The Endurance Challenge

Last year when I was at a festival/conference called Momentum I came across a group called Church Action on Poverty. I got an email from them today asking if I would take their Endurance Challenge. The Endurance Challenge basically means trying to live the life of someone seeking sanctuary (or as you more probably know it, asylum) here in the UK.

I have decided to take up the Challenge - this means that between Monday 22nd and Sunday 28th March I will be living on a budget of £35.13 for the week - which is the amount that asylum seekers in the UK have to live on. I'm going to have to think about all sorts of things - how much and what kind of food I buy, if I use my car, where I'm going to access the internet, how much I use my phone, how much heating can I afford? I can imagine it's going to be tough - but I think it's important for me to do this. As most of you know, I am a Christian, and as a Christian I feel it's important for me to reflect the Christ I follow in the way I live. I know that God is a God who cares for the oppressed, the marginalised and the poor - and that he is a God of justice. So I think this would be a good way for me to develop some understanding and care for the marginalised and poor in my society - and to stand against any injustices I discover along the way. I'm also doing this in the run up to Easter...I think making some small sacrifices for a week will help me in some way to become more in tune and aware of the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made on Good Friday.

I also want to do this so that I can truly put myself in the shoes of those who have to do this for months and even years on end - and understand how the policies of the government are effecting them.

I'll be blogging about how things are going throughout the week - check back here or become a follower of this blog for regular updates. I also would like to raise some money for asylum seekers from doing this - so if you would like to sponsor me during the Challenge I will be giving any donations to Refugee Action (http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/) - I'll try and set up a justgiving page before the end of the week.

Thanks for reading :)