基思•诺尔顿
基思•诺尔顿 (‘04) is a proud ladbrokes立博亚洲 alum who attended the school for his entire K-12 education.
他和他的妻子雷切尔以及他们的孩子, 玛丽凯瑟琳, 10, 亨利, 8, 弗朗西丝, 6, 和克劳福德, 1, 目前在爱丁堡担任全球宣教士, 苏格兰向世界传教(MTW), 美国长老会的传教分支.
He said he is incredibly grateful for the impact LCS had on his spiritual formation, 社会发展与学术成就通过有影响力的教师, 教练和朋友.
他最近抽出时间与
我们在欧洲的传教士家庭是什么样的, and sift through the sometimes comical cultural differences while embarking on the significant opportunity to grow God’s kingdom.
你的家族是如何认识到在苏格兰传教的呼召的?
从弗曼大学毕业后, 瑞秋和我结了婚，在中国做了一年的宣教工作. 虽然我们回到了美国.S. 这样我就能进法学院了, the Lord used that experience to develop our passion for ministry and prepare our hearts for his future calling.
After law school, we moved to Greenville, SC where I practiced law for seven years. 我们喜欢格林维尔的生活, 但我们开始经历一种精神上的不安, 让我们重新评估我们的长期使命. After much prayer and wise counsel, we eventually sensed the Lord leading us back into missions. 借着上帝的旨意, we were called to serve with MTW and partner with the Free Church of Scotland in Edinburgh.
你目前的日常工作是什么样子的?
作为美国MTW区域主任.K I am responsible for serving a team of 15 missionary families located throughout the U.K., strengthening our national partnerships and assisting in the recruitment of new missionaries. 我是我们教会的长老, leading our international ministry and university ministry through preaching and engaging in various forms of evangelism and discipleship. 每天都有不同的事工活动, 个人的聚会, 会议, 变焦调用, 电子邮件和经常在雨中散步.
While most missionaries enjoy a “honeymoon” period upon arriving on the field, 我们没有这样的经历.
We spent our first two weeks quarantined in our house with nothing but mattresses on the floor and a freezer of frozen food. For months, we faced constantly evolving government mandates regarding where and with whom
we could meet, which made it very different to build community and engage in ministry. 因此, most of our social interaction occurred under a tent in our backyard while Zoom provided a platform for leading student Bible studies and teaching English to Chinese 移民.
有哪些独特之处, funny or interesting things you have learned about Scottish culture that you had no clue about before moving there?
苏格兰人不用餐巾纸! 经过反复的艰苦学习, we are now sure to inconspicuously bring a napkin in our pocket whenever we are invited to someone’s house for dinner. 这句话也很有道理.S. 和你.K. 两个国家是被一种共同的语言分开的吗. It has certainly taken time and effort to develop an ear for varying accents and different vocabulary. 不出所料，我们的孩子正在引领潮流!
On a more serious note, most Americans are not aware of the current state of the church in Scotland. Although Scotland served as the background for the Reformation and the birthplace of Presbyterianism, 现在只有不到1%的人是福音派基督徒. 教堂正以惊人的速度关闭，而冷漠, 如果不是敌意, 继续上升.
LCS社区是如何继续支持你的?
Several of my LCS classmates have remained some of my closest friends over the past (almost) 20 years. 从LCS毕业后我就没在莱克兰住过, I always appreciate reconnecting with my LCS family who continue to express love and warmth whenever I return. We are particularly blessed to have numerous LCS families partner with us in our missions work through prayer and financial support. 我们甚至还有另一位LCS校友, Robbie Sweet(01届)和他的家人, 在格拉斯哥的MTW团队工作.
What has been the most challenging thing about your current missionary assignment?
在国外服务可能是一种非常孤立的经历. 虽然我们很感激我们当地的教会家庭, 我们缺乏像美国那样强大的基督教社区. Our kids have no Christians friends at school and our church has very few young Christian families. 虽然事工的机会很多, it is easy to become overcommitted and feel overwhelmed by the immensity of our task. 尽管如此, we remain confident in the Lord’s calling and are continually reminded that we must fully rely on the power of the Spirit in order that he may accomplish his good purpose in us and through us.
Although the current spiritual landscape in Scotland and throughout Europe seems bleak, 我们很高兴能参与神国度的推进. MTW currently has 170 missionaries serving in 22 European countries in various forms of church planting, 怜悯事工和传福音. 就我个人而言, 我们有幸与苏格兰自由教会合作, 谁有到2030年建立30个新教会的愿景.
因为爱丁堡是一个国际化的城市, 我们在外国学生中看到了重要的事工机会, 移民, 和难民. It is so exciting to see the Lord draw people from every tribe and tongue to himself.
对于任何对执行任务感兴趣的人, 我会鼓励他们先参与当地的事工. Serving in your church and community is a natural way to identify and develop your spiritual gifts. 如果你不愿意在当地事奉上帝, 你不应该期望有意愿和能力在国际上这样做.
其次, I would urge young people to remain open to God’s call into missions regardless of your age and stage of life. We
can often be tempted to think that having a career exempts us from the possibility of full-time ministry. 然而, 上帝也许正在用有价值的知识装备你, training and experience in order to serve him in a different capacity later in life. 我很高兴主没有在我22岁的时候让我全职去宣教, but used the next decade of my life to prepare me spiritually and professionally for my current role in ministry. 虽然放弃事业和家庭是不容易的, 事实证明，我们的生活是一场冒险，我永远不会选择取代.
最后, I would remind young people that Jesus calls all believers to participate in the Great Commission. 虽然不是每个人都会被带领进入全职的跨文化事工, we should each desire to share in the advancement of God’s kingdom no matter our occupation or location. 正如保罗在使徒行传20章24节所说:“我愿意
不认为我的生命有任何价值，也不认为我的生命对自己有任何价值, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, 为要证明神恩典的福音.