A final chapter in this trilogy to document my experiences with weather, people, and God.
I said in the last post that this would be a hard post. A post that would be difficult and bittersweet. There is much joy in sharing this post with you, there is also sadness as another chapter to my life is being concluded in the near future.
In early April, as I was placed into the position of chief meteorologist, a letter I had set aside was brought back to my attention.
While in the UK, I had continued to seek out job positions and grad school opportunities. During the latter weeks in the UK I applied to 4 universities to attend for graduate school and earn a master's degree in meteorology. The University of Wyoming, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mississippi State University, and North Carolina State University all received an application for acceptance from me. Shortly after arriving in Bowling Green, MSU replied with an acceptance letter. This letter was exciting, I knew then that I qualified for grad school. I had been turned down by three schools in the spring of 2013. However, it was a second letter from MSU that was brought to my attention in early April.
This second letter extended to me an assistantship to aid in my pursuit of research and a master's in meteorology and climatology at MSU. The assistantship consisted of an out of state tuition waiver, a partial scholarship for tuition, and the offer of a graduate teaching assistant position with a monthly stipend to cover the rest of my educational expenses, and the main portion of living expenses. The letter gave me until Easter weekend to make my decision.
In the midst of the chaotic rise to chief's position, I knew that this was the end of the road if I stayed in Bowling Green. I can climb no further here, I knew this was the highest spot I could attain within the station and the corporation. I also knew that the Lord has placed me at Christ Fellowship for a reason, and I love the church dearly. The Lord doesn't call us to sit back on our laurels and marvel at all we've accomplished. He desires men and women who will passionately follow His guiding across the street, across town or around the world.
Life in television in Bowling Green appears to be, quite frankly, in opposition to God's call. There, I would develop a routine, develop a clique at work, and become hardened to others around me and to the city of Bowling Green. I would become cynical, cut off from the rest of the people of Bowling Green and out of touch with other humans and unwilling to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has placed in front of me an opportunity to take His name back to Mississippi State University. He's provided me an opportunity to be a leader within the department of geosciences at MSU. Part of my desire to work in television was to be just that, a leader and an example to others. The Lord has given me the opportunity to do that back in Starkville. He's not only blessed me with a roommate, as well as many friends from undergrad; He's blessed me with new contacts who are incoming freshmen, transfers, grad students with whom I can share my knowledge of weather, Mississippi, and most importantly, my knowledge of how Jesus has changed me.
Life following Christ is crazy, illogical, exciting, and completely worth it. I cannot imagine, after being taught many things by God, living my life just to please me. I can never be pleased. I'll always find something wrong with me, something I can't have that I want, or something I don't want that I have. Following Christ means that though there is something wrong with me, it's called sin and Christ died to deal with the consequences of what's wrong. In Christ, He has promised to make me new, and He will make good on His promise. He rose from the dead to prove that fact. Following Christ means giving up my selfish desires and wants, and seeking Christ. The Bible says that the one who saves his life will lose it. The one who loses his life gains it. This is made possible in Christ, in His resurrection from the dead. Following Christ means that the stuff I don't want (pain, persecution, hunger, stress, etc) can be handed over to God. I give up control of trying to fix my life and myself. I'm letting the Potter mold the clay, the sculpture chisel off the imperfections. The process is painful, I have been and will be pushed, stretched bent, even broken. Above it all, God has a plan. His plan is for His glory, and in His glory, our greatest joy is found.
On August 11, 2014, approximately 1 year after I made the commitment to spend my autumn in the UK, I will return to the place where God took hold of me, grabbed my attention, and began remaking me and teaching me.
He knows my fears, He knows I want to be independent, and there are bills to be paid. He has since blessed me with a part time job in weather and TV. Wednesday, I accepted an offer to become the weekend meteorologist at WVUA-TV. THIS TV network, channel 7 in Tuscaloosa, AL.
I love working in television. I love being able to interact with people and help them by providing information they need in daily life and in emergencies. These two positions give me the opportunity to become better at that, and learn where it is God wants me from now until I see Him face to face.
I don't know where God wants me. I don't know if He wants me to continue in television or move to another field, but what I do know is that He is good. He allowed the dream of working in television come true, even if it's only for a short amount of time, I'm thankful for what He has blessed me with.
Throughout this year, I have been reading novels, and one, "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas, is very appropriate in its closing. Edmond Dantes writes a farewell letter to his heirs,
"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, -- 'Wait and hope.' -- Your friend,
Edmond Dantes,
Count of Monte Cristo"
Through it all, strength has been found in waiting and hoping in Christ. He will never fail, His promises are true, His love is deep, and His majesty is worthy of all my praise.
I want to thank a bunch of people. Through all of this, my parents have worried, stressed, prayed, and let me follow God's call even when they doubted.
I'm thankful for my British family, my friends from college and Colorado, all of whom supported, loved, prayed, and encouraged me to pursue the Lord's call to England last fall.
Additionally, I'm thankful for all of my wonderful new friends here in Bowling Green. I have been blown away by your love, acceptance of myself as a new friend and encouraged me through the rough days. Thank you for showing me around Bowling Green, welcoming me into your homes and lives. You've blessed me immensely.
Finally, I thank God, my Savior. He saved me, showed me love, cared for me, and blessed me beyond measure.
I love you all so very much. To those I'm leaving, I'll be in Bowling Green through June, and please, let's spend more time together. Please come visit me in Mississippi, it's a lovely place that I would love to share with you. To those I'm returning to, I love you and I cannot wait see you again and spend time together.
All, may the Lord bless you, keep you, and may you seek His face and His glory with every breath.
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Friday, June 13, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
"A Taste of 'The Good Life' & the Blessings of God"
Part 2 of 3 to catch everyone up on life as a Crank. This middle chapter to the saga will detail how very attached to all things British I have become.
I thought life would calm down, I would move back in with my parents and I would be one of the countless college graduates with student loans and no job to pay for them. Then I turned on my cell phone after months of it being turned off in Memphis (dumb phones do not work overseas, shocking). I have a voicemail from some guy who I didn't know. He was calling to talk with me more about a job opening in Bowling Green, KY and weekend weather. I was floored, but I was worn out. It was about 10pm so I told myself I would call him tomorrow. The next morning, I'm getting ready for the day, and attempting to come up with a list of questions to ask when I call the Kentuckian back. Before I'm done getting ready, my phone starts ringing. It's home skillet from Bowling Green. We chatted for a bit about the job, some details with it. He then offers me the job, on the phone, within 24 hours of my returning to the U.S. of A. I'm still tongued-tied and trying to re-adjust to the American Southern accent. Thankfully, I have the coherence to ask if I could talk to the chief meteorologist before making a decision.
