This is for Michelle

Stop all the withdrawals! :P ha ha... I wish I had something awesome-ing-ly exciting to tell you..
but alas..
there isn't anything.

On a sad note though, Ellen left this morning. We both woke up at 5:30, got ready in half an hour, and rushed to the bus stop to catch the bus at 6:26 precisely. We caught the 4C and we headed into town to walk to Gloucester Green Square to buy Ellen's bus ticket from Oxford to Heathrow.
She left at 7 A.M. I stayed around for a couple minutes as she sat on the bus, then waved one final time and walked around the corner.

Classes don't start until 9 A.M. and town is only a 15-minute walk from the KBCTC center, so there was no way I was going to go all the way back home to then have to walk 45 minutes back for classes. So I stayed in town. I walked around an open market for a few minutes, enjoyed watching the town wake up for the morning, and enjoyed a nice espresso frap to wake myself up for the morning. Sat around Starbucks for awhile, then did a little window shopping.

Started my walk to college at about half eight....

Thats really it so far. My life is pretty simple, yet so complicated. God is really working some things inside of me. Some foundational things..
Shaping.
Molding.
Re-Building.
All the tough, tough, tough, yet, good, good, good, things.
I feel like I'm just rambling now.
I love you Michelle and I wanted to write a blog for you letting you know what i was up to, no matter how mundane it was. :D

ELLEN IS HERE!!

I don't think I expected the reaction I had to come out of me. The moment I saw Ellen, a shrill, loud, excited scream proceeded from my mouth. Followed shortly after, was me running towards her, with iced white mocha in hand, and flinging myself around her.
It was Ellen!
It was familiar!
It was home...

Having Ellen here is fantastic! Life has been hectic lately, as you could probably presume by my lack of bloggage. But, there's nothing like a little Ellen to get you recharged and ready to go again.

Starting tomorrow is ELC, European Leaders Conference. I'm very excited about all that God is going to do. Not so excited that my weekend is probably going to be busier than this entire week, but I can easily get over that. :)

Oh! And Lent starts today. Yes, I, along with the rest of the college, am participating in Lent. 40 days baby! God is going to really start working some stuff in me, more than He already has.

Apologies for the short and sweet blog, but I'm gonna go catch some shut eye.

LOVE YOU ALL! :) :)

Hug me please....

I know my last few blog posts have been impersonal, just giving little snip-its into what I've been doing.
This one is going to be a bit different.
I'm not going to write much. The video below speaks clearly about how I've been feeling towards God and what He has been doing in me lately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvejp8_8DSQ

Apologies if you don't enjoy or understand that kind of poetry reading, but I thoroughly enjoy it and it really speaks to me.

Today I spent all day in college. Literally, all day. I arrived at quarter to nine and arrived back home at a quarter to ten.
Lectures are centered around Psalms this week and today focused on the practical aspect of poetry and imagery and parallelism and symbolism. (and there were a lot of "ands" in that last sentence).

MEETINGS! MEETINGS! MEETINGS! This is the theme of my life at the moment.

After lectures, I had a lunch meeting with my church placement group talking about what we wanted to do for Sunday. WE have a span of about fifteen minutes before worship where we will be getting the people together and focused on God. Sounds pretty easy to me, but we had a discussion about that.

Then another meeting! Half one was our applied practice part of the week. This time we read the whole of the Gospel Mark out loud in preparation for Lent.

We finished around three and I was running late for another meeting. This one was more to do with how I was doing academically and if I needed any help with assignments and what not. Of course that one ran late and I was running late for my next consecutive meeting...

This one was DRAMA REHEARSAL. On Friday, the whole year group has to present a play of the entire Old Testament. I am playing the part of Bathsheba, but with a different twist. We are doing it as a monologue from Bathsheba's perspective and then Bathsheba and David are going to sing a duet, which is actually David's Psalm of Repentance. Should be pretty good, but we just have a lot to do before Friday!

Before my NEXT meeting at half seven, my communal assignment group worked on props for the play. We made some pizzas in the KBC kitchen, snacked on some flapjacks, and made some cardboard swords. We chatted about things God was doing in us, listened to some good music, and laughed together. Fun times.

Seven thirty came unfortunately. That sounds absolutely horrid of me to say, but if i were to speak honestly, at this moment, I was shot. This was another lecture, but one about "Art and Imagery". We had to be creative at one point and that was really difficult for me. I'm not the "artsy, creative" type person. I prefer to stick with words and not so much images.. We did get cake and tea after wards though!

