Norfolk Christian equipped for Bible teaching
Norfolk Christian Esme Nice is preparing to travel to Fiji on a short term mission where she will teach the Bible to communities in need. A coffee morning will be held in Norwich on June 14 to raise funds to support her trip.
Born and raised in Norfolk, Esme is no stranger to travel, as she has visited many countries during her time with the mission organisation Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Esme first joined YWAM in January 2022 when she enrolled on the discipleship training school which involved a three month lecture phase learning about knowing God more deeply and then a three month outreach telling people about God. Esme said, “On this outreach I went to Germany and a country in the Middle East. We did a variety of ministries including street evangelism, youth work, home visits with refugees and speaking in churches.”
Hungry for more, Esme followed this with another Bible course with YWAM where she was part of a group that travelled to places where books of the Bible were written from and to, such as Egypt, Corinth, Israel, Ephesus and Rome. Esme said, “It was incredible being able to study the Bible where it was written as it really helped me to understand the cultural context behind many of the books.” Another mission followed in Rwanda, before more Bible study in Canada, involving ten hour days of in-depth study six days a week.
Esme said, “While studying so intensively everyday was difficult, it was also incredibly rewarding to dive so deeply into God's word. Previously I had struggled with unifying how I saw God in the Old Testament versus how I saw him in the New Testament. But through studying all the way from Genesis to Revelation, I saw that God is equally as good and merciful ... his character is truly unchanging and the Bible really reveals that.”
Esme is equipped to teach others, something she practiced in the Netherlands last year and in South Africa earlier this year. She is currently in New Zealand and has been volunteering at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which is a famous church that can see hundreds of tourists visit each day.
Her next challenge ‘the Titus Project’ will take her to Fiji where she will be part of a team of ten from eight different nationalities. Esme said, “I am feeling excited about going to Fiji but also a bit nervous about the responsibility of teaching the Bible as I want to give it the respect it deserves and communicate God's word well.”
Esme would appreciate the prayers and support of the Norfolk Christian community. She said, “YWAM is an entirely voluntary organisation so everyone has to raise their own finances. Any money raised will be going towards paying for the lecture phase of outreach and for the outreach itself.”
A coffee morning will be held on Saturday June 14 at Norwich Central Baptist Church, NR3 3AP from 10am-1:30pm.
Esme is clear that our missional calling is not just for outreaches, it is a lifestyle. She said, “Wherever we go, whether that is home or away, we can be evangelising and ministering to people - it's not something we have to turn on and off depending on the situation.”
Esme has experienced some the life-changing power of the gospel in many people's lives all over the world. She said, “One stand-out moment is when we were in a place in the middle east where we met a lady who had lost much of her hearing. She was in the capital city in order to see a doctor but the appointment kept getting rescheduled so she ended up in the same church as us that particular day. We were able to pray for her and she received her hearing back.”
Esme will return to Norfolk for university in September. She grew up attending Meadow Way Chapel and became a Christian when she was five. Esme said, “My faith started in Norfolk and continues to be shaped there. I love Norfolk and am really excited to see how God is going to move there in the future!”
Pictured above: Esme Nice