March Update

March was a very busy month. And a very good month. Although the weather is still cold and gray it wasn't near as depressing as January and February. We had several snow storms in month, but the daffodils blooming around England give me hope that winter is on it's way out and spring is approaching. But it has become clear to me that spring has sprung in many places--excluding Buxton.


Tamworth- The first week in March I took the train down to visit a fellow YAGM in Tamworth (just south of Birmingham). Although I was only there for one night it was great to get out of Buxton and catch up with friends. Lindsey is doing youth work at a church in Tamworth and living with a young couple from the congregation. The afternoon I got into town we went down town and browsed the shopping district of Tamworth. We had dinner with Matt and Amy and then went to house group. For those of you that aren't aware what that is, house groups are small groups made up from people in the congregation that meet once a week in someone's house (hence the name) for Bible study. I quite enjoy them! And this house group was great! Everyone was so welcoming.
The next day I, Lindsey had to work, so we spent the day at the church she works at. I really enjoyed getting to see what she does--and I must admit I'm slightly jealous of her placement. The best part of the trip was getting to chat with Lindsey. Although we both have our struggles with our respective placements we have both grown so much this year and an outsiders perspective is sometimes just what you need to realize that for yourself. During one conversation we likened ourselves to goldfish--you only grow in relation to your environment. The larger the fishbowl/tank/pond, the larger the goldfish. We both want to be big goldfish!


Youth Group- I mentioned in my last newsletter that I was planning on starting a youth group for the girls at Buxton Community Church as well as continuing to work with the youth group in Whaley Bridge. The one for BCC flopped due to lack of interest. Several parents expressed their disappointment that it didn't happen, but I can't help but thinking that if the parents had put more emphasis on their kids attending there wouldn't have been such a lack of interest. But oh well. At least I tried, right?
I'm still absolutely loving working with the Whaley Bridge youth. They are all such a great group of kids. Chriss told me that if their church had the money she would have them hire me as the full-time youth worker!! Although the chances of that actually happening are slim to none, it was a huge compliment. One of my favorite things about youth is when they ask me silly questions about the US. One of the most recent which I really liked was whether Independence Day had anything to do with the movie Independence Day with Will Smith and alien invasion. haha! In exchange for my knowledge of the US, they impart their knowledge of English youth culture which is just as fun for me!



Prague- From the 16th to the 18th Amy and I flew to Prague for a little holiday. Although it was a very short trip, I think it was the perfect amount of time. Monday morning we wandered up to the castle. We spent several hours touring the castle complex. Although it was very pretty, it was so crowded that it stressed me out a bit. It seemed as though half of the Spanish population was in Prague that week. We had to wait in line for everything, which for me ruins the experience of it all. But such is the life of a tourist. However, I must admit that in the masses of tourists I really loved hearing the American accent! After lunch we didn't have an agenda for the day so we just walked. And in our walking stumbled upon the Charles Bridge and the St. Nicholas Church. Then we walked some more that stumbled upon Old Town and the Astronomical clock. I made the comment that we were being accidental tourists. But I really did enjoy our laid-back approach to sight seeing. We spent a while sitting on a sidewalk cafe near the heat-lamps chatting and enjoying treats. I was also very entertained that they have fleece blankets on all the chairs for the customers.
We stayed at a hostel out of the main part of city, but was only about a 10-15 minute tram ride into town. It was immaculately clean and so friendly. All along the corridor walls were letters of thanks from people who have stayed there from all over the world. The best one I found was from a guy from Taos, NM. Little things like that make you realize how small this world actually is. I really enjoy staying in hostels because you get to meet people from all over that you wouldn't normally meet.
Tuesday we went to the Museum of Applied Art. While we were there it started snowing. It continued to snow all day. We had lunch at another sidewalk cafe in the main square, once again sitting next to the heat lamps with blankets covering our legs. Then we decided that since it was cold and snowy and there wasn't anything else that we had to see before we left, we would head to the airport and wait till our plane left that night. And surprisingly our flight was only delayed 10 minutes.
Pictures will be featured in another blog!



