Walking with God

Happy Holidays!  'Tis the season for carols, mince pies, mulled wine, and (sometimes unfortunate) Christmas jumpers.

yup.

It's actually been really "Christmas-y" here for quite a while.  Since this lovely country doesn't have the "let's wait to put up decorations until AFTER Thanksgiving" option, lights and such have been up since mid-November.  You won't hear me complaining, though; having lights and decorations helps to stave off any depression that comes from sun setting at 4pm ; )

Oxford Street in central London

Selfridge's, a huge department store on Oxford St.

I can hardly believe that Christmas is almost here; the last month has just flown by.  Koinonia had an awesome Thanksgiving party at the end of November to honour the awesome American holiday and support all the Americans who are away from their families.  Lindsey and I lead a team of chefs who prepared the classic feast for a crowd of forty people!

with co-chef Lindsey.  Look at those birds!

GAP director Joe carving one of the turkeys

Party!

The Thanksgiving party was such a hit that we figured we'd get everyone together again, this time for Christmas!  There are a ton of pictures on my Facebook album, but this one's my favourite:

with my housemates: [l-r] Sawsan, Me, Finja, Miriam, Lindsey

(But seriously, I've done more than go to parties in the last month... )

I got my driver's license the day I turned 16.  When I first started going places by myself, my mom told me that I should drive "like there was a police car behind me."  I did, and it really helped me to focus on what I should be doing.  In the long run, I definitely think that it made me a safe(r) driver.

In the same way, my GAP year is teaching me how to walk knowing that Christ is with me: to pray consistently and to be aware of my actions, thoughts, and how I speak.  Unlike the car analogy,  Christ is actually with me every step of every day.  As I was reflecting on the beauty and encouragement of this, I was reminded of this poem:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord,

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, 

other times there were just one.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from 

anguish, sorrow, or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you, 

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most, would you leave me?"

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I

would never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one

set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

I am really appreciative of the timing of my latest reflections and musings about the Lord.  "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel."  ~ Matthew 1:23.  Immanuel means "God with us."  Jesus came to earth as the Messiah to walk with his people, and he still does today.

I am so excited for next week!  Not only for Christmas, but also because people are coming to visit me!!! My parents and my sister Sarah will be in London the week of the 22nd, after which Sarah and I will head to Belfast to celebrate the New Year with friends!  I am so pumped to see some family and show them all around the city.

Until next time, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.  A big thanks to everyone for their support and prayer over the last four months.  I look forward to many more adventures in 2014 : )

Decorating for Christmas!

Household Christmas card photo shoot : )

Randomness for this week:

1.  There are various types of police officers here.  Most don't carry guns.

2.  I did a google search for "Christmas cookie recipes."  Result: "Did you mean 'Christmas biscuit recipes'?" *facepalm*
3.  This

<3 Molly

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." ~ Isaiah 41:10

A Paradox of Joy

Fall has officially come to London; the weather is cooling, the leaves are changing, and pumpkin-spiced everything flows from Starbucks.  With the advent of daylight savings time, it now gets dark around 4:30 in the afternoon.  "Dark" meaning pitch black, like it should be only at 2 am.  At 4:30 pm.  Do you know how depressing it is to spend multitudes of your day without the sun?  I probably shouldn't complain; I know that my friends in Belfast and Glasgow have it way worse, being further north.  Still, it's going to take a lot of adjustment.

Speaking of adjusting, I get asked a lot if I'm "used to [living/working in] London."  I never really know what to say.  Yes.  And no.  I'm twelve weeks into my GAP year, so I'm certainly not fresh off the plane any more.  I can get around/navigate easily AND make a proper cup of tea.

When I first arrived back in August, several people told me that the "honeymoon phase" would wear off after about eight weeks, and that November would be a difficult month.  I loved it here immediately, and never would have imagined that they would be right.  But they were.  The first six weeks or so went pretty well, but the last few have been hard.  The main goal of my work with Koinonia students is to get to know them and foster good relationships to build the Christian community that Koi stands for ("Koinonia" literally means "community" in Greek).  But there are challenges in that.  A lot of people here take a while to warm up to you, meaning that getting people to actually go out for a coffee or grab lunch can be quite difficult.  I don't know whether it's the culture here or being in a big city or a combination of different factors.

