As told to Nicky Andrews

Photos by Jordan Wilkinson, Ellyn Schellenberg & Nikita Podchidko

In 2021, Leo* was a shy teenager wondering what to do in life. In the first of a two-part article, Leo shares his story of taking a first step into missions, then how God kept sending more opportunities and life-changing experiences across his path…

As someone growing up in an outward-looking church where his father was the vicar, Leo was very used to ‘faith’ and ‘missions’ forming the backdrop of his life. When he encountered Jesus for himself aged 16, and faith became his own, he began to long for others to know Jesus as their Saviour too. Starting A-levels studies at college, Leo and some friends began a Christian Union. They distributed gospels and quite naturally got into conversations about Jesus with their non-Christian friends, “because people ask questions if you’re living as a Christian,” says Leo.

COVID lockdown impacted sitting his A levels in summer 2021. Aged 18, Leo wasn’t sure of his next steps, but was saying to God, “I want to do what you want”. His church had strong OM connections and his mother encouraged him to join OM UK’s three-month ‘mini gap year’ challenge. This introduced the work of OM, the Biblical basis of missions, and different ways to have faith conversations with people, with practical experiences all round the UK.

Learning by example

Leo loved making great friendships with other participants, and how the OM leaders modelled different forms of evangelism in a very practical way. Leo has dyslexia and found this learning style really suited him. He remembers being introduced to street evangelism for the first time in London and feeling suddenly,  “this is what I’m supposed to be doing”. This feeling, and being thrown in at the deep end, led to him becoming much more outgoing, and enthusiastic in sharing the Gospel.

Then in August 2021, Leo was invited to help at OM’s discipleship weekend for 13-17 year-olds, called Teen Street.  This was a first taste of leadership, learning on-the-job to be a  ‘coach’ to these younger teens, and Leo again found that perfect for his learning style. And having prayed for more Christian friends, he made many amongst the other coaches, the worship team, and local believers.

First steps abroad

Leo helped at another Teen Street event in February 2022, book-ending that by working in a church café. Then his father encouraged him to join a two-week OM-led sponsored prayer walk in Nepal that April, which lots of adults from local churches were going on. Being soon after the invasion of Ukraine, the trekkers raised money for OM’s projects there, and also OM’s project helping Nepalese AIDS-sufferers. It was called the ‘4997 Himalaya Trek’  - the altitude they reached at times (equivalent to that of the Everest base camp.) And trekking from place to place, the group shared about Jesus with people they met, and prayed for the spiritual atmosphere in the Himalayas.

“Being properly abroad on mission really impacted me,” Leo recalls. “ I was like, ‘Whoa, mission is starting to become a thing!’” He prayed that if God wanted him to stay involved, would He show him by granting further opportunities? Matthew, the leader of OM UK, was on that same Nepal trip and he invited Leo to join an outreach in June to Moldova….the next opportunity!

More ‘firsts’

Before going to Moldova, Leo took up another invite - helping staff the OM stand at the ‘Big Church Day Out’ mini-festival in early June, talking to other young people about missions. “ I was wearing this OM t-shirt and feeling like, ‘I’m actually part of this!’” he remembers.

Then came two weeks in Moldova – more new  experiences, with the team staying in a church in a very poor village, and going into people’s houses with the local pastor, sharing the Gospel through face-to-face conversations about the Bible. Leo found praying for people with someone else translating very moving, especially when he prayed with refugees from Ukraine who were living in the village. “I sensed that when we prayed, it really mattered to them,“ he says. “They were in tears from my prayer - and I’m just this average dude from Britain!”

A miraculous confirmation

After returning from Moldova, Leo felt God leading him to go back, but this time to do OM Moldova’s version of OM’s five-month intensive discipleship training called REACH, starting in February 2023. But another opportunity beckoned meanwhile: the Short Term Exposure Programme (STEP) on OM’s ship Logos Hope, which was starting in September 2022. By taking the 3 month STEP option, Leo would have time both to go on the ship, and then do REACH.

But before going off to Logos Hope, he suddenly found himself plagued by doubts whether God wanted him to go on the ship at all. However God sent an amazing confirmation during Teen Street in July, where Leo was again helping to coach young people:

While at Teen Street, Leo prayed for God to confirm His will by providing a specific indication.  George Verwer, OM’s founder, was at Teen Street as a guest speaker, and Leo asked God, “Please can I talk to George about going on the ship?” After coming off the stage, George came to the exact area of the crowd where Leo was standing, picked him out of it, and invited Leo to talk with him. “George really encouraged me to go, “ says Leo. “ My anxiety went because through this, God was saying, ‘Leo, stop being worried. You know I’m fully with you. ‘”

Next time – Leo tastes life on Logos Hope. He gains deeper experiences in Moldova on OM’s discipleship training REACH, and finds himself growing into leadership….

* name changed

Want to read part 2? Check it out here.