Halfway Through

I am now about halfway through my internship. The first half has flown by, and I am sure the second half will be even quicker. It seems like so much has happened since I first arrived in England back in January. I have made countless friends. I have adjusted to a new culture, accent, family, church, food... The list is endless. I have had moments of feeling completely lost, as well as moments feeling completely at home in this foreign land. I have worked on countless projects through the churches and Sublime, some of which I have began to see the outcome of. I have served probably over 1000 cups of coffee and tea, and washed probably over 2000 mugs.

Now that I feel I am fully adjusted, I am determined to make the most of the rest of my internship. The youth at my church are now at a point where they know me, and they actually talk with me. Over the summer months we have a few youth events and camp trips, during which I am going to try to take on a role of trying to encourage them and build them up in their faith. I have also begin to do some personal studies to begin to learn more in depth about the Bible, and different styles of Christianity.

As summer approaches, all the interns I have become close to this year will be going home. As they are preparing to go, I can feel my eagerness for home to grow as well. There is so much I miss from home, and can't wait to return to. With so much happening back home that I am missing, I have moments of homesickness. There are many things I wish I could be home for, such as weddings I am missing, babies being born, and also just the everyday events in people's lives that I have missed. But I know I will be home soon enough, and God has me in England for the next 5 months for a reason. And I am excited to see what He has planned for this time!

Ireland

I am on my way back to England after a three day adventure in Ireland with two other (awesome) GEM interns. We decided to use some of our holiday time to travel together, and what better place than right across the way to Ireland!

These are two girls who I had the wonderful opportunity to get to know during our departure training in January. Since then, we have been able to stay connected through Facebook, as well as the GEM intern reunion we had in London in April.

It has amazed all three of us how much has happened in the past 5 months. We have all experienced trials, excitement, and how incredible God is. Even though our placements and our experiences have been different than each other's, we were able to once again connect with each other, and encourage and share with one another while exploring Dublin.

Our trip was short, but so full! We landed in Ireland on Wednesday afternoon, and the adventures began right away. After getting to the city centre, we stopped for a late lunch at one of the many pubs. Our waiter was hilarious. Due to the fact that we are all on an interns budget, we ordered tap water with our lunch. The waiter (as well as a few people siting near us) gave us a hard time for ordering water (not beer or cider) in Dublin. So my friend made a joke saying if we could have a drink for free, we wouldn't mind it. The next thing we know, our waiter brings each of us a half pint of cider FOR FREE! It was a hilarious way to start off our journey.

The people in Ireland are so friendly. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with smiles and conversations. An Irish lad came and sat with us after his dog ran up to us. And for the next hour we all chatted about Irish culture, why we are in Ireland, and what we are doing in the UK, as well as constant joking around and laughing. During our tour at the Guinness factory, we sat with a German couple also on holiday, and had similar conversation with them for about 30 minutes. Almost everywhere we went, we made friends with the people around us. 

The atmosphere was so different to England. When I walk around in England, people will avoid even making eye contact with others. It was a breath of fresh air for all of us. And it made our three days of holiday an opportunity to represent Christ in a casual way with the people we came across. During each of our conversations, we could tell them how we met through GEM, and about the church and community work we do in England. Even though we may not have been intentionally trying to build up long term friendships or trying to convert people, the three of us prayed that the people we came across saw something in us, that will spark something in them.

Ireland has been my favorite country I have visited yet. The people were great, and we stayed in a home right next to Howth (pronounced Hoet) , a beautiful beach town right outside of Dublin. I really loved it. I feel like Ireland would be such a wonderful place to serve, where you can so quickly connect with the people in friendships.

Now I am on the flight back to England. And I am so ready to be back at my placement after a few weeks of being in a wacky schedule because of events, taking time off to be with my parents, and this trip to Ireland. It will be nice to be back to my normal daily groove at my church and with Sublime.

Please keep me in your prayers, as I have recently acquired information that requires discernment and confidence. I am also trying to know God in a deeper way through biblical truth.

Me in Howth at sunset our first night.

Significance

Spring has come to England! I have been enjoying sunshine far more than I thought would be possible in this rainy part of the world! The temperature hasn't passed 70, but I am still so grateful for not having to be in my jacket constantly! Life here is feeling a lot more like normal life than I expected it would. I am kept busy with routine weeks of helping at the churches and Sublime. I have started to miss having friends close by. Plus, I have been craving REAL Mexican food for about 2 months now...

Despite the very mild homesickness, I am still loving my role here in London. I am beginning to realize that what I am doing is actually more significant to those around me than I previously thought. I am caught between the two extremes of trying not to get a big head about what I do, and acknowledging that God has made me to be an important person in His plan. I want to remain humble, but I need to learn that God has created me to be significant, and that He can use ME to make a difference in the people around me. My leaders here have been so encouraging, and they regularly compliment my work and the qualities I possess. Yet, I always feel uncomfortable when they do this, or when anyone does this.

