Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Easter Break

The night before Easter break, we celebrated the Passover as a college with a Passover meal.
Here are a few pictures:
We walked through the doorposts painted with blood.
These are the goofballs I had a table with. :)
OH! One funny tradition for the Passover is when you take a drink you have to lean to the left. I'm sure there was some reasoning behind the madness, but I couldn't tell you! It was just a fun thing to do!
The Passover food was good too! I was a bit worried, but it was all very tasty, aside from the horseradish you have to eat before the main course. Also, before the meal you do this thing of dipping parsley into salt water and eating the bitter herbs as a reminder of our sin or something like that. I thought it was going to be disgusting, but I really liked it and ended up eating all the parsley at our table!

After the meal and cleanup, it was breaaaaaaaaaak time!!! WOOOP WOOP! Well, so I thought.
There was a break, but we also had an assignment to do during. A five thousand word assignment precisely. Which I left until the very end.............

ANNNNYway...

The first weekend of break Rach and I went to Harlesden.
I'm not sure if I have said anything about the church there, but I'll just say it again. They are a group of about thirty 21-30 year olds who live in about six houses throughout the rough, rundown town of Harlesden, located right outside of London. I met a few of them at the ELC and through them study breaking at KBC. I wanted to visit their house and see how they live life and how the reach out into the community. It was an amazing blessing being there and being a part of an outreach they did to liven up the town for Easter Morning. This project was called "Flower Power" and involved us guerrilla gardening at 1 A.M. in the morning.

My group at 630 daffodils to distribute around the town. We focused on one area specifically known to the locals there as the 'valley of death'. It is a long alley way you have to go through to get to and from the tube station. We took bunches of three daffodils and tied them to the gates with cable ties every three feet or so. The transformation was amazing. I didn't expect it to make that much of a difference, but it's massive what just a few flowers can do!

If you wanna look, there are pictures on my facebook.

Since we were just a hop, skip, and a jump away from London, we did some touristy stuff. We went to the zoo one day which was a blast. The next day we went on a proper walking tourist day. We spent all day walking from The Houses of Parliament, down the South Bank, through the Tate Modern, and back again. We went up the London Eye and saw it all from above.

(So, this is where I left off for a couple days because I haven't had time to sit down and write stuff. I still really don't have time, seeing as I'm leaving the country in a few short hours, but I don't wanna leave you all with nothing for the next two weeks!)

So, after the London weekend, Rach and I came back to Oxford. We went up to Birmingham for a day, but the rest of the break for me was spent doing touristy stuff in the Ox and finishing up an assignment.

Our first week back was full of Mission Prep. The year group is headed to North Africa for two weeks. We will be doing an Erdouz expedition, the Erdouz mountain that is! We all have giant rucksacks and sleeping bags and re-hydration sachets and most importantly, immodium! Instant, melt-in-mouth- Immodium! :D

We are five different groups for this trip and the first group went last night. Everyone else is leaving today. The team I'm a part of had breakfast together and prayed about the trip and heard God for each other and what He wants to do in each of us through out this trip. Apparently in the years past, this trip has always been life changing, so we all have pretty high expectations about this trip.

We will also be doing some community projects and some prayer expeditions. I wish I had more details on both of those, but that's all we were told. So, who knows! I'll let you know what it means when I figure it out!!

We get back on the 19th, and on the 25th I'm on a flight to Madrid! Presuming I make my flight that is!!
My last term here at KBC will be spent in Badajoz with Az and Abby Hobbs and their church there. I am really thrilled about this experience!
The aim of the third term placement is to help put theology into action. So, everything we learned about over the past two terms will be put into action when we are actually out and among different churches and the society and learning to do what we've been taught.

THe church in Badajoz is about thirty people who meet in each other's homes. I have a rough idea of some things I'll be doing which include: 1) Leading a few of their meetings as a church 2) teaching kids English 3) Helping put on a holiday for the kids when they get out of school in June 4) learn Spanish more fluently! (Please pray for me on this one!!)
Also, if there is an orphanage around or something of the sort, I'd like to see if I could volunteer my time for the month that I'll be there.
SO yes, I arrive in Badajoz on the 25th of May and I leave the 25th of June. That gives me a month to soak up and learn as much as I can about house church and the community life they live there!

Also, for the last five days I'm there, so will Christian Bedore! I am absolutely thrilled about this! :) It will be fantastic to see her and get to hang out with her and speak in Spanish with her!

So, I get back here on the 25th of June and reconvene with the rest of the college on the 28th. Everyone else would have spent the last month on various third term tracks as well. Some of the people are staying in North Africa, others are going around France, some are staying in Oxford, and a few are going to Manchester. I'm really excited to hear all the stories of what God has done when we all get back!

I'm sure there is more stuff to say, but as of right now, everything that I need to take to North Africa is piled on my bed so I need to get to work packing it and weighing it and all that jazz!

Again, apologies for the late late late late posts...

Hopefully its nice to hear a little snippet from my life...

I miss you all!

Pray for me whenever you think of it....

Talk to you in two weeks!!









5 comments:

  1. Awwww...Aeriole, thanks! Love you and am praying for you!

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  2. Yay! Great blog. SO good to hear from you again. I hope you have an amazing time on that trip. It sounds incredible. I love you! Miss you lots.

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  3. no way, you wait till the very end to do an assignment.... so SHOCKING!!!! HA
    I am so very excited (and yes, a little worried) for you getting to take all these trips and to be living your hearts desire! I hope you have an amazing time and that it is as life changing as you desire for it to be. I am getting anxious for the time to get here so I can see you face to face! Love you

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  4. 1. I love you!
    2. I miss you.
    3. I recently told a cashier that my friend is living in London and she was very impressed. If a stranger is that impressed you can only imagine how we who know, love, and miss you feel about you.

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