Testimony by Rob Cooper

Recently Rachel asked me to share my testimony as it was appropriate for today’s service ‘Stuck in the Mud.’ I said I would think about it and it then went quiet.  On Friday I got a text from Shaun thanking me for agreeing to do this! 

Standing up the front is not my normal thing.  I try and do it only once a year and that is at the Display when handing out the awards.  So, here we go.

I have been attending SBC since the 1960’s when I was about a year old.  I’ve been at the church ever since, went through Sunday School, Way-In, Attic, and attended the summer missions.

At 15 I gave my life to the Lord after hearing Gary Rowlandson say how his younger sister had been killed in a car crash.  He said “nobody knows how long we’ve got here, so don’t put things off. If you decide you want to be a Christian don’t say you’ll do it when you are older, that you’ll enjoy your teenage years first.” That night I went home and made a commitment.

I joined the Boys’ Brigade at 7 and am still here.  Did the usual things, got married, had two daughters;  carried on with BB, Kidspace, Refuel, Rock Solid, various DIY projects in the church and for others.

I was in my comfort Zone.  Last week AJ spoke about being in a routine in your Christian life, doing the same things every week.  That was me.

About 18 months ago my life took a dramatic change.  I went through a divorce in March and moved out into a rented flat. I was embarrassed.  What would people think, being a Christian, BB Captain, etc.  It didn’t seem right. I didn’t think it should be happening to me.  I never got cross with God and very early on I realised He had a new plan for me. I couldn’t see how getting divorced was going to fit into this plan but I went along with it.

Looking back over the first few months of last year I was quite low but I tried not to show it.  I kept thinking of the poem Footprints in the Sand, where there are two sets of prints but when life is hard there is only one set of prints.  During those months last year I think there was only one set of footprints and they were not mine.  I was being carried along by God.

Things went on as normal until last October when I felt God told me that my life was to change and there were three things I had to do.

First, I was to work in the community.  I said I was already doing that with BB but I think He was telling me to do something outside the church. 

Second, I was to go into voluntary work. This was always something I wanted to do so that was no hardship.

Third, He wanted me to give up my job and do something totally different.  That was hard.
 
About this time I read an article in a magazine that came through the door about Street Angels in Watford.  Immediately I knew this was for me.  But I said to God I am not used to going out and speaking to people.  If this is what you want me to do, please give me a sign. 

The following Sunday we had a church meeting when Shaun mentioned that we were going to open a Cafe as outreach in the community.  He also mentioned Street Pastors, which is another name for Street Angels, so that was all I needed to know that       I should join the Street Angels in Watford.  As soon as I got home, I filled out the application form, and have been doing Street Angels since November last year on alternate Friday nights.  We go out in a team, from 10pm to 4am, looking out for drunks, talking to the homeless, just talking to people generally.

Street Angels has brought other things into my life.  I now spend one Sunday morning a month with the homeless, cooking breakfast, sitting down talking to them which I thought I would never do.  I have been on a police ride-along, spending an eleven hour shift with them under a blue light going to all the emergencies and seeing what actually happens in Watford.  Also, I went on a drugs awareness course which really opened my eyes.

As for the voluntary project, this was something I had always wanted to do.  I mentioned it to Helen and she gave me a book - Short Term Projects for Christians.

I set out a timetable of all the commitments I had during the year and told the Lord I could do something from September, but there was nothing in September.  I then realised that my programme was not the same as God’s.

Over Christmas I struggled with the third thing, giving up my job. I kept thinking that I needed a good job as I needed money to buy a house.  Finally God wore me down and I understood that with renting I was probably freer to do whatever He wanted.

After Christmas I had my annual appraisal with my boss.  Within two minutes I was telling him that sometime during the year I would be leaving the company, that I was going to do a voluntary project and that I didn’t know what my job would be after that.

He just sat there and accepted it, and then said, “I am sorry to hear you are leaving but I am not surprised.  Since you have been doing Street Angels you have changed.” He was prepared to give me six months unpaid leave to do voluntary work to get it out of my system as he called it, and then offered me my job back.  I said no.  I was committed to 3-months notice period; I handed in my notice in April.

Sorting out the voluntary project was a bit tricky.  I knew I wanted to work in Africa, on a building project for a school as I have worked 30 years in the construction industry.  I went on a website  and found  one  for Malawi - a 5-week project - but the date clashed with commitments I already had

First there was the Rock Solid weekend away to Soul Survivor.  I spoke to Helen and she said see if we can find another male leader.  We prayed about it that Thursday and Anthony Gray happened to walk in and said I’ll do it.  Great, I thought, I’m off to Malawi.

I started to fill out the application form and discovered that I had to go on an Orient-ation Weekend when we were to find out about the country, what we would be doing there, and to meet the people we would be going with.  The date clashed with the Junior Section Weekend Away. Again I spoke to Anthony Gray who has been on this Weekend many times but is not old enough to drive the Minibus. I then spoke to Damien Gillespie who came with us last year - the first time we had had a parent/helper - as I felt he knew what to expect.  He agreed, so, finally, all the obstacles were removed.

9 injections later I am now ready for Malawi.

I mentioned it to the Street Angels one night at 4am and they sat down and prayed for me.  One of them had a vision.  “I was sitting there with a very expensive watch.  I took it off and held it close to my heart.”  He had no idea what it meant and no one else did either. I thought that’s a shame, no one has ever given me a vision before!  The following morning when I woke up, the thought came into my head that the expensive watch meant that time was a precious gift from God, not to be wasted.  Taking it off and holding it close to my heart meant that I really wanted to do something with my time but  I probably had to be patient and let things take their course, which they did.

Giving up my job was hard. I have no idea what I will do when I get back from Malawi.  I have looked at various options and have a few ideas but none of them seem quite right.  During the sermon at a BB Battalion Church Parade at Wembley recently the thought came to me. ‘Don’t worry about your job, you will find out what you are meant to do while you are in Malawi.’

So that’s it.  I’ve got no worries.  People at work think I am mad giving up a job at a time of recession, not having a clue what I shall be doing when I get back, but I keep saying that I have faith and I know something will happen.

Finally, I’d like to thank Judith for setting up the prayer team and for sending out emails just before I go out on Fridays, we really do appreciate your prayers for safety.

One final thing, we have been asked to take out pencils, crayons colouring books, etc, for the kids who basically have nothing.  If anyone would like to make a small financial contribution I will buy whatever I can fit into the luggage and take it out on behalf of the church.


Robert Cooper

Postscript:  Rob is going in a team of nine (only 3, including Rob, will be there for the whole period) to Malawi with The SoapBox Trust, a charity that provides opportunities for people to go on short-term mission projects in some of the poorest communities in the world.  Apart from funding their own travel costs, accommodation and food, the team also have to raise the money to buy the building materials necessary for the project.  I am sure Rob would be delighted if you felt able to give a little bit more, not just for pencils and crayons but also for cement, bricks, etc.  Rob departs on 25 July.                                                               

Check out their web site:  www.soapboxtrust.com