I'll skip over the rest of those details due to legal issues and they're boring. Needless to say, what I thought was going to be a difficult time of twiddling my thumbs, God had much bigger plans in mind. He wasn't done knocking my socks off, and I am beginning to learn that He never will stop. He loves me, in spite of my darkest sins, my inability to share the Gospel, and my constant anxiety, He loves me, cares about me, and wants to blow my mind each and every day. I believe this is almost a humorous antagonisation of my anxiety.
By Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, I'd moved into a hotel in Bowling Green, KY. I enjoyed working in TV, experiencing my first show, forecasting and what I said actually mattering. I saw snow, predicted it, advised people in how to prepare for it. The experiences and opportunities afforded me by God to work in TV have been incredible. I'm so very thankful for this job.
The first week I was there, I had looked up churches in Bowling Green, and there were plenty. I didn't know where to start, so I went to the BSU at Western Kentucky University (they're all progressive and call it BCM, whatever). There, I met the director who introduced me to one of the interns who worked there, Joel. Joel immediately offered to get lunch with me, and though we didn't get lunch, we still talked awhile about what I'd been doing in the UK, and where he went to church (Christ Fellowship) and why. He also gave my number to a friend of his, Chase, who also went to Christ Fellowship with Joel.
The next day I met Chase for lunch and at that point, I could not not visit Christ Fellowship, I'd had two invites to come Sunday (0 for any other church), I'd been told how they were located in a similar area to the Earlesfield, and their desire was to reach the people of that community with the Gospel. Joel had given me the website, and so I creeped hard on the church, about what they believed, etc. I couldn't find a single reason not to go. Then I went.
Before the pastor's 50 minute sermon was over, I was sold. Then we took communion, icing on the cake. I was a little overwhelmed by the church, the genuineness of the people, the worship, and the commitment to the Gospel. After the service, I met Eric, who invited me to coffee, and later that week, to the small group Bible study at his house. God couldn't have made it plainer as to where He wanted me in Bowling Green. From Joel to Chase to Eric, to everyone else I met at church that Sunday, God had this in mind long before I went to England.
What really confirmed this to me was at the small group. We spent our time that week sharing our testimonies, rather than discussing the sermon (Ooops). That's when I was informed of the connection between Harlaxton College (in Denton/Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK) and WKU. I met people that night (and I've met more since) who went to study abroad there. I heard and saw people from all kinds of background sharing how they came to know Christ and how beautiful that night was.
I can say that these past 5 months since moving to Bowling Green have been absolutely some of the hardest, most frustrating, sanctifying, and fulfilling months. I consider this church, my church. The people, the community... my people and my community. The opportunities I've had to serve here in Bowling Green have been amazing. I'm blessed and thankful to be here now.
I've made many new friends, close friends, and am amazed that they actually are friends with this awkward, nerdy, non-Hill Topping dude who is overly obsessed with Britain (to the point that I listen to The British History Podcast, you should also, it's great).
By April of this year, due to a variety of things at work, I became the chief meteorologist at the station. My working hours shifted from weekend nights, to weekday evenings. This job has afforded me many opportunities, stories about WKU, Hot Rods Baseball, schools talks, Humane Society visits, celebrity cookie eating contests, career fairs, tickets to baseball, running in different events (KY Foam Run & the Color Vibe 5k Run), and even throwing out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game.
The people I've met and gotten to know here are the reason that the third part of this trilogy of the first part of 2014 will be a bittersweet chapter. Please read the next segment, "The Return to Academia" with the knowledge that many long, tearful nights of crying out for wisdom from God and seeking advice from godly men and women in my life have led to the conclusion of the trilogy.
I thought life would calm down, I would move back in with my parents and I would be one of the countless college graduates with student loans and no job to pay for them. Then I turned on my cell phone after months of it being turned off in Memphis (dumb phones do not work overseas, shocking). I have a voicemail from some guy who I didn't know. He was calling to talk with me more about a job opening in Bowling Green, KY and weekend weather. I was floored, but I was worn out. It was about 10pm so I told myself I would call him tomorrow. The next morning, I'm getting ready for the day, and attempting to come up with a list of questions to ask when I call the Kentuckian back. Before I'm done getting ready, my phone starts ringing. It's home skillet from Bowling Green. We chatted for a bit about the job, some details with it. He then offers me the job, on the phone, within 24 hours of my returning to the U.S. of A. I'm still tongued-tied and trying to re-adjust to the American Southern accent. Thankfully, I have the coherence to ask if I could talk to the chief meteorologist before making a decision.
I'll skip over the rest of those details due to legal issues and they're boring. Needless to say, what I thought was going to be a difficult time of twiddling my thumbs, God had much bigger plans in mind. He wasn't done knocking my socks off, and I am beginning to learn that He never will stop. He loves me, in spite of my darkest sins, my inability to share the Gospel, and my constant anxiety, He loves me, cares about me, and wants to blow my mind each and every day. I believe this is almost a humorous antagonisation of my anxiety.
By Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, I'd moved into a hotel in Bowling Green, KY. I enjoyed working in TV, experiencing my first show, forecasting and what I said actually mattering. I saw snow, predicted it, advised people in how to prepare for it. The experiences and opportunities afforded me by God to work in TV have been incredible. I'm so very thankful for this job.
The first week I was there, I had looked up churches in Bowling Green, and there were plenty. I didn't know where to start, so I went to the BSU at Western Kentucky University (they're all progressive and call it BCM, whatever). There, I met the director who introduced me to one of the interns who worked there, Joel. Joel immediately offered to get lunch with me, and though we didn't get lunch, we still talked awhile about what I'd been doing in the UK, and where he went to church (Christ Fellowship) and why. He also gave my number to a friend of his, Chase, who also went to Christ Fellowship with Joel.
The next day I met Chase for lunch and at that point, I could not not visit Christ Fellowship, I'd had two invites to come Sunday (0 for any other church), I'd been told how they were located in a similar area to the Earlesfield, and their desire was to reach the people of that community with the Gospel. Joel had given me the website, and so I creeped hard on the church, about what they believed, etc. I couldn't find a single reason not to go. Then I went.
Before the pastor's 50 minute sermon was over, I was sold. Then we took communion, icing on the cake. I was a little overwhelmed by the church, the genuineness of the people, the worship, and the commitment to the Gospel. After the service, I met Eric, who invited me to coffee, and later that week, to the small group Bible study at his house. God couldn't have made it plainer as to where He wanted me in Bowling Green. From Joel to Chase to Eric, to everyone else I met at church that Sunday, God had this in mind long before I went to England.
What really confirmed this to me was at the small group. We spent our time that week sharing our testimonies, rather than discussing the sermon (Ooops). That's when I was informed of the connection between Harlaxton College (in Denton/Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK) and WKU. I met people that night (and I've met more since) who went to study abroad there. I heard and saw people from all kinds of background sharing how they came to know Christ and how beautiful that night was.
