The schedule revealed that the organisers were more focused on the opportunity before them than the limitations that were associated with being a drama team of just three people all of whom had other jobs. The schedule began expecting us to arrive mid Friday afternoon when we would meet local leaders, then immediately embark on a series of thirteen performances, the last of which was on Monday morning at the local primary school – after which we would be released to return home. They clearly wanted to reach as many people as possible; young and old, churched and unchurched – everyone!

They also added footnotes to the schedule to aide us in our understanding. Firstly, the Saturday ‘double booking’ was deliberate - because the venues were almost across the road from each other they thought we could ‘pop over’ and perform something for the adults during the breaks when we were not performing at the youth club. Insightfully they felt that performing with both groups would build bridges between young and old. This bridge could then be strengthened at the following day’s morning Sunday Service and evening event that we were scheduled to lead! Secondly they noted that the Monday’s assembly with the local primary school was very significant because this was the first time the school had opened it’s doors to the local church (no pressure!) Finally, they were disappointed to inform us that we were not able to perform at the local secondary school because the Head Teacher was adamant "That a church would not preach to his children" – but they were still praying that he would change his mind (basically they wanted to add more to the schedule!)

One other thing that complicated matters further - the venue was St Mary’s, the largest of the Scilly Isles. To meet their schedule we’d have to take time off work to allow us to drive from Plymouth to Penzance and hope the weather on that weekend allowed the helicopter to fly when it was supposed to – bad weather could stop us from getting there, or strand us in the Scilly Isles when we were supposed to be back at work.

The drama team stared at this ludicrous proposition. We mentally calculated the effort required to prepare, let alone perform, so many back to back and deliberately double booked performances. Were we able to deliver something new, fresh and effective at each place? We also had to address the fact that one of the team only had a single day of annual leave available – without him we couldn’t do it.

The sensible, logical response would have been to gently tell them to adjust their expectations, to point out the difference between faith and totally unrealistic hopes.

Instead we said yes.

We worked out that if we booked off Friday afternoon and Monday morning from work that would equal one day’s annual leave. If we then left straight from our work place we could get to Penzance with about 20 minutes spare to catch the helicopter. Likewise on our return, on Monday, if we drove straight to work after landing in Penzance we’d be back just in time to complete a half day’s work. It could be done. We began planning and practising the scripts we would use, worked out how we might avoid performing the same thing to the same audience at different events. We worked and worked and worked. We also prayed and prayed and prayed. We worked as though we never prayed and prayed as though we were not working.

The weekend came, everything dropped into place, we had a brilliant time. Loads of people across the island were talking about Jesus and over a dozen teenagers decided to be Jesus followers that weekend. God had clearly moved, we were clearly tired, but it was a good tired. Then as we were stepping onto the helicopter to go back to our ‘day jobs’ someone grabbed my arm, they wanted me to hear about another miracle God had done. The Head Teacher of the secondary school who had been adamant that we would not step inside his school had heard so many good things over the weekend that he wanted to get a message to us “If your helicopter is delayed by even half an hour please come to our school.” The messenger actually looked to be in slight shock, he told me “you have no idea what a miracle this is!” We left wondering what else God had done.

Three years later I received a letter; it was from one of the teenagers who made a commitment to follow Jesus that weekend. She was now the leader of her college’s Christian Union and was just about to lead a mission to the Isle of Scilly, hoping that God would use them to impact the Isles as much as He had used us.

I am not writing this to boast how good a drama team we were or to impress everyone with how God used us. I’m writing this to remind me the kind of faith God wants to see in me. A ‘simple’ faith. The faith of a child who just believes God can do it. Yes we must plan, but do we believe God can do it?

In Ecclesiastes 11v4 we read “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” (Living Bible)

Steve Chalke reflecting upon the global work his organisation does amongst the poor, homeless and sick said that at the heart of every ministry, project, prayer event, hospital and school they are involved in around the world, is found a person ‘irrationally committed’ to the cause God has set before them. A person of faith not dependant on the perfect conditions, but fixed on a God who can do anything.

What is God calling you to be ‘irrationally committed’ to? Dive in!

Mark Madavan