Want to follow me to Europe?

Why not check out what I have been up to through reading my missionary newsletters? You can find them by going to my Newsletter Page - Click here or follow the link to the right.

You can find my most recent newsletter HERE (Summer 2015).

Happy Mother's Day

I am thankful for all of the mothers in the world, especially mine, for she gave me life and is a wonderful inspiration to me. But I also think of all of us who are not mothers and sometimes feel that the world views us as having not quite made it because we have not had children or created our own family. 

The beautiful reality is that while God made me female, with the coming of Christ, he gave me the ability to do more than have physical children - he allowed me the opportunity to have spiritual children. And I am thankful for the many spiritual children God has given me - scattered around the world. 

If you are feeling alone or "less" today because you have never had children of your own, your mom is no longer with you, or perhaps was not everything you thought she should be, know this: you are in a family, you are not alone. Your value is neither within your ability to have children or your "own" family nor in your good or bad relationship with your mother. Your value is in the fact that, because Jesus came to earth, no one is excluded from being a part of a family. 

And a challenge to the church family: exclude no one. Everyone has value, and everyone should feel our affirmation for being complete and for being exactly who they were created to be. We were not created to be alone. We were meant to be in families. And this belong to a family did not necessarily indicate marriage and birthing children. 

Let's embrace one another and be the true family of God this weekend and in the days, weeks and years to come!

Follow Shannon's board Europe Missions on Pinterest.

A powerful prayer...

by Frederick Buechner:
“Almighty and everlasting God, only speak to us that we may hear You. Then speak to us yet again and again so that when in our hearts we answer you by saying ‘No,’ we may at least know well to whom we say it, and what it costs us to say it, and what it costs our brothers and sisters, and what it costs You. And when at those moments that we can never foretell we say ‘Yes’ to You, forgive our halfheartedness, accept us as we are, work Your miracle within us, and of Your grace give us strength to follow wherever love may lead.”

New Year...New Europe

As 2015 begins, I am praying for a new Europe. The vision of Europe Missions is to envision a Europe where the Gospel is completely and accurately expressed through strong communities of faith - making disciples, birthing churches and impacting society.

Will you join with me in praying for 2015 to be the year of new life in the hearts of individuals, churches, and European society?

Click the link to read prayer needs from across Europe. These are submitted by our missionary family and national church partners. 

Together we are reaching Europe for Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Christmas. Whether you spend time with family, friends, neighbors, or strangers - I pray that you feel the warmth and joy that only Jesus can bring.

Here's my Christmas update highlighting events from this fall as I work with the Assemblies of God in Europe. I am grateful for the opportunity to train missionaries, serve Europe, and partner with you to share the Love of Jesus with those who have not heard.

May the Lord bless you abundantly this Christmas and in 2015.

October Update

Hi friends! I am now back in the USA and am adapting to this "temporary stateside missionary assignment." I am currently living at my parents home, working remotely through online conference calls & webinars, and preparing to return to Europe next week for three weeks of meetings as I fulfill my assignment to resource our Europe missionaries. 

Following is the link to my online newsletter to give you the update of what is happening in my life & missions assignment since leaving England. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Click here to read the online newsletter.

You can read all of my updates by clicking this link.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Well, if you track my life & my newsletters you will have seen that my time in the beautiful United Kingdom has come to a close. I experienced some issues with visa & immigration, which led to a decision  to cancel my visa. I'll be returning to the US temporarily, while continuing to serve the Assemblies of God in Europe. I'll be back in this area before we know it! I can't wait to see where God leads me as I continue to train, mentor, and make disciples in this beautiful part of the world. 




You can read more about my departure in my recent e-news update. I'll be sending more information out after I return to the US. For now I am busy finalizing the packing of my belongs and moving back to the US. Thanks for your prayers.


As I was reflecting on my time here, I came up with a few favorite things about living the UK and thought you might enjoy them!


Ten things I will miss about the UK - (in no particular order...)


