By Rev Donald Macleod
A village at the end of the road, on an island at the edge of the Atlantic, facing a week of door-to-door visits in driving rain and winds of almost 85mph. On paper, it was far from the ideal setting for a week of Gospel outreach.
However, for a hardy international team from Operation Mobilisation (OM), this was nothing out of the ordinary; they had faced such conditions before and were more than happy to do so again.
For a week, the congregation of North Tolsta Free Church had the privilege of hosting and serving the team of 10 as part of the OM run annual “Hope for the Hebrides” outreach programme. The village of North Tolsta has roughly 400 inhabitants, and our goal was for every home to receive a friendly Gospel interaction, an invitation to the week’s activities, church information, and a short Gospel booklet.
It was a busy week for the team and congregation. Each day began with a time of devotions and worship, followed by a mix of activities and door-to-door work. Activities included ‘Coffee with a Christian’ drop-in sessions, a ‘Grill a Christian’ Q&A evening, a public talk, and a children’s and family craft afternoon. We were thankful to have ‘Hope For the Hebrides’ veteran Rev Tom Penman (Cumbernauld) join us for the week. We made full use of his gifts, with Tom giving a well-attended public talk on the “Meaning of Life” and sharing his testimony at our end of week Congregational & Community Buffet.
For the week to be a success, it required more than a willing OM team; it also needed the support of a willing congregation and community. Each day, teams from the congregation cooked and served the OM team breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We were astounded not only by the incredible taste but also by the effort, love, and care that the congregation showed the team. The team stayed within the village and were incredibly thankful to those who opened their homes to them for the week.
It was a beautiful reminder that to serve the kingdom of God, it requires more than soldiers on the front line. It also requires teams working quietly behind the scenes and often sacrificially. Those who could not physically serve committed to praying for the week, ensuring every home visited and activity led was covered by the prayers of God’s people.
In the last month since the team left, we have seen fruit for all their labour. Some new community connections have been opened up, and one new church member said that what the team shared gave them the encouragement to take the next step in their faith.
We give praise to God for all that took place, and to Him we give all the glory. The words of Psalm 127 were words which we held close during the mission:
Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
