Infested with Flavor (to Ireland and back again..)

The last two weeks have been amazing. First we celebrated Thanksgiving a week early, between packing shoe boxes for Christmas, and sorting food for the local foodbank.  It was a lot of fun, though now I hardly remember that week. One thing stuck in my mind- a quote from one of the guys. While talking about the Thanksgiving meal, Brad's take on it was that 'The turkey was Infested with Flavor.' Which describes everything from the past couple of weeks perfectly. I don't have any pictures from the week of packing shoe boxes, but I do have lots (over 300....) from this last week in Ireland. So I thought I would share the top 10 to tell you about the week. :)

This is from a walk I took during the week. We had gone to get ice cream but they were closed. (boohoo) And so Luciene and I took pictures instead. 

This bench is on the way back up the street. I was talking a lot about point perspectives (thank you Mrs. H of the 4D art class!!) and messing around. I like how this one turned out, though I wish I was closer to the bench.... (we just won't talk about that.)

It was very dark by the time I took this, so I got to play with the flash some. I hardly ever use it. The crick was so pretty, and Filled. I don't remember if it was this one, but the first time I got the trees I was trying to get the water in the background. We turned around soon after I took this picture. Neither of our cameras could take a decent night shot.

During the week we had a night to get to know each other. Cards are a big part of socializing, it seems. We play Hearts, Uno, Rummy, Slap-the-pile or kings corner- there is almost always a card game to play. That night we were playing the slap-the-pile game (it has many aliases, none of which I remember) and I actually managed to get a slap or two in! This picture might be of kings corner, I don't really remember. And then, to top it all off, I figured out how to take Black and White pictures with my camera!!!! YAY!!

Also, it is impossible to have any type of socializing without warm drinks. As the weather gets colder, this is especially important! Don't you want a hot chocolate just looking at this?  

Creamy, Dreamy, Hot Coco 

Sea Loch- Lake that empties and fills with the tide.

This view was right outside the house. These three pictures count as one, because it's a collage!!! And they were all taken the same day...... Isn't Ireland pretty?

Three Men in a Fog

On Thursday morning my team (alllllll of us) went out for breakfast and team time. This is a picture of three of the guys.

Waiting

This was Friday afternoon right before we left. I had to take one last picture of the lake. The Sea Loch is full of water! Yay! I do love this place, and was sad to leave it.

Leaving

Goodbye Ireland. Goodbye new friends. Farewell, hope to meet again.










Can't leave without a list:

1. Hot Drinks are a must in the cold, wet weather of the UK.
2. Fog can make or break pictures
3. New friends are really exciting, and I am exuberantly glad to have met them!

Prayer Requests:

1. White Christmas
2. Safe travels as we near that time of year.

New This Week:
Happy Birthday Shelby!!!!

Building a Relationship: Step One

As I write my team is playing Risk! on a board that they created on excel, with pieces borrowed from Yahtzee!, Scrabble, Settlers of Catan and a deck of cards.  It is quite impressive. This happened after David asked Paul what he would like to play. After a short conversation that I won't try to duplicate, it was decided that they should make the table into a world map. Wouldn't it be fun to have your cereal on Australia?  As this wasn't a practical option, they settled for creating a map. It is awesome. Though I would like it better if they had used the map I drew. (Long story, but it is not of this world, lets just say.) After my request was denied I went and finished watching Titan E.A.- a movie I will always enjoy. Even if I spotted a few plot holes. I never realized how similar that movie is to Treasure Planet. Another movie I love to watch. I think that Treasure Planet is the better of the two, though.

Anyway, I want to talk about this past week. It has been phenomenal. Our speaker was awesome;  he challenged us constantly. With everything- from the way we speak, to the way we use our time as Trainees, and how we live out our lives AS Christians. One of his most important challenges was HOW do we read the Bible? I don't mean that he gave a bible study- he simply pointed out things that people usually don't notice. Like the story of  Abraham and the 3 visitors, who were God.  God tells them that they will have a child, and Sara laughs. When confronted about it, she lies. To his FACE.  Later, in the same passage, it appears that God is talking with himself. (I find that so interesting!) The list goes on. I challenge you to pick up your Bible, if you have one (or go HERE), and read a passage. What jumps out at you? Read it again and see if anything new starts to sparkle. I love doing that (it is something I do for fun.) I try to look at the same thing from different angles to get a better perspective.