I can say that these past 5 months since moving to Bowling Green have been absolutely some of the hardest, most frustrating, sanctifying, and fulfilling months. I consider this church, my church. The people, the community... my people and my community. The opportunities I've had to serve here in Bowling Green have been amazing. I'm blessed and thankful to be here now.
I've made many new friends, close friends, and am amazed that they actually are friends with this awkward, nerdy, non-Hill Topping dude who is overly obsessed with Britain (to the point that I listen to The British History Podcast, you should also, it's great).
By April of this year, due to a variety of things at work, I became the chief meteorologist at the station. My working hours shifted from weekend nights, to weekday evenings. This job has afforded me many opportunities, stories about WKU, Hot Rods Baseball, schools talks, Humane Society visits, celebrity cookie eating contests, career fairs, tickets to baseball, running in different events (KY Foam Run & the Color Vibe 5k Run), and even throwing out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game.
The people I've met and gotten to know here are the reason that the third part of this trilogy of the first part of 2014 will be a bittersweet chapter. Please read the next segment, "The Return to Academia" with the knowledge that many long, tearful nights of crying out for wisdom from God and seeking advice from godly men and women in my life have led to the conclusion of the trilogy.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Week 12: Bugs and Christmas Time
I have now been here for 3 months. That leaves 22 days for me here in the UK. These last 22 days will be very busy, with Christmas activities with the school, a Christmas party for kids, a Carol Service at ECC, a trip to York, team Christmas dinner, and much more.
Looking back on this week, it seems quite long for some reason, we didn't have all of our activities this week, but we were still quite busy. Monday was the regular cleaning day of the week with its usual things to clean. Tuesday we began our mission of canvasing the entire estate with flyers about our Christmas events at the church. Tuesday was quite cold, which made things very interesting out and about the estate. Tuesday evening a woman from Wales moved into her house on the estate. She has moved specifically to work alongside the church and minister to the estate. Wednesday and Thursday I spent some time at her house painting as she is doing some interior redecorating before moving all of her things in.
Wednesday began the rounds of sickness for the team. Monday the three year old was sick, but that didn't affect the team too much as we weren't all in one place. By Wednesday, Andrew and Grace had both fallen ill with the same thing. This affected our tot's and toys play group, so we were down to 4 as opposed to our usual 6. We managed well in spite of this and then got to spend some time with Edith, our new Welsh friend and her foster daughter's partner, Dave at lunch. It is encouraging to see how God has brought so many different people to the estate. Edith made the comment of at the table, there were 6 different accents. Welsh, Northern English(Newcastle/Sunderland), Scottish, Northern Irish and a general British accent, and an American accent. This was just a tiny taste of what heaven will be, thousands of tongues, dialects and accents all worshiping and praising God for all eternity. I can't wait to hear that.
Thursday we had our Explorer's Club at the school, with a normal attendance, you can tell the children are getting antsy for Christmas and the time off school. Thursday evening felt like Christmas time back in America, as we had Chinese ("A Christmas Story" anyone? "Deck the hores wi' bows of Hory fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra") and put up the Morton's Christmas tree. As I do not have the memory of decorating the tree as a 3 year old, I'm sure I was somewhat similar to their three year old and putting up the tree in whatever fashion made sense to her, and was physically possible. This meant branches piled on top of one another. As soon as it was up, she began the decorating, beginning with the most fragile and expensive of ornaments. It was fun to see her do that, and think how odd it is that we instinctively know which ones those are, and find it hard to resist the impulse to touch and hold those ornaments.
Friday we helped the school put on a Christmas Fayre. Yes, Fayre. That is how they spell it here. I think it's from the old or middle English, and hasn't changed. While it was one massive chaotic event, we got to see the kids and their parents, and hand out a little booklet telling the story of the First Christmas.
Looking back on this week, it seems quite long for some reason, we didn't have all of our activities this week, but we were still quite busy. Monday was the regular cleaning day of the week with its usual things to clean. Tuesday we began our mission of canvasing the entire estate with flyers about our Christmas events at the church. Tuesday was quite cold, which made things very interesting out and about the estate. Tuesday evening a woman from Wales moved into her house on the estate. She has moved specifically to work alongside the church and minister to the estate. Wednesday and Thursday I spent some time at her house painting as she is doing some interior redecorating before moving all of her things in.
Wednesday began the rounds of sickness for the team. Monday the three year old was sick, but that didn't affect the team too much as we weren't all in one place. By Wednesday, Andrew and Grace had both fallen ill with the same thing. This affected our tot's and toys play group, so we were down to 4 as opposed to our usual 6. We managed well in spite of this and then got to spend some time with Edith, our new Welsh friend and her foster daughter's partner, Dave at lunch. It is encouraging to see how God has brought so many different people to the estate. Edith made the comment of at the table, there were 6 different accents. Welsh, Northern English(Newcastle/Sunderland), Scottish, Northern Irish and a general British accent, and an American accent. This was just a tiny taste of what heaven will be, thousands of tongues, dialects and accents all worshiping and praising God for all eternity. I can't wait to hear that.
Thursday we had our Explorer's Club at the school, with a normal attendance, you can tell the children are getting antsy for Christmas and the time off school. Thursday evening felt like Christmas time back in America, as we had Chinese ("A Christmas Story" anyone? "Deck the hores wi' bows of Hory fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra") and put up the Morton's Christmas tree. As I do not have the memory of decorating the tree as a 3 year old, I'm sure I was somewhat similar to their three year old and putting up the tree in whatever fashion made sense to her, and was physically possible. This meant branches piled on top of one another. As soon as it was up, she began the decorating, beginning with the most fragile and expensive of ornaments. It was fun to see her do that, and think how odd it is that we instinctively know which ones those are, and find it hard to resist the impulse to touch and hold those ornaments.
Friday we helped the school put on a Christmas Fayre. Yes, Fayre. That is how they spell it here. I think it's from the old or middle English, and hasn't changed. While it was one massive chaotic event, we got to see the kids and their parents, and hand out a little booklet telling the story of the First Christmas.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Week 10: Cathedrals, Churches, and the People Within
Time is really beginning to fly by! It is hard to believe that I am over 2/3 of the way through my internship here. In 35 days, I will (by God's grace and will), be on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean between Madrid, Spain and Chicago, Ill., USA.
I am late(ish) once again on writing this blog. This was another busy weekend.
This week I spent much of it at Andrew and Grace's. Daniel and Grace took three days off at the beginning of the week, and visited family in York and Ipswich. While at Andrew and Grace's, I went into Grantham and visited a relatively new Christian bookstore, looking for some Bible study materials. While I was happy to talk with the lady who owns the shop, I couldn't find anything that really jumped out at me as what I was looking for. Additionally, when I talked with her on the way out, I discovered she had a pet rat with her. Which she kept on her person. The rodent made several appearances from behind her ear, and even through her scarf and jacket. While I have never dealt with the bubonic plague, I'd prefer that to be one thing I do not experience on this earth.
