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SURFER
BOB: Cheerio, amigos!
PENNY:
(Looks up suspiciously.) Uh, hello there. You
SOUND like Surfer Bob, but you LOOK more like his brother,
Accountant Bill. Who are you?
SURFER
BOB: Well, chum, I might be sportin’ some
fine duds, but it’s just lil’ ol’
me under these fancy trousers!
PENNY:
Bob-o!
SURFER
BOB: Who else?
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Well, Bob, you certainly look unusual
– for you. This isn’t your normal attire.
Is there something we should know about – beside
your new pants?
SURFER
BOB: Well, now Christopher, first of all, over
here in England, the word “pants” means
“underwear.” I don’t think it’s
any of yer business whether or not my pants are new.
And as fer these here “trousers,” well,
it’s all part of a learnin’ experience about
my new British chums.
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Really? What else have you learned?
SURFER
BOB: Oh, just a sec, Christopher. It’s
time for tea. I’ll be back in a jiffy. In the
meantime, wanna share some crisps?
PENNY:
Crisps?
SURFER
BOB: What’s the problem, Penny? I’m
speakin’ English! You know, snacks in a bag.
PENNY:
Chips?
SURFER
BOB: No, no, chips are what you eat with fish!
PENNY:
Chips are French fries?
SURFER
BOB: Yeah, now yer gittin’ it! Well, ‘scuse
me. I’m off to tea.
PENNY:
Whew! I almost don’t want to ask, but what do
you think that’s all about?
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Well, Penny, I have an idea. Today
we’re learning about a group of Southern Baptist
young people who went to the intriguing city of London,
England, for an event called M-fuge, or Mission Fuge,
which is an intense week of learning about missions
firsthand.
PENNY:
I guess Surfer Bob is really getting into the British
culture to learn more about it.
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Yes, he’s definitely going
the extra mile on this one, isn’t he? But he might
be missing a very important part of this story.
PENNY:
What’s that, Mr. C?
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Well, Penny, the youth who went
to London to share their faith in Jesus Christ found
opportunities to share the gospel with British folks,
but they ALSO discovered that London is an eclectic
mix of people from all over the world! Beside being
an incredible mix of upper-, middle- and lower- class
British – everything from royalty to beggars –
London is home to thousands of refugees from a variety
of cultures all over the world.
PENNY:
And we know from earlier lessons that refugees often
come from countries that are closed to the gospel. That
would mean these Southern Baptist kids might have shared
their faith with people who’ve never even heard
about Jesus Christ before.
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: That’s right! Can you guess
how many of London’s 9.4 million people come from
outside the United Kingdom?
PENNY:
All this time I thought England was not that important
of a mission field. But the truth is that in addition
to a lot of British people who don’t know Jesus
Christ as Savior, people from all over the world who
live in London need to hear about our faith!
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: You’ve got it!
SURFER
BOB: Cheerio! Would ya like to see how those
M-fugers impacted this here British mega-city?
PENNY
AND MR. CHRISTOPHER: Sure!
SURFER
BOB: Jolly well, watch this.
SURFER
BOB: Those M-fuge bricks sure bash on!
PENNY:
You’ve lost me again, Bob.
SURFER
BOB: Penny, I keep on tellin’ ya, I’m
speakin’ English just like you!
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Penny, allow me to translate. A
“brick” is a British term implying a person
is dependable and will keep on being dependable in spite
of adversity. So Surfer Bob is saying that the M-fuge
students did a good job of sharing their faith and will
keep on telling people about Jesus, even when it’s
tough.
PENNY:
Oh! Well, that’s great! But “Bash On”?
SURFER
BOB: You know, Penny, Bash On! It’s not
about hittin’ people – it’s about
not quittin’ when the going gets tougher than
a piece of cow leather.
PENNY:
So “Bash On, Bricks!” means to keep
on keeping on!
SURFER
BOB: Now yer gittin’ it!
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Let’s see what our KOM chums
have to say about missions.
SURFER
BOB: Now that was one fine piece of post.
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: You can mail your “post”
– or letters – to us at: Kids On Mission,
International Mission Board, P.O. Box 6767, Richmond,
VA 23230.
SURFER
BOB: Biscuit or sweet, mates?
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: That means “Would you like
a cookie or a piece of candy?”
PENNY:
Oh sure, Bob, I’ll have a “biscuit.”
But you know, too many biscuits and sweets will make
you sink your surfboard!
SURFER
BOB: That’s not funny, Pennorita!
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: I thought it was. Anyway, gang,
I hope you’ll remember that even when it’s
difficult, you can keep on sharing your faith! And don’t
forget that what you might not see as a big mission
field – like Penny originally thought of London
– can be a great opportunity, indeed!
SURFER
BOB: Yeah, bash on, bricks!
PENNY:
We’ll see YOU next time. ‘Bye!
MR.
CHRISTOPHER: Goodbye!
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