Holy Week/ Easter- One thing that I really missed out on this year is the Holy Week celebrations and services observed in liturgical churches and not so present in fundamental churches. Palm Sunday was relatively uneventful. Maundy Thursday was non-existent. Good Friday consisted of a prayer meeting. Even Easter Sunday was anti-climatic.
We had a White Easter, rather than a White Christmas. I missed wearing spring time clothes. Amy and I woke up early and went to the 1662 Eucharist Service at one of the Anglican churches in town. We were the youngest people there by about 50 years, but the service was similar to the Lutheran liturgy, which was very comforting. Then we went to church at BCC. No one sang "Christ the Lord Has Risen Today". I missed that too. Ken did play the trumpet, though. There were no lilies. I missed that too. There were no Easter baskets. No dyed eggs. No Easter bunny. And although these things are all commercial aspects of Easter, there was no significant religious emphasis on the holiday either. After church we had dinner at Charis House with the majority of church, but it wasn't anything too special. It wasn't too important for families to spend time together, but an opportunity to socialize with friends instead. It was only slightly disappointing.



Dublin- The last weekend in March, Amy and I took another holiday and wen to Dublin. Of all the cities I've visited this year, Dublin is at the top of my list. And I'm not exactly sure why. But the people were all very friendly and helpful--a welcomed change from the Brits!
Sunday morning we went to church at the Christ Church Cathedral which is the oldest church in Dublin. Again I loved having a service that was familiar and similar to a Lutheran worship service! Afterwards we visited the Chester Beaty Library. The main exhibit here is the history and basic information of Eastern religions, Islam and Christianity using a collection of more than 20,000 manuscripts, rare books, paintings, clay tablets, costumes and other things. It was great!!! Next we toured the Dublin Museum. Although we had to do this by a guided tour, it was very informative in a non-boring way. We also visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. Although this is probably the most famous of the churches in Dublin, I preferred the Christ Church Cathedral to this one. But still beautiful. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of European cathedrals.
Monday morning we took a train to a village outside of Dublin called Malahide to visit the castle out there. If we had more time I would have liked to spend more time there; the village looked very charming. The castle was great and I enjoyed the 15 minute walk through the woods to get there as well. We were hoping to go to Tara's Palace--a giant dollhouse too--but it was closed until the next day. Very disappointing.
After getting back into the city we went to the National Art Gallery. In an effort to maximize our time we explored the whole museum, but not very extensively. It was a good choice because in the grand scheme of things, I've been to better art galleries! Our next stop was a mini shopping trip in the Grafton and O'Connell districts. We looked at plenty of things, but didn't buy anything. The final destination for the day was the Guinnes Storehouse. Although not a fan of the drink, this was my favorite stop in Dublin. It was so much fun! At the end of the tour you get a complimentary pint of the "black stuff". I tried to choke it down, but eventually gave up. But you can't go to Ireland and not try it, right!
Pictures will be featured in another blog!

Well I think those were the highlights of March. I have only 3 months left until I return to the U.S. It still shocks me how quickly time has passed and I think it'll just speed up from here on out. Hope you are all enjoying Spring!
Lots of love! xxxx

The Twenty-First Time

Another great song!


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Nowhere to live
Nowhere to fall
He used to have money
But he’s wasted it all
His face is a photograph burned in mind
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He sleeps under stars, it’s all he can afford
His blanket’s an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He may be a drifter who’s grown old and gray
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

She’s 29 but she feels 48
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s crying in back of the welfare line
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

She may be a stranger trying to get through the day
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I’ve not been doing my part
When I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them

Drifter or stranger, daughter or son
I’ll look for Jesus in everyone
‘Cause I am the body and drink of the wine
And I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time

Surely We Can Change

Great song!