At some point in the week we went outside and had a bonfire. I remember it was cold, and the bonfire didn't want to stay lit. Robyn prayed it to life, I do believe. I don't remember clearly what we talked about that night. We had jiffy marshmallows (The most ginormous marshmallows that you can find. I had two  and felt sick afterwards...) It was fun. And then, suddenly, everyone went inside. I followed but felt the need to go back out. So I did. Sue and Steve were out there talking. I crouched over the firepit, warming my hands over the glowing coals. The fire was gone. And then Sue and Steve went inside and I stayed out. I brought out my phone- which I cracked on the pavement that night- and played a Hillsong song.

Then I began to dance. My own version of the waltz- it is mixed with what I learned in California, and whatever I think is right.  So, basically, I am not sure how close my dancing is to an actual waltz, and it is likely amusing to look at, but I love doing it anyway. It involves lots of spinning at times. It is a way to worship God that can be entirely unique- in my opinion, no two people dance alike when given free range. Yes, we can learn the same dances, but when we express ourselves through movement it is not any different from other forms of expression and art. That is why, for years, dancing has been something intimate between me and my Lord. It is a way to worship him that is, and forever will be, all of my uncoordinated self.

As I was dancing I happened to look at the fire pit. There were fresh flames. And they were not tiny flames. I was so distracted by them that I could not continue to dance as I had. So I stopped and watched the fire dance. Within a minute of me standing still the flames died out completely- at about the same moment as the song ended.

I will leave you with just a simple thought: When you spend time with God, do you enjoy it? I enjoyed dancing with Him, am known to suddenly start dancing. (a.k.k spinning most of the time) I also love asking God what he wants- something I learned from the Bristol Gathering a couple of weeks ago. Today that lead me on a great adventure of getting lost and un-lost in town.  I came out of that adventure knowing more about Who God IS, and who He made me to be.

Three Questions That I Stole (from this last week of lectures...)

1. How do you know What to live for?

2. If the Old Testament was happening today, would you be in it?

3. What is a Christian's Spiritual food?

Do you have an answer? Add a comment if you do, I would like to hear what people think!

Random thoughts:

The fire pit after dying the third time..... (at least) That blurry part in the corner is a face..I think...?

 This is the doors from an earlier post. Edited by the amazing LilG. (my sister...)

A doodle I did at Bristol. Its not very correct on the sizes. Sometimes when I can't dance, I draw. Just thought I'd add that....

Living in Community: The Way It Goes

Days are passing
and I am just guessing
you would be amused
to read about day to day
life- I am just getting used
to the swing, sparkle and sway
of this time we have to learn,
listen, and play.

I know things. About the people I live with. Very. Interesting. Things. That is to be expected. We are occupying the same house. It would be harder to know nothing about them at this point in time. The guys own more shoes than me. I'm not sure if its all of them, or just certain ones. To that I say- Hooray! Seriously, let us get rid of all stereotypes and cliches. I know who likes their rooms Clean Clean, and who of us can look at a space and say 'It's fine, I see some floor!' (I am generally included in this category, as my family back home knows. Actually, I have a name for it. Creative Chaos. I am at my most creative when I am surrounded by  an explosion of life. My love of chaos has its limits though, and there comes a point when I have to fix it.) Alas, I am getting off topic.

What else have I learned about the way it goes?

This past week we had an extra 7 people staying with us. I loved it. Most of them were girls. Its a near foreign notion in this place. For a week I shared my room with a lovely girl. We had good conversations. (Many of them about the novel I am writing). Actually, when asked what my favorite part about the week, I said it was talking about the book. With NaNoWriMo starting this month, I have been thinking about my book more and more, so it was good to get those thoughts to taste air. And I am so thankful that she didn't mind listening!