Tuesday afternoon was spent at a nice old house on the north east side of Grantham called Belton House. The house is owned by the National Trust, sort of like the Historic Societies in America. The house has a large garden, orangery, boathouse, lake, maze of hedges, stable, and servant housing in addition to the house itself. While unable to get into the house, we did explore the landscape surrounding the house.
Tuesday night was a long but glorious night as I was able to video chat with the MSU Baptist Student Union at their last meeting of the semester. It was wonderful to see some faces I haven't seen in a couple months, and although once the meeting began it was dark. I knew people were there, and were listening due to the noise, and some responses. Additionally, I received a few tweets, and some iMessages from people during that time. It is so very encouraging to be able to hear from people who you have been around for 4 years still care about you, and are genuinely interested in what you are doing.
MC came around Wednesday afternoon to discuss life and how things are going as a 5 day old Christian. It was great to just chat about the Christian life, learn some of the foundations to what we believe, and discuss what prayer is, and how on earth you go about praying by yourself.
Thursday morning I ventured back into Grantham (rat-free this time), and visited St. Wulfram's Cathedral. It is quite a large cathedral considering the town. The spire was completed in the 13th century, and standing at 282 feet, and some odd inches, it was purportedly the tallest structure in England upon completion.
Friday was another busy day of cleaning, mentoring, Bible study with teens in Harby, and then video chat with two fantastic brothers, Aaron and Isaac. I have missed them both terribly since we returned to the U.S. after my first visit to Grantham back in May. It was good to see them and share with them personally what has been going on as they know some of the people I work with personally.
I am late(ish) once again on writing this blog. This was another busy weekend.
This week I spent much of it at Andrew and Grace's. Daniel and Grace took three days off at the beginning of the week, and visited family in York and Ipswich. While at Andrew and Grace's, I went into Grantham and visited a relatively new Christian bookstore, looking for some Bible study materials. While I was happy to talk with the lady who owns the shop, I couldn't find anything that really jumped out at me as what I was looking for. Additionally, when I talked with her on the way out, I discovered she had a pet rat with her. Which she kept on her person. The rodent made several appearances from behind her ear, and even through her scarf and jacket. While I have never dealt with the bubonic plague, I'd prefer that to be one thing I do not experience on this earth.
Tuesday afternoon was spent at a nice old house on the north east side of Grantham called Belton House. The house is owned by the National Trust, sort of like the Historic Societies in America. The house has a large garden, orangery, boathouse, lake, maze of hedges, stable, and servant housing in addition to the house itself. While unable to get into the house, we did explore the landscape surrounding the house.
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| Lake and boathouse. |
 |
| Looking through the back garden. |
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| Belton House |
MC came around Wednesday afternoon to discuss life and how things are going as a 5 day old Christian. It was great to just chat about the Christian life, learn some of the foundations to what we believe, and discuss what prayer is, and how on earth you go about praying by yourself.
Thursday morning I ventured back into Grantham (rat-free this time), and visited St. Wulfram's Cathedral. It is quite a large cathedral considering the town. The spire was completed in the 13th century, and standing at 282 feet, and some odd inches, it was purportedly the tallest structure in England upon completion.
 |
| St. Wulfram's Cathedral. Church of England. |
Saturday I visited Melton Mowbray and was able to walk around during the Saturday market. Thankfully the market was on because Melton isn't exactly a throbbing metropolis. The square where the market was held is pleasant, but small. I also visited St. Mary's Church which was very nice and interesting as the steeple had a clock on it, but the staircase to the clock was on the edge of the steeple, so you could tell where the staircase was quite clearly.
Sunday was a very busy day, as I went to three services. We had a nice group at the Earlesfield Community Church again this week. However afterwards, Lois was being baptised (when in England, spell like the English) in Nottingham, so we raced back there to join and celebrate with her.
All in all, a good week, with another busy week ahead. Things are going to be quite busy for the next 3-4 weeks, I will try to post weekly, but I'm making no promises for this stretch!
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| Lois, and one of the pastors, Pete! |
All in all, a good week, with another busy week ahead. Things are going to be quite busy for the next 3-4 weeks, I will try to post weekly, but I'm making no promises for this stretch!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Week 4: A Cold and The Cold
Hello once more!
This past week marked one month of living and working in the UK. It truly is hard to believe it has been a month already! I looked up how much longer I have, and looking at those numbers is quite sad. While I am not even a third of the way done with my time here, it's sad to know that the time is coming, and if the rest of the time goes by as fast as the first month, I will be back in the USA before you can say, "Top of the morning!"
England appears to be mourning the fact that I have a limited time also. The passing of time also appears to have brought with it more typical English weather. After nearly a month of warm temperatures, mostly sunny skies and all around pleasant weather, this week a cold front moved through, the temperature has dropped and it has been rainy and cloudy for almost 48 hours now. I think England decided I couldn't spend this much time here without getting a taste of good ole English weather.
So that was "The Cold," but additionally, this week I came down with a nasty cold, that set up shop in my chest and head. Monday and Tuesday nights were rough sleeping because I couldn't breathe. Andrew and Grace gave Olbus Oil, and boy, that stuff works! Your eyes start watering from sniffing just one or two drops of that stuff! It is potent.
The work is continuing to go along, fairly steady. We are still meeting and having good discussions at our Tuesday night Bible study, there are 3 moms that come steadily to Tots and Toys, but there has been at least one other mom the past three weeks. We had another Explorer's Club this week. I was in charge of the craft. It went fairly well. We talked about Noah and the Ark, so for the craft we took paper plates, cut them in half, then cut out the middle. The outside edge was the rainbow, which we decorated, and we even have clouds made of wool balls (cotton balls in America). We took the middle part we cut out, flipped it upside down, and made the Ark out of that. Finally, we punched holes in the rainbow and the Ark, and tied them together with string! All in all, I was proud of the craft, especially since I came up with the idea. Here is an example (my example), excuse the coloring, being color blind, coloring in rainbows aren't my specialty.
I also had the privilege of leading the older youth at Connected (the weekly Bible study for Harby youth) last night (Friday). Despite it being myself, and 8 girls, things went pretty well. Everyone got to hear my "American" accent last night when I said the word "ham," apparently it sounded a whole lot different from how they say it.
Next week's blog will definitely be delayed, if not cancelled, as from Thursday through Saturday of next week I will be traveling with Andrew to and from Scotland. Someone else is joining the team (permanently) from Scotland, and we are helping them move! I'm excited to see Edinburgh, try Haggis, and see the Highlands. I feel like I will be following the trek that the Granthams made in the final episode of Series 3 in Downton Abbey.
Speaking of Downton, here in the UK, the season started the Sunday after I arrived. Grace M., kindly recorded them, and so I saw the first two episodes of series 4 Thursday. I'll do my best not to spoil it, but in the first episode, a long time member of the house leaves, and a trouble maker returns. Hope that whet the appetite of everyone who watches Downton.
