Chaos

Training with Sublime had been great. We've been busy but our schedule hasn't been busting at the seams which is nice! We have had time to slow down and talk and relax a bit. I have spent a total of four nights with a lovely couple as my temporary host family. They have been so kind to me and the other intern staying here. We have had dinner here a few times and it has been home made traditional English food, yum!

Yesterday after our training, some of the sublime leaders took the 6 of us interns down a beautiful walk past a "river" to one of the shopping streets in northern London. There we were meant to open a bank account for me, and top up our SIM cards to have prepaid minutes with our new UK number... Neither of which happened... We first stopped by a bank to open an account. Well, that didn't happen. We hardly walked in the door by the time a woman started explaining the process that was needed to open an account... An appointment, a letter by a business, mail with my name on it from a specific place to prove my residency... The list went on! I had most everything needed, but I was missing the bill with my name... After a ten minute explanation, an appointment being made for two weeks time, and a list of requirements, off we went to deal with my phone. I thought that my SIM card wasn't accepted by the phone I have, and when we went to the phone shop I realized I had left the phone and the SIM back at HQ... So the guy wasn't able to help me much. He told me it was probably locked onto a contract, and that I should just sign up for a year contract and buy a new phone. Uhmmm, a bit out of my price range! Plus I would need a bank account for the payments, which clearly hadn't happened yet. But on the bright side, after explaining my bank situation, he told us of a bank that was less tedious for people like me. His wife was from the States and had had the same issue. So off to another bank we went! After walking up and then down the street looking for this bank, we finally found it! And... It was closed... Sigh... So off to coffee we went to meet the rest of the team! These details will just have to wait for another day. 

Today was just as confusing but in a whole new way! Sublime leaders arranged for a city wide photo scavenger hunt! We picked names at random and sped off across the city to get pictures at various locations and pictures using many types of transportation; each worth one point. Being new to both the city and public transportation, I was not of much use. Plus, I had no phone to look up addresses or maps... But it was still great fun!  We got very creative with our different types of transport! Everything from walking, taxi cabs, and the underground, to railways, bicycles, and scooters. We even took a picture on a broomstick (as if it would fly!). At the end of our time, we met at Kahaila, a local Christian-ran coffee shop. To our surprise we won! Our prize: dignity.

We returned home (a thirty minute train ride, and a short walk) and had dinner, only to be off again to attend a prayer and worship night being put on by the church of a sublime leader. It was incredible! Our two guy interns led worship. Nothing fancy, yet powerful. Even the fact that two young men whose first languages are not English led English worship! It was a great few songs, and then some people got up to share their testimony or something that God was doing in their life. Next we broke off into groups and prayed for each other, and then prayed all together for the upcoming event that this small newly-planted church was putting on. Then we sang another few songs. During this time I was in awe of how incredible our God is! He was so clearly a part of the lives of the people in the room with me. There was less than 30 people, most of which had gray hair or hardly any hair at all. Yet here we were... Multiple generations, people from over 5 countries, all having different experiences and stories, and here we were praising Jesus. It was incredible. Each of us completely different, connected by our savior. He came down for each and every one of us. Wow.

London is such a busy, fast-paced place. Walking the streets filled with noises, advertisements, and chaos, even as a Christian on mission I find it difficult to focus on God. Yet each and every person I pass, the millions of people walking around this chaotic city, God loves each of them intimately and personally. Please pray with me that God transforms this post-Christian city. That He will use my time here to affect the individual lives of His children. That He will open their eyes to this overwhelming agape love He has for each and every one of them.

God bless,

Marissa. 

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