1) Being called "love" or "duck" by the cashier at the grocery store.


2) Free health care.


3) Hanging my wash out on the line (guess I could do that in the US!).


4) Being able to watch Downton Abbey before everyone in the US!


5) The Great British Bake Off - love that show!!


6) My neighbor, Roy. He always brings my rubbish bin to the house after collection & watches my house when I'm gone. Is that a good neighbor, or what?


7) My wonderful colleagues & students and special friends made while serving at Mattersey Hall.


8) My new spiritual family at Hope Church in Rotherham.


9) My little village of Sutton-cum-Lound....including the village footpaths.


10) Driving on the "correct" side of the road. 

And... a bonus miss... 

11) MUSHY PEAS!




And, as Shakespeare wrote, 

"Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow." 

Romeo & Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

25 years and counting...

While in some ways I wish the title of this post was about my age, its not. I'm a few years past 25 at this point and am actually kind of happy about that. What this post is about is an anniversary: 25 years since traveling on my first mission trip. 

Twenty-six years ago no one could have ever told me that I would spend the next phase of my life in overseas travel, ministry, and missions. I probably would have laughed in your face for suggesting it. But in the fall of 1988 I had an encounter with God at a church that began to unravel my well-laid tapestry of life plans and ambitions. I was a sophomore at Central Bible College and during a missions service God asked me to pray for a nation. I thought He was asking me to go, but He simply asked me to pray. My call to missions began with prayer, it continued with many tears, and has ultimately led to an extremely fulfilled life. 

Twenty-five years ago this month I left on a journey that would change my life. I boarded a plane in Little Rock, Arkansas, bound for New York to meet up with a National AIM team (AIM is Ambassadors in Mission - the short-term mission program of the Assemblies of God Youth department). Our destination was Cairo, Egypt, where we would be the first AIM team to come to this country. Our task was to encourage several churches (which we did through singing & prayer), to visit the Lillian Trasher Orphanage (amazing!), and to help at a youth camp for the teenagers from the orphanage. It was life-changing. New friends, new experiences, culture shock, sickness, fear, excitement, joy, sadness - all rolled up into a three-week flurry of emotions and transformation. 

In a church service in "Garbage City" (the Cairo slums), God spoke to me about being obedient to Him, no matter the location or circumstances that He called me to. Since that day, I've never looked back, except to be reminded of His faithfulness and care for on the journey. 

I returned to serve in Egypt for 3 months the next summer and then graduated from Bible College. After serving as a youth pastor for a year, I went to Cambodia where I served for 3 years, and then returned later for 6 months before changing locations yet again and landing in Europe. I served in Belgium for 12 years and then moved to England where I have been since 2012. Basically, when God opened a door, I went through it. The going did not always make sense, nor was it always easy. I did not always obey willingly, and sometimes needed to be forced to go. However, God never disappointed me. He always showed His wisdom in bringing me to a new place, a new post, and a new understanding of His grace.

Along the way, I have truly seen God's faithfulness as I have been obedient. I have seen God use me in ways that I didn't know He could. I have seen him provide when I had nothing. I have seen Him fulfill promises that He made to my heart. I have watched Him develop me - not just into a missionary, but into a person that He wants for me to be.

And as I now embark on the next 25 years of ministry, I desire to be even more focused upon the things of God than before. Not just doing ministry, but being the person God has formed me to be. I desire to encourage the next generation of young and old that are embarking on the journey of a lifetime. I desire to be more close to Jesus than I have been and to help to lead others to find their fullest potential through knowing Him personally. 

So over the next year, I will be blogging a bit more about the next 25 years. I've recently read Richard Rohr's book "Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life" and have been fascinated by God's leading, guidance and direction during my first half of life. But as I enter the second half, I desire to be very purposeful and very obedient to lead a life that leaves a legacy for others to follow.

Leaving a legacy. And its not my legacy, but God's. If I will be obedient to Him, He has promised me that He will use me. 

I choose obedience. 

So here we go... 25 years and counting.