One final thought. Sunday at church, we always have tea and cakes after the service. This past Sunday I was on tea and cakes duty. So I helped boil the water in the giant pot (as big if not bigger than the ones at the BSU). Unfortunately, I didn't know there was a switch on the bottom side of the pot, to prevent the boiler from burning itself out when there isn't any water in it. So, when we went back after service to get the "boiling" water, it was cold. The water was just as cold as when it came out of the tap, if not colder. Clearly, I need to work on my boiling water skills. Along those lines, I would love to get a house water boiler when I am back in the States. They are quite handy, they look like a kettle, but you plug it into the wall, and it boils water in a just 3-4 minutes. When I saw boiling, I mean boiling. I guess this means I'm starting my Christmas list now, haha. I'll save the rest of my list for Santa. I wonder if there is a different address for Santa over here?
This past week marked one month of living and working in the UK. It truly is hard to believe it has been a month already! I looked up how much longer I have, and looking at those numbers is quite sad. While I am not even a third of the way done with my time here, it's sad to know that the time is coming, and if the rest of the time goes by as fast as the first month, I will be back in the USA before you can say, "Top of the morning!"
England appears to be mourning the fact that I have a limited time also. The passing of time also appears to have brought with it more typical English weather. After nearly a month of warm temperatures, mostly sunny skies and all around pleasant weather, this week a cold front moved through, the temperature has dropped and it has been rainy and cloudy for almost 48 hours now. I think England decided I couldn't spend this much time here without getting a taste of good ole English weather.
So that was "The Cold," but additionally, this week I came down with a nasty cold, that set up shop in my chest and head. Monday and Tuesday nights were rough sleeping because I couldn't breathe. Andrew and Grace gave Olbus Oil, and boy, that stuff works! Your eyes start watering from sniffing just one or two drops of that stuff! It is potent.
The work is continuing to go along, fairly steady. We are still meeting and having good discussions at our Tuesday night Bible study, there are 3 moms that come steadily to Tots and Toys, but there has been at least one other mom the past three weeks. We had another Explorer's Club this week. I was in charge of the craft. It went fairly well. We talked about Noah and the Ark, so for the craft we took paper plates, cut them in half, then cut out the middle. The outside edge was the rainbow, which we decorated, and we even have clouds made of wool balls (cotton balls in America). We took the middle part we cut out, flipped it upside down, and made the Ark out of that. Finally, we punched holes in the rainbow and the Ark, and tied them together with string! All in all, I was proud of the craft, especially since I came up with the idea. Here is an example (my example), excuse the coloring, being color blind, coloring in rainbows aren't my specialty.
I also had the privilege of leading the older youth at Connected (the weekly Bible study for Harby youth) last night (Friday). Despite it being myself, and 8 girls, things went pretty well. Everyone got to hear my "American" accent last night when I said the word "ham," apparently it sounded a whole lot different from how they say it.
Next week's blog will definitely be delayed, if not cancelled, as from Thursday through Saturday of next week I will be traveling with Andrew to and from Scotland. Someone else is joining the team (permanently) from Scotland, and we are helping them move! I'm excited to see Edinburgh, try Haggis, and see the Highlands. I feel like I will be following the trek that the Granthams made in the final episode of Series 3 in Downton Abbey.
Speaking of Downton, here in the UK, the season started the Sunday after I arrived. Grace M., kindly recorded them, and so I saw the first two episodes of series 4 Thursday. I'll do my best not to spoil it, but in the first episode, a long time member of the house leaves, and a trouble maker returns. Hope that whet the appetite of everyone who watches Downton.
One final thought. Sunday at church, we always have tea and cakes after the service. This past Sunday I was on tea and cakes duty. So I helped boil the water in the giant pot (as big if not bigger than the ones at the BSU). Unfortunately, I didn't know there was a switch on the bottom side of the pot, to prevent the boiler from burning itself out when there isn't any water in it. So, when we went back after service to get the "boiling" water, it was cold. The water was just as cold as when it came out of the tap, if not colder. Clearly, I need to work on my boiling water skills. Along those lines, I would love to get a house water boiler when I am back in the States. They are quite handy, they look like a kettle, but you plug it into the wall, and it boils water in a just 3-4 minutes. When I saw boiling, I mean boiling. I guess this means I'm starting my Christmas list now, haha. I'll save the rest of my list for Santa. I wonder if there is a different address for Santa over here?
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Week 3 -- Walking and Wandering
Hello friends.
So, this week, at request from my dear, dear ginger friend, Caitlin (who doesn't have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. "THE HORROR!"), I shall be posting pictures of my travels hither and yon (nice antiquated phrase, huh?). This week, I have had the pleasure of exploring two cities. Now, neither of these cities is London, sorry y'all. London will come later this autumn.
Monday: I hit up Nottingham. Now many of us know Nottingham from this...
On the right we see where Robin expects the Sheriff to be coming from. The opening there in the wall is underneath the main gate into the castle.
Below, it appears that Robin thinks YOU are the Sheriff of Nottingham. Watch out!
Okay, enough cheesy commentary and tourist photos of a statue.
So, this week, at request from my dear, dear ginger friend, Caitlin (who doesn't have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. "THE HORROR!"), I shall be posting pictures of my travels hither and yon (nice antiquated phrase, huh?). This week, I have had the pleasure of exploring two cities. Now, neither of these cities is London, sorry y'all. London will come later this autumn.
Monday: I hit up Nottingham. Now many of us know Nottingham from this...
Am I right? Classic Disney.
Back to my and exploring. I discovered Nottingham Castle, and there is a statue of Robin Hood there (how convenient), so I took my wee bit of photography skills and put them to use.
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| This is the normal touristy shot of ole Robin. He is well prepared for wherever the Sheriff might appear. |
Below, it appears that Robin thinks YOU are the Sheriff of Nottingham. Watch out!
Okay, enough cheesy commentary and tourist photos of a statue.
Nottingham Castle despite the name, really isn't a castle. I know, disappointing. It used to be a castle, then it was destroyed, a Duke was given the castle, he removed the rubble, and built a nice... mansion. Several years later the Duke did not support a bill that the townspeople liked, so they burned his mansion. Can you imagine if people in America did that to the White House now!? (wait, isn't that the premise of White House Down?) Anyway, so the inside is just a museum, with a very modern interior. :(
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| This is a panorama from an outlook of the castle. I still haven't entirely got the whole iPhone panorama thing down yet. Things are a little smooshed. |
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This is the main entrance into the castle itself. It reminds me of French palaces, like Versailles and the Louvre, except on a MUCH smaller scale.
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Side note: the garden was very quiet and pleasant.
Nottingham had several churches throughout the city centre. The largest and by far the most photogenic is St. Mary's Church. It is Church of England (as are almost all in England). Here is a lovely picture I took as I was walking alongside of it. I couldn't get inside the church because I was there on a Monday, and Monday is the only day it is closed.
