Stuart Watson

Interviewer: Welcome to another brief encounter. Today, we are interviewing Stuart Watson, a young person from the Belfast area.

Interviewee: Yes, the Roma community in Ireland.

Interviewer: What is your family background or what do you want to share with us?

Interviewee: We are a family of six from Roma; I live in the country and absolutely love it.

Interviewer: You’re not a city boy.

Interviewee: No, I’ve been in the city for the last three years, but I would miss the open fires too much. We have a family house in the country, and it’s quite old. We have lots of fireplaces, and tree fires.

Interviewer: So you say you’ve been studying for three years?

Interviewee: Yeah.

Interviewer: Have you finished your studies?

Interviewee: Yeah. I just finished in June.

Interviewer: So what did you study?

Interviewee: I studied music.

Interviewer: When did you learn to play the keyboard? I know you’ve been playing the keyboard at our convention this year. And did you learn that art at the university, or did you play long before you left here?

Interviewee: No. I played the keyboard long before attending the university. I started when I was age ten and now I’m twenty-two so I played the last twelve years. And then at university, I did not focus on playing the piano. I did a lot of other and different kinds of modules. However, I played the piano in worship.

Interviewer: So are you going to start your career in music now? Is that something you’ll go to do?

Interviewee: It’s not what I want to do full time. But I’m working in a special needs school. I’ve been doing a lot of music with the special needs kids, and they just love it.

Interviewer: That’s lovely. My daughter is an SCN teacher.

Interviewee: Yeah

Interviewer: Looking after those with special needs. It’s a bit of a calling, isn’t it? Bit of a challenge.

Interviewee: Yeah.

Interviewer: But it’s lovely that you got that heart to teach the kids.

Interviewee: No, I just love the kids and I think it would be very difficult to go out to the mainstream. It’s just a bit difficult they just need you so much. It’s such a joy, you know to do what you need to do. The kids really rely on you.

Interviewer: Yeah. I bet they love you.

Interviewee: I love them.

Interviewer: Yeah but they really like that you teach them. Show them how to have fun to draw moves with music.

Interviewee: Yes, it’s good fun. It’s always different there. It’s a good kind.

Interviewer: Yeah it’s good. So is that a temporary job?

Interviewee: Yes, it’s a temporary job for the year. This year I’m hoping to go to America in September. I will have to do urban mission work with John Tolo. I’ll there for two years. They specialize in transforming a community. That’s the kind of mission work they do, and the second they do is build relationships in the community St. Paul, Minnesota. And the first thing we do is just mission work. And the second thing we do is develop the skills which we need on how to become a missionary. We become a missionary and draw them to God and put Him in their heart. The Holy Spirit needs to draw the person to God and to work in the spiritual gift that He gives you. When you work in that gift, you will experience peace and great joy. As you work in that calling you will find purpose in life. We all have different gifts and work in unity in the body of Christ. Since God has created us, His love is abundant, and with this love we’ll thrive. And it’s like putting a plant and cover it and it’s not going to thrive, trying to get headed towards where we needed to be sunlight and rain and it will just thrive and grow so fast in spite of where it comes from. So that’s the second part, just grow. And then the third part is just really on my heart, it is inner healing. It takes the Holy Spirit to bring you back memories and teaches us how to react, the way you respond. I’m just letting Jesus bring back those memories. He will bring healing to our soul, and I’m really excited.

Interviewer: You started working with special needs children. You know, that sounds a fantastic program.

Stuart Watson from FGB UK on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/194127973

Interviewee: I’m a very committed Christian because that’s the heart of God.

Interviewer: How did they all start? Do you remember when you became a Christian?

Interviewee: I was eight years old when we started doing beach ministry. I remember coming to talk with the leader, telling her that I can’t see you. But it wasn’t a lie; it was that I surrendered to Jesus. Does that make sense?

Interviewer: It started with making Jesus Lord with something on the side.

Interviewee: Yeah. Exposed between the edges. Jesus is a part of my life and I live for Him.

Interviewer: This is tremendous to hear. I could even sense all your enthusiasm. Are a lot going to America and develop a tremendous mission. What you think you’ll have after that? Can you see the future at all?

Interviewee: Yeah. That’s the very question I asked myself recently. I used to not want to be a missionary because I think that was just the standard if you want to work for God, you got to be a missionary. But recently God’s been showing me what’s on my heart, and I love to work with Christians. Like some people love to be on the streets, some people love to be one way and not do evangelism. I love praying with Christians, I love to release them and to free them into who they are, I love to bring them out of bondage from past hurts or just to bring them to the gospel about to know the presence of God. To teach them about the love of God, and to know how much the love of Father has for them. That’s what I love to do; I love to bring the people to that place.

Interviewer: You mentioned the streets. Do you have to go out on the streets and play music?

Interviewee: Yeah, I do.

Interviewer: And talk to people on the streets.

Interviewee: I have a good friend who is called to street ministry. We use music to attract people. I love the street work and love playing music and singing songs from my heart.

Interviewer: So people come to you and start a conversation? Not with a big saxophone in your hand. Do you actually get into conversation?

Interviewee: Yeah.

Interviewer: Do you pray for people?

Interviewee: Yeah, I do a lot of music and I love talking to people. Whenever we lay hands on them, we ask the Holy Spirit to come upon them and something happens when God’s upon them.

Interviewer: So you lay hands on people and ask God to heal them, or delivered them or just to receive the love of God.

Interviewee: That’s what we do.

Interviewer: I’m sure you got a lot more to share, but we’re going to keep this interview brief. But you have a heart for people and God speaks through your music.