He's moving

I’ve now come to grips with the fact that, as much as I’d like to do it more, I really can only be counted on updating my blog once a month or so. With that said, what an incredible month this has been. So much has happened, I don’t have time to tell you everything. Instead, I’ll just give you the highlights and then tell more about this past week.
Highlights:
-spending time with the local m’s
-working at a music festival, reffing cage football for teens
-moving back into the vicarage
-talking with a group of teens about what it means to be church
-training 18 interns for a week before they head out to other places in western Europe
-camping with youth from World’s End

This past week, I got to go camping in Southwest England with a group of ten youth from World’s End. The overall purpose was to get some time away to talk more about what it means to be and do church. Let me just tell you, this was one of the coolest weeks of my life. The Spirit was moving so clearly throughout the week.

When I arrived at World’s End on Monday, I felt like an awkward outsider. Most of the youth didn’t really know me at all, and I could only imagine what they had to be thinking about this strange American coming with them. Luckily, this feeling melted quickly as the youth are so open and welcoming. Throughout the course of the week, I got to speak with most of them one on one, and we laid great foundations for solid friendships. Most importantly, they are friendships built on the understanding that God will be discussed, and they’re totally fine with that.

Over the course of the week, we got to go on a safari ride at Longleat, swim at a local pool, ride horses in the English countryside, swim in the ocean at Durdle Door (pictures at the bottom), have a blast at a water park, and barbeque and picnic like crazy. Every night, we’d head back to our tents completely knackered. Probably the coolest part of the week, though, was that we got to discuss the Bible twice a day. We would read one passage, and then we’d discuss what we could learn from that passage alone. It was really interesting and encouraging to hear the youth discussing the truth with each other.

As we were heading home on Friday, we decided to have a picnic on Bulbarrow Hill, overlooking much of Dorset. It was beautiful, but it was quite chilly and windy. As we set up our blankets, we grabbed our Bibles to have one last session before our lunch. The mood was a little down, because we were all quite hungry, but we trudged on anyway. Then, it started to rain, further dampening the mood. Lucy prayed for the rain to stop, and after a couple minutes, it did. However, looking at the clouds, it was evident that more rain was on its way. As the group was finishing their discussion, I prayed and prayed and prayed that instead of just taking the rain away, God would bless us with sunshine and that He would make His presence known. Shortly thereafter, the sun bathed down on us, the wind relented, and the rain clouds parted into a circle of clear blue skies. It was unbelievable. Every we looked we dark clouds dropping rain, but we were in a halo of beautiful weather.

This immediately lifted the mood, and the teens got really excited about the possibility that God has directly answered our prayers. Lucy then told the group that we were going to practice listening to God. We were going to listen for what He wants the group to be called, so that when we got back to World’s End, we could invite people to something that didn’t sound off-putting. I immediately thought of the Circle because of the clouds, the fact that there aren’t any strong or weak sides to a circle, the ease of growing a circle, and the picture of sitting in a circle with everybody sharing and growing. Also, it was appealing because there’s no beginning or end to a circle, just like eternity. Anyway, right after thinking this, I was told not to say it, because I felt like the group needed to name it themselves.

As we began to listen, Laura spoke first. She said that she saw a picture of a photo album. We interpreted this to mean that the group would be like a family. Photo albums hold memories and things we value, and we would value each other dearly. Next, George said, “I just keep getting the word ‘circle.’” I couldn’t contain my excitement. We all agreed that this sounded great, especially since it was on multiple hearts. Finally, Alex shared the picture of a group of birds flying in the shape of a sword. He explained that birds are free when they’re flying, and we are likewise free. Lucy and Zac then explained that the sword is a symbol for the spirit (armor of God), and this showed that in our freedom, we chose to come together in the Spirit. After thanking God for the word and pictures, we joyfully ate together. It was an unbelievable week, and such a fitting end.

If you’ve made it to the end of this, I feel the need to congratulate you. I’d apologize for the length, but I’m not really sorry. The Spirit has been moving in great ways, and I am so glad to be able to share such things with you. I hope that this post finds you well, in mind, spirit, and body. Grace and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Crazy Month!

Yet again, I realize that it has been all too long since my last post. This last month has been wonderful, challenging, busy, rewarding, frustrating, and affirming. Sound crazy? Well hold on, here’s what’s happened…

We had 17 interns here for the month to lead two separate one-week teams from the States. The interns were assigned, individually or with a partner, to a specific part of town where work has been going for awhile. Then, when the two one-week teams came, they were split into ten or so groups of five to eight students. I got to lead teams with Cameron. The two of us got along very well, and I can’t imagine doing it without him. We got to hang out with the youth at World’s End. Among other things, we started a youth café, which offered fresh smoothies, played sports, and had pizza parties.

In between the two teams, we had a week to relax. Most of us caught up on sleep, did laundry, and hung out around the house. However, we got to have some fun as well. One day, four of us decided to get on the train for Salisbury. This is one of the most popular cities outside London, not for the steak by the same name, but for Stonehenge. It was super cool to see! Below is one of the pictures.

After the interns left, I moved into the house of a family of missionaries (I’m housesitting for them until they come back from holiday on August 9). Also, Uncle Chuck was in town, so he stayed with me for about a week. We got to see several of the touristy sites around town, but more importantly, we just got to talk and hang out. Unfortunately, I was sick for the last three days of his visit.

After he left, I finished recuperating, and then I went down to Wandsworth again to do more ethnographic research. I really enjoyed walking around the city and observing how youth are perceived by the general public. A couple of the highlights were witnessing a group of teens dine and dash at Pizza Hut, accidentally getting hit on by a sleepy 60-year old man, and being told by a grandmother that youth just need a place to ice skate. It all makes sense now! Thanks grandmother.

So that’s a taste of what’s been going here. I’m really enjoying my time here. I can’t believe that it’s a third of the way over, though. If how fast these past two months have gone are any indication of the next four, then I’ll be home before I know it. Please pray for the youth of World’s End, the people I work with, and me. It’s great to see God moving in this city, and I can’t wait to see how He continues to work. I love you all!