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| I really, really like this picture. |
I also saw the canal, the Victoria Clock Tower (sadly, not all that impressive), and a couple other churches in Nottingham.
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| Canal |
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| St. Barnabas' Church, Roman Catholic. |
Tuesday through Friday were working on the estate. This week I've basically settled into the routine fully. Which is good, but it also means I must be on my guard to laziness, oversleeping, Satan's attacks and inattentive to what God is doing and showing me. We had a company of people at Bible study on Tuesday, and loads of moms at the Tots and Toys.
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| Working on my British pop teen angst look. British thug right here. Get on my level, One Direction. |
Saturday, Grace M. had a conference in Derby (pronounced "Darby") and offered to drop me off near the city centre (and shopping mall) for the day. So I joined her for another touring adventure. This time I had the fortitude to look up what there is to see in Derby. I found their museum was free(!!) as well as the cathedral. First stop was the museum. It was quite small and so before walking in I was a little disappointed, and unsure as to what I would see. It turned out to be very nice. They house a fairly large collection of Joseph Wright artwork. He was a renown 18th century portrait artist who hailed from Derbyshire (that's, 'Darby-sure' for you Americans) which is the county in which Derby is. The museum gave lots of history information about Derby, specifically its military history. Derby was the southernmost point "Bonnie Prince Charlie" made it in his quest to unseat the Hanoverian dynasty from the English throne, and return his father (James, a Stuart) to it.
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| Handsome man right there. "Bonnie" means good looking in Scottish tradition. |
Derby has a colored military history, loyally serving the crown from Canada to South Africa, to India, to Hong Kong, the Crimean War, and of course both world wars. It is very interesting to see these wars from the British perspective.
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| Small historical fact: Battle of Yorktown, VA 1781. The British surrender to the Americans and the French. Odd. |
Derby was also known for its porcelain, and their collection is quite nice. Some of it quite beautiful. The porcelain was all behind glass, and so I couldn't get a good photo.
After the museum, I went over to Cathedral. I was happy that this one was open, and the caretaker was extra friendly, I think she was glad to see a under 40 person interested in the cathedral. It was very nice cathedral, very formal, but that is to be expected from the Church of England. I wanted to climb up the tower, so I asked the woman about it, and she explained that normally they do them, but today they weren't because they had the Derby Mountain Rescue Team repelling down from the top as a publicity thing for the rescue team. I'm not sure if its sacrilegious to repel off a cathedral, but it was odd to me. It was also odd because there are no mountains in all of Derbyshire. In fact the highest point is 2,088 feet above sea level, this point is a flat mound, its not even a peak. The lowest point is 100 feet above sea level. So I guess the cathedral is about the sharpest incline they have to practice on.
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| The tower on Derby's Cathedral. |
I spent a good amount of my time in the Westfield Shopping Centre. This place was posh, and huge. The main part of the mall is two floors, with a third floor for a couple restaurants, and a fourth level for the cinema. Some of the stores within the mall had 3 levels themselves. They had basically every posh shop that is found in Britain, and had three different outdoors stores. Naturally, I went into the outdoors stores, as well as looked for the food court. They had a very nice food court, plus about 10 different cafes and coffee shops scattered throughout the mall. There was a market, a grocery store, and about four shops like the dollar tree. They had everything, even 5 barber shops (called hairdressers here, very posh).
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| Keeping it classy here in Britain. |
All in all, it has been a good week of weather once again. This is a rare treat for them, normally it is about 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler, and rainy. It has only rained once this week, with highs in the mid-upper 60s.
I know this week's post isn't really that much on the ministry necessarily, but I hope it gives you a little glimpse of some of the culture in Britain!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Week 2 -- Routinely Changing
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.
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.
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.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Changing Paces and Places
It's been awhile.
I want to write to give you all an update on things.
Three months ago, I graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor's in Geosciences focusing on Professional Meteorology with a Broadcast Emphasis.
After graduating, I went to the United Kingdom to see London, and to work with kids in a VBS type of setting in Grantham, UK on one of the estates there. For you Americans, an estates in the United Kingdom is similar to what Americans call "the projects."
This summer has been spent in Colorado working at Sky Corral Lodge, a Christian family camp in Bellvue, CO. Which is just west of Fort Collins, CO in the Rockies.
Both experiences have been incredible, and I have loved spending time with people in both locations, as well as the different types of weather. Colorado has had mammatus clouds almost every day this summer! British weather is almost exactly what they describe it as. Cloudy about half the time, rains about once a day, and cool.
God has used this summer to teach me a lot about trusting Him. About letting Him provide for me, physically, financially, and emotionally. He's opened my eyes to His strength, love, and patience. Psalm 71:3 has been a source of strength and peace. "Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress."
Although I have searched throughout the summer for a job in television telling the weather, God hasn't provided a job, but I know He has called me to this field, and so in the meantime I must wait, and serve Him.
This fall, I will be moving to the United Kingdom for a semester. I will be posting on here updates on life there, what I am doing, and of course, comments on the lovely British weather. This will be another time of trusting God. I do not have the money to get to the United Kingdom on my own, however, I have faith that God will provide the funds necessary to get me there and back safely.
If you enjoy reading this, are at all involved with the business of television or know of job openings in television, please let me know!
I love Jesus Christ, weather, people, and traveling. If any of these pique your interest, I hope you will read this blog.
I want to write to give you all an update on things.
Three months ago, I graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor's in Geosciences focusing on Professional Meteorology with a Broadcast Emphasis.
After graduating, I went to the United Kingdom to see London, and to work with kids in a VBS type of setting in Grantham, UK on one of the estates there. For you Americans, an estates in the United Kingdom is similar to what Americans call "the projects."
This summer has been spent in Colorado working at Sky Corral Lodge, a Christian family camp in Bellvue, CO. Which is just west of Fort Collins, CO in the Rockies.
Both experiences have been incredible, and I have loved spending time with people in both locations, as well as the different types of weather. Colorado has had mammatus clouds almost every day this summer! British weather is almost exactly what they describe it as. Cloudy about half the time, rains about once a day, and cool.
God has used this summer to teach me a lot about trusting Him. About letting Him provide for me, physically, financially, and emotionally. He's opened my eyes to His strength, love, and patience. Psalm 71:3 has been a source of strength and peace. "Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress."
Although I have searched throughout the summer for a job in television telling the weather, God hasn't provided a job, but I know He has called me to this field, and so in the meantime I must wait, and serve Him.
This fall, I will be moving to the United Kingdom for a semester. I will be posting on here updates on life there, what I am doing, and of course, comments on the lovely British weather. This will be another time of trusting God. I do not have the money to get to the United Kingdom on my own, however, I have faith that God will provide the funds necessary to get me there and back safely.