What else have we done? On the fifth, (which is firework and bonfire night) all of us went out to find people that wanted lollies, or a hot drink. I was with David (Dah-veed) and one of the girls from the other team. We had a couple of good conversations with random people, found a shared sense of humor, and heard a horror story about nose-piercings and bathroom-passing-outs. For those who have never passed out in a bathroom, I am here to say it is the worst place possible to pass out. There are so many things to fall into as you go down. (Its the one time saying you fell into a door makes sense.) And if the iron just happens to be on...not that it was....but....you get the picture.

 On another note, did you know that this year has been unseasonably warm here? The biggest difference between home and here (weather wise) is that home has less moisture in the winter. And more snow.  Basically, think of the wettest, coldest, slightly windy day you have ever had and then go a little colder for good measure, and multiply it. That is what winter is like. It is wet, but no snow. I have it from a good source that they are lucky if they get snow. Do you think that if I asked God for a white Christmas he'd give us one? Wouldn't that be such a fun story to tell!

One of the things that we have been doing is learning to hear God. One night after worship- I think it was Tuesday- I knew I needed to go outside. It had been rainy and cloudy for days, and I had been aching to see the sky. I heard God tell me that I should go look at his Creation- the stars in particular. So I did. It was freezing, but wonderful. The stars were so pretty, but there was something else that caught my eye. This rose.  Isn't it a beauty? Thank you so much for being willing to get cold to help me capture it on camera C!

Sparkles are so much fun! Here are some pictures from the 5th.  I tried to capture a full on circle......

 ....But only managed a triangle

 Then here are some decent pictures. This one is
'Lighting a sparkler from many directions with other sparklers!!' Very fun!

 One of these two are my favorite. The way the sparkler dances makes the one of the right really pretty in my opinion, but I think the hands by the top one is also pretty sweet...

This was one of the notes left by the other team. So sweet! They also left us chocolates (which are gone) and a card. <3. It was lovely having you guys, be blessed!













The Weekly List:

1. This just in; "The Pumpkin peed all over me!"
2. Happy Birthday to the following:
                         Drew (Trainee, not my brother)
                         Sarah (Because something should be in parentheses)
                         David (Dah-veed)
                         Uncle Jake (who really is my uncle)
3. When putting on Peppermint Essential Oil be careful not to put on too much- if you do everyone will be opening the cabinets to look for the source of the peppermint.
4. Pumpkin Pie can be birthday cake. Who Knew?

The Smallest Ant

 There was once an ant that was smaller than the other ants. They made fun of him, saying that he was always the last one home. They even made a song about it. 'The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah/ the ants go marching one by one/ the littlest one stops to suck his thumb.' This didn't make the little ant happy, but he went along with it. He didn't know what else to do. One day the colony was buzzing with news. There was going to be a Gathering soon! The smallest Ant wanted to crawl far into the earth and never come out. He hated Gatherings. This year would be no different.

As each colony made their way to the Place of Gathering, the littlest ant was joined by the other stragglers. Some were old enough that they shouldn't be making the journey, but didn't care. However, one day he realized that there was another like him- an ant too small to be any good. He called out to this other ant, and was ignored (for the second ant was too shy to face anyone properly) This did not deter him. Everyday he would come alongside this other ant, until eventually he could not be ignored. "What do you want!" the second ant said, his six knees were shaking as he spoke.

"My name is Andy," he smiled. "Whats your name?"

"Moby." He gave Andy a suspicious glance.

They traveled to the Gathering in silence after that. Each absurdly happy to have some form of companionship. Once they arrived they looked at the millions of ants gathered to hear all the stories from the past year. There was a wall memorial specially for those who were drowned by the screaming two-leg monsters. The smaller giants. The carpenter ants worked security, and the red ants did the drinks. No one could mix a water-drop with as much precision as a red ant. Just the perfect mix of minerals and honey. The 'general population' (which was what both of their colonies were thought of) held various positions- from ones of power all the way down to being cleaners. The ants had once tried to higher flies to clean, but that had gone as well as the time slugs had been allowed to attend the Gathering. Needless to say, Gatherings were now strictly monitored. The List got you in, and the Badges kept you in.