The more stressed I get whilst trying to do my job and the harder all this stuff seems, the better I feel spiritually.  As I get overwhelmed, I pray more, because I don’t know what else to do (or in some situations there’s nothing else I CAN do).  With all this prayer comes an outpouring of God's grace, and I feel peace.  I've taken to calling it the "Paradox of Joy."  I really shouldn't be this calm, be this "okay," but I am.  Every time I think about it, I marvel at God's grace and faithfulness.

With all that as background, this past weekend I went to the second part of the SWOT Conference series run by Kairos (Student Worker Outreach Training).  Back in September, I wrote about the first installment, which was in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  This time we headed to Leuven, Belgium!  Since I had such an adventure getting to the first SWOT, I was really hoping to have a smooth journey this time around.  “Smooth,” turned out to be just the right word.  I took one train to Brussels and then another one to Leuven.  Train is my new favourite mode of transport!  Nice/moderately spacious seats, leg room, and a smooth ride (no turbulence!), without all the fuss of worrying about what’s allowed in a carry-on.  Plus, I napped on the way there, and would occasionally wake up to views of the rolling French countryside : )

I travelled with a few people from Koinonia, and we arrived in Leuven a few hours before things started.  We went to a “college-themed” coffee shop to kill some time.  I was in the middle of the best hot chocolate I've ever had when I noticed this: 

Yep.  That's Denard Robinson.

University of Michigan for the win!

SWOT by the numbers:

Days: 3

Total hours of sleep: 13

Participants: ~ 50

Speakers: 4

Countries represented: 7 (America, Canada, Ireland, the UK, Germany, Poland, Belgium)

Peeps from London: 10

SWOT is for people who either work/volunteer for a Kairos University Outreach or older students who are committed to said outreaches.  The focus this time was on team: working together, knowing each other, being able to handle conflict, etc.  Most of the staff and volunteers that make up the London team were able to go, and I think we as a body really got a lot out of it.  My favourite session was on communication: did you know that about 70% of communication is visual?  The people in charge at SWOT did!  We were given this task: take a rope and create an 8m x 8m square, and then make another, 2m x 2m square inside of the bigger one.  With blindfolds on.  It was actually really fun, and made for some interesting pictures:

Team Belfast

Team Glublin (Glasgow/Dublin)

Team London!

Anchoring one of the corners

And of course, I had a fantastic time outside of the sessions.  There were lots of people that I knew and wanted to catch up with, as well as a bunch of new faces to meet!  I especially enjoyed getting to see the American gappers who are serving elsewhere in the UK.  As per usual, we went to the pub after the Lord’s Day on Saturday night.

with Katie from Glasgow

with Lucy, a Koi student who came with us!

with Gavin, from Belfast.  He did a GAP year with my sister Sarah in Costa Rica, so we go way back : )

[l-r] John, Niamh, and Peter

the London gang: John, Sawsan, Niamh, Pete, Peter, PM, and Lucy

trouble-makers at the Lord's Day...

Over the course of the weekend, I was able to sample several different types of Belgian beer.  I’m not normally a beer person, but I guess I’ve just never had the good stuff before! (sorry America).

yum

SWOT officially ended Sunday afternoon, but I elected to stay another night and come back Monday.  I spent the morning wandering around Leuven; it was wonderful : )  Normally, I have an aversion to taking tourist-y pictures, but Belgium is so beautiful I couldn't resist:

You see all those chairs?  Those are pubs.  All of them!

I wrote most of this post yesterday on the train back from Brussels.  After the customs officer finished going through my passport, he gave it back to me with a "Cheers, thanks very much," and I felt home.  I had to take the tube all the way across the city during rush hour, but I was happy to do it.  Despite all of the stress and ups and downs, London truly does feel like home, and I am so glad to be here.  The same people who told me that November would be hard also said that come January, things would get better.  I look forward to it, but I also relish the present challenges.  If it wasn't difficult, then I wouldn't need God and I wouldn't be growing in Him.

 Random thoughts:

1.  Whenever you plug something in, you also have to turn the outlet ON.  It really sucks when you forget.

2.  The average car on the central line of the tube has a maximum capacity of about 290 people (but more squish in during rush hour).  That's a lot of people in a relatively small space.  Still, no one talks, and eye contact is very rare.  It doesn't matter if you are literally four inches from someone else's face.  The silence can be quite eerie.