If you enjoy reading this, are at all involved with the business of television or know of job openings in television, please let me know!
I love Jesus Christ, weather, people, and traveling. If any of these pique your interest, I hope you will read this blog.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Beautiful Week and Weekend Ahead
Now that I am back home in East Tennessee, I hope to keep up the blogging. It was a wet Mother's Day here in at home, but beginning today and looking forward through the weekend, things are drying out, warming up, and making for a fantastic time to get outside and enjoy God's Creation.
The shortwave(s) that moved through the South over the weekend are finally pushing north east, and exiting the region, there is one small wave of energy that could bring us some convection later on Wednesday, but that is a very slight chance, otherwise, the atmosphere will continue to become more stable. The dew points will remain in the upper 50s to low 60s across much of the South, so things will be a little muggy, but it is May. Moisture should be on the rise here in the South at this time of year. Without the clouds and rain, and the sun shining on us, the temperatures will rise from the mid-60s this past weekend into the low-mid 80s by Saturday. Very pleasant and summer-like conditions are on their way to us. Even better than the summer though because I do not expect any pop-up showers or T-storms to develop in the afternoons.
The next real chance for any precipitation is looking to makes its appearance in our area on Tuesday according to the GFS, this would be the earliest I think it would arrive, and it will be another cutoff low associated with a shortwave off of an upper-level trough that will track over the weekend from California to Quebec, Canada.
The shortwave(s) that moved through the South over the weekend are finally pushing north east, and exiting the region, there is one small wave of energy that could bring us some convection later on Wednesday, but that is a very slight chance, otherwise, the atmosphere will continue to become more stable. The dew points will remain in the upper 50s to low 60s across much of the South, so things will be a little muggy, but it is May. Moisture should be on the rise here in the South at this time of year. Without the clouds and rain, and the sun shining on us, the temperatures will rise from the mid-60s this past weekend into the low-mid 80s by Saturday. Very pleasant and summer-like conditions are on their way to us. Even better than the summer though because I do not expect any pop-up showers or T-storms to develop in the afternoons.
The next real chance for any precipitation is looking to makes its appearance in our area on Tuesday according to the GFS, this would be the earliest I think it would arrive, and it will be another cutoff low associated with a shortwave off of an upper-level trough that will track over the weekend from California to Quebec, Canada.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Spring Break Mode: Colorado
Only two days til spring break begins, and I am so ready for it to be here! In honor of my departure for a week to Fort Collins, Colorado for spring break.
Once we get there, things are looking fairly nice for Northern Colorado in early-mid March. There will be a low developing the lee of the Rockies on Sunday-Tuesday in Southeast Colorado. This low will remain east and/or south of Fort Collins, keeping myself and our group in an area of NVA(DIV) sinking air. Clear skies are anticipated through Tuesday night. Clouds appear to be pushing into the area Wednesday morning into afternoon. These clouds will be fleeting and Northern Colorado is going to continue to have wonderful weather through the entire week. The closest threat of poor weather looks to develop off the California coast with a deep trough on Thursday. Thankfully this system will not make it to Colorado until Friday at the earliest, by which point we will all be on the road, or even back home in Starkville. Due to the sunny skies, I anticipate slightly warmer highs than usual, but the lows to remain average.
Saturday: Sunny, 54 F.
Sunday: Sunny, 63 F.
Monday: Sunny, 67 F.
Tuesday: Sunny, 65 F.
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, 64 F.
Thursday: Mostly Cloudy, 59 F.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Oak Ridge, TN Wx
Last night was a crazy night in weather, however things across the Southeast are a little calmer today. Welcome back!
An unsettled pattern seems to be developing for the Southeast, this system that came through this morning in Oak Ridge, produced a lot of severe weather to the west and south. Especially in Arkansas and Alabama. There appears to be a low that will be cutoff in the south west, if it hasn't already, that will slowly make its way towards the Southeast Wednesday through Friday. Models show this low system will track south of us, through Louisiana and Mississippi to the Gulf and then up through Georgia and South Carolina. However, there appears to be an Alberta Clipper to our north that will move through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio at almost the same time. This puts East Tennessee between a rock and a hard place. To our north, they may very well receive snow, and to our south should just be really wet. I believe that between these two, we will get some solid rainy day, but no real change in the temperatures as we will be along the warm front of the southern system. This will keep our temperatures in check, so no snow :( Another system looks to be heading our direction on Sunday as well, so a pattern of clear for a day or two, then a system should begin to set up. This could eventually bring us some colder temperatures, something all snow enthusiasts haven't missed this winter across the South.
Monday night: Some clouds, 36 F.
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, 52 F.
Tuesday night: Partly Clear, 33 F.
Wednesday: Clouds build in throughout day, and the temps increase through day into night. Chance of showers 40% more in the evening, high will be closer to midnight than noon, 54 F.
Thursday: Rainy, 58 F.
Thursday night: Rain hanging around, 70%. 43 F.
Friday: Rain will slowly clear out, slightly cooler, 54 F.
Friday night: Mostly Cloudy, cooler. 34 F.
Saturday: Partly Sunny, cool. 48 F.
Saturday night: Clouds moving back in, 31 F.
Sunday: Cloudy, 30% chance of rain. 44 F.
Oak Ridge is in East Tennessee between the Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. It is home to a national lab, and is where part of the Manhattan Project was located(ya know, atomic bomb). Anyway, the nearby university is the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the Volunteers.
An unsettled pattern seems to be developing for the Southeast, this system that came through this morning in Oak Ridge, produced a lot of severe weather to the west and south. Especially in Arkansas and Alabama. There appears to be a low that will be cutoff in the south west, if it hasn't already, that will slowly make its way towards the Southeast Wednesday through Friday. Models show this low system will track south of us, through Louisiana and Mississippi to the Gulf and then up through Georgia and South Carolina. However, there appears to be an Alberta Clipper to our north that will move through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio at almost the same time. This puts East Tennessee between a rock and a hard place. To our north, they may very well receive snow, and to our south should just be really wet. I believe that between these two, we will get some solid rainy day, but no real change in the temperatures as we will be along the warm front of the southern system. This will keep our temperatures in check, so no snow :( Another system looks to be heading our direction on Sunday as well, so a pattern of clear for a day or two, then a system should begin to set up. This could eventually bring us some colder temperatures, something all snow enthusiasts haven't missed this winter across the South.
Monday night: Some clouds, 36 F.
Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, 52 F.
Tuesday night: Partly Clear, 33 F.
Wednesday: Clouds build in throughout day, and the temps increase through day into night. Chance of showers 40% more in the evening, high will be closer to midnight than noon, 54 F.
Thursday: Rainy, 58 F.
Thursday night: Rain hanging around, 70%. 43 F.
Friday: Rain will slowly clear out, slightly cooler, 54 F.
Friday night: Mostly Cloudy, cooler. 34 F.
Saturday: Partly Sunny, cool. 48 F.