This week I began reading The Supernatural Ways of Royalty, by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson. It is on our "homework" list from Sublime. Within the first 30 pages I was on the verge of tears as I read about how feeling insignificant is damaging to the ministry God calls us to do as Christians. I am beginning to see how true this is in my own life, and how I have acted poorly because of it. Not only here in London, but in all parts of my life. I still don't have it all figured out, and I still have another 200 pages to go in this book! But even just realizing that this in an area I need to be working on is really eye opening! Though it is going to be a difficult road, I am excited for this challenge of realizing more of what my identity in Christ is. I want to completely give myself to God for His purpose. And that means dealing with stuff that I otherwise wouldn't acknowledge as a problem!

I have many events coming up with my home church and Sublime! I will hopefully be posting more updates with the specifics of the events as they happen! Please be praying for all the summer events we are in the midst of planning, and for God to continue to strengthen and equip our team!

Holiday and the X-Bus in Action

What an amazing few weeks I have had! Two weeks ago I traveled to Prague in the Czech Republic, Vienna in Austria, and Bratislava in Slovakia. Me and two other volunteers (who I hadn't met before) decided to take some holiday to go see more of Europe. It was incredible to go and see the history throughout Eastern Europe, and a lot of fun getting to know two girls while traveling together. What was really crazy though was coming back to London after five days of traveling. Once we got out of the airport and into the city, I had the feeling of being home. It took me by surprise. It wasn't the artificial "home" feeling any more. And I wasn't thinking about my host house, but the city as a whole, being somewhere I now feel comfortable in. I hadn't realized this feeling until I had actually left on Holiday and come back.

After being home just a few days and getting back to work, I had the weekend off in order to spend time with other Greater Europe Mission Interns. Eight interns who are serving in all different places like Romania, Germany, Scotland, and all around England, decided to all come together in London to meet and catch up. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship and friendship. It is incredible how close we became as a group in a matter of 4 days of training in Colorado. Seeing everyone was like meeting with old friends. We were able to share what our placements have been like, the struggles we have each been facing, and what God has been doing all around Europe. Many of the challenges we are facing are so similar, so being able to talk and relate with one another was really encouraging! We spent two days together doing all the touristic spots in London for those who had never been. It was a lot of fun to be a tourist instead of trying to not be touristy like I usually do!

Today I was back to my regular schedule. I went to my weekly training at the sublime office, which is always my favorite day of the week. First, we spend time praying and worshiping, then we honor one another by throwing a Disney Frozen Anna doll at each other (spinning off of how British people say honor as "honah") and acknowledge something positive about each person. Then we have a speaker teach us about something. This week we learned about what worship looked like in the gospel, and why the gospel is important for worshiping. After the teaching session we head out to run the X-Bus. But because the bus has been broken, I haven't been able to see it in action yet. But today, for the first time I was able to go out on the X-Bus! It was great! We drove out to a spot near a park and some apartment buildings and parked. The moment the bus stopped there was kids waiting to get on, as well as parents. We had over 20 kids between the ages of 3 and 16 come hang out on the bus. We have two laptops for use, an Xbox, a wii, a movie playing, music playing, card games, coloring, bracelet making, and nail polish all on board our double decker bus. It was quite impressive! And the kids were great! Loud, but great. It was was not what I expected. I didn't realize how young some of the kids would be, or how many parents would hang out on board or right outside the bus. It has some serious potential for great Jesus-centered conversation with both the kids and parents!

After this weekend and today, I feel newly pumped! I am so eager to see how God is going to continue working in my placement, and how He will continue to lead me to His will for my life. Meeting with the GEM interns and finally seeing the X-Bus in use brought me a new wave of excitement! Even though I should be tired from how busy I have been, I feel more energized than ever. 

When the train doesn't come...

Today was my day off! Originally a few of the interns had planned on going to Oxford for the day, but the plans fell through last minute. I was intent on doing something! Most I my days off so far have been spent sleeping in and watching Netflix (something I can easily do at home). So I texted another volunteer from he organization Time for God. I am friends with her on facebook, and she will be one of the two girls I am traveling to Prague and Vienna with next month. I hadn't actually met her yet so I figured today was as good as any, and so we planned to meet in London. On the train over I sat behind some men from Ireland. I had no choice but to overhear their conversation which eventually turned to a dumb American woman who worked in this guys office who didn't know what the Netherlands were, or that Amsterdam wasn't a country. This sparked a conversation about many stupid Americans... Some who thought that Iceland wasn't real, others who didn't know where Ireland is. Oh and don't forget, ALL Americans are obsessed with the royal family! It was really funny to hear all the stereotypes of America coming out the mouths of people who had absolutely no idea an American was in fact sitting behind them.

