time: we had a

social meal at the last meeting before
Christmas. It was really nice to be able to
spend some time chatting because normally
everything is quite rushed as people are
going to and from lectures. We start
meeting again the first week of February.
Please pray for students to remember to
come back after all the stress of exams, and
that they’d be enthusiastic looking for UK Belgium
opportunities to share the Gospel.
FT Student 900, 000 135, 000
Population
No. HE 325 approx. 17-100??
Woluwe evening: sadly December Institutions
didn’t see any GBU meetings in the evening No. Student 350+ 9
Groups
at Woluwe as no one was planning on
National Staff 70 approx. 1
coming. The last Monday before Christmas,
I used the time to go to another group at ‘Voluntary’ Staff 65 approx. 5
ULB. They were having a meal and sharing
Students 20, 000 50ish
evening, we all shared our testimonies and
Involved
a favourite passage from the Bible. It was Christian: Non- 1:45 1:2700
encouraging to hear how God has worked Christian Ratio
in their lives in so many different ways, and
to spend more time getting to know them. … a few of the differences between student ministry
here and in the UK

Bruxelles-Central: I WISH I had taken photos! We had an evangelistic Christmas meal at

m
the central group which was brilliant! Each of us cooked (or in my case bought) a part of the meal,
and Lucy gave her testimony. There were 11 of us present including four non-Christian friends of
one of the leaders! They all heard the Gospel in a really nice, relaxed atmosphere. Several
questions were being asked around the table after the testimony. One girl took a Bible at the end
and we’re hoping she might return when the studies recommence after exams.
 -Seeing people from home was encouraging as always…
it was great especially to be able to spend time with
non-Christian friends from school, as well as Christian
friends from church and uni. I’ve found it harder to
come away from them again this time though. Please
could you pray that I’d be more engaged with life here
and serving God here, and spend less time pining over
being at home. I don’t want to wish the rest of the year
away waiting for June to come!
-It feels like a bit of a fail to me, that I never got to really
Friends from the young people’s group at church,
present my erasmus friend with the Gospel before she
at ‘la convention’ in November
left at Christmas. It’s good to know that God is
sovereign, and I hope that maybe, by God’s grace,
Focus, happens roughly once per month,
something I said or did might help her to be open to
although for various reasons, there’s only been
hearing the Gospel in the future.
one since September. The idea is to bring all the
-Praise God for my progress in French that enabled me
GBU students from around the country together,
to pass my course this week when I returned for the
to hear a talk on something relevant or topical to
exam. I’ll hopefully be taking more lessons there later
them, supporters of the GBU are also welcome
on in the year.
to attend.
-It was also SUPER encouraging and lovely to meet up
with a couple of people over from different places, IN Monthly prayer meetings are something
Brussels! Please get in touch if you’re ever around me and Lucy are trying to encourage to both
sometime, it’d be great to catch up in person! students and supporters. There have been about
seven people at each of them so far. We also put
together a GBU prayer diary every three months.
Please keep praying:
 Praise God that the guy I mentioned last month who Dates for your Diary
had to look for somewhere new to study, has found Sunday 31st Jan: Prayer meeting for the
somewhere! Please pray that he would enjoy his new GBU
course and be a great witness for Jesus there. Saturday 6th Feb: FOCUS “How to Read the
 Please pray for students around the country who Gospel of John” – speaker: Erwin
heard the Gospel over Christmas, that they might
Oschenmeier
come back and want to find out more when the
groups start meeting again. Friday 19th-Sunday 21st Feb: GBU and Ichtus
 Please pray for the Christian students whilst they’re (Dutch speaking movement) Camp in
doing their exams, that they’d work hard and glorify Thieusies, studying ‘Christian Community’
God in their work. from Philippians.
 Please pray that I’d settle back in quickly, and that
God would help me both linguistically and spiritually
in starting to prepare and lead Bible studies when
Word of the month:
groups start up again. mouillé(e)(adj) / se mouiller(v)
= wet / to get wet

Thank you so much again for reading and taking an interest. All of my contact information is in the header at the
top of page one, feel free to get in touch anytime… I’d love to hear from you! 
www.gbu.be
Lots of Love, www.ifesworld.org
Miriam xx http://miriam-ford.blogspot.com

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that
you will not grow weary and lose heart.”- Hebrews 12:2-3