3.  Two of the girls I live with speak Arabic.  Arabic sometimes doesn't have a word that they'll need, so they say it in English.  This is the result: ...... ketchup ........... Belfast ............ Internet

Thanks for sticking with me, I know this was a long one!  If you want to see more pictures (there are about 140 from this weekend!) check out my album on Facebook.

<3 Molly

"Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." ~ Psalm 62:5-8 

Two Months Down!

Since when is it October?!?!?  As of yesterday, I have officially been here for 2 months/4 fortnights/8 weeks/60 days/1460 hours/87,658 seconds.  I hope you can believe it, because I certainly can’t.  

I keep getting asked for directions by random people on the street.  I’d say I’m averaging 2-3 times per week.  What are people in this fine city looking for?  The hospital, the British Museum, and Victoria's Secret (and yes, I know where all of those things are).  I’d like to think people ask me because I look like I live/belong here, and would therefore know where everything is.  Yeah, let's go with that.

After many meetings and chats last week, I finally have a full run-down of everything I’ll be doing!  Here we go:

1. Koinonia - this is going to be my main service area.  Meeting new students, following up with them 1-on-1, trying to get them to keep coming, planning events, maybe running a small group
2.  Antioch Youth – youth work with the kids of Antioch.  I’m going to be working mainly with the older high school girls, as well as planning a couple of events/retreats for everyone.  AY is not to be confused with:
3. [youth:link] – the youth outreach run by Antioch, aimed at kids in Acton.  Some of these kids are also in AY/Antioch, but this is a place where they can bring their non-community friends. 
4. GAP training – this involves a scripture course focused on learning and understanding the Bible, as well as a course called "Mission Track", and different sessions focused on outreach, character, and evangelism. 
5. Heythrop Outreach Development – Heythrop is a philosophy/theology college in Kensington, partway between Acton and the Kube.  The folks here have been trying to get an outreach started here for the past couple of years.  Pete (fellow gapper) and I are heading it up this year.

So far, I like all of the assignments I've been given.  But the more I am asked to do and the more I’m here, the more I realize how incapable I am.  It's not through my own power that I can accomplish the work that I've been given.  It’s not a question of ability (or humility); I would say that I am a very capable person, but that doesn't mean that I am equipped to do these things and serve in the ways asked of me by myself.  Not through my own power would I even be here.  God called me to London to serve, and it is God who gives me strength to carry on every day, wisdom to guide my steps, and the courage to fight the good fight, as they say.

I have no idea what would happen if I was in fact doing this alone, but thankfully, I don’t need to worry about it!  The Lord is faithful beyond all measure.  The apostle Paul wrote in Second Corinthians about rejoicing in our inabilities, because it is through our weaknesses where the Lord’s strength and ability shines: 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 

If the only thing I get out of this year is learning to depend fully on Him, then it will be a resounding success : )  

On an unrelated note, my accent is totally changing.  I can hear it and try to fight it, but I can’t really stop it.  And in the interest of full disclosure, I don't really want to.  Having a (non-American) accent is a dream come true to eight-year-old Molly.  Before you get too excited, though, let me say this: I cannot speak in an authentic British accent on purpose (yet?).  If I try, it just sounds stupid (as my friends are wont to point out).  However, when drawn into a conversation with a UKnian (official term) for more than, say, thirty seconds, it happens… The Change.  My vowels get all funny, and I start sounding less Yank and more Brit…  We'll see what happens by the time my service here is finished.  I don't want to lose my American-ness, but being able to speak as a proper Englishwoman would be a cool party trick, if nothing else.

My vocabulary has received a healthy boost as well: 

• Put the rubbish in the bin = put the trash in the garbage
• Form a queue at the till = Get in line at the register
• Off the rails = going crazy (ex: “Some would argue that Lindsay Lohan has gone totally off the rails”)
• Do the washing up = do the dishes/clean the kitchen
• one-off = one-time

Some highlights since my last post:

Last Thursday (10/03/13) brought another Reload (prayer meeting) for Koinonia.  I played second guitar for the worship time!  This is something that I've wanted to do for a while, and I really enjoyed it.  I’m now on the rota (aka rotation) for the term, so I’ll get a lot of practice : ) 

That Friday afternoon I went to Heythrop to do a prayer walk.  Their actual campus is closed to the public, but I wanted to walk around the perimeter to get a feel for the area.  By chance, I ran into a Koi girl who goes to Heythrop, Lucy.  She and a friend were on their way to get cupcakes, so naturally I went with them! Yum!  After we went our separate ways, I went back to wandering about Kensington and happened upon a beautiful church, St. Mary Abbots.  It was open, but totally empty, so I went in for a while to pray and look around.   