A busy season...

We have begun the final term of the 2013-14 academic year at Mattersey Hall Christian College. Students are busy preparing dissertations and final essays. The faculty & staff are gearing up for end-of-year activities. And we have many, many events coming up that fill our time, take our energies, and build strong relationships. Thank you for praying for me, our students, and staff as we enter this busy season of life in England.

To keep you updated with what has happened and is going to happen, here's a link to my most recent email update. It will provide you with a full overview of my time with the Mattersey Mission team in Moldova at the end of March, and also highlights coming events and opportunities for us to connect together. Click here to read the online update.

You can also read my latest published newsletter by clicking this link. Feel free to download & share with friends or post on your church notice board.

If you want to catch up on my previous correspondence, you can simply click the to the right or here for the interactive list of all of my updates & newsletters.

Thankful for Good Friday

Here in England the celebration of Good Friday takes on a variety of forms. I thought I would post a "Throw-back" blog of my first Good Friday in England - exactly 2 years ago. When I first arrived in England, it was just a few days prior to Easter in 2012. 

I am thankful that God has sent me to the UK, and I am thankful for the reason I am here - so that students may be trained to share the Good News that Jesus is indeed alive!

If you want to read more about what is currently happening in England - CLICK HERE FOR MY MOST RECENT NEWSLETTER! 

Enjoy the newsletter and these blog re-posts.

Jesus is Alive!

With love from England...
Shannon


Easter in England (2012) - http://shannonbuckner.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/easter-in-england.html

Special Good Friday Post from Belgium (2008) - http://shannonbuckner.blogspot.co.uk/2008/03/its-all-good.html

Keep Running...

Ten years ago I had a dream that profoundly impacted me. This was pre-blog days, but I did write it down. I was reminded of the dream recently in my reading of Jennie Allen's book "Restless: Because you were made for more." Allen highlights that our lives are as a race "we start running the race we were meant to run, and then realize after mile five that we have accidentally signed up for a marathon. Before we know it we are bored and restless again." 

Sometimes when I have so much going on in life I get restless and wonder what it would be like to step to the side and cheer others on in the race instead of participating myself. 

But throughout scripture we are encouraged to not give up but "run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1); "finish the race and complete the task the Lord has given to me" (Acts 20:24); so that we can join Paul in saying that "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7).

So I will keep running. And I pray that you do as well.

Here's the dream from 5 January 2004. I am praying that it speaks to someone today. Most probably that will be me!

I was in New York – I think…you know how dreams are.  In this large city I had walked down the empty streets, seen the large buildings, but not too many people around until we rounded a corner and came to a very large park.  It was a park that I had seen before, and the event being held looked familiar.  There were many people lining a path, cheering and watching.  As I moved closer, I could see the path, edged by large trees.  The park path was filled with runners in a marathon.  Numbers were on their backs and they were heading toward a goal.  I watched, fascinated at the race and the number of people looking on.  However, someone kept speaking to me and saying something repeatedly.  The words I was hearing: “You need to run.”  I looked around the crowd to see who was saying these words, but could not see them.  I heard the voice repeatedly, but the source was not revealed until I looked back at the runners.  It was then that I saw a young man, running in place, looking at me with his hand-outstretched saying “you need to run.” 

Although I wasn’t dressed for the race, and had no number on my back, I took his hand and we began to run together.  Now the crowd was cheering for me, and the young man kept holding my hand and saying, “you need to run.”  We ran the marathon and I could see that we were getting close to the finish line.  However, I was becoming tired, felt out of place because I didn’t look like the other runners, and wondered if I should really be in this race at all.  Suddenly, as we rounded a bend in the path and entered a long stretch of the tree-covered path, I stopped.  The young man holding my hand stopped as well.  He looked at me, smiled, and said these words:  “Keep running.”  I explained that I didn’t belong; I was tired, that I could exit at this point and not humiliate him or myself.  His response?  “Keep running.”  So, that’s what I did.  We entered back into the race down the tree edged path and eventually passed the finish line amidst cheers and congratulations on all sides.  Although tired and weary, the only words that continued to ring in my ears were “keep running.”  I knew that God sent this young man to me.  In his smile, I could see that he was sent to run alongside me, be kind to me, and to speak words of encouragement – “keep running.” 