Andy and Moby took their badges and found a deserted corridor to wait out the gathering. They didn't dare go for drinks, for fear that the guards would kick them out (this had happened on one occasion to Andy. He had been forced to wait out the rest of the Gathering on the surface where the small giants tried to trample him.) Andy and Moby could still hear and see what was going on, and were entertained by the antics of the others. But they stayed out of the main hubub. They were content to just exist. At the end of the Gathering they promised to meet again the next year, and the year after. "I've never been around another person who doesn't want to socialize!" Andy said. "It was a lot of fun!"

"Me too." Moby squeaked. He still wasn't used to speaking.

The two small ants went home, a little bit happier than before. Though they would still dread parties and socializing, it was nice to know that they didn't have to do it alone.   

THE END

This is a bit of an exaggerated view of the life of an introvert. This past week I was 1 of a 100+ people at a YWAM Gathering, and it was very much an interesting experience. Once I would have been like the ants, Andy and Moby- unable to speak, unwilling to get invested with people that I might never see again. What about you? How well do you love people? I ask because that was one of the main topics this past week. How can we, as representatives of Christ, show His love to the world?

The Challenges of an Introvert (and semi-(un)-helpful ways to overcome them)

1. Meeting new people. 

If you are a person who doesn't like change, and new people are one of the hardest changes- don't fear! If I can meet NEW PEOPLE, you can too!

2. Crowds.

Don't let the crowds swallow you whole. Find someone who looks as lost as you. Chances are they are introverts too.

3. Extroverts. 

Sometimes the Introvert will grow jealous of of an Extrovert. Especially when they are doing something an Introvert wants to do, but could never, ever, ever pull off- for any reason, imagined or otherwise. My advice: stop comparing yourself with the Extrovert. At the same time, don't be an ant. Don't just watch other people- what is the fun of that? Join the party, because each person has something to bring.

Things I have learned and or noticed:

1. Its easier to pray for a city than to talk to the inhabitants...

2. Bumbilayla (okay, no idea how to spell that....but its a song. With a dance.) And it is AWESOME. So much fun!

3. When packing for a week: pack wisely. Ask God for advice if you need to. And bring more than one pair of jeans.

Prayer Requests:

1. Another Team came back with us from the gathering for a week of outreach here. Please Pray that they would have a fantastic time, that they would experience God in new ways. And anything else that comes to mind. 
If you have specific prayers, leave them in the comments and I will show them!


2. Pray for our second outreach week to be memorable. That we would put to use the things we learned this past week at the gathering.




PHOTO CORNER *unedited...*

A duck. On a Bridge. I think he needs a name....

A pirate ship. Isn't it awesome?

This was actually not at the gathering, but in Liverpool. I love doors. And Arches. And old churches. Maybe I will share more about that sometime.

How to take over the world in Five easy steps.....

Friday night. Cool air, but tolerable. A perfect Indian summer night.Yup, they call it that here too. Emmett, Paul, David and I were headed off to do one of our ministries. At the end of our walk there would be kids. Lots of noise, laughter and angst awaited us. We did not talk about them. We didn't discuss what we would be doing. No, the conversation in our midst was squirrels. 176 million squirrels. And the sheep that rode them. Four Squirrels a foot. They are our soldiers. Some of the sheep will carry cows. Can you picture it? A cow, with two sheep strapped to each foot. And each sheep carries 16 squirrels. It makes me think of the woman who swallowed the fly. She then swallowed the spider to catch the fly, and the bird to catch the spider. It was a never ending cycle.

Our animal army is the same. We need the air-force seagulls to carry the flying squirrels that are the parachutes for ninja cats that always come with their claws out. This is our first wave. Our second are the sheep. With millions of sheep, some will come rolling on squirrels to invade England. After England falls- because who can stand against sheep that ride squirrels. I mean, who in their right minds would expect that?- the hoard will then head towards the tunnel that I have heard connects  Britain to France. They will invade Paris, all of them climbing the Eiffel tower like...well, like squirrels up a tree. From there the world will be in such chaos that no one would know what to do. The world will be easy pickings for man in sheep's wool that comes riding in on a chariot pulled by 40, hard working, squirrels. (You know who you are.....)

So you see, we could take over the world. It just wouldn't end well. I mean, without llama's, there is no way we could win.

