Pond Skipping

Hello friends and family :)

I'd like to take a moment to share with y'all about a trip coming up that I'll be taking with a ministry organization that has been a major part of my life for the last 10 years. If you've heard about my upcoming trip to Scotland and found yourself wondering "what is she going to do there?" or "why is another trip so important?" or "who on earth is DRAMA Ministry?" or "what  kind of a ministry is DRAMA?" or "why can't I get Jessica to stop talking about DRAMA?" - then this post is for you! Or if you've not heard about this Scotland trip yet, then all the more so, please read on...

I'm going to write this in chunks so that you can skip to the section you want to know the most about, since I struggle with an inability to be concise. :)

- How I've been involved with DRAMA over the years and who DRAMA is - 

(at the bottom of this post I have included a link to 2 videos that also do a good job of answering the question "what is DRAMA?" They're very worth your time)

I joined DRAMA when I was 13 and the ministry has been one of the top 3 most influential forces in my life that has spurred me on in my relationship with Christ. The name DRAMA stands for Declaring Redemption through the Arts of Mime and Acting, and I thoroughly enjoyed miming with them all these years. Initially I joined thinking I'd be in for maybe a couple years tops and just get more familiar with my Bible, but God had greater plans. After 10 years of involvement in the ministry, I have had the privilege of having grown not only in my knowledge of and confidence in God and His Word, but also of having been personally discipled by some really amazing young men and women of God, of having been able to invest deeply into the lives of over 20 youth as Assistant Director of the 8-12 y/o's teams, and of partaking in spreading the Gospel of Christ to men and women, young and old, all across the state, the nation, and the globe through mime evangelism. One of the places I have been blessed to serve, is Burntisland, Fife, Scotland, UK.

- How I've been involved with the believers in Scotland -

In 2006 I was thrilled to embark on DRAMA's first mission trip to Scotland. On the 2 week trip, we spent one week in Northampton, England and one week primarily in Burntisland, Scotland. In both places we taught multiple mime workshops and did several presentations in various churches, cafes and schools as well as presented the gospel on the streets in Kircaldy, Scotland. The youth in Scotland and their pastors really enjoyed the workshops, so in 2008 we returned and spent our entire 2 weeks in just Scotland that time. It was then that a team started to form. A few of the pastors we met and some of the youth we kept in contact with determined they really wanted to start a local team and the plans starting coming together. My trips to Scotland stopped there till now, but my prayer involvement has never ceased. Although I was not able to return to Scotland in 2010 with DRAMA because I was in the middle of my first semester of college at New Tribes Bible Institute in Michigan, I was thrilled to hear upon their return that a team had been established. Then, to my delight, in 2011 the team came to me! 5 of the youth from the team in Scotland, along with the married couple who actively leads their team, came over to the US to partner with DRAMA on a joint stateside mission trip. They went from Pennsylvania to Michigan and back again, and I renewed my prayers to God that He might open up a chance for me to return one more time with DRAMA. That opportunity is now a reality. August 1-14, 2013, DRAMA is taking a team to Scotland again and they've got a ticket with my name on it!

- What is the point of a fourth trip to Scotland? -

Glad you asked:) DRAMA's heart has been to be more than a hit & run Gospel train. We as a ministry have a passion for taking believers from salvation into mature fellowship with Christ through effective study of God's Word and accountability relationships. The team in Scotland is ready and eager for training in how to do effective discipleship and they are facing some major ministry shifts as many of the youth who were the initial movers and shakers that got the team going are now heading off to university. Most of our trips thus far have been to teach them mimes and to do outreaches in their community; this time our goal is to teach them some practical bible study methods, share the passion for discipleship, and do joint outreaches with them to help them get started in doing evangelism locally. Our goal is that our relationship to the Scotland youth in the future will be more of a mentorship one and to be able to leave local evangelism primarily in their hands to continue on even when we are not there. We're stoked. They're on fire. God's on the move.

- How you can take part in this mission trip -

I am humbled as I see how God has been answering the prayers of my team and myself. Realizing that God truly hears us and answers us, I invite you to pray with us and for us. Some specific requests:

• Peace and unity on our team
• Good health
• Rest (there's a 5 hour time difference that will be messing with us)
• Safety in our travels
• For the team in Scotland to catch the vision of Christ's Great Commission and get on fire for discipleship
• For the churches in Scotland to come on board behind their youth and be equally as challenged and encouraged in their faith
• For the light of the gospel to begin to shine abroad in the hearts of the people in Scotland

If you would like to stay updated with specific prayer requests and summaries of the trip while we're there, shoot me an email at king.jessy@gmail.com and I'll make sure we add you to the list. There will also be updates posted on the DRAMA website at www.dramateam.org

You can also partner with us by supporting us financially. Each team member has been asked to contribute $1500. We would appreciate any donation the Lord would move you to give. If you'd like to do this, checks should be made payable to DRAMA Ministry and mailed to 241 Blimline Rd. Mohnton, PA 19540. All donations are tax deductible.

You can also participate in one of the fundraisers we're working on putting together for this summer. We're hoping to put on a backyard concert/cookout on July 20th. The rest of the details about that are still TBD, so check back in with me on this blog or on facebook or however you prefer for developments in the fundraiser plans.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. It means so much to me! And thank you for your support! Don't forget to check out those 2 videos below:)

Jessica King

What is DRAMA? - video

DRAMA: Raising the Bar - video