Grace! Grace for tomorrow. Grace for this week. Grace for myself. Grace for others.
This is my prayer.

Where Art Thou?

This was read in West Church today and I thought it was interesting!

Enjoy!

Obituary of Common Sense!

Today, we mourn the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense.

Common Sense lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the Millennium. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools; hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness.

For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in from rain, the early bird gets the worm and life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second.

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including feminism, body piercing, whole language and new math.

But his health declined when he became infected with the "if-it-only-helps-one-person-it's-worth-it" virus. In recent decades, his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal legislation.

He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers and enlightened auditors. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies; when reports were heard of six year old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; when a teen was suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch; when a teacher was fired for reprimanding an unruly student. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but couldn't inform the parent when a female student is pregnant or wants an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports.

As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments, regarding questionable regulations for asbestos, low-flow toilets, smart guns, the nurturing of Prohibition Laws and mandatory air bags.

Finally, when told that the homeowners association restricted exterior furniture only to that which enhanced property values, he breathed his last.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son Reason. His three stepbrothers survive him: Rights, Tolerance and Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Author Unknown

Fun Times:

Here are a few pictures I took and edited this week:


This is on the way to the Sycamore house. I've been there about three times and I never noticed this door! The hedge surrounding it is probably ten feet high and its really long, but I was shocked when I noticed it because I had passed by it every other time. I thought it was cool anyway though...



This guys was balancing on a rope and playing the violen. At one point he was walkign up and down the rope. Uber impressive!

Flowers and a wedding dress! Bex brought me her wedding dress today to use for an assignment we're doing and she brought me flowers too! It was a wonderful surpise that makes me smile. :)

My Letter to God

This morning for devotions, we were told to write God a letter and to write to Him like we would anyone else. Here is my letter:

Hey God,

Its's me again. i just wanted to say thanks for getting me through yesterday. I couldn't have made it through without knowing you were walking beside me.
I love you. I don't say it often enough or loud enough, but I do. I want to feel closer to you everyday. Closer and closer.
Would you please heal Lucy? And help her to feel you very near to her in this time.
What do you think about me getting a tattoo?

Then, on the other side of the paper, we were to write what we think would be God's response. Here is God's response:

Hey you,

you're welcome. I'm always near you wanting to help you when you're struggling. I do it because i love you.
I know you love me, but you do need to remind yourself more often. I want to feel closer and closer to you, but that requires you to be vulnerable and trusting of me. How badly do you want it? Badly enough to let down all your defenses and let me in?
I have Lucy in my hands and I'm walking with her in the midst of this struggle. Keep praying for her, but know i have it under control.
I think you'd look good with a tattoo.

That last part I might have been a little biased about. ;) Don't worry..no tattoos yet.

This was a really great way to start off the morning and it spoke to me alot. Its a good way to write down some things you might be struggling with, to get them from your head onto paper, and for God to speak clearly to you through your own writing.

When I read "God's response" that I had written, I realized I hadn't been the one really writing. Those were God's words to me and for those situations.

Try it!

In the thick of it..

Apologies! Apologies!

I apologize for my total lack of communication with everyone!

But, like my title says, since Wales its been GO GO GO!

Besides the busyness of life, I don't have much exciting news to tell ya'll.. I'll just kind of show you what my week looks like..

OH!! GEEMAKNEE! I dont' know how i could've forgotten, but some of you might know that while i was waiting for my visa, there was also another girl from Ukraine, Veronika, who was also waiting for hers. Tuesday we heard the great news that she finally got it and she arrived yesterday evening! It's great to finally have her with us!! It's wonderful to have a complete year group, but unfortunately, we haven't all had the chance to be in lectures together yet. Some are out due to sickness and/or work...

I think most of everyone is all caught up on rest since Wales. I thought I was, but my body is telling me otherwise. Tuesday maybe, I fell asleep on the couch at 7:00 P.M., woke up at 7:30, looked at the clock and went directly upstairs to fall asleep again. I didn't wake up the next morning until 7:00 A.M!! A whole twelve hours of sleep!! Its UNHEARD OF!

Lets see..

