Hello again!
This week has been a week where the routine has begun to set in. Many things stayed the same, and some things change, but the order has been pretty constant.
This week we did not have any school assemblies, but we still had Tots and Toys on Wednesday morning, and Explorers Club Thursday afternoon. At each, we had some good conversations, and met new people. We had three more moms show up with toddlers this week, and it was a pleasure to met and work with them. At explorers, we talked about the Fall, and the children were very engaged, and asked questions about it, and about how God sent Christ to be the remedy to the Fall.
Pray that these opportunities to talk with children continue.
We also were able to talk to several adults about God.
One has been curious about church, God and how we as humans got here. Like in the USA, the British teach the evolutionary theory as fact in their schools, and so for them to hear the Biblical version it is hard to deal with, because that means all of their education was based on faulty information. Pray that they would come to understand that knowledge from the Lord is far more valuable than that of the school.
There is also another who is very skeptical of Christianity, really of anything. They enjoy talking with us about Christianity, but I feel it is mainly to find faults and reasons to disprove Jesus. They have a friend who is strongly rooted in their own beliefs, which are not the same as ours.
Finally, there is a someone who has grown up in church, was involved through their teenage years, but has fallen away due to a harsh condemnation of a divorce. They seem very open to us, so please pray we can continue to love them, and show that Christ loves all, even the prostitute, broken hearted, the abused, those whom society says are worthless. To Jesus, they are worth Him dying on the Cross that they may have eternal life.
Jehovah's Witnesses are also canvasing the area, and stopped by Andrew and Grace's door this week. This led to a long conversation with them. It is disturbing how close they try and appear to be, and how people could easily think we are the same. Pray that we can help people see the difference, in the way we talk, act, and love people.
On a much lighter note, this week I was able to experience something that I've only heard about before. A child sticking spaghetti noodles up their nose. This was quite funny, honestly hard to control my laughter while getting the noodle back out of her nose.
Also, this week has confirmed my belief which I shared on Facebook, that the bread, cheese, "fizzy drinks" (i.e. Coke), and chocolate are MUCH better here. The food is fresher, they do not use artificial sweeteners like we do in the USA. They also use real sugar not corn syrup, and in the chocolate, they do put wax in to prevent melting. Obviously, it doesn't get extremely warm up here so there's less of a worry about it melting.
On the topic of weather. It has been very pleasant here this week. The first week I was here, it was very typical English weather. Cool and rainy. This week has been sunny and warm, to them it has been hot... The high this week has been 75, with a nice breeze and only a small amount of humidity to go along with it. This makes for some fantastic running weather.
Andrew and I went running Thursday night. I think I nearly died. We went 3.5 miles at a sub-10 minute pace. I never have gone that far at that pace. England isn't known for mountains, but I think we found one of the biggest hills in England on the run. It hurt. We made it back, and I realized I developed a shin splint in my left leg. I guess that means I won't be running for awhile. The pain in my shin has already decreased significantly, so hopefully I will be back running condition next week. Whether or not I run next week is another question entirely.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Week 1: Mending Fences and Breaking Walls
I hope to write this each week, we shall see if that happens; however, for now, I'm doing well!
I have now been here for over a week. I've been able to see a week of ministry here in the UK and been busy with all that we have done.
I've enjoyed the time I've spent so far. I've been able to meet the students in Harby, where I'm living and go to their Bible study, and hang out with outside of that time at Lois' birthday! (Happy birthday Lois) Additionally, on Wednesday, two women from Harby came to the Howson's for a prayer meeting. It was wonderful to hear them pray fervently for the Howson's, for the Earlesfield Estate, the church, and for all connected with it.
Sunday was a good time as I went with the Howsons to their church in Nottingham. Basically, we passed Robin Hood on our way there. Additionally, the Earlesfield Community Church meets on Sunday afternoons. 30 people were there this Sunday, 11 children and 19 adults. This was a blessing to see how The Lord has brought many different people to the church.
On Monday, I had the pleasure of cleaning the retreat centre(British spelling) and helped Daniel mend a fence post. Monday felt a bit like working out in Colorado at Sky Corral. It was nice to get out and do that, and listen to the sheep across the lane bleating at us (some of them sound like humans, like the goats that are on youtube).
Tuesday and Thursday we led assemblies in the schools on the estate. We shared with the children the story of Peter walking on the water. Naturally, I was Peter. It was wonderful to see the children listen to a Bible story IN SCHOOL. The teachers were also in there, and we were even able to pray afterward. Although the schools work hard to treat all religion the same (they have a table with the Quran, the Jewish Scriptures, the 1611 KJV, and other religions materials), we are able to share the good news of Christ with the children visually and verbally. We can put it in a way they can easily understand and want to hear. We are working to break down walls on the estate by visiting people on the Estate and having a Bible club with the children after school.