St. Mary Abbots in Kensington

Last Saturday (10/05/13) brought our official household induction!  There are five of us total, three gappers and two students.  Two Americans, two Lebanese, and one German who grew up in Vietnam.  Talk about international.  As a house, we will have dinner together twice per week and pray together daily Monday-Friday.  And there will no doubt be lots of shenanigans; I’ll be sure to keep you posted! 

Sunday was another day of church shopping, and I think I’ve found THE ONE.  Drum roll, please …. The American International Church of London.  It’s really close to the Kube, and I just happened by it last week whilst exploring.  At first, I was like “oh, an ‘American’ church, cool.”  But after looking into their beliefs, etc. on their website, I decided to try it.  I really liked everything about the service.  Beautiful church? Check.  Pews? Check.  Awesome choir? Check.  Good sermon that has just the right balance of teaching and liturgy? Check.  Welcoming congregation that isn't too big or too small? Check.  Coffee and tea served afterwards? Check.  I had a great chat with a guy from Toronto, as well as a woman from Flint, MI.  From what I gather, it's a pretty international body.     

'Murica.

I’ll definitely be going back there at least a couple of times.  All of last week passed in one blur of crazy.  I have a calendar to keep track of my different meetings and events that I colour code.  It looks like a rainbow threw up on October ; )  So yeah, I'm super busy, and sometimes it's crazy-stressful.  But I'm loving it.  The work that I'm doing is important, and I am surrounded by a fantastic group of people.  There's no place I'd rather be.  I'm working on a new page that will detail exactly how and why I wound up in London, so keep an eye out!  There will be a new link on the left side of the screen, hopefully in the next couple of days.

This week's randomness:

1. Lindsey and I like to play "Spot the American."  It's shockingly easy.  Read here for tips on how to play.
2. Sometimes it's really windy in the tube stations.  Especially Tottenham Court Road, the stop for the Kube.  And when I say "really windy," I mean like 40+ mph.  Not good for your hair.
3. Strange things I have taken on the tube thus far: a guitar, a pan of brownies, a toaster.
4. One of the community girls (aged 5) says I sound like a movie star : )  

<3 Molly

"You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." ~ Matthew 5:14-16

But Aren't Your Feet Cold?!?

Apparently, people here never go barefoot.  Everyone literally always has socks on.  So when I wear sandals because it's 65 out and that's warm by my standards, people freak out.  I've probably been asked that question at least twenty times in the past week.

*Sidebar*  I'm having difficulty deciding how much to include in my posts.  My default desire is to write about everything, but (1) that takes forever, and (2) I don't think everyone really cares about what I had for breakfast, etc.  So, if there's something you want to hear more (or less) about, let me know!  *End sidebar*

(Last) Thursday (9/19/13) was the first day where I felt really challenged.  Koinonia meets every Thursday for a prayer meeting, which we call “Reload.”  The one last week was sort of a pre-cursor to the year, so we just called it “Load.” ; )  Peter and I were asked to organize/run it, but weren't given much notice (welcome to UCO...).   I was in charge of running an extended time of intercession (which is basically just praying for different things).  We got everything planned alright, but I was still nervous heading into it.  So, I gave it up the Lord, and put it in His hands, and it went great!  I was really blessed by leading, and it was very beneficial to take so much time to lift up the coming year in prayer.  And of course, after the meeting we went to the pub.

Now, there is a difference between a pub and a bar.  Bars are places where you go to drink (potentially to excess), eat, dance/party, stay out late, etc.  A pub, which is short for “public house,” is more a place to get a pint, and have an in-depth conversation with people.  A lot of pubs here close at 11 or midnight.  The one we got to after Koinonia, The Bricklayers Arms, doesn't have a kitchen (but you can get crisps!).  I really like the atmosphere of the pubs I've been to so far; it’s really conducive to getting to know someone and having a good time.