I've finally been assigned a Third Place group. A Third Place group is our way of getting out and doing things for the community. A group of us usually four or five go out into the community on Thursday afternoons/evenings to do some thing or other. Last Thursday I wasn't in a group yet, but I heard that there was a group going down to the Social Club, located in the middle of Pinnocks Way where I live, to have Kids Club. So, I asked if I could join for the evening. I had a name tag and everything! We had about six or seven kids show up and we played games with them, challenged them to cracker eating contests, colored with them, and shared with them the story of the Good Samaritan. I played Wop It with some of the kids and really enjoyed myself!

I have a feeling I'm making the name of that game up, but it had something to do with sticks and a ball, kind of resembling hockey, but not hockey. OH, and I lost the cracker eating contest, but these crackers were horrible!! They were so dry! PLUS, being the big kid, I had to eat four and the two little girls only had to eat two each! COMPLETELY unfair ;)

But, I'm finally assigned to a Third Place group and it is located at Tumbling Bay, an old people's home? I'm sure thats not the best way to say it...what else would it be called? It wasn't a nursing home, but more like an apartment building filled with the elderly.

I'm going to be really honest right now, please don't judge me. For years, I've been afraid of old people. I'm going to blame it on a scary incident I had with my dad's grandma years and years ago when we were living in Mexico, but, nonetheless, I wanted to go to Tumbling Bay with an open mind and an open heart..

I LOVED the old ladies! We had tea out of beautiful fancy china and we had wonderful biscuits and hilarious conversations! They love UNO and next week we are going to play other games with them.

Every other Wednesdays we have Emmaus Groups. I'm not sure if i've mentioned them before, but they are basically homegroups. We all eat together then go over a book. Right now my group is reading "Down to Earth Spirituality" which I need to get started on for next week.......

I know I'm skipping around a lot, but it's late and I'm just writing the first thing that comes to mind.

The last few Fridays we haven't had classes, but a number of us have walked in anyway to spend some time in the library working on our assignments due that next Monday. Simon, our principal, said "Wow..look at that! The library full on a Friday afternoon.", praising us for our efforts. Once he left the room, one of the gents said, "Doesn't he realize we're actually the bad kids. Everyone else would have their assignments done and we're just starting it." So, tomorrow, I"ll be at the library. I'm one of those 'bad kids'.

Lectures this past week were brought to us by Mark and Nesta Mumphurd (Mumford? I have no idea how to spell their last name) from Derby. It was three days about Leadership. VERY GOOD and very practical. The last lecture was basically just us asking practical questions about what to do in certain situations of leadership. They are such a sweet couple too and they just showed a strongly connected partnership as they sort of tag teamed in their lectures to us.

Today we had lectures, well, more like "mission prep" for our trip to North Africa in May. We ran through the reasons for us going, why we are going where we're going, and what we are going to be doing there. It's all very secretive, mainly because the place where we will be going, public evangelism isn't permitted, so we have to be somewhat secret about where and why we're going... I was threatened to be beaten with a stick by one of the staff if I shared too much information about it, so please, no questions!

Funny stories as of late:

I went on the bus the other day and it was really full, so I ended up standing in between two poles. I was balancing my self by holding onto the pole in front and my bum was leaning on teh pole behind, which happened to have the "stop" button for the bus driver to stop. TWICE when the bus had bounced over a bump in the road, my bum had hit the "stop" button and the bus driver stopped. Both times I knew it was me who accidentally stopped the entire bus, but said nothing to no one, and at both stops no one got off! Uber embarrassing...

Thats actually the only funny story i can think of at the moment..

It's been too busy to stop and take pictures of much of anything, not that i've been seeing anything too different. My days have consisted of waking up, walking to college, staying there until one or five, it varies, and walking home. Everything is still fun i think!

OH! I went to Basingstoke for my church placement on sunday finally! That was lovely! The Basingstoke church is split up into four (?) different churches. West is split up into two different parts and we are in one of the parts. But i think during our term we will be visiting each of the churches and once a month all four churches meet together. The pastors of the West church are actually American, Earl and Rebecca. They are young and seem like a lot of fun. Earl preached on Sunday about the Armor of God. In my church placement group its me, rachel, chris, and henry. And we each have job and some time soon we will be leading whole meetings. YIKES!! but..a good yikes.. a good stretching yikes....

I'm trying to think of some more exciting news, but I'm running out of things to say. My apologies..

I hope you enjoyed this little update..

Love!