Things are just getting underway here and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.
P.S. Happy birthday to Grace H. also! Her's was on Thursday.
I have now been here for over a week. I've been able to see a week of ministry here in the UK and been busy with all that we have done.
I've enjoyed the time I've spent so far. I've been able to meet the students in Harby, where I'm living and go to their Bible study, and hang out with outside of that time at Lois' birthday! (Happy birthday Lois) Additionally, on Wednesday, two women from Harby came to the Howson's for a prayer meeting. It was wonderful to hear them pray fervently for the Howson's, for the Earlesfield Estate, the church, and for all connected with it.
Sunday was a good time as I went with the Howsons to their church in Nottingham. Basically, we passed Robin Hood on our way there. Additionally, the Earlesfield Community Church meets on Sunday afternoons. 30 people were there this Sunday, 11 children and 19 adults. This was a blessing to see how The Lord has brought many different people to the church.
On Monday, I had the pleasure of cleaning the retreat centre(British spelling) and helped Daniel mend a fence post. Monday felt a bit like working out in Colorado at Sky Corral. It was nice to get out and do that, and listen to the sheep across the lane bleating at us (some of them sound like humans, like the goats that are on youtube).
Tuesday and Thursday we led assemblies in the schools on the estate. We shared with the children the story of Peter walking on the water. Naturally, I was Peter. It was wonderful to see the children listen to a Bible story IN SCHOOL. The teachers were also in there, and we were even able to pray afterward. Although the schools work hard to treat all religion the same (they have a table with the Quran, the Jewish Scriptures, the 1611 KJV, and other religions materials), we are able to share the good news of Christ with the children visually and verbally. We can put it in a way they can easily understand and want to hear. We are working to break down walls on the estate by visiting people on the Estate and having a Bible club with the children after school.
Things are just getting underway here and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.
P.S. Happy birthday to Grace H. also! Her's was on Thursday.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
24 Hours of Sitting
I've made it to the United Kingdom! I have been here now for a day, and have settled in at the Howson's, where I will be staying most of my time here.
It was a long, long trip to get here. After leaving Memphis on Tuesday, I spent 2 and a half hours getting to Miami, FL. I then, nearly died from boredom after 5 hours of layover in the Miami Airport. FACT: Miami International, pretty boring. The people were interesting to watch. This included 4 different dogs, one of which was a part of the K-9 unit for Miami and Dade County, Florida. His trainer/partner was chit-chatting with a coworker who was casually rest his assault rifle on his arm. I thought, "Why on earth do you need to carry that around just on a normal day at work? Oh, right, drug cartels. This is Miami."
While steeling myself for 8 and half hours of flying to Heathrow, I asked God to give me opportunities to just be a light, and cheer people up. I ended up in a seat next to a Hindu man, the only reason I knew he was is that he refused any food except fruit (there wasn't any), and tonic water (NOT bottled). I wanted to try and get to know him, but he spoke and understood English poorly. He was also very interested in watching about 30 minutes of every movie available on the plane. We didn't talk much, despite the fact that I would have enjoyed talking with him, even if it would have been difficult to understand him. God did provide some conversation with the flight attendant. I had discovered early on that my TV wouldn't turn on. No problem, I'll wait until the flight attendants aren't busy handling the takeoff, first round of food, and the babies on the airplane and then I'll have them reset it, it'll be fine. No, it would not be fine. The WHOLE STINKING CONSOLE was out, including the telephone, which also allows you to control your light, and to get the flight attendant. To make matters worse, The Life of Pi and The Great Gatsby were both on the movie list. Anyway, the flight attendant who was helping with that realized that I had the broken TV, and at this point most people were watching movies, or sleeping. She astutely knew I would not sleep very much. This picture sums up my position on the airplane.
The flight attendant gave a sad look, and asked me what alcohol I needed to get through the flight. She suggested a whiskey or rum to go with the Coca-cola I had at the moment. She even offered me vodka. In case you were wondering, I passed on the alcohol, and told her I'd keep myself entertained with my iPod. I thought afterwards, since when did the airlines carry whiskey, rum and vodka? Must be available in first class.
Anyway, after that point, she checked in with me, and I took it as an opportunity to be extra positive and peppy, I wish I had an a chance for in-depth discussions, but obviously, she has a job to do, and there were a good 150 other people who needed her help too. She did refer to me as a trooper though and smiled and was a little more chatty from then on. I pray that at least my positive attitude brightened her day, and gave her something to think about.
While that story is just plain good fun stuff, the most difficult part of my travel was still to come. Customs is always a nerve-wracking time, just because if the person you are assigned to is having a bad day, they can come up with a reason to deny you entry into the country. Someone with that kind of power is someone to be respected. My worries were somewhat well founded, as she was skeptical of the amount of time I would be in the United Kingdom. I am glad that I knew my return flight, and that it is booked.