Why am I talking about armies and world-taking-overs? Is that the sort of thing one talks about with guys? Maybe. Most of the time people go into new situations with expectations. When I go down for breakfast I expect to see Emmett at the table, and sometimes Brad will be there, bouncing with his cup o'tea. what was new is becoming familiar. Still, there are many things that I didn't think about before hand. Like what would we talk about- other than the obvious God-centered-conversations- I had no clue. In the past few weeks I have carried on more conversations about guns, guts, and the occasional bag of chocolate crickets than I ever expected to have.

It all comes down to one thing: nothing is as expected. In any part of life, not just here. Certainly, no one thought they would be reading a blog about how to take over the world via an animal army. (One could also view it as a way to not take over the world, but what is the fun in that) I came here with assumptions and hopes and dreams, but what am I actually going to get?

Well, lets take a look at what I have already gotten.

Starting out I had a good view of missions from Perspective's on the World Christian Movement (click here to learn more). I have been exposed to many ways of thinking over the years and am open to being challenged. I thought I had a good grasp on God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It certainly was much better than it used to be. However, in just two weeks, several of the thoughts I held were challenged, some of them destroyed completely. I had to pull out my beliefs, examine them, and find out where the holes were. Generally the holes are easy to find- in my experience I am staring them in the face for a good long while as the speaker, speaks. Sometimes hole-filled logic is camouflaged as something else. Yet, even then, the speaker has a good chance of uncovering those holes too.

The Holes we dig Ourselves into:
1. Sheep can take over the world, one squirrlestuded foot at a time. (I am not suggesting that anyone should try this at home)
2. I have the power of the Holy Spirit, but cannot do what Jesus did in his three years of ministry. (Even though he said that his followers would do greater things)
3. We tell God, "I will give up anything you like, but I will still do this."
4. Or we say "I will do this if you, God, do this" (An example of that in the Bible)
5. If God would just tell me what to do I would do it.....I need it to be in BIG letters, in RED, and I need to be able to see it from miles, and miles away.

When we put God into a box, we are limiting the Relationship we can have with him. If you don't think God wants a Relationship, then I ask you- what reason would God have for coming down to earth- to a place that is so sad and ugly and pitiable- if it wasn't out of love? Boxes do no good. They get soggy and leak all over the place. If you walk around with a box on your head you will fall into a hole. That hole will likely deepen to a pit with no light. If I truly believed that I could take over the world with an army of sheep and squirrels and did everything in my power to make that happen, I would fall into a bottomless pit. Because no matter what I did, it would never happen. It is the same with God. If what I believe about him is wrong, and ask of him something that is not in his nature, God will never respond the way I want him to. God is not a genie. He does not grant wishes.

Five Promised Steps
1. Stop - There is no harm in being still for a while. It is a good (though hard) practice.
2. Listen - this isn't a drive through (or Takeaway) relationship. You have to be prepared to hear what God has to say.
3. Pray - Talk with God. What do you want? What do you need? What was your day like? God wants to hear it all.
4. Read, Read the Bible - read whole books, not just snippets. Treat it like a letter. A precious love letter from God, your father.
5. Do - take what you read and heard and learned about God and use it to give honor to him. Tell others about Him and his Son. Deepen your understanding. Don't stop talking about Him- the One who died for you. He died to rescue you.

And through it all, worship Him. Give thanks to Him. Praise Him. Speak Truth about Who He is. Above all, be real. The One who created everything knows when you aren't being real. The thing I have learned over the years is that God can handle emotions. So I challenge you now; be expressive. Pray in new ways. Write something with your Creator in mind. Sing a new song. Play with your kids. Dance with your sister. Bake a cake. Wash the dishes. Vacuum. As Colossians 3:23 says; Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

David (Dah-veed) drew this cross. I don't fully remember what he said it means, but when I look at it I think about how Jesus did not count equality with God something to be chased after. Even though he was God. Also I think of the equation:

          JESUS + NO-THING =      EVERYTHING

What do you think of when you see it?

A hole.

 I thought you might like to see one.

 Really. 

Do you want one of these mixed

 up with what you believe about God?

I don't.

