I’ll be back in Texas in 6 days! I can’t wait to eat Mexican food! Oh… and see my family and friends. :-) Apparently, I only update my blog when I’m sick. Hopefully it is just a 24 hour bug since I have to travel on Tuesday. I’ve just been eating crackers and drinking sprite all day (Thank you for taking care of me, Jenifer).
Anyway, it’s hard to believe my time is really almost over here. I love Cardiff. I’m going to miss the friends I’ve made here, going into a house and being offered a cup of tea, having about 6 coffee shops within walking distance of my house, our pretty city centre with a castle in the middle of it, all the old buildings, Welsh accents (and English accents), the bus drivers- most of them, putting vinegar on my fries (and calling them chips instead of fries), not being able to pronounce any street signs because they are in Welsh, and many other things.
However, I’m excited about being back in America. I’m looking forward to saying “y’all” without getting funny looks, seeing Melanie, my parents and my friends, being able to afford things, seeing American flags everywhere, hearing Spanish and eating Mexican food, sleeping in a SOFT, non-squeaky bed, not being cold all the time, not being rained on all the time, having a TV and a car!, wide open spaces, driving on the right side of the road (as opposed to the LEFT side, not the WRONG side… in case any Brits read this hehe), etc.
Oh, just as a news update, the kids we’ve been doing Lunch Club with at the High School are loving it! We were only asked to do it for the term, but they are going to get some other people on our team involved so they can keep it going indefinitely. The group grows almost every week and some of the kids are starting to ask some really good questions. It has been an amazing experience working with them and it has affirmed my desire to teach that age.
Since we are about to leave, I’ve been feeling kind of reflective. I know I’ve learned so much during these 4 months and I’m so thankful I was able to do this. I’ve learned about God, about people, and about myself. I hope I will be able to carry the things I’ve learned with me for the rest of my life.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Love God. Love People.
Love God. Love People.
The theme of The Greatest Commandment seems to keep popping up everywhere I turn. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:37)
So then you break it up into three areas with which we love: mind, heart, soul. Mind is easy. You make a conscious decision. Heart is more difficult. It is usually pretty easy to love God because he is good and loving and forgiving. But when I think about loving other people with all my heart, I’m much more challenged. Even unwilling at times. And what about with all my soul? That’s it. He has taken everything. What is left of me if I have surrendered my heart, my soul AND my mind to loving God and people? That’s the point. So... I’m surrendering myself. I’m going to forgive people who have insulted me because God forgives me even when I insult Him. I take advantage of His love and patience. I ignore Him. I insult Him in all kinds of ways and He forgives me. So I can forgive, too. I can love people as if they were a part of me. God sent His perfect son to die for us while we were still sinners, while we were still insulting Him. I can’t imagine that kind of compassion and love. But it lives in me. J
As a side note, I’ve been sick for about the last week with a chest infection (bronchitis). I was really frustrated because I am always getting sick!! I was asking God, “WHY do you allow me to get sick all the time? How can I possibly serve You when I’m always in bed trying to recover from an illness???” One answer is that sometimes I let my schedule get so busy that I don’t take time for God until He takes me away from all the distractions. When I’m bored to tears in my room, I remember that this is actually precious time I could spend with Him. I don’t remember the last time I’d had 30 minutes of silence until I got sick. Another answer is to teach me reliance. I can’t do anything on my own, no matter how hard I try. But I can do ANYTHING that God asks me to do, as long as He gives me the strength. I was reading Hudson Taylor’s biography on one particularly gloomy day. It was cloudy outside and I was feeling sick and so very sorry for myself. Interestingly enough, when he was young, Hudson Taylor wasn’t even able to go to school regularly because of his “continued delicacy”. He would miss a day or two A WEEK because of illness. And God was able to use him in absolutely amazing ways. So who am I to question why God lets me get sick sometimes?
So praise God for taking me away from my distractions and giving me some much needed time for rest, reflection, and renewal. Those all started with an R. haha. That’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks!