After I got past her, my nerves were shot. I sincerely look back at that as Satan trying to get at me, and he did for a time, while I was waiting 2 hours for the train to Leicester (pronounced "Lester" for my countrymen). As I said my nerves were shot, my heart was pumping, and I was jittery. I kept replaying the experience in customs over and over again in my head. Finally, I just asked God for peace, she had granted me access, and I was on British soil; therefore, no need to stress about it. He granted it, and as the coach pulled out to Leicester, I finally was able to relax, and SLEEP.
God was good to me, and has brought me safely to the UK, and I'm thrilled to really begin the internship tomorrow (Friday).
Finally, a wee bit on the weather here. Of course, I'm going to mention the weather, as I now tend to think about things via the weather. Last week was hot (yes, I was in the South), but it was also hot here (to them... i.e. 70 degrees fahrenheit). When I arrived in London, it was cool, about 60 F, and cloudy (shocking I know). As the coach went north, it began to rain, and it rained on and off throughout the afternoon and evening here. Today is pleasant, a little warmer (mid-60s), with a late afternoon sun warming me as I sit here typing away. I'm really excited about getting to see and experience English weather, and see just how different it is compared to America, especially the steamy South. Tomorrow should be more of the same, mid-60s, mix of sun and clouds, with the ever-present threat of a shower.
It was a long, long trip to get here. After leaving Memphis on Tuesday, I spent 2 and a half hours getting to Miami, FL. I then, nearly died from boredom after 5 hours of layover in the Miami Airport. FACT: Miami International, pretty boring. The people were interesting to watch. This included 4 different dogs, one of which was a part of the K-9 unit for Miami and Dade County, Florida. His trainer/partner was chit-chatting with a coworker who was casually rest his assault rifle on his arm. I thought, "Why on earth do you need to carry that around just on a normal day at work? Oh, right, drug cartels. This is Miami."
While steeling myself for 8 and half hours of flying to Heathrow, I asked God to give me opportunities to just be a light, and cheer people up. I ended up in a seat next to a Hindu man, the only reason I knew he was is that he refused any food except fruit (there wasn't any), and tonic water (NOT bottled). I wanted to try and get to know him, but he spoke and understood English poorly. He was also very interested in watching about 30 minutes of every movie available on the plane. We didn't talk much, despite the fact that I would have enjoyed talking with him, even if it would have been difficult to understand him. God did provide some conversation with the flight attendant. I had discovered early on that my TV wouldn't turn on. No problem, I'll wait until the flight attendants aren't busy handling the takeoff, first round of food, and the babies on the airplane and then I'll have them reset it, it'll be fine. No, it would not be fine. The WHOLE STINKING CONSOLE was out, including the telephone, which also allows you to control your light, and to get the flight attendant. To make matters worse, The Life of Pi and The Great Gatsby were both on the movie list. Anyway, the flight attendant who was helping with that realized that I had the broken TV, and at this point most people were watching movies, or sleeping. She astutely knew I would not sleep very much. This picture sums up my position on the airplane.
The flight attendant gave a sad look, and asked me what alcohol I needed to get through the flight. She suggested a whiskey or rum to go with the Coca-cola I had at the moment. She even offered me vodka. In case you were wondering, I passed on the alcohol, and told her I'd keep myself entertained with my iPod. I thought afterwards, since when did the airlines carry whiskey, rum and vodka? Must be available in first class.
Anyway, after that point, she checked in with me, and I took it as an opportunity to be extra positive and peppy, I wish I had an a chance for in-depth discussions, but obviously, she has a job to do, and there were a good 150 other people who needed her help too. She did refer to me as a trooper though and smiled and was a little more chatty from then on. I pray that at least my positive attitude brightened her day, and gave her something to think about.
While that story is just plain good fun stuff, the most difficult part of my travel was still to come. Customs is always a nerve-wracking time, just because if the person you are assigned to is having a bad day, they can come up with a reason to deny you entry into the country. Someone with that kind of power is someone to be respected. My worries were somewhat well founded, as she was skeptical of the amount of time I would be in the United Kingdom. I am glad that I knew my return flight, and that it is booked.
After I got past her, my nerves were shot. I sincerely look back at that as Satan trying to get at me, and he did for a time, while I was waiting 2 hours for the train to Leicester (pronounced "Lester" for my countrymen). As I said my nerves were shot, my heart was pumping, and I was jittery. I kept replaying the experience in customs over and over again in my head. Finally, I just asked God for peace, she had granted me access, and I was on British soil; therefore, no need to stress about it. He granted it, and as the coach pulled out to Leicester, I finally was able to relax, and SLEEP.