As I awoke this morning, I couldn’t get these words out of my head and began to ponder the meaning of this dream.  I do believe that God speaks to us through dreams and asked Him to reveal His intentions of this particular one that was so poignant. 

In my time with God this morning, I was reading in my favorite devotional book, “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers.  As I read the entry for January 5^th, the meaning of my dream began to take shape as Chambers writes about Peter’s quest to follow Jesus that ends in denial.  Jesus’ resurrection and ascension brings hope to Peter as the promised Holy Spirit was given so that he could truly follow Christ with power and authority.  Peter had denied Jesus, but now he has been given a second chance to follow.

Chambers writes, “between these times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses, he had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive an impartation from the risen Lord. ‘He breathed on them and said to them, ‘receive the Holy Spirit.’  No matter what changes God has wrought in you, never rely upon them, build only on the Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.  All our vows and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to carry them out.  When we have come to the end of ourselves, not in imagination but reality, we are able to receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus has called us to follow him.  He did not promise that the race we would run in would be an easy one.  He did not promise that we would always fit in or that it would not be easy to quit.  He did not promise that there would be delays and obstacles along the way.  All He asks of us is that we run…and that we keep running. 

For me, 2003 was a difficult year.  Many trials and struggles came with 2003, and the two years before it.  There were also many changes and many, many lessons that God asked me to learn.  I’m still learning some of these lessons.  Sometimes I feel that it would be easier to walk away from ministry - to stop running the race.  If I did this, I could get a great job, earn lots of money, and start sponsoring other runners.  Raising funds for missions work is not always an easy task.  Especially when you look around you and find so many people with so much, and look in your own wallet or at the bank balance of the ministry you love and find so little.  I have struggled much with this thought lately, and asked of God “isn’t there an easier way?  Can’t I stop for a moment and find out?”

Sometimes we think the easiest thing to do is to stop and go another direction, or to join the crowd and cheer for others in the race.  However, God is not looking for cheerleaders…He is looking for participants.  The words from my dream – “you need to run” – were first spoken to me 20 years ago when at the age of 14 in an Arkansas youth camp, God called me into the ministry.  I have tried to go in other directions, but keep hearing the words “you need to run.”  Stopping, cheering or running in another direction are no longer options for me.

I don’t know all that the future holds, and can’t see what’s around the next tree covered bend in the path.  However, I keep hearing two words in my ears that give me encouragement along the way:  keep running.  I know that the end is in sight, that I’m on the right road, and most importantly – I am not alone.  Someone saw me standing in the crowd, stretched out his hand to me, and said, “You need to run.”  God is with me.  The Holy Spirit is guiding me.  Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were for me, and the message of the Kingdom of God will be spoken through me to those who have never heard…but I must keep running.

A bit behind...

I realize I have not posted in a while and am falling a bit behind in communications.

To keep you fully updated, why not cruise on over and take a look at my January newsletter for updates of life & ministry in England. Just click here to read my online e-news.

You can also read previous e-newsletters by going over to my Newsletter page of this blog - click here!

And if you want to make sure you don't miss an e-newsletter, click here to sign up for the newsletter to come directly to your inbox. Don't worry, I'm not a spammer and only send out news every 1-2 months. My latest edition which will highlight my coming trip to Moldova with a team of students from Mattersey Hall Christian College will be posted in the next several days, so sign up now!

Thanks for your prayers and partnership.

With many blessings,
Shannon

Community & Relationships

Recently I have been reading a book called "Soulcraft: How God Shapes Us Through Relationships" by Douglas D. Webster. (Thanks to my friend Joy for the recommendation!) It has been a great read so far and is speaking to me in a variety of ways about relationships, how we disciple others, and how we build true, authentic community.  