The theme of The Greatest Commandment seems to keep popping up everywhere I turn. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:37)
So then you break it up into three areas with which we love: mind, heart, soul. Mind is easy. You make a conscious decision. Heart is more difficult. It is usually pretty easy to love God because he is good and loving and forgiving. But when I think about loving other people with all my heart, I’m much more challenged. Even unwilling at times. And what about with all my soul? That’s it. He has taken everything. What is left of me if I have surrendered my heart, my soul AND my mind to loving God and people? That’s the point. So... I’m surrendering myself. I’m going to forgive people who have insulted me because God forgives me even when I insult Him. I take advantage of His love and patience. I ignore Him. I insult Him in all kinds of ways and He forgives me. So I can forgive, too. I can love people as if they were a part of me. God sent His perfect son to die for us while we were still sinners, while we were still insulting Him. I can’t imagine that kind of compassion and love. But it lives in me. J
As a side note, I’ve been sick for about the last week with a chest infection (bronchitis). I was really frustrated because I am always getting sick!! I was asking God, “WHY do you allow me to get sick all the time? How can I possibly serve You when I’m always in bed trying to recover from an illness???” One answer is that sometimes I let my schedule get so busy that I don’t take time for God until He takes me away from all the distractions. When I’m bored to tears in my room, I remember that this is actually precious time I could spend with Him. I don’t remember the last time I’d had 30 minutes of silence until I got sick. Another answer is to teach me reliance. I can’t do anything on my own, no matter how hard I try. But I can do ANYTHING that God asks me to do, as long as He gives me the strength. I was reading Hudson Taylor’s biography on one particularly gloomy day. It was cloudy outside and I was feeling sick and so very sorry for myself. Interestingly enough, when he was young, Hudson Taylor wasn’t even able to go to school regularly because of his “continued delicacy”. He would miss a day or two A WEEK because of illness. And God was able to use him in absolutely amazing ways. So who am I to question why God lets me get sick sometimes?
So praise God for taking me away from my distractions and giving me some much needed time for rest, reflection, and renewal. Those all started with an R. haha. That’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
busy busy!
Whoa… I can’t believe how much has happened since I last wrote. I am DEFINITELY settled in now. My schedule is insanely busy, but good.
Here is a rundown of a typical week:
Monday: 9am Staff meeting
10am American staff meeting
11am Another random meeting
12pm set up for evening
630-11pm Older Youth Bible Study and Games (my favorite part of the week!)
Tuesday: 9-11am Prep Time (preparing lessons, games, etc.)
12-2:30pm Lunch Club at the High School- also really fun!
3-7pm Work at The Gate Art Centre (writing weekly emails, press releases, and next term’s brochure)
Wednesday: 11:30am Meet with my mentor Anne (She’s awesome. She and her husband just retired from working in Sudan.)
2-6pm Gate Art Centre again
8-10pm Bible Study with people my age
Thursday: 9-5 Class (I have two classes, the first one is on how to teach the Bible and the second one is about Youth Work)
Friday: 10am Youth Worker meeting
Afternoon free! Yay!
9:30pm-3am Living Water (We give out water bottles, hot chocolate, and hot tea to the students leaving the Student Union, which is like College Station’s Northgate. It’s really fun, but exhausting.)
Saturday: MUCH NEEDED FREE DAY!
Sunday: 10am Church, leading youth every other week
5pm Girl’s Night with Youth (once a month)
So, as you can see, I’m staying pretty busy. Any free time I get, I use to go grocery shopping, prepare lessons, hang out with people, etc, which explains why I haven’t updated my blog in over a month.
Right now, I really need prayer for my health. I’ve had a cold for about 2 weeks and now I’m getting a deep cough. I think I might try to go to the doctor tomorrow.
Also, you can pray for the youth group I’m working with. They are really amazing. The older youth are my favorite. We have 4 girls and about 15 boys. It was so cool to see the older girls reach out to the younger ones when we had Girl’s Night last Sunday.
