Miriam Ford, InterAction Worker – Brussels

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

All Belgium IFES staff (and kids), at orientation last August (the Hamiltons work with Ichtus in Ghent)

Hi again  Thanks again for reading this! Last month was pretty busy and a few big things happened; #1
the joint GBU/Ichtus Camp, #2 I lead a bible study for the first time in French (and it went fine, thanks for
praying!) and #3 praise God for answering prayer, organised to start doing a one to one with an exchange
student from Canada, in Philippians (one of my favourite books, what a privilege!) Read on to find out
more …

The Camp took place from 19th-21st February and was

basically in the middle of nowhere, a place called Thieusies
near Mons. Thankfully, even though the train route goes
right by the crash site (which took place on 15th) and lots of
trains were cancelled, the camp went ahead and people
managed to get there on the Friday night! It was great to see
the Flemish and Walloon students getting on and really
embodying the theme of “Community” over the weekend as
stereotypically the two cultures don’t get on.
Erwin, the general secretary of the GBU gave four talks
from Philippians which were then translated into Dutch. I
didn’t do very well at keeping up all the time with switching
between languages, but it was a really encouraging weekend
and a great privilege to spend time with believers from all
over the world in fact (America, Canada, UK, France, Finland,
Netherlands, Cameroon, Belgium), and I feel like several
friendships were really strengthened through the
opportunity of spending more time together.

It was at the Central Group that I did my first study, At Woluwe the lunch time group has
from Mark 8:14-38. I think it went ok; there were six of us been meeting regularly, and there haven’t
there, although unfortunately not the girl who started been any problems with finding a room so far
coming after the soirée noel as she hasn’t been for the past this semester, praise God!  We’re working
couple of weeks. It’s really encouraging that the group is through the studies in John, about to reach
growing as at least two of us who are exchange students chapter 4 and the woman at the well. Last
won’t be there next year. A girl from Lucy’s church who semester David was doing his ‘stage’ with the
studies at the Dutch university (which doesn’t have its own GBU at Woluwe and I relied on him quite a
group at the moment), has started coming. And also a guy lot, at the moment however he is finishing his
who knows one of the group leaders, who isn’t a Christian dissertation and so I am the only GBU staff at
and has a lot of question. Please pray for him, he has lots the group, which has really helped me to
of issues. He hasn’t been to a study yet but has come to grow in confidence, get to know the students
join us for Chinese afterwards (which is turning into a bit of better and just feel more comfortable in the
a regular feature), where there’s a good chance to get to group. Please pray for more opportunities to
know each other and discuss the passage more. spend time with the girls in this group!
 -February was a really nice month, one of my best friends came over
At ULB we had a pause in the
to visit for a few days, it was lovely to see her and also I think it has
middle of the semester of studies
really helped me to feel more at home here. It was nice to show her
last week as we are a couple of
around places and introduce her to my friends. 
studies ahead of the other groups
-I feel like, whilst perhaps my French isn’t improving noticeably, my
anyway. We had a kind of ‘bring
confidence is, and now that I’m really getting to know students
and share’ dinner and watched a
properly, I feel at lot more at ease contributing in studies and group
film/documentary called ‘Jesus
conversations.
Camp’ and had a discussion about
-Church has been a lot better this month, thank you for praying! I’ve
it afterwards which was really
been consciously trying to make more of an effort, with God’s help, to
interesting, if not more than a little
talk to strangers afterwards and it’s paid off. The young people’s
taxing on my French brain!
group also put on their first evangelistic event, a meal and Gospel
It’s with a girl from ULB that I’m
presentation. Everyone invited friends and 3 or 4 came along.
going to start doing one to ones
-On the 8th I’ve got an interview at the Commune to say officially that I
with this coming week (10th), we’ll
live here. Yes, it’s taken a few months since I went to sort it out in
hopefully meet every other week,
December, and it’s not technically necessary anymore as the internet I
and as we are both Anglophone
bought wouldn’t work and I haven’t stayed in the country longer than
we’re going to do it in English!
3 months at once, but still, that’s Belgium I guess! 

Please pray… Dates for your Diary

Mon 8th: Interview at the
- That the girl from the soirée noel would be able to come regularly
Commune d’Ixelles
to the Central group, she was asking some really great questions like
Weds 10th: First one to one
how to have a pure heart before God when we studied Mark 7.
Sun 14th: GBU Prayer Meeting for
- That the guy who is friends with Alex would keep searching for God
students and ‘amis’.
and see how it’s him alone who can answer his problems in life.
Weds 17th: Staff Meeting –
- For the one to one, that I would prepare well and know how best
presenting ‘être témoin’
to communicate so it’s not awkward, and that we’d both learn and
Weds 24th: Second one to one.
grow as we study Philippians together.
Sat 27th: GBU AGM
- For wisdom and creativity for me and Lucy as we plan for a possible
Tues 30th: Easter Evangelistic event
workshop/seminar for students called ‘être témoin’ or ‘Being a
at GBU Central.
Witness’, which will hopefully include discussion on what is the
31st – 14th April: UK (Preston, CU,
Gospel? Why should we share it? And how can we share it? – sharing
Southport YL Speakout, Devon)
the Gospel when we share our testimony, starting Gospel
conversations and answering hard questions. It’s a really exciting
opportunity! WORD OF THE MONTH
- For guidance for Tim and Emily, and David and Marianne about entre-guillemets - quote/unquote
(used a LOT, instead of speech mark fingers)
next year.

Thanks again for reading, being interested, praying, encouraging, writing and generally supporting me over here.
I’m looking forward to catching up with as many of you as possible whilst back in the UK at the start of April!
Love
Miriam xx
www.ifesworld.org www.gbu.be http://miriam-ford.blogspot.com

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been
destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart
yearns within me!” Job 19:25-27