Here's a quote from the the chapter called "Wholeness": 

"Does today's evangelical emphasis on the ideal Christian life match with the biblical picture of costly discipleship? Or have we created a false recipe for Christian happiness, which includes falling in love, sexual intimacy in marriage, a successful career and having well-adjusted children? "Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" looks suspiciously like the American dream. Often it is hard for us to accept that God has in mind a greater agenda than our personal peace and happiness." 

So what are your thoughts on this topic?

I've been reading much about the single life and promoting a Biblical theology of singleness, only to come face-to-face with a non-Biblical view of the single life among churches and Christians. Instead of promoting authentic community, we have become individuals that oftentimes want to change others to be as we are. We no longer accept people for who they are, but accept them in light of who they will become based upon what the world has deemed "normal." 

I am afraid that we are placing more value upon our own peace & happiness than upon authentic relationship that comes only from Jesus Christ. We care too much about what others think of us, and far too little about what God thinks of us. We have placed marriage & family, success & money, and habits & locations, far above true obedience and sacrifice that should be the "norm" for those who are called to follow Christ.

Let's make a difference in the world, not because we conform to it, but that we leave a lastly impression of God's light, love and acceptance.

I am not single...

I am not single

• Because something is wrong with me.
• Because God has called me to be single
• Because I've never had opportunity to be married
• Because I don't want to be married
• Because I am picky (well, maybe!)
• Because I am in transition to marriage
• Because little old ladies haven't tried to set me up with grandsons

I am single 

• Because it is Gods plan for me at this time of my life. 
• Because I trust God with every area of my life
• Because no one but God can make me complete.
• Because God has equipped me with the gift of singleness
• Because he has entrusted me with great responsibility
• Because God says I am whole in Him alone
• Because God has called me to be His.

All singles have different situations for their singleness. For me, I am single because I took a step of obedience to God to serve him completely. At age 27 God spoke to me to stop trying to be complete by searching for a mate and to be whole by finding completeness in Him. Through my singleness, I found the fullness of obedience to God.

Sometimes the language we use implies assumptions we have that everyone is in transition to marriage or that we are missing out on an essential of life because we are single. We then can isolate or neglect the needs of those who are single that work with us or are in our churches. We can exclude, marginalise, and minimalise their calling & capacity. 

We were all born into community and family must be seen as much more than immediate family or spouse or children.

If you are single, embrace it. Allow God to use you in it. Don't live your life in transition to the next great thing, because it may not be all that great. God has a plan for you and he wants you completely.

I am not single because of anyone or anything or any problem.

I am single because God loves me.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been inspired recently to embrace my singleness, thanks to my friend, Suzanne, and a couple of books that have helped me to read & interpret scripture accurately on this topic. 

If you want to read these book, I encourage it and here are the links:

Redeeming Singleness: How the storyline of scripture affirms the single life by Barry Danylak

Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must be Reinvented in Today's Church by Christine Colón & Bonnie Field

A new year has begun...

We are off and running for another academic year at Mattersey Hall College, so that must be its time for  an update!

Click here to read my latest newsletter updating you on what is happening in England at Mattersey Hall.

Thank you for your prayers and involvement in training students for ministry. God is at work in the lives of our students and I can't wait to see what He does through their future ministries.

We are partners together!

Shannon

Mattersey Hall students worshipping during chapel.

Close encounters of the relational kind...

Living in England is wonderful. Gorgeous vistas, lovely little villages, and rolling green hills. But my favorite part must be the amazingly friendly people. I live in South Yorkshire, above the midlands, but not far enough north to be called "The North" (or at least that's what some of my friends tell me!). Where I live is actually on the boarder of Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire, so I'm never quite sure which "shire" to claim.

Mr. Shop Owner, and his very beautiful Lurcher.

Anyway... basically, I live in the middle (or North!) of this beautiful country.

