News & Views
John Barker - my DNA year so far
written by John Barker
published on 15th November 2006
My mind boggles at the idea of writing about the first month of DNA. Has it only been one month!?! I hasten to add that I mean that not in a ‘10 more months to go, section me now’ way, but rather, that life seems so focussed and settled that it surprises me to think I only embarked on this journey 5 weeks ago.
To say the journey only began 5 weeks ago is a bit misleading. The truth is that God put DNA on my heart over 18 months ago. I was in my second year of uni, realising that life without my Maker was really no life at all, having first put God on hold and then hanging up on Him during my freshers year. I realised I needed to build some foundations and commitment into my relationship with God and was aware that there were ideas, attitudes and issues that I was carrying around that were affecting every aspect of my life. I was finding ways to cope with, or more likely avoid them, but to do so meant I was living a sub standard life, only being half the John God wanted me to be. Whatever else I’d looked for to try and combat this baggage, I knew it was only God that could set me free to live the full on life He’d got planned.
I had known a couple of DNAers in the past and their continual testament that ‘it is the most difficult year of your life, but by far the best year’ was ringing in my ears. I prayed about it, pushed a couple of doors, and God helped me to walk through them.
And so I came to be in Horsham at the start of October for an inspiring, friendship forming, challenging, fun-filled and hand-out laden first week. God and the team wasted no time in getting stuck in and there were many amazing, powerful and at times difficult experiences that week. After 4 days I received my placement, finding out that Haslemere in
Surrey
would be my home for the next year. It’s been fantastic, having been warmly welcomed in to an amazing church, people’s homes and the, at times bewildering, village life. I have been involved in children’s work, cell groups, youth meetings (including a guy becoming a Christian-praise God!), schools visits, a Freedom In Christ course, holiday clubs, Alpha, admin, door-to-door visits and learning to cook on an AGA!
It’s humbling to think about all that God has been doing in and around these past few weeks. Never before have I felt such a sense of God preparing the way for me, in an Ex 23:20 way, which makes me so incredibly grateful I have such a faithful and concerned Father in heaven. My biggest anxiety before starting DNA was probably that I wouldn’t make the relationships and friendships that I desired and feel are important to all that is going on. God has been amazing in that sense, giving me confidence, being so present in my interactions and putting incredible people around me. The DNA group are an amazingly fantastic bunch of people and God has been using our relationships right from the start, as He has with the team also. In Haslemere too, my relationships have been so blessed and I’m incredibly thankful for that.
So much, in such a short time. I feel I can’t even imagine what God has got in store for me, but boy am I excited about finding out!