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And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn’t hit

And I don’t know
What to do with a love like that
And I don’t know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something

Oh, the world’s about to change
The whole world’s about to change

Shooting Jesus

Dennis Morris is a phenomenon in photographic circles. At the age of 11, a photo he took of a Palestine Liberation Organisation demonstration featured on the front page of The Daily Mirror.

In 1973, aged 14, he was invited by Bob Marley to photograph the reggae singer’s UK tour. From then until Marley’s death in 1981, Dennis took iconic images of him and the Wailers that appeared on the covers of Time Out and Melody Maker.

As a result, Johnny Rotten, a big reggae fan, asked personally for Dennis to take the first official pictures of the Sex Pistols when they signed to Virgin Records.

Despite his track record, however, Dennis might have been forgiven if he’d taken a deep breath at one particular commission, brought to him by a vicar and a youth worker last year. They wanted him to take photographs that would give the Easter story contemporary relevance for young people.

Nevertheless, Dennis agreed, and for a fee that was a seventh the size of what he could usually command for a commission from the music industry.

The images form part of an Easter resource pack jointly sponsored by the Diocese of London and CMS. A grant from the Westhill Foundation enabled CMS to part fund the resource.

The pack has already been distributed to all Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education in local education authorities nationwide and to selected media.

Also, a flyer for the pack has been sent to every primary school in the UK with the ultimate aim of helping young people to make connections between the Easter story and their own lives.

It has been designed to be highly flexible for use in a variety of ways in churches or schools, including workshops, assemblies, all-age worship, young people’s groups, in part or as a complete package.

The concept and responsibility for the resource rested with Bob Mayo, priest of a London parish, and youth worker Ben Bell, who co-ordinated the involvement of a group of non-Christian young people from St Mary's Youth Club, Islington, to play ‘roles’ in the photos.

Some of them helped to recreate the scene of the Last Supper in Shepherd’s Bush.

One of them played the role of a black teenage ‘Jesus’ in the rain on a concrete playground in a deserted park doubling for the Garden of Gethsemane.

“I wanted to give a spontaneous feel and quality to each photo,” says Dennis. “I focused on ensuring that each of them looked like it wasn’t too set or staged. I was going for a snapshot feel, immediacy, capturing a moment in time.”

Nonetheless, all the shots took several hours of pre-planning and thought beforehand, “even if taking a particular shot only took five minutes,” says Dennis.

The contact with the project prompted him to admire Ben’s ability to reach out to the youngsters, because some of them, he points out, were “quite hardcore”.

“Three of them had confidence, a light to them, hopeful futures. What the three had was very clear to me. But it’s a pity that youth clubs aren’t seen in the same light as they were when I was young. Then they were where things were ‘happening’. Now, if you attend a youth club, you’re seen as ‘weak’ by other teenagers.”

Bob was delighted with the results of the photographer’s work, “Dennis is an absolute genius at what he does.

“The young people wanted short, sharp bursts of activity followed by long periods for them to relax and talk together.

“Dennis wanted patience and precision in order to capture on camera what he was picturing in his head.

“Ben and I had our own understanding of how the events should be pictured but we needed to give the story away in order to get it back reshaped and re-invigorated through these pictures.”

The project soon took on a life of its own, he says. “It drew together the curiosity and boredom of the young people, Dennis' imagination and intuition as the photographer, and Ben's and my need to get the project completed. Each of us fought the others for control.”

Summing up, Bob admits, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It enabled us to look at the world through different eyes.”

From: http://www.cms-uk.org/tabid/151/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/144/Shooting-Jesus.aspx
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Luke 19:28-Luke 24:50

A Moment of Courage

Today was one of the more difficult days at Charis House. But it was a day of bravery. Monday night a new resident moved into CH. She is 18 years old with a gorgeous 6 month old son. After being at CH this week it became obvious she was too immature to be a mom. This morning the residents were all quite upset because Social Services would be coming in the afternoon to take the baby boy into foster care. It was heartbreaking to see this girl upset about losing her son. The staff and residents had all grown attached to the chunky blue-eyed boy with the big smile.