One thing that Brits love to do is take nice walks. And they are so keen on this that there is a national "right of way" law that allows the public access by means of public footpaths through private land. It's wonderful! I've been exploring all of the footpaths in my village and have had some good walks through unconventional territory.

Just the other day I tried a new footpath that looked a bit ominous at first as the entrance was quite covered by brush, however, it opened up to a beautiful field by a lake and I was able to take a few pictures along the way. On the journey I passed the lake, several fields full of sheep, three very friendly dogs taking their owners on a walk, two bike riders (where they came from I have NO idea!), and the owner of the local shop. The shop that I have not visited yet. And yes, he knew it and pointed out the fact to me. (I guess no one quite forgets the foreigner in the village.) But he was very friendly and very helpful, especially when I realized that the footpath had no exit to the area of the village I needed access to. We had a nice discussion about the "right of way" of this particular property, and how I should hop over this fence, walk through this persons back garden (noting that the owner of said garden might yell at me!), and you'll find your way to your neighborhood. Simple, right? Well maybe not so much.

Where did they come from?

First of all, the land owner did not come out and yell at me. That was good. Second, I think I missed one of the steps of Mr. Shop Owner's directions as, after passing through 2 sheep fields with quizzical sheep wondering what I was doing in their field, I had to hop over yet another fence to get out of the property. Finally, my trek was a success as I found the access to my street and made my way home. What an adventure!

Brenda & Ella Jane

Yesterday I found yet another new footpath by talking to a lady I met along the journey: My new neighborhood friend, Brenda. She's the mum of my next door neighbor and has lived in my village all of her life, as did her parents before her. She was lovely to speak with, and she had a beautiful dog named Ella Jane. She pointed me in the right direction to another lovely path which required absolutely no fence jumping (I may or may not have been disappointed by this!). By talking to Brenda I learned that she is recently retired, and when she retired she had 3 goals: 1) join a gym, 2) relax, and 3) get confirmed in the local Anglican Church. I found this third point to be very interesting. She had not been confirmed as a child and as she entered the final portion of her life, she wanted to learn more about God and do it properly. So she became like a child, a learner, and took the confirmation classes.

Not many people attend church in my village of 700 people, but Brenda does. Pray with me that I will have the opportunity to make more relationships along the various footpaths. Pray that I will have meaningful conversations about life, God, family, and eternity.

These are close encounters of the relational kind, right here in South Yorkshire, along a footpath.

Have a great day friends.

My journey to a PhD

If you would like to follow my journey to a PhD in Intercultural Studies, I have started a new blog entitled: Missionary to Missiologist.  Here's the link http://shannongetsaphd.blogspot.com

Come & follow me on the journey and get involved in the discussion along the way.

Hope to see you there!
Shannon

Updates...

Hello friends! What an amazing year it has been as I serve in England. Thanks so much for your prayers and partnership.

I love what God has asked me to accomplish in Great Britain, and it is a tremendous joy to partner with Mattersey Hall Christian College and the Assemblies of God - Great Britain.  Our academic year is coming to a close and graduation services will be held on June 22nd. What an exciting day that will be! The purpose that I am here is to mentor, train, and disciple the next generation of Christian leaders. I can't wait to release them into their calling so that they make an impact for Christ in the UK, Europe, and the World!

Thank you for reading the updates provided on the following links. They will help you know how to pray and provide a report of what I have been up to. May God bless you richly!

Shannon

JUNE 2013 UPDATE (Hot off the press!)

APRIL 2013 UPDATE (gives details of my one-year anniversary in England and the mission trip with students that I led to Albania)

A week in the life of a missionary in England...

Ever wonder what I do all week while serving as a missionary in England at Mattersey Hall College?

Check out my latest update and you'll get a glimpse into a typical week, plus I hope it will provide some areas that you can pray for me, the students that we are training, and our faculty & staff as we seek to fulfill our goal of forming the next generation of Christian leaders.

Click here to read the latest update from England.  Enjoy!