If everything I believe is pouring 

through the hole, what am I left with?

Living in a Whale....er Living in Wales, I mean

In the US, there are many differences between one state and the next. From how they say 'stop and go light' in Wisconsin, to how apparently no one wears shoes in Arkansas. In Texas everyone is a cowboy (tell me you believe otherwise) and  Iowa is thought by many- natives and outsiders alike- to be flat. And don't get me started one the differences of pop/soda/coke. The list goes on. My point is, you don't have to go very far to find cultural differences, and to meet people who assume things about your culture that just aren't true. As far as I know, shoes are quite popular in every state. And there are places in Iowa where you can climb down into ravines where the trees are so thick that you can't see more than a stones throw away. Some trees are covered in long black thorns that scream 'POISON!' and an unobservant traveler could run into them  just by looking the wrong way for a moment. (I know from firsthand experience to never grab onto a tree without looking at it first, no matter how steep the incline is.) I love places like that. The ravines are often old river beds that have dried up and been overtaken by a forest. The forests there are young, the oldest trees only a couple hundred at most. And those 'mother' trees are few in a land that was first prairie.

Now think, if one can find thousands of differences in just the continental US, how much more is there to find in the world beyond?

The first thing I noticed that was really strange was the sink. In my room. And its not just my room, but almost every bedroom in this house has one. Is that a Welsh thing or is this house just special? I don't know. The other thing that is weird about them is that all, apart from the kitchen, has two faucets. Why? A faucet that just has hot water will burn your hands, and one with just cold- well its Cold! The sinks themselves are quite deep, and all have plugs (not the push-pull kind I am used to, but a plug connected to a chain that you shove into the bottom of the sink) Anyway, if you wanted to take the time, you could plug the sink and fill it with the right temperature of water. I think that is a difficult thing for fast paced Americans to grasp.

The second thing, and you all must know this is coming, is the food. What surprised me most was:  they don't eat eggs for breakfast, beans are considered an every-meal item, and dessert is almost always called pudding. Even when it is far, far, far from the pudding that I know. It's most often bread. How is a mini-loaf that is covered in something sticky considered pudding? Then there is also biscuits, but thanks to the wonderful worlds of Harry Potter and The Secret Garden I knew full well to expect that. The funny thing is that they still use the word cookie (at least according to some Uni students I met) for nothing less than the must-have chocolate chip cookie.  

Thirdly, the most noticeable difference is speech. Just staying within Wrexham I have heard many different accents. Someone told me that to hear the 'real' Welsh accents one has to travel down to the south. And others were agreeing that the accent isn't as strong here as it is in other places. Which is okay with me. I like being able to understand the people I meet. I have noticed, in a flip of things, that some people don't seem to understand me. I am actually quite used to this, as at home I am soft-spoken and people often ask me to repeat myself. However, this was different. I don't know if it was the pronunciation of my words or if I was using words outside of their standard vocabulary, but several times it has occurred where people have no idea what I am talking about. Though it is usually easy to sort things out, it is interesting (and amusing) to see the difference in how our cultures operate.

Other things that I have noticed include the cars. Thought I should mention that I did notice they drive on the opposite side of the road. It just doesn't really bother me. The buildings are made out of bricks. Then there is the shopping centre. How do I describe it? From the place we enter it looks like an enormous mall. But after one steps through the entryway they find themselves....Outside. There are streets and cars and sidewalks. And alleys filled with shops. Yesterday I passed a bookstore in one such alleyway, and though I didn't have a chance to go in, the single glance I did put a grin on my face. Food vendors all have tables outside, with an awning or umbrellas to protect them. Even the local Subway does this. Yes, there is a Subway. And a KFC, and a Dominoes (though I think this is out of town) And I have heard rumors of a McDonald's. Can't recall if I have seen it. There are also plenty places to buy kebabs, fish and chips, donuts, tea, coffee, ice cream, pudding and other things that I haven't yet had time to notice.