Saturday night: Clouds moving back in, 31 F.
Sunday: Cloudy, 30% chance of rain. 44 F.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Bloomington-Normal, Il Wx
Welcome back! This still feels odd blogging, but here we go!
Some background to Bloomington-Normal, Il, it is actually two college towns that have grown into each other, Bloomington is the southern city and is home to Illinois Wesleyan University, the Titans. Normal is to the north and east, and is home to Illinois State University, the Redbirds. Also, Bloomington is the headquarters for State Farm Insurance. In terms of weather, Bloomington is in Central Illinois, and in the praires of America. Flat, and windy would be a fairly accurate description. Green energy has developed in the area due to this, with wind farms sprouting up on the northwest side.
Things have cooled down to very wintry temperatures. As an upper level trough moves through late Tuesday evening into Tuesday night, the winds will pick up out of the northwest to around 15-20 mph, with gusts that could reach 30 mph. The winds I believe will prevent temperatures from dropping too drastically, but expect the low to be in the mid-teens. Things are not going to be warming very this week at all. There is another small system looking to come through Wednesday night into Thursday, and another from Friday into Saturday. This rapid fire of systems is not allowing temperatures to warm up, and while sunny for Wednesday, I do not expect temperature to get much above freezing, if at all; so bundle up for tomorrow. Clouds and a little snow will be coming in late Wednesday and into Thursday, so anticipate some snow showers, but I doubt there will be much in terms of accumulation. If there is any accumulation, look for it to be north of Bloomington, and possibly even north of Pontiac. Thursday is going to be very cold as well, as the front passes late morning, early afternoon. The high could easily be Thursday morning, and the temps drop off the rest of the day. The national weather service sees the system on Friday as one with a better potential for snow accumulation. Friday's snow should not arrive until later Friday evening and into Saturday morning. I do not think there will be much upper support for the cold air. All in all, its gonna be a cold and wintry few days ahead in Bloomington, my advice? Find a fireplace, an animal to cuddle with, hot chocolate, and a good book.
Tuesday night: Cold. 16 F.
Wednesday: Mostly Clear, 31 F.
Wednesday night: Cloudy, 21 F.
Thursday: high in the AM, cloudy. 30% snow showers. Little to no accumulation. 23 F.
Thursday night: Frigid, 11 F.
Friday: Sunny, Cold 24 F.
Friday night: Cold with 40% snow showers, 20 F.
Satruday: Lingering snow showers, 30%. Still cold. 29 F.
Some background to Bloomington-Normal, Il, it is actually two college towns that have grown into each other, Bloomington is the southern city and is home to Illinois Wesleyan University, the Titans. Normal is to the north and east, and is home to Illinois State University, the Redbirds. Also, Bloomington is the headquarters for State Farm Insurance. In terms of weather, Bloomington is in Central Illinois, and in the praires of America. Flat, and windy would be a fairly accurate description. Green energy has developed in the area due to this, with wind farms sprouting up on the northwest side.
Things have cooled down to very wintry temperatures. As an upper level trough moves through late Tuesday evening into Tuesday night, the winds will pick up out of the northwest to around 15-20 mph, with gusts that could reach 30 mph. The winds I believe will prevent temperatures from dropping too drastically, but expect the low to be in the mid-teens. Things are not going to be warming very this week at all. There is another small system looking to come through Wednesday night into Thursday, and another from Friday into Saturday. This rapid fire of systems is not allowing temperatures to warm up, and while sunny for Wednesday, I do not expect temperature to get much above freezing, if at all; so bundle up for tomorrow. Clouds and a little snow will be coming in late Wednesday and into Thursday, so anticipate some snow showers, but I doubt there will be much in terms of accumulation. If there is any accumulation, look for it to be north of Bloomington, and possibly even north of Pontiac. Thursday is going to be very cold as well, as the front passes late morning, early afternoon. The high could easily be Thursday morning, and the temps drop off the rest of the day. The national weather service sees the system on Friday as one with a better potential for snow accumulation. Friday's snow should not arrive until later Friday evening and into Saturday morning. I do not think there will be much upper support for the cold air. All in all, its gonna be a cold and wintry few days ahead in Bloomington, my advice? Find a fireplace, an animal to cuddle with, hot chocolate, and a good book.
Tuesday night: Cold. 16 F.
Wednesday: Mostly Clear, 31 F.
Wednesday night: Cloudy, 21 F.
Thursday: high in the AM, cloudy. 30% snow showers. Little to no accumulation. 23 F.
Thursday night: Frigid, 11 F.
Friday: Sunny, Cold 24 F.
Friday night: Cold with 40% snow showers, 20 F.
Satruday: Lingering snow showers, 30%. Still cold. 29 F.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Stillwater, OK Wx
Hey guys!
Well, this is my first weather discussion, and I'm not sure about what I'm doing, but here we go!
A little bit of background about the area. Stillwater is in the north central part of Oklahoma, and is home to Oklahoma State University, The Cowboys! This university and town are quite similar to Mississippi State University and Starkville.
Lately, central Oklahoma has been under short waves of cold, Arctic air from Alaska, another one of these waves is coming through tonight. With the upper-level activities tonight, there is a chance for some showers. Temperatures Tuesday are going to be chilly. Tuesday night could dip into the teens for central Oklahoma. Luckily for the cold-blooded, a quick warmup is on its way, and by Friday, temperatures will be well into the 50s, possibly upper 50s.
Monday night: Cloudy, 20% showers. 34 F.
Tuesday: Sunny, 41 F.
Tuesday night: COLD and clear, 19 F.
Wednesday: Warmer, mostly sunny. 49 F.
Wednesday night: Clear, 30 F.
Thursday: Partly sunny, 54 F.
Thursday night: Mostly Cloudy, 38 F.
Friday: Mostly Clear, 56 F.
Well, this is my first weather discussion, and I'm not sure about what I'm doing, but here we go!
A little bit of background about the area. Stillwater is in the north central part of Oklahoma, and is home to Oklahoma State University, The Cowboys! This university and town are quite similar to Mississippi State University and Starkville.
Lately, central Oklahoma has been under short waves of cold, Arctic air from Alaska, another one of these waves is coming through tonight. With the upper-level activities tonight, there is a chance for some showers. Temperatures Tuesday are going to be chilly. Tuesday night could dip into the teens for central Oklahoma. Luckily for the cold-blooded, a quick warmup is on its way, and by Friday, temperatures will be well into the 50s, possibly upper 50s.
Monday night: Cloudy, 20% showers. 34 F.
Tuesday: Sunny, 41 F.
Tuesday night: COLD and clear, 19 F.
Wednesday: Warmer, mostly sunny. 49 F.
Wednesday night: Clear, 30 F.
Thursday: Partly sunny, 54 F.
Thursday night: Mostly Cloudy, 38 F.
Friday: Mostly Clear, 56 F.
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