Long time coming...

I cannot believe how fast this month has gone. It blows my mind that I’ve been here four weeks already. Where did those four weeks go? Also, I apologize for not updating in such a long time. I’ve really been rubbish at keeping everybody updated. I’m going to try to do better.
Anyway, this month has been incredible. I’ve lived in three different places, worked in several locations across the city, I’ve met so many wonderful people, and I got to go to Wimbledon :). First, I’ll talk about the housing situation. For the first ten days or so, I stayed with my mentor and his wife at their flat. After that, I moved to the vicarage (vicars are the heads of each individual church belonging to the Church of England). I stayed at John and Janet’s (the vicar and his wife) for about two weeks. I really enjoyed getting to know the others that lived there. I get along very well with Jonny (their son) and Armond (a guy staying there while working at a local church). I might move back there in August. Now, I am living in a housing complex on the northwest side of town with the interns who are here for one month. They are wonderful people, a joy to work with. They’ll be here until the 23rd of July. Then, I will housesit for a family of local missionaries for two weeks. After that, we’ll see where I go. :)
Regardless of where I’m living or will live, I’ve really enjoyed working here. I’m getting along very well with Chris. I find it easy to talk with him, especially about what his vision and purpose is here. I’m greatly growing in my understanding of European missions. Not all learning is from talks, though. I’ve had several chances to start on hands-on learning. I’ve been a part of the Bus (refer back to last post), a guys group (non-believing teens, but Christian leaders), the Zone (a local youth group), many prayer walks all over the city, a work project in the back yard at a missionary family’s house, and a research project in Wandworth. The diversity of the projects has kept me very interested (not to mention busy!).
This next month is going to be pretty crazy. The interns that I mentioned earlier are here for one month to lead two one-week teams. The first arrives on Tuesday, and the other comes in three weeks. Altogether, we’re going to have around 180 American high school students coming over to work on various projects around the city. The interns will split up with the teams to make around ten different teams. It’s going to be great, but the days will be long and the work will be tough. In the down week between the teams, I’m going to be going back to Wandworth to begin narrative mapping (ethnographic research), and I’ll also be working at World’s End with the youth.
Please be praying for the interns that are here. Pray that God will make them usable, and that he will make them great leaders for the one-week teams. Pray the same for me as well. Also, pray for the Christian leaders here in London. Pray that God will guide them and keep them focused on sharing Christ’s love with the youth of this city.
Finally, pray for the city and its youth. Pray that there will be a reawakening. The youth here need to understand their need, and after they do, this city could be a shining light in a region of darkness. Thanks so much. I love each of you so much!

I'm so excited and it's hardly begun

I've been here four days now, but it feels like so much longer. I'm beginning to understand the tube (the train system) and the bus, and I'm way past jet lag (fortunately, it didn't really affect me). Chris (my mentor) has been great about slowly orienting me and Shane (an intern who’s here for a month), and it’s starting to pay off.
Monday, we went to a housing project called World’s End Estate. It is mostly government subsidized housing in an apartment setup. The three of us met up with a lady named Lucy, and we prayer walked around the entire place. We prayed for the people living there, and for anything else as the Spirit led. We also went to some specific doors to pray for certain individuals. Of all religions, Islam is probably practiced the most at World’s End. Among the teens, marijuana and other drugs are overwhelming popular.
Tonight, Chris and I got to go back to World’s End to hang out with teens at a bus ministry. It was so great. A couple guys bought some old double-decker busses, and then they totally renovated them. They now have sound systems, game systems, couches, cool lights, and a table tennis set up for outside. The purpose is to provide a safe space for local teens to hang out once a week. The bus travels to a different area every night of the week. Chris and I met with a whole lot of youth from World’s End and other close homes nearby in Chelsea. I got to talk with a bunch of teens, and I’m really excited to build those relationships and share with them the hope of Christ. God’s moving in London, and I’m so happy I’m here to be help bring Him glory.
Please remember the youth in your prayers. Pray that apathy will be wiped away, and they will see the hope in Christ. Pray for strong relationships to be made with teens, modeling Christ through loving relationships. Also, pray for the leaders here. Ask for them to be given the strength and the courage to keep fighting a slow fight. Most of all, praise God for being bigger than the entire situation. Ultimately, we know that the battle is won, and we must thank God for who He is, has been, and always will be.
If you want to check out the bus ministry, go to http://www.regenerateuk.co.uk.

I'm here

This is just a super short message to let you know that all of the prayers worked, and I am now in London. I'm going to go catch a couple z's before I head out to have coffee downtown with some teens. I love you guys!