This past weekend, I went to Bath with the other American girls. It was beautiful. We saw the old Roman baths, the Jane Austen Museum, the Bath Abbey and the Pulteney Bridge. Then, we had about 4 or 5 hours before our train left so we decided to walk up this huge hill to find a castle that we saw in the distance. We ended up walking for about 3 hours and never found it! It was a lovely walk though.
And for our half term break at the end of October, I’m going to Ireland!!! Jenifer, Jesslyn and I are going together. We are flying in to Dublin, then probably renting a car and driving east to Galway. I’m so excited. We’re spending two nights in Dublin and two nights in Galway.
Well, I think that is all of the updates I have for now. Thank you for your prayers. I’m looking forward to coming back to Texas in December!!!
Here is a rundown of a typical week:
Monday: 9am Staff meeting
10am American staff meeting
11am Another random meeting
12pm set up for evening
630-11pm Older Youth Bible Study and Games (my favorite part of the week!)
Tuesday: 9-11am Prep Time (preparing lessons, games, etc.)
12-2:30pm Lunch Club at the High School- also really fun!
3-7pm Work at The Gate Art Centre (writing weekly emails, press releases, and next term’s brochure)
Wednesday: 11:30am Meet with my mentor Anne (She’s awesome. She and her husband just retired from working in Sudan.)
2-6pm Gate Art Centre again
8-10pm Bible Study with people my age
Thursday: 9-5 Class (I have two classes, the first one is on how to teach the Bible and the second one is about Youth Work)
Friday: 10am Youth Worker meeting
Afternoon free! Yay!
9:30pm-3am Living Water (We give out water bottles, hot chocolate, and hot tea to the students leaving the Student Union, which is like College Station’s Northgate. It’s really fun, but exhausting.)
Saturday: MUCH NEEDED FREE DAY!
Sunday: 10am Church, leading youth every other week
5pm Girl’s Night with Youth (once a month)
So, as you can see, I’m staying pretty busy. Any free time I get, I use to go grocery shopping, prepare lessons, hang out with people, etc, which explains why I haven’t updated my blog in over a month.
Right now, I really need prayer for my health. I’ve had a cold for about 2 weeks and now I’m getting a deep cough. I think I might try to go to the doctor tomorrow.
Also, you can pray for the youth group I’m working with. They are really amazing. The older youth are my favorite. We have 4 girls and about 15 boys. It was so cool to see the older girls reach out to the younger ones when we had Girl’s Night last Sunday.
This past weekend, I went to Bath with the other American girls. It was beautiful. We saw the old Roman baths, the Jane Austen Museum, the Bath Abbey and the Pulteney Bridge. Then, we had about 4 or 5 hours before our train left so we decided to walk up this huge hill to find a castle that we saw in the distance. We ended up walking for about 3 hours and never found it! It was a lovely walk though.
And for our half term break at the end of October, I’m going to Ireland!!! Jenifer, Jesslyn and I are going together. We are flying in to Dublin, then probably renting a car and driving east to Galway. I’m so excited. We’re spending two nights in Dublin and two nights in Galway.
Well, I think that is all of the updates I have for now. Thank you for your prayers. I’m looking forward to coming back to Texas in December!!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
More Orientation...
Okay, well... some people (aka Holli) have instructed me to update my blog. Unfortunately, there is still not much going on. I'm settling in with my host family and getting used to Cardiff. I worked one shift at The Gate Community Art Center in my neighborhood. They have a cute little coffee shop in the Art Center that I'll be working at once a week or so. I've started going to a Small Group on Wednesday night, which has been a tremendous blessing. I look forward to it every week. The British trainees arrived today, so I met the rest of our team (there are 18 of us in all- 9 American and 9 British). And by the end of the week, I'll have an actual schedule!
