Today I'm 22!

Yesterday was like having three birthdays in one day. I got a card and serenade in each youth group and in two of them I got a cake! 

Yummy marble cake with maltesers!

My second yummy chocolate cake!

Then today one of the lightning bolt leaders, Mandy, stopped by to tell me happy birthday. She brought me some pretty flowers and chocolate! Shortly after the vicar stopped by and brought me more chocolates! Then some of my EQ girls stopped by after school to serenade me and give me even more chocolates! Needles to say I have loads of chocolate and am feeling very blessed. 

And in less than a week I will be home in Texas for the holidays!

My week in photos

Tuesday I decorated another tree.

Thursday I came home to this...

Then I had my first mince pie!

 Saturday I started a new look. 

And today I made a Christingle! 

What is a Christingle you might ask? It is a symbolic candle made during Advent season in the church. It originated in Germany and is now done throughout England. The orange represents the world and has a a red ribbon around it representing the blood of Jesus. Dried fruits or sweets are skewered on cocktail sticks and pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons. The candle is pushed in the middles and represents Jesus, the light of the world. 

Breaking News!!!

I'm going HOME for Christmas!!!

Totally unexpected, but my sister Sara Facebook messaged me on Thanksgiving asking me if I wanted to come home saying she would pay for my ticket. I was like uh huh sure. She told me she had talked with our Mom and Dad and traded presents for ME :) How incredible sweet and generous is that??!

So now I will be home for the holidays! I fly back in the 12th of December and leave to come back New Year's Eve because on the 2nd of January I go to Wales with YFC.

So thankful for my amazing family and feeling truly blessed to get to go home to them. Nothing like being at home for the Holidays!

This is our tree that I made Ste get out so I could decorate!  :)

Things to make you think...

Had an awesome life group (bible study) yesterday with nine girls! Yes nine! Normally I have around 4 or 5, but I talked to some girls who come to lightning bolts and convinced them to give it a try. We started the book of Hosea, about a man, Hosea, who is called to marry a prostitute, Gomer. The whole story is symbolic of God and the land of Israel. It's a great read if you haven't read it. 


One of my favorite verses is Hosea 2:14 "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her." It's about how God is going to pursue Gomer (Israel) and make it new again like he did with the Israelites when he led them out of Egypt. We had a great discussion on the first three chapters then like most teenage girls do they got distracted...but in a good way. They started asking questions:


Do you believe in the creation story?
Do you think people can go to hell and then heaven?
Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?
Do you think Abraham lived to be as old as he did?


And then one piped in saying, "Sometimes I think people look too much into things."


Amen. 


I found this great quote yesterday:
‎
"These days the world is much more profound than the church. One frequently hears pagans asking really good questions: What is the meaning of life? Does life have a purpose? Meanwhile, we evangelicals make the most trivial queries: Is dancing a sin? Should we immerse, sprinkle, or pour? Is Jesus really coming back in November? Is Iraq Magog? Does that mean Saddam the Antichrist? While we're organizing conferences so we can talk about ourselves and give each other awards, the world is taking its questions elsewhere. The world does not take the church seriously today because the church is not serious." 

This if from a book that I am eager to read now called Putting Amazing back into Grace. Shocking thing is it was written in 1994. Not much has changed has it? Really gives us something to think about...

Club:EQ 11.11.11

Last night we put on our monthly Club:EQ but this time was extra special as it was the 5th birthday of the club and was a fundraiser for  BBC Children in Need. It's an annual British charity that since 1980 has raised over £500 million.We had seven acts over four hours. We had about 95 kids show up, raising about £379. It was a lot of fun and just as much fun to plan. I made badges for all the band members (and of course Ste and I). The plan had been to get them back and use them at the next event, but the kids were so eager to keep them so we caved. I also got to pick music to play in between sets and stuff. It was cool to somewhat DJ and see things from behind the sound desk. In the end the night was a big hit, but we definitely couldn't have done it without our awesome crew of volunteers!

Badges.

My spot at the sound desk.

First act in the cafe.

Evie, Rachael and Sophie.

Me and the girls!

 Pretty much describes our relationship...

Sophie and I.

Amelia, Liv and Mel.

 

Have you prayed about it?

Yesterday was a rough day. I would have blogged about it yesterday, but by the time I sat down I didn't have the energy, so that's why I am tackling it now. 

The day started off with your Monday YFC staff meeting. We met at Costa Coffee and shared what is going on with each of our projects and what we need prayers for. Mine were pretty heavy:

1. Our older youth group on a Monday night is all about games. It's lacking spiritual input and if we change it (which we are) then we will probably lose some of them. I want them to keep coming and I want the oder ones to branch off and seek out our other youth groups. 

2. I feel like a lot of the youth workers and people here have too much on their plate. They are stretching themselves too thin and starting up new projects when they haven't completely poured into the ones they already have.

So we prayed and talked. Mike Taylor, the director for YFC, made a really good point. We don't pray enough. If we put as much energy into praying as we do just talking then things might be different. God answers prayers, so why aren't we praying?

I found this verse last night and I think it fits perfectly with that: 

‎"Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying." Romans 12:12

Following that meeting we had youth groups last night. I suggested that we sit down boys and girls separate and talk to the older ones about why they come, what they want from us and how they would feel if we implemented more of a structure into the group. Once word to describe this talk: heartbreaking. 

I was met by unresponsiveness, talking while I was talking and disinterest. It was very discouraging. Since they wouldn't really say much when prompted I handed them pieces of paper to express themselves anonymously. They wanted me to read them out loud so I did. Most of them said they wanted to just play games. It broke my heart. I told them we weren't going to make the group less fun just have serious moments and they didn't really like that. But then I mentioned spiritual talks and they said that was fine. What?! I was so confused. So we talked more and still they seemed somewhat indifferent. I'm sure we will lose some of them, but I am going to keep encouraging the older ones to come to bible study and EQ, etc. When Ste and I got home we were both pretty down and thinking if they don't care, why do we? But that's the thing we do care. We know we can make a difference, we just have to push on and pray. 

This comment by one of the girls gave me hope:

She added onto another girls note about playing games and wrote: 

We need GOD! Lightning Bolts is about God! 

All I could think was praise Jesus, someone gets it! One thing I have learned is working with young people is hard. It sucks at times, but then it's times like these that I think I wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life right now. 

Remember, remember the fifth of November.

Saturday was Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night. It is celebrated every year on November 5th. On the day in 1605 Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives that had been placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act was enforced. Tradition means that people light bonfires and set off fireworks every year on the day. In some instances children will go around asking "a penny for the Guy?". They take the coins and buy materials to construct a man to put on the bonfire and burn. Kind of weird, but that's what they do!


In honor of this me and my friend Heather went around to a friend of hers to celebrate. We watched fireworks and a big bonfire from her flat balcony. It was so strange to be experiencing fireworks in November. Felt like it should be July 4th or New Years!