Practicing the Presence of God

First year student Leah spent her placement in East Belfast.  While she hoped to work in a children's day-care centre run by Christian charity, Oasis, things didn't go quite according to plan...

"At the beginning of the placement I spent a day with the kids and felt 'yes', this is exactly what I should be doing," she says.  "Then I discovered some CRB documents I needed hadn't come through and I would have to work in Oasis' coffee shop until they did.  Walking home that day I felt disappointed and thought 'What’s going on God?  Is serving in a coffee shop really what I am supposed to do?'

"But God reminded me of a book I read last summer called 'The Practice of the Presence of God' by Brother Lawrence.  His days working in a monastery kitchen became an opportunity to spend time with God, and I decided to follow his example.  After that, my coffee shop work became a prayer time, which was really good for me."

The Oasis Coffee shop is based in East Belfast, and employs people from the local area - a community that has suffered though sectarian violence and unemployment. 

"The coffee shop is a meeting place for the community, and I learnt to reach out and talk to people as I served them.  Everyone had so many experiences and they were so happy to tell me their stories.  I got to know people who had grown up in the area and to see how their experiences affected their perspectives."

In addition, the shop's proximity to the charity's main offices allowed Leah to spend time observing other Oasis projects and gain firsthand insights into how a Christian organisation worked.

"In the beginning I was puzzled because while Oasis was very active in reaching out and providing for the needs of the community, there seemed to be little overt evangelism.  I found however that everything it does lives up to the focus of 'demonstrating God's love,' with equal emphasis on each word.

"I don't know yet how God will use this time in my life.  But, I believe it was the start of Him doing something important in me that will go on to determine how I view the world, the people in it, myself, and what I do for Him in the future."