 Once I met up with Bren, the other intern, we walked around London for a bit, saw Big Ben and London Bridge. We decided to head down to Baker Street and went through the Sherlock Holmes museum, and we also walked passed where the queen lives. As it turned out, Bren was heading to a party later in the evening that a few of the other Tie for God volunteers were throwing. She invited me to tag along since I too am a volunteer and I hadn't had the chance to meet anyone else yet. We got to their flat, which they shared between four girl volunteers, and soon there was about 20 people all from different countries, and different organizations in this tiny flat. We danced and played some games, and ate lots of sweets! It was so much fun meeting and hanging out with people me age! I haven't had the chance to go out and meet new people much since I've been here, besides the small group I work with at sublime.

Bren and I planned our trips home wisely. Not waiting until the last train just in case we miss it, and leaving the party early in order to make it in time. We took the underground for a while before Bren got off on her stop, and I continued on my own. At this point it was probably about 11:30pm. I got to my stop and went over to the national rail station to catch my train home. It said it was delayed due to someone being hit by a train at another station earlier in the day. So the group of us waited, and waited, with our train update on the screen continuing to say delayed. That is until the train totally disappeared off the screen entirely. One of the men standing waiting pushed the button for information. The operator told us the train would be there at 12:02am. Ok fine, so we waited some more. After 12:02 came and went, still no train came. We called again, and they gave us a new time to wait for, which of course, wasn't correct. After a third call, and about an hour in total waiting for this train that disappeared, the new operator said that the train didn't show up in her information... She said maybe we missed it... Because the 8 of us standing and waiting together could have possibly missed it... With the realization that the train wasn't coming, we all left the platform.

At this point in the night the tube stations were closed, and we were in a really dodgy part of London. As I walked to the nearby bus stop with one of the other people who had been waiting for the cancelled train, I could hear a fight taking place in an alley I passed through. A night club was next to the bus stop and there were crowds of drunk people yelling and bustling about. I studied the bus stop to try to find the night bus that would take me home, and nothing. I was in the wrong part of the city for my bus. I asked the young man who had walked over near me from the train station, and he had no idea either. We began discussing possible routes that could be beneficial for the two of us, and I told him I needed to get to Trafalgar Square. He said that might be a good place for him to find something as well. We studied the bus stop for a good bus to get there, and again, nothing. So I asked if we were both going to the same place, if we could split a cab. He was up for the idea, and I REALLY didn't want to be walking around this area alone and lost looking for a cab! So I was glad he was willing to be my travel buddy!

We introduced ourselves. His name was Richard, and he too had just moved to London about two months ago to study. After walking a short distance we passed an open cab. Thank the Lord Richard was with me because I couldn't have afforded the journey to Trafalgar Square alone. I didn't have much cash on me! After discussing our dilemma with our cabby, Richard came to the realization not even night buses would take him all the way home. But still he came with me in search of my night bus. And he kept me company all the way up until my bus picked me up. I know Richard was a stranger, but he was so considerate! It would have been so dangerous for me to walk alone in those areas. I decided to trust a stranger to better my chances of not getting in any bad situations and it worked!

I was so stressed and scared, not having a way to get home, and being alone in such a huge place! It was good to have a kind person give up his time to help me, with nothing to get in return! For all the moms reading this worried about stranger danger (and for my mom) I know Richard could have been a creep as well, but he wasn't, and I was safer with this one stranger than I would have been on my own! And I was still very cautious. Once I was on the bus taking me to Bromley I was able to relax a little bit, and no longer feel like I was on the verge of stress-tears while also trying to look confident and not lost. It was over an hour to get into Bromley on the bus, and then I had to switch buses in Bromley to get to the right stop. By the time I got home it was almost 3am. But I am just thankful I made it home -- and safely!  Richard on the other hand settled for finding a 24 hour McDonald's to hang out in until the morning train could take him home!

It was a scary adventure. Not one I want to do again!

College Pastors

Today was a nice relaxed day. I was able to sleep in, or in London lingo: have a lay-in. I was then picked up by one of the local pastors and taken to Bromley College. College here is equivalent to 11th and 12th grade of high school, but you have the choice to go, and you can choose something to specialize in (e.g. Electrical work). I could b wrong, but I least that's how I think it works!