I am very aware that I am no longer in the US. Whenever I hear a stranger speak, or look at the signs dotted through town and along the roads- many of them in Welsh and English- I am reminded of this fact. However, I feel at ease here. As others have put it, this is home. And though it won't be a permanent stop, it is where we are right now. I am so thankful to be here. Every day I am learning something about those I live with, and they are learning more about me. All of us come from different backgrounds, different cultures and worldviews. Yet, somehow, we will become family. It is my firm belief that God has blessed this time. I can't wait to see what this next week brings!

Things to think about:
Welsh is best when sung
Welsh changes the spelling and pronunciation to be the prettiest sound possible
Welsh sounds celtic and Germanic (to me) Does that mean German is a celtic language?

Welsh word for the day:
Ysgol   (any guesses?)

One Last Thought:
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving
Hope yours was a happy one. Mine was.

The sink....

And the cows (the first inhabitants of Wrexham I met, excluding those from the DTS)  

We just don't have churches with windows like these back home.... (more pictures of the church to come, I'm sure its the tallest building in Wrexham)

Ariel and the four 'little' Blotes.....

We are one

Learning as one
we are a collection;
together, always.
Different Minds,
smiles and eyes.
We are separate,
yet the same.
We are one
We learn and
live together.
We are missionaries
We are carried 
in the right hand 
Of The Mighty One 
that we serve,
Together as One.


I wrote the above poem on Monday as we were told that we are now missionaries. We would spend our time together in what they call Community living. I assumed I was somewhat prepared for it. All it meant was sharing my room with a girl, eating meals together, and living under the same roof with others who wanted to learn like I do. Right?

Wrong.

 First, I am the only girl trainee. (To be clear I am NOT the only girl in house. There are three female staffers, and other women who are not staff that are often floating around.) What does it look like to live in community here? From what I have gleaned from different conversations, I think Community living can best be described as living as a 'family'. A family knows each other. They know who likes tomatoes and who dislikes country music. I know that Little G loves music, that it is an integral part of who she is. Unlike her friends, I- as her sister- know the music she has written, but would never share with anyone. I know this because I was there when the songs were composed. I was part of her life. The way she speaks and thinks are familiar to me. And it is this type of relationship that gives birth to or defines family. When people are around each other almost 24/7 for nine months, it is inevitable that we will be knitted together into a unit, a family.  One of the definitions of family from merriam-webster is, 'a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation'. And that is exactly what we are. We are united by the common goal to learn more about God's kingdom and our place in it. We each bring something unique, and pivotal to this group, but we do not all know what this is. By the end of this time, I will know this group. I hope to know them well, each in a different way. They are made in the image of God and each of them is unique. And together we will work to know God more.

It is interesting to hear the way they speak, and learn how they reason. They each have something they are passionate about, though I have yet to see it deeply. I know it is there. My passions flood out, as they tend to do at times (anyone who has got me talking about missions knows this well). It is slowly coming together, this is a Family that God has created. It is no accident that I am sharing this experience with them. It makes me laugh. Just two years ago a situation like this would have me running for the hills. Now it is a sign of my growth that I am thoroughly enjoying myself. I am at ease with them in a way that I did not even dare hope for. Someone said to us that this is the honeymoon phase, where we want to like and be liked and we begin to discover things about each other. And perhaps that is part of it. But I think that God is at work here too. At every other point in my life when I have been in a similar situation (community living of any sort) I have remained closed and unable to give it my all. Going into this, I wanted to be unlike myself in the sense that I took chances. Still, I never expected to be at ease with them so quickly. However, from the beginning, God had his own ideas that were far from where I was. 'This is what you need' He said. 'I hand picked each of them, because together all of you will grow and grow.' I read Proverbs 27:17 today; "As iron sharpens Iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."   We will be friends and family for the rest of our lives, and it all begins here. With this training.

I don't know what will happen when we leave this place. I can't even imagine what the next months will bring. But for this girl, I know that I am in the right place. Even if it is hard, and I struggle to feel like I belong (culture shock will happen eventually) God had a plan from the beginning. I will trust in the One who Knows best.


The names of the trainees are:

• Drew
• David
• Brad
• Emmett

Things to remember

• David is pronounced Dah-veed
• Black cats are the same everywhere
• God is good, forever and always
• Gluten-free bread is better in Wales. It just is.

Here are a couple of pics from our climb the other day.