That Saturday Lindsey, Finja, and I went to the Brothers’ house for a Lord’s Day Celebration.   Antioch is ecumenical, which means that it is made up of Christians who are Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant.   Because of this, we all go to different churches on Sundays.  A Lord’s Day is a way to celebrate and commemorate the Sabbath together, no matter your church background.  I was excited to go to the Brothers’ house for two reasons: (1) all of those guys are awesome and I love socializing with them, and (2) amazing food.  You can always count on a good meal at their house, or any Servants of the Word house for that matter. Also invited was another addition to my household, Miriam Salkhanian.  She is an Armenian who lives in Lebanon, and is in London for the year studying to get her Masters degree. 

Sunday brought yet another round of church shopping.  This time I went with Finja to Christ Church, a non-denominational church in central London near St. Paul’s Cathedral.  I liked it, but I don’t think it’s quite what I want.  The more churches I explore, the more I realize what exactly I'm looking for.  I like modern worship songs, but I'm not opposed to some hymns either.  I've also realized that I really prefer a certain amount of liturgy, rather than just free-form preaching.  Having criteria is helping to narrow down my search, so hopefully I'll find what I'm looking for soon.

After the service we explored the Tower Hill area before heading back to Acton Proper for the Antioch gathering, followed by the pub.  The one that the community folk frequent is called the Red Lion & Pineapple.  And before you ask, I have no idea why there’s a pineapple in the title (there are several paintings that feature a lion with a pineapple though).  The people my age stayed for a few hours, then headed to the Brothers’ for an impromptu movie night.  We watched an episode of the BBC Sherlock Holmes.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.  I've seen the series before, but this time I recognized some of the places on screen!  Cue freak-out.

Lindsey (l) and Finja (r) in front of Tower Bridge.

The Red Lion & Pineapple!  Literally right across the street from where Antioch meets on Sundays.

This past week was all about preparing for Fresher’s Fayre.  A “fresher” is a new student coming into university (aka a freshman).  And yeah, they spell fair weird, among other words.  It’s like Festifall at the University of Michigan; all the student clubs and societies have tables, and the new students wander about and see which groups they’re interested in.  UCL has about 3,000 new students this term!  This was a huge event for Koinonia to attract new students and get our name out there.  We had what I like to call a “three-pronged attack”: there was a coffee stall outside, a booth inside ULU, and we had people in the Kube giving out free food and hanging out with anyone who dropped in.  Overall, I think it went really well.  We got a lot of interest from students, and hopefully a lot of them will be coming back to our events in the next couple of weeks.

The girls and I had a hair-dyeing party.  I dyed Lindsey's blond hair to a chestnut-y brown, and Finja went from brown to red.

Success!

Last weekend was Antioch’s anniversary celebration: it's now 34 years old!  Almost the whole community went to Northampton, which is about a  90-minute drive north of London.   The drive up was absolutely beautiful; rolling English countryside all the way!

 We spent Saturday and Sunday at a retreat center, spending time with each other and celebrating being together.  On Saturday night we had a ceilidh (“kay-lee”): Gaelic folk music and dancing.  So. Much. Fun.  Click here for a video one of the community girls took featuring some highlights from the weekend.  If you've ever wondered if I'm just making this whole thing up and all my pictures are actually photo-shopped, you can see me at:

• 0:47 - middle/right in the red top: worshiping with the Antioch kids
• 1:40 - left in black, back to the camera: eating dinner after the the Lord's Day
• 2:18 - second from the left: post-ceilidh campfire with the kids
• 3:23 - left: helping some of the younger kids with the "Cups" song  (I was focusing on keeping a consistent tempo, hence the straight face)

(Plus, I'm really bad at Photoshop)  Here are some pictures of the retreat center:

I spent the majority of yesterday unpacking and re-arranging my room.  I've been here for six weeks(!), so you may be thinking to yourself, “why is she only unpacking now?”  Excellent question!  In a nutshell, it hadn't been decided who was staying in what room for the year, so no one wanted to put all their stuff away with the chance that they might have to then move it all and do it again.  Thankfully, I am now fully moved in, and my suitcases are put away.  It’s such a nice feeling, especially considering that I've been living out of a suitcase on and off since May…