At this college we went strait to a portion of the school designated for people with special needs and learning disabilities. It was lunchtime, and we were there mainly to just hang out with them, play board games, and talk. One girl had us help her get a hold of one of the bus garages to try to locate her missing Oyster card (travel card). Another guy came and played four in a row with me a few times. Despite my competitiveness when it comes to games, I went very easy on him. The local pastor had told me before that us letting them way gives them a chance to win something, where otherwise they might now get the opportunity. Plus, it can help boost their confidence.

After about an hour or so it was time to go. It was a very quick and mellow outreach. They have a group of people who do this a few times a week every week, and they have been doing it for two years now. The local pastor was telling me that it has taken a lot of time, but now that these kids know them and trust them, a few have started to open up and talk about their own faith. And other times, the college pastors have had the opportunity to work their faith into conversations. But it is not a very evasive ministry at all. We didn't preach, or read them the bible, we just hung out. It's a new type of style of serving for me, but it has been interesting seeing how even just befriending people in the community will over time lead them to Christ.

After we left the college, I had the rest of the day free. Being Saint Patrick's Day, you would imagine that there would be some events or celebrations, but there wasn't. I didn't see one shamrock beaded necklace or green hat anywhere. It's funny that England, being so close to Ireland, doesn't give one bother about today. Whereas America, on the other side of the world, goes crazy about it!

Instead of Irish food and green beer, I joined my host family to a birthday celebration for their cousin. We enjoyed a few games and delicious food! For every family birthday they get together the day of to celebrate with the whole family. It's really lovely how close they all to each other, which makes it possible for this to happen! This is my third family gathering I have attended with them in less than 2 months! The grandmother of my host family always gives me a "mothers kiss" when we say goodbye "because my own mother isn't here." The entire family has been so great to include me so much and try to make me feel at home (even if we don't kiss each other when we say goodbye in America).

Unexpected

Saint Patrick's Day in London! Boy oh boy was it crowded! My friend and I (another intern) decided to go to Trafalgar Square to see the Saint Patrick's Day festival. We missed the parade because of church, but there was still plenty of excitement to go around! We saw many Irish nicknacks far to over priced, lots of Irish food made into fast food, and a LOT of Irish beer.

 Me being the California born and raised type, was wearing four layers, a scarf, thermal pants, boots, and gloves. While others were strutting around in booty shorts and tights! Crazy! The weather was just as to be expected -- cold and rainy. I don't regret my four layers at all! Even if I looked a bit ridiculous!

After going around the booths and exploring the festivities (and after sampling all the foods multiple times) we took a walk around the  nearby art museum. It was my first time going to a museum in London. The best part, it was free! Most museums in London are free! Which is just amazing to me!

Being the wimps we are, after a few hours on our feet we decided to call it a day. I was determined to get sushi! Someone recommended a place to us a few days before so we thought we'd give it a try. I am missing my favorites from from. ESPECIALLY sushi and Mexican! I was quite disappointed to discover that all the sushi in this shop was pre made and packaged up. The avocado was browning and the salmon was thin enough to see through it! This was not how my dad (the ultimate sushi master know it all) taught me how to eat raw fish!! Plus, it was cold outside and something warm sounded better anyways...

We decided to head back to bromley to get dinner there. We weren't starving yet, and it would be cheaper to get something outside of the city. We stopped in a pub near our train station at home and enjoyed a two for £7 meal deal that was delicious, fresh, and warm! God had planted a high expectation for sushi in me, because at some point during our meal the conversation turned to theology. The next thing I know we are discussing the creation story, the roots of sin, the story of Satan, what evil really is and how it came to be considering our creator is perfect, and many other topics that were incredibly detailed and important! My friend had some odd ideas that were rooted in a quote from Einstein, instead of the Bible. After hours of sitting in this pub discussing scripture and our thoughts, she began to understand what I was explaining. I am so blessed to have been filled with such wisdom from my leaders back home! To many of her questions I was reminded of different sermons and series that I have already been taught. It was so great to be able to sit down, and share our beliefs and opinions in a way that was encouraging to one another and uplifting!

Here are 3 of the 5 pages of notes we took!

I thought that a year abroad on mission would be a constant spiritual high of craziness, miracles, excitement, and reaching nonbelievers. To my surprise, it hasn't been. It has been a lot of office work, dishes, and helping with preexisting groups that serve the community. I realized a few weeks ago this mission work isn't going to be what I expected it to be. Tonight, I realized that I may be here to share and build up current believers, just as much as I am trying to build relationships with nonbelievers. I don't know everything God is planning to do this year in England, but whatever it is, I am excited for it!

Please be praying that I am able to build up those I am getting close within the Christian community here. There are many people in many different places in their walk with Christ, and I want to do everything I can to steer those around me closer to Him! Also be praying that I can continue to grow in closeness with the Lord, and that I don't burn out or get lazy!

God bless!