Holly, a 4 year old who lives at Charis House asked her mom at lunch "Did you know that **** isn't coming back. Someone's going to take him this afternoon. Will they bring him back after?... I'm going to miss him." I hate that these children live in an environment that robs them of the innocence that is essential to every childhood. I hate that from such tender ages they must learn that there is no stability in their lives; that things can change in a heartbeat.

After social services came around 3:30pm it was revealed that the mom had made the choice to put him in foster care because she knew that she didn't love him a way a mom should and therefore couldn't provide for him the way he needed. Although it brought me to tears to see this handsome baby taken away from his mom, I was touched that she made the best decision for her son. That showed maturity and courage beyond measure--especially for a teenager.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

So last night I stayed up kinda late watching "Little Women". Around 12:30 I turned it off since my eyelids were getting heavy and there was still about 30-45 minutes left in the movie. I turned on my Matt Redman CD and fell asleep soon after. But just as I had fallen to sleep I was awoken by a loud rumble and my bed and entire room swaying.

My first thought was it was an earthquake. But I'm in England...not California. England doesn't have earthquakes, so I quickly dispelled that theory. But I couldn't come up with another reasonable explanation. I was pretty scared, I think mostly because I didn't know what had happened. I spent a few minutes searching the internet for an explanation and after coming up empty-handed, fell back asleep.

Waking this morning, I checked the news, still hoping to find an explanation. And sure enough I found it:

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- An earthquake shook Britain early Wednesday, causing damage to buildings and leaving at least one person injured.

This image provided by the British Geological Survey shows the seismogram registering the earthquake at Market Rasen, England on Wednesday.

The British Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude for the earthquake at 5.3, according to the British Press Association.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 4.7.

Emergency services across England received calls following the incident, many from people who woke up to find their homes shaking.

Ambulance officials said a man from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, required hospital treatment after a chimney collapsed and fell into his bedroom.

The quake struck at around 0100 GMT and was centered about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of London, the British Geological Survey said.

Julian Bukits, of the organization, called it the most powerful quake in Britain since a 5.4 quake hit North Wales in 1984.

"This was a very large earthquake in UK terms," he told The Associated Press. "This one has been felt throughout the whole of England and southern Scotland."

"It felt pretty scary," Haydn Jones of Nottingham, who lives in a third-floor apartment, told CNN. He said he had lived abroad in Japan and knew immediately what it was, but felt that a lot of those in England "didn't really know what was going on." Watch images of the damage caused by the quake »

Jones likened the feeling to "someone very big and angry jumping on the ceiling below you, rather than the floor."

He believed the shaking lasted about 10 seconds, but said, "time sort of stands still for you."

Earthquakes frequently hit Britain -- between 200 and 300 annually, according to the British Geological Survey, although most have a magnitude of less than 2.

Earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 to 4.9 hit mainland Britain about once every two years and strike beneath the North Sea about once per year.

Britain's strongest recorded quake was the North Sea quake of June 7, 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1. It was felt across the British isles and in northwestern Germany. The quake killed one person.

The most powerful onshore quakes occurred on July 19, 1984, in north Wales (magnitude 5.1) and on April 2, 1990, along the Welsh border with England (5.1 magnitude.)

A 4.6 magnitude quake in Colchester on April 22, 1884, was Britain's most damaging earthquake, knocking spires from churches and masonry from roofs. Turrets and parapets also fell, and brick walls and chimneys collapsed. Two people were killed.

haha

I decided to make a list of some of the best questions I've been asked since I've been in England. Here we go!
*"Do you know Pastor Bob? He moved to Texas from England."
*"Are you Mexican?"
*"Do you all drink tequila?"
*"Are you close to Brazil?"
*"Are you close to the equator?"
*"Is New Mexico an American state?"
*"Roadrunners are real birds?"
*"Are Lutherans even Christians?"

Hope you enjoyed as much as I have!