God was good to me, and has brought me safely to the UK, and I'm thrilled to really begin the internship tomorrow (Friday).
Finally, a wee bit on the weather here. Of course, I'm going to mention the weather, as I now tend to think about things via the weather. Last week was hot (yes, I was in the South), but it was also hot here (to them... i.e. 70 degrees fahrenheit). When I arrived in London, it was cool, about 60 F, and cloudy (shocking I know). As the coach went north, it began to rain, and it rained on and off throughout the afternoon and evening here. Today is pleasant, a little warmer (mid-60s), with a late afternoon sun warming me as I sit here typing away. I'm really excited about getting to see and experience English weather, and see just how different it is compared to America, especially the steamy South. Tomorrow should be more of the same, mid-60s, mix of sun and clouds, with the ever-present threat of a shower.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Packing the Tony's
As I pack and prepare to cross the pond, God continues to show Himself faithful, gracious, and generous to me. Sunday, the church I have attended all summer took up a love offering for me to help me get to the United Kingdom. The church through its giving, provided enough money to pay for my round-plane ticket!
Praise The Lord!
This is truly God's mercy as many of the congregation in the church have lost homes in the past two years due to the Crystal and the Hyde Park wildfires in Colorado.
As I have been reading in my Bible preparing for serving in a semi-pastoral capacity, I began reading 1 Timothy. 1Timothy 1:12-17, "I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinner, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
This verse has meant a lot this week, as I know that I'm the least likely candidate to serve in this capacity. I'm not perfect, I've got plenty of faults, yet God has called me to work, at least for a time, in the United Kingdom with a church plant.
One other thing I've been reminded of lately, and this might surprise some people, but I believe it is something we must be reminded of. Each of us (as Christians) has been redeemed by Christ; however, that is not the goal/pinnacle of our life. Rather, the peak is when we are being used by Christ to redeem the rest of the world. Because He is coming to make ALL things new, not just me. And not just you, but EVERYONE, and everything. All will be put back in order when He returns. My time in England, I pray, will be a time that hastens His return.
I will fly out to the United Kingdom next week. Any and all prayers will be appreciated as I will be flying the week of September 11th. I know God is faithful, and it doesn't matter what the world does, He is in control; however, my family still worries.
Many thanks to all who've helped me get the flight, and other transportation to England. I'm excited to see God work in the lives of those there, as well as in my own life.
You are likely wondering when I'm going to get to the "Tony's" part. The missionaries there (and myself) really like Tony's Creole Seasoning. Unfortunately, that cannot be found on the British Isles. So, I'm bringing as much Tony's as I can with me. While this may mean I can't bring other items. I am confident that the Tony's will suffice. Although I'm not sure if Tony's will help when I need another book to read. I guess I will just read the ingredients list on the plane!
God bless you all! Remember that you are a servant of Christ, and you have been redeemed to bring redemption to the world.
Praise The Lord!
This is truly God's mercy as many of the congregation in the church have lost homes in the past two years due to the Crystal and the Hyde Park wildfires in Colorado.
As I have been reading in my Bible preparing for serving in a semi-pastoral capacity, I began reading 1 Timothy. 1Timothy 1:12-17, "I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinner, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
This verse has meant a lot this week, as I know that I'm the least likely candidate to serve in this capacity. I'm not perfect, I've got plenty of faults, yet God has called me to work, at least for a time, in the United Kingdom with a church plant.
One other thing I've been reminded of lately, and this might surprise some people, but I believe it is something we must be reminded of. Each of us (as Christians) has been redeemed by Christ; however, that is not the goal/pinnacle of our life. Rather, the peak is when we are being used by Christ to redeem the rest of the world. Because He is coming to make ALL things new, not just me. And not just you, but EVERYONE, and everything. All will be put back in order when He returns. My time in England, I pray, will be a time that hastens His return.
I will fly out to the United Kingdom next week. Any and all prayers will be appreciated as I will be flying the week of September 11th. I know God is faithful, and it doesn't matter what the world does, He is in control; however, my family still worries.
Many thanks to all who've helped me get the flight, and other transportation to England. I'm excited to see God work in the lives of those there, as well as in my own life.
You are likely wondering when I'm going to get to the "Tony's" part. The missionaries there (and myself) really like Tony's Creole Seasoning. Unfortunately, that cannot be found on the British Isles. So, I'm bringing as much Tony's as I can with me. While this may mean I can't bring other items. I am confident that the Tony's will suffice. Although I'm not sure if Tony's will help when I need another book to read. I guess I will just read the ingredients list on the plane!
God bless you all! Remember that you are a servant of Christ, and you have been redeemed to bring redemption to the world.
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