Here's a funny story that will help you understand the community I'm working in: I was trying to get to Small Group this past Wednesday, but I was confused (like always) about which bus to get on. So I accidentally flagged down the 52 instead of the 57. I asked the bus driver, "Are you going towards ASDA?" (ASDA is the British Walmart). And he said, "No. You need to get on the 57 or 58." The bus drivers, and the people here in general, are really friendly and helpful. So I thanked him and stepped back to wait for the next bus. There was a guy standing behind me about my age and he said, "What's that accent? Are you Canadian?" "No, I'm from Texas." Naturally, he asked, "What are you doing here?" And I said, "Working at a church- Glenwood Church." He said, "PRAISE THE LORD!" So I responded, "Oh, you go to church?" And he laughed and shook his head and said, "No... I was just kidding." It was really funny! But also kind of sad because church just isn't part of most people's lives here. So I pray that as all 18 of us get more and more involved in the community, people would see that church isn't just a building that the older generation goes to every Sunday. I pray that they would begin wondering about faith and want to seek truth. And I pray that God will use our team to reach them.
Another random prayer request: It's about to get really dark and cold here. Depression is very real and prevelant. Please pray that God would protect us from this and comfort those who will experience it. I'm really not looking forward to the winter, but the temperature is dropping every day and night is coming earlier, so I guess winter is really going to happen.
And a more personal prayer request: I really miss my sister, Melanie. And I'm not just trying to be sweet. I wish that I didn't miss her like this (sorry, Mel). I'm so thankful that she has godly and loving roommates and that makes it easier. Please pray that we would both learn to thrive and enjoy life separately the way we do together.
Thank you guys for your prayers. :-)
Here's a funny story that will help you understand the community I'm working in: I was trying to get to Small Group this past Wednesday, but I was confused (like always) about which bus to get on. So I accidentally flagged down the 52 instead of the 57. I asked the bus driver, "Are you going towards ASDA?" (ASDA is the British Walmart). And he said, "No. You need to get on the 57 or 58." The bus drivers, and the people here in general, are really friendly and helpful. So I thanked him and stepped back to wait for the next bus. There was a guy standing behind me about my age and he said, "What's that accent? Are you Canadian?" "No, I'm from Texas." Naturally, he asked, "What are you doing here?" And I said, "Working at a church- Glenwood Church." He said, "PRAISE THE LORD!" So I responded, "Oh, you go to church?" And he laughed and shook his head and said, "No... I was just kidding." It was really funny! But also kind of sad because church just isn't part of most people's lives here. So I pray that as all 18 of us get more and more involved in the community, people would see that church isn't just a building that the older generation goes to every Sunday. I pray that they would begin wondering about faith and want to seek truth. And I pray that God will use our team to reach them.
Another random prayer request: It's about to get really dark and cold here. Depression is very real and prevelant. Please pray that God would protect us from this and comfort those who will experience it. I'm really not looking forward to the winter, but the temperature is dropping every day and night is coming earlier, so I guess winter is really going to happen.
And a more personal prayer request: I really miss my sister, Melanie. And I'm not just trying to be sweet. I wish that I didn't miss her like this (sorry, Mel). I'm so thankful that she has godly and loving roommates and that makes it easier. Please pray that we would both learn to thrive and enjoy life separately the way we do together.
Thank you guys for your prayers. :-)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The Dragon
The dragon flag is the Welsh flag, by the way. I figured I should clarify since Melanie asked me, "When did you get in to dragons?" lol
Finally Here :-)
I can't believe I'm finally here! Cardiff is amazing. It is so lush and green and to top things off... it has a castle right in the middle of downtown. It's really sweet to see all the historic buildings surrounding modern life. The people are very friendly (especially the bus drivers who help my friend Jenifer and me find our way when we're lost). The only challenging thing so far has been the weather- it changes from hot to COLD and back again every hour it seems like. Oh and the street signs in the neighborhoods are in WELSH thank you very much. I can't read any of them, so I have to go by landmarks. My house is after the statue and right before the second turnaround. :-)
If you're wondering, London was pretty cool, too. We had orientation for literally 8-10 hours a day, so it was pretty exhausting. But I learned a lot. We got to go into a Hindu temple, a Sikh temple, and a Mosque, where we learned about the different religious beliefs. And the girls had to wear scarfs, which was fun because they were pretty, but annoying because you can't use your peripheral vision. But in the Sikh temple, the guys have to cover their heads as well, which I think is quite impartial and fair. :-)
We are actually still having orientation in Cardiff, but I'm ready to get started! Please pray that God will prepare my heart for whatever He has in store for me. My team is really great, so I praise Him for that. I'm so thankful and excited to be here.