That, however, wasn't the most exciting thing so far this week.  There isn't a grocery store in East Acton, or really anywhere near it.  Most Londoners don't have cars, which makes it difficult to get to a grocery store.  Solution?  THEY DELIVER!  Tesco is one of the more popular shops over here; you go on their website, make a shopping list, and have at it!  It's so much fun, and you save money because you're not wandering down every aisle picking up random things you don't need.  On Monday Finja and I did an online order, and arranged for it to be delivered Tuesday morning.  So, Tuesday morning after morning prayer, we were all anxiously awaiting the Tesco Man.  And when the delivery came, it was like Christmas.  Major points to the UK for this (and, I'm totally going to get addicted to it, and resent having to drive to the store when I get home...).  I'm going to write a song about waiting for the Tesco Man; Top 40 here I come!

This morning Sawsan, our fifth and final household member, arrived from Lebanon!  Now that everyone is finally here, our household activities can officially start (woot!). 

Random observations/facts/etc.:

1. When you walk into a building, you are on the ground floor.  You have to go up one flight to get to the first floor.  Weird.

2.  I am slowly getting used to being a front-seat passenger on the left side of the car.  Although when I look for cars when crossing the street, my eyes still automatically go to where I think the driver should be, not where they actually are.  This often leads to thinking “that car doesn't have a driver!” … and then I realize.

3. I met SO MANY Americans during Fresher’s Fayre.  And people from Latvia, Kenya, Uzbekistan, China, Italy, and Guyana, among other places.
4. This is my life right now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waZy08wvPKU
5.  The tube is a great place for profound thoughts and epiphanies.

<3 Molly

"Let love be genuine.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." ~ Romans 12: 9-12

Baking and Training and Socializing, Oh My!

Yeah, that title's pretty corny.  I couldn't think of anything else.

A friend messaged me saying she wanted another blog post, and I thought to myself "what? I just published one!"  Then I realized that was almost three weeks ago.  My bad, how time flies!

I'll start where my last post left off and work forward from there. 

Saturday (9/07/2013) was quite an adventure.  Lindsey and I were tasked with baking for a community event the next day that would see over a hundred people!  Now, we both like to bake, so there wasn’t a problem there.  The kitchen in our house, however, isn’t really conducive to producing mass amounts of baked goods.  Standing in the middle, I can almost touch both walls.  My wingspan is a little over five feet; so that should give you a good idea of what I'm working with here.

It took most of the day, but we were able to get everything done (several dozen cookies, a pan of brownies, two loaves of strawberry bread, and three apple pies!).  I'd say that's quite impressive, considering that all of the recipes called for things like "150 grams" of this, or "2 liters" of that.  Stupid metric system...

Sunday (9/08/13) was the first official excursion into “church shopping.”  I really want to find a church that I can fit into well while I’m here.  Lindsey and I went to St. Katherine’s, an Anglican church in East Acton, about a five minute walk from our house.  It was very nice, but very small.  There were probably about twenty other people there, so as soon as we walked in, everyone noticed that there were new people!  The congregation was quite welcoming, and they served tea after the service (as one does in the UK).

Afterwards we had lunch with a family in the community, the Potters.  Yes, I know a British family called the Potters.  No, they’re not related to Harry.  The mom, Mercy, is in charge of making sure that the gappers are “taken care of,” so to speak.  She has been very supportive so far, and I am really looking forward to getting to know her better.  

From lunch we went to an Antioch meeting, our first event with the whole community.  The longer I am here, the more I appreciate the idea of an (international) community.  Tons and tons of things are different here, but this one is pretty much the same: a group of Christians committed to living a common way of life and supporting one another.  I was at the meeting early to help set up, and so many people came up to introduce themselves and welcome me into the group.  After the meeting there was a party at the Brothers’ house for the new gappers to get a chance to meet and chat with people.  And let me tell you, it was A LOT of people.   I felt really blessed through the whole evening as I got to  know more people.  I am really looking forward to a great year and developing good relationships with everyone in the community.  There are even a few Americans (never have I appreciated *not* hearing an accent more!).

