On Tuesday evening this week, members of the Rugby Branch were invited to visit the 3rd Market Harborough Scout Troop to share about the work of The Gideons and present them with a copy of the Scout Testament.

The evening was relaxed and informal and we were told to take as long as we liked as the young people were enthusiastic to learn about what we do and how we do it. We had a very blessed time sharing about the work of The Gideons, engaging in great conversations with them which finished with a great (and challenging!) Q&A session.

One of the highlights of the evening came when the boys first set eyes on the Scout Testaments; their eyes lit up and you could sense the excitement – something that we don’t think we have ever experienced on a placement elsewhere. We had the pleasure of seeing every Scout and every leader eagerly accept a Testament and we had a great sense that they appreciated the Testaments and would be showing their parents or guardians when they got home.

After we distributed the Testaments the leaders reinforced the importance of the Testaments, making particular mention that they were special and should be valued and cared for. Sadly it is sometimes the case when we visit schools that Testaments get left behind or disposed of but as we left that Scout Hut we were in no doubt that each one of those New Testaments would be taken home and treasured.

We give thanks to God for such a blessed and encouraging evening and for the excitement that it has given us since. Please join with us as we pray for those young people and their leaders as they take those Testaments home with them.

If there are similar groups in your area, whether they are Scouts, members of the Boys’ Brigade or Girls’ Brigade or whoever they may be, we would like to encourage you to seek these opportunities to visit them as we know you will be truly blessed by the time you spend with them.