Tell a Tourist is a weeklong mission that usually happens in London in the Summer and does "what it says on the tin", we go and tell tourists about Jesus.

It is not difficult to find tourists in London, there are millions of them visiting every day of the year.

This year was a little bit different, however, because the week leading up to the Easter week-end saw a Tell

a Tourist team gather for shorter 4 day mission. This is because many of us will be involved in a mission during the Olympics this Summer.

I really like it when people who have never done mission before sign up for something like this. It is exciting to watch them change, sometimes within hours, from people who are nervous about going onto the streets to evangelists who will (and do) speak to anyone about the Lord. This year's team was no exception.

A team of at least 10 of us were on the streets for hours every day. Some days the team was added to by one or two others who came to help for part of the week. On two days our team ranged in age from 16 years old to 82 years old, we came from 12 different churches and a number of different denominations and ways of doing church. Of course we were also a mixture of men and women.

Three of the team had never preached on the street before and 'launched' what I hope is an ongoing ministry during the mission. Using the sketchboard they powerfully and clearly preached the gospel - it was wonderful to see. During the week they all took as much opportunity as they could  to preach again. One team member who was used to preaching on the streets (even though he is only 16(!)) preached for the first

time using the sketchboard. With no training at all he was nevertheless brilliant, gathering and holding a crowd. A young woman who joined the team for just one day and who, again, has preached on the street asked to 'have a go' with the sketchboard and was also amazing.

At the start of the week the weather was not kind to us because it rained a lot, all through the mission it was cold on the streets.

However, we did not let this much needed rain dampen our enthusiasm or the low temperature cool our ardour. When, because of the rain, we could not preach using the sketchboard we would distribute gospel tracts and  get into conversations that way. Being the week leading up to Easter it was not to difficult to begin a conversation by wishing the people Happy Easter and asking "Do you (or How do you) celebrate Easter?"

We kept an informal record of the people we spoke to and within 4 short days we spoke to tourists from at least 26 different countries.

We had long, deep, gospel conversations and shorter but just as deep talks about the Lord. We spoke to Christians and encouraged (and challenged) them by our presence on the street. We spoke to some Christians who were not walking with the Lord at the time and were able to talk and pray with them pastorally.

It was a sheer privilege to be telling people about Jesus in Piccadilly Circus on Thursday evening, an evening just like the Thursday evening of His last supper with his disciples.

It was our honour to be preaching and explaining the cross in Leicester Square on Good Friday afternoon trying to bring the light of the gospel at the same time as He was on the cross that first Good Friday shrouded in darkness.

To Him be all the glory.

Peter Kennelly

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