The rest of that week involved Koinonia “classes” and training at the Kube (Koinonia’s office in central London).  The group going through this includes me and Lindsey, along with some guys who are serving as affiliates of the Servants of the Word, Pete and Ralph.  An affiliate is someone who is looking into life with the Brothers, but hasn’t yet made their life commitment.  We learned about the 30+ years of history of this outreach, why things are done certain ways, etc.  We also looked at goals for the year and how each individual will be contributing.

Wednesday (9/11/2013) night Lindsey and I were invited over to dinner with a family called the Bulls: Andrew and Angie, with kids Naomi (10), Jacob (8), Leah (5 ½), Malachi (4), and Hannah Grace (1).  I loved being around all those kids, but it really made me miss my nephews Logan (11) and Kaden (4)!.   

Logan and Kaden (with Kaden's b-day cake that Logan made!)

Andrew Bull is in charge of [youth:link]!, a group run by Antioch that serves kids ages 13-18.  I will be serving with them a little bit every week, which I am really excited about.

Friday (9/13/2013) we did our first Coffee Stall on UCL’s campus.  Basically, we set up a table and give away free coffee and tea to whoever is passing by.  The goal is to meet people (especially those new to the area), get our name out there, and serve the general public.  Except for the rain, I really enjoyed it.  

Now, if I asked you what you thought the most common question we got was, what would you say?  I was surprised by the answer.  Most people wanted to know why it was free, why we were doing something “nice.”  There were even a few who were downright suspicious, and wouldn’t take anything until they figured out exactly what we were “up to.”  It just goes to show how much this city is in need of random acts of kindness. 

And that brings me to this week!  Continuing on my journey of church shopping, I went with Lindsey to a Salvation Army core in Notting Hill.  Yes, that’s a church.  A lot of people don’t realize that the Salvation Army is more than just a network of thrift shops and social outreaches.  It started as a church and then spread into doing good for the public.  You can learn more about it here.  I liked it, but I don’t think I’ll be going again.  I think Lindsey and I brought the average age of those attending down by about fifty years.  But again, everyone was very welcoming, and we had tea after the service.

 The majority of this week has been more training and team building exercises.  I’ve gotten to meet a few different Koinonia students who have come as well!  Yesterday (Wednesday) was especially awesome.  We talked about the power of intercessory prayer and prayer walks and heard stories from people about times when prayer walks were really effective.  In a nutshell, a prayer walk is going through a specific place (i.e. ULU, the building that houses the Kube) and praying over different areas.  It's a way to bless the space and bring the Lord's presence.  We did prayer walks for ULU, and around the UCL campus. 

I went to dinner with Lindsey, Niamh, Lucy, and Finja.  Who are these people, you ask?  Well, Lindsey you already know is one of my fellow gappers.  Niamh works for Kairos and Koinonia, and is one of my supervisors for the year.  Lucy is a student about to start her third and final year at university and with Koinonia.  Finja is also a third-year student, and she will be living in household with Lindsey and I.  She arrived late Tuesday night, and I'm excited to have another person in our house.  Eventually, there will be five of us.  The fourth girl, another student called Miriam, arrives sometime today.  The fifth girl is the other gapper, Sawsan, coming from Lebanon in the beginning of October.

Anyway, dinner was a lot of fun, and afterwards we went to a worship event at Lucy's church, St. Mary's.  I really got a lot out of it, and I think I'd like to go back for a service some Sunday.  Plus, to get there, we had to take the tube to Baker St, which is famous for its connections to Sherlock Holmes.  When we got off the train, this image was all over the station:

And I do mean ALL over.

Well, I think that's sufficient to catch you up on my goings-on.  I would like to wish a very happy birthday to my big sister, Sarah.  Sarah, I hope you have a wonderful day, and thanks for always being my go-to person for freak outs good and bad : )

Then

And now

Here are a few things that I wanted to mention, but couldn’t find a way of slipping in organically:

1. All of my websites automatically re-direct to “.co.uk” instead of “.com”.  Sometimes cool, sometimes annoying.

2.  I have discovered the challenges of doing laundry without a dryer in a country where it rains all the time.  Thankfully, our house just got a dryer, so it shouldn’t be a problem anymore.

3. "Posh" is quickly becoming my new favorite word.  It means a mixture of upscale and classy.  "That part of the city is so posh."

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful weekend : )

<3 Molly

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." ~ Philippians 1:27