Braces and Scrunchies

I came to Starbucks to overpay for a coffee drink and get alone time to write this post. I accomplished the overpaying part, but I'm surrounded by many young guys in very tight pants and a large group of middle school age girls with braces and scrunchies. People watching keeps distracting me.

Living at the house with 11 other people is not something that comes naturally for me even though I like to think of myself as adaptable. For the previous 3 years, I've secluded myself to the comforting depths of my cave basement bedroom. And with my siblings far away, my parents have been the larger part of my social life anyway, but in a not lame/loner way (or at least I'd like to think so). 

I am learning a lot through it here, though. I'm learning that some people (unlike me) process thoughts by talking out loud or like it when people touch them constantly or are morning people. I have none of those qualities even though they can be great things, but I am learning how to love those people properly/they way they want to be loved. I keep repeating learning because its not the way my brain works; it is a process. 

This past week has included some fear-facing/awkwardness-overcoming challenges. The lecture topic was evangelism, and we did a lot more practical learning than I initially would've liked. Our speaker was Jude from Liverpool who had fiery red hair and gentle spirit. She is the founder of a ministry called Pearl Program in Liverpool which works with developing relationships with prostitutes. Very cool. She pushed us to get out and talk to people. I did end up having some pretty bad conversations. For example, one pastry shop manager told me she didn't believe in God and I responded with "That's awesome!" and walked out. How do I even explain that?

However the good conversations I had DEFINITELY made the not so good ones worth it. I talked to a Muslim man about homosexuality and love. I talked to an elderly man about his childhood faith. I talked to a woman who had been bullied even as an adult. I wouldn't of had any of those experiences if I had let my less than superior conversation skills hold me back. The whole week did wear me out, but it taught and is teaching me about evangelizing as a lifestyle and not an agenda to try convert people on the streets. 

This week the lecture topic is on the Fatherheart of God. Our speaker is a man named Emmanuel from London, but originally Ghana. The week isn't even half over, but we've already gone pretty deep into it. We've talked about how God as a father is generous, a man of His word, and especially present in our lives; and that is how He created earthly fathers to act. It's not that I've been completely oblivious to this, but all this talk has made me realize how awesome my dad is. Even though I like to joke with him that I'm the forgotten child, he really has always been so present and a leader and so invested in my life. For him, I am thankful. 

My bunkmate, Rachel, asked me to include how awesome my roommates are, but lying makes me feel sick........I am thankful for my roommates (Kelly and Rachel) and that we are so different but none of us are really morning people or high maintenance or super messy, and that they can put up with me. My parents probably won't believe this, but I am a member of the clean room, thank you very much. 

Not like Legoland

So much has happened this past week, and it all has been so so awesome. It was a local outreach week, therefore we spent most of the week evangelizing and meeting people and doing things in the community which meant I spent A LOT of energy trying to not by awkward. Before I start on that, I have to go back a little bit.

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to go over to Chester, England which is on the Wales/England border, and got to explore and eat (YEAUH!) and shop. It was a super cute but busy town. In this first picture is just some of my team including Kelly and Rachel (my awesome roommates), Dave, Steph, and Robyn.

Then at the beginning of this week, we got to learn some Welsh history and later go on a trek up to Castell Dinas Bran in Llangollen (which is not prononced like Legoland, but rather like thlan-goth-thlan). Dinas Bran is the ruins of a castle from the medieval times and translates to Crow Castle, however we didn't see a single crow. We DID see tons of sheep and thus validated the internet fact that says Welsh sheep outnumber Welsh people 3 to 1. The last picture is almost the entire team except for myself and one other awesome lady.

For two mornings, we had Street Pastors training and learned what an awesome and effective organization it is. We learned how to hang out with the pub goers and how to love/help them properly without being overwhelming. This ministry has had a huge impact on the the night life environment and is respected by loads of people. We even got to do some role play to see how we would react to different situations.

Since my last post, I have been apart of Wrexham Feeding the Roofless twice, and that will continue to happen every Thursday at the Salvation Army. We make around 40 different sandwiches each time and this week got to take them along with crisps (potato chips), chocolate biscuits (candy), and hot drinks out to the people. It was incredibly cold handing out the food, but I was one of the few there that is blessed to have a home and a bed and heating to go back to.

On Thursday, we also practiced a super cool/scary form of evangelism called treasure hunting which involved asking God for an image or name of a person or location, and then going out and finding them. It sometimes involved praying for them, but mainly it was just talking to strangers. More nervous sweating that morning, but it ended up being awesome.

Today, we split up to go to youth groups at 2 different churches. My youth group is the The Community Church and I loved it. There was probably 25 kids there from about 11-16 years old. There were 3 leaders there not including us YWAMers, and they were incredibly nice. This group has 2 Fridays of games and hanging out only, one Friday of only spiritual stuff and one Friday off each month. I'm excited to hang out with the kids more and try to build relationships even though that may be the most daunting age group to talk to.

Next week, we are having lectures on evangelism, I will tell you about it later if I don't freeze to death before.

Dewdrops

I went for a run early this rainy morning. The city was still completely quiet and peaceful. I ended up getting lost in an area I had never been to, and it was a little scary but kind of beautiful at the same time. Also, dewdrops on flowers is something so amazing and simple. It can make living in such a rainy place worth it (among many other things). As Ferris Bueller says, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it." Here are just a couple of the things I saw when I was wandering this morning:

On Saturday, we had a team building day which involved games, exercises, and a long, perfect hike. Our leaders gave us a map and they were at different stops along the way, but we had to figure out how to get there and other little activities along the way. In this picture is Stephanie (American), Becky (American), Me (Murican) , Lauren (O Canada), and Rachel (Brit). Kelly (Brit) is the 6th trainee, but she was taking our picture. All of us are super different, but they're so great, and we've become a weird family. The hike reminded me a lot of The Hobbit scenery the way the trees and streams and bridges were. Very cool. 

This week has been our first lecture week, and Steve Sullivan, a New Zelander and experienced YWAMer, has been our speaker. We have been talking about how we are blessed so that we can become blessings to others and how that is God's only purpose. It is the Abrahamic Covenant. We've also talked a lot about how so many churches have a problem with trying to figure out God's purpose and getting it wrong or putting too much focus on other aspects. Our discussions have made me think a lot about what I believe and my church experiences. Tomorrow, I begin my weekly ministry of Wrexham Feeding the Roofless, which I am so pumped about. Then on Friday, I also start my first youth group helper/leader/servant (and I am equally as pumped). 

Alright, the end.