Called to another land

Gary Cousins, Education Coordinator of Childrens’ Ministry Leadership Course (CMLC) and CEF Western Europe interviews Neil Harkness, a former students to find out how God had lead him during and after his time in Kilchzimmer, Switzerland.

Gary Cousins: How did you come to leave your secular employment and enter Bible College?

Neil Harkness: In November 1999 as I was reading Acts 7:3, those words to Abraham came so strong to me personally that I really felt God was saying, someday Neil you are going to leave Northern Ireland and go to another land. I had a real interest in Northern and Western Europe as I had travelled to Holland, Germany and Belgium with friends and to Finland and Sweden with my father to watch the car rallies. I didn’t know where God wanted me to go but I knew Bible College was the next step.

GC: How did you find out about the Childrens’ Ministry Leadership Course (CMLC)?

NH: During my final year at the Faith Mission Bible College (Scotland) in the Spring of 2007, a fellow student from Germany gave me a Kilchzimmer Echo. I couldn’t read it because it was in German, but she explained it a little bit and asked me whether I had ever thought of going there. I had heard of Kilchzimmer but I didn’t know very much about it or CEF. I really enjoy children’s ministry, I had taught in Sunday school in my home church and I had been involved for many years in camps with the faith mission. Strange as it was, every time I passed the college missions display, there seemed to be something there from CEF. The Lord used those things to lead me to attend the CMLC.

GC: You attended the Autumn 2007 course. What memory stands out for you?

NH: While I was convinced before the course of the need to reach out to children, the classes on the Biblical basis gave me the verses I needed to be able to show others from the Scriptures how children can be saved. I believe this will be a big help for me working in Northern Europe where many doubt that children need to be saved.

GC: How did the Lord use your time in Kilchzimmer to guide you?

NH: I came not knowing what I would do afterwards. One evening I was reading Deuteronomy 31 for an assignment. The moment I read verse 7 where Moses said to Joshua, “Thou must go with this people”, it was so clear that God was speaking to me. As the weeks progressed I had a real peace and I felt increasingly at home among the “CEF people”. As we prayed each day for different countries I realised, here is a mission that is also working in Northern and Western Europe. It was as if my natural desires, the work I was interesting in, my personal circumstances, and the call of God – all came together while at Kilchzimmer. 

GC: When did Sweden become your main focus?

NH: At the end of the course I shared with Roy Harrison (Former European Director of CEF) that I wanted to apply to the mission. He asked where I felt the Lord was leading me. I said that I had a natural desire towards Northern Europe and mentioned that I had been to Sweden. He proceeded to tell me that CEF doesn’t have any full-time workers there and that they were praying that God would raise them up. I didn’t commit to anything then but the seed had been planted.

GC: What did you do immediately after the course?

NH: The call was so strong that a few weeks later I applied to CEF Ireland. At the beginning of March 2008 I was accepted as a candidate and commenced a time of practical training. The following 18 months gave me an opportunity to get to know the work of CEF better and to discern the Lord’s will.

GC: When did it become clear that Sweden was the country God was calling you too?

NH: Sweden was still on my mind, so in September 2008, armed with a list of contacts, a friend and I went on a fact-finding mission to the country. My prayer was, Lord, if this is it, make it clear… if not... I can go home knowing that this is not your will. When I got on the plane to go home, I was convinced that this was the not the place the Lord wanted me. But then I opened a book I had been given at Bible College to read the final chapter. It was called “God is Faithful” a collection of short stories from former missionaries. In the providence of God, the first statement I read was “James Lees who was a Scottish miner took a return ticket to Sweden to test if God was calling him there to labour in the Gospel.” I put the book down and a smile came over my face as I realized that God had spoken again in a truly unmistakable way. I didn’t share it with anyone until April 2009. It was already clear but I asked the Lord to confirm it to me one more time. The reading that night in My Daily Light was “arise ye, depart for this is not your rest” (Micah 2:10). I soon became a missionary designate to Sweden and a short time later commenced deputation. 

GC: Things moved quite quickly from them on!

NH: Yes, going into deputation, facing the challenge of raising support for living in one of the most expensive countries in Europe, I was encouraged by the words of Exodus 35:21 were it says that the peoples hearts were stirred and their spirits were made willing to give to the work of the tabernacle. In less that a year, my full support had been pledged. In the summer of last year, eleven years after God had first spoken to me through Acts 7:3, with 15 kilos of luggage, I boarded a Ryanair flight to Gothenburg, Sweden. I got settled in, found a place to live, got the remainder of my stuff brought over from Ireland and commenced language school in September.

GC: What are the challenges facing you as you seek to establish the work in Sweden?

NH: CEF is virtually unknown in Sweden. Also the area I live in has a high immigrant population and there are many Muslim children. I am looking forward to having a better grasp of the language so I can commence the work here among the children. I know that it will not be easy but I am very sure that this is where God wants me to be and I know that He will be faithful.