Love yall!
Colossians 3:12-17
If you're wondering, London was pretty cool, too. We had orientation for literally 8-10 hours a day, so it was pretty exhausting. But I learned a lot. We got to go into a Hindu temple, a Sikh temple, and a Mosque, where we learned about the different religious beliefs. And the girls had to wear scarfs, which was fun because they were pretty, but annoying because you can't use your peripheral vision. But in the Sikh temple, the guys have to cover their heads as well, which I think is quite impartial and fair. :-)
We are actually still having orientation in Cardiff, but I'm ready to get started! Please pray that God will prepare my heart for whatever He has in store for me. My team is really great, so I praise Him for that. I'm so thankful and excited to be here.
Love yall!
Colossians 3:12-17
Friday, August 14, 2009
Two More Days in the USA
My bags are packed, my visa and passport are ready, I already know exactly what I'm wearing on the plane and I've said almost all of my goodbyes. Now what am I going to do? Well, first I should update my blog:
On Monday I'm leaving for Orientation in London. I'm super-excited. I'm going to have almost 12 hours (in the plane and airport) completely to myself before I meet up with everyone. Orientation lasts for 5 days and then my team is going to take a train to Cardiff, Wales. I think I'm going to be teaching sports to the youth group. Whoop. :-) I just hope they give me some training. I was put in charge of sports when I worked at a youth camp in the Ukraine and I had no clue what to do, so the kids ended up playing a rugby-esque game and it was quite dangerous.
So here are some new prayer requests:
1. My family! Melanie (my sister) and I have never lived apart for more than 3 or 4 months, so we are both nervous about this year.
2. My team, our leaders, and the youth group.
God has shown His great faithfulness to me in so many ways this summer. My passport was lost for almost a week, but I called UPS and they found it the next day. Later I was looking at my leader’s facebook and he had put up a request for everyone to pray that my passport would turn up. That was cool.
I also prayed for close family time and I’ve been able to spend so much sweet time with my sister, parents, and grandparents.
And even though I’ll miss family and friends, I feel so comfortable leaving because I know they are in God’s hands and He will work all things together for their good. Praise Jesus!
So, by the way, I apologize that I’m a terrible blogger. Blogging makes me feel thoroughly inadequate because I have nothing profound to say. But I know y’all are my friends and you love me the way I am. J I just want to let anyone who is interested know what’s going on. So here you are friends.
On Monday I'm leaving for Orientation in London. I'm super-excited. I'm going to have almost 12 hours (in the plane and airport) completely to myself before I meet up with everyone. Orientation lasts for 5 days and then my team is going to take a train to Cardiff, Wales. I think I'm going to be teaching sports to the youth group. Whoop. :-) I just hope they give me some training. I was put in charge of sports when I worked at a youth camp in the Ukraine and I had no clue what to do, so the kids ended up playing a rugby-esque game and it was quite dangerous.
So here are some new prayer requests:
1. My family! Melanie (my sister) and I have never lived apart for more than 3 or 4 months, so we are both nervous about this year.
2. My team, our leaders, and the youth group.
God has shown His great faithfulness to me in so many ways this summer. My passport was lost for almost a week, but I called UPS and they found it the next day. Later I was looking at my leader’s facebook and he had put up a request for everyone to pray that my passport would turn up. That was cool.
I also prayed for close family time and I’ve been able to spend so much sweet time with my sister, parents, and grandparents.
And even though I’ll miss family and friends, I feel so comfortable leaving because I know they are in God’s hands and He will work all things together for their good. Praise Jesus!
So, by the way, I apologize that I’m a terrible blogger. Blogging makes me feel thoroughly inadequate because I have nothing profound to say. But I know y’all are my friends and you love me the way I am. J I just want to let anyone who is interested know what’s going on. So here you are friends.
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