Exploring London

My fellow TFG/American friend Ashley came to visit me in London for a few days and made this little video! Next stop: Paris...let the adventures begin :)

Come Thou Fount

 I love this old hymn...

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy unchanging love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I've come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that grace now, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

 Thank you Lord for sunny days. Thank you for worship. Thank you for fellowship with my Reality brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for friends. Thank you for my 'British parents' who take care of me. Thank you for hearing my prayers. 

Off to Harrogate for a leadership conference with the church staff tomorrow...4 hour drive from London. I'm sure it'll be a good time and will update when I'm back :)

Encouraged

It's 77 degrees outside! (This is crazy for London) There's something about the sun...it puts everyone in a good mood :) Thank you Lord for a sunny week...I definitely needed some Vitamin D in my life. No wonder the British people talk about the weather so much...one moment it's sunny, then cloudy, rainy, and even hailing!

Yesterday was a perfect night for a BBQ with friends...oh I just love those summer nights. Playing guitar, eating good food, and good conversation.

I've been so encouraged by the YWAMers from America and Canada...they have been helping at our church for over a month and it's so nice having foreigners around. One of the team leaders encouraged me with these Bible verses from Psalm 40:

I desire to do your will, my God;
    your law is within my heart.”

I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
    I do not seal my lips, Lord,
    as you know.  

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
    I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
    from the great assembly.

 Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
    may your love and faithfulness always protect me. 

For troubles without number surround me;
    my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
    and my heart fails within me.

I pray that my actions and words would proclaim Jesus!

Joy

A little piece of my Bible study, Girls 4 God (G4G)...Caroline, Leah, Lindsay, Livvy, Liz, and Jenny...I thank God for each one of you and can't imagine my time in London without all of your support and love. I definitely believe God put the youth in my life to bring me JOY. :)

Last weekend, our youth group enjoyed the Pentecost festival and worship with Tim Hughes, Hillsong London, and Worship Central. So encouraging to worship with thousands of other believers. God is doing amazing things in this city!

The Starfish Story

A man was walking along a deserted beach at sunset. As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance, as he drew nearer he noticed that the boy kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things into the ocean. As the man approached even closer, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and one at a time he was throwing them back into the water. The man asked the boy what he was doing, the boy replied," I am throwing these washed up starfish back into the ocean, or else they will die through lack of oxygen. "But", said the man, "You can't possibly save them all, there are thousands on this beach, and this must be happening on hundreds of beaches along the coast. You can't possibly make a difference." The boy smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied

"But I made a difference for that one."

 

Courage

TFG day away was awesome and so good to be reunited with other volunteers from Westmont. Countdown: 4 months to go! I pray I'll be intentional about my last months in the UK and not let it drag on. Our calling in life is to make disciples of all nations...may I be a reflection of Jesus to people in Woodford, on the tube, or working at church. A good analogy is thinking of surfing a wave...am I going to let this opportunity pass me by (a big wave) or will I trust God and build up courage to ride the wave? Pray I continue to put my trust in Him when situations seem overwhelming...may I lean on Him in everything I say and do.

I've been thinking, what legacy do I want to leave behind? What risks do I want to take? Our TFG leader's small group prayed for us and gave us each specific Bible verses...amazing how the Lord can speak so clearly. I've been reading Joshua 1 which talks about courage...

"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Slum Survivor

Spending a few days like a billion spend a lifetime...a memorable weekend with my youth group.

Day 1: Met at church, built our slums from cardboard boxes (we won chocolate for the best slum...go youth leaders!), made dinner which consisted of brown rice, bean sprouts, curry, and spinach (tasted so good after being so hungry!), bible study/praying against human trafficking, child soldiers, and people who sleep in slums everyday, and slept in the basement at church (dusty and cold...we were going to slum it outside, but it was raining/freezing).

Day 2: I survived the night. Woke-up, got ready for the day, and ate rice, spinach, and sprouts again. The hardest part is sleeping on a cold concrete floor and without a pillow. Only one change of clothes...talk about stinky. It's hard for some without makeup, but I don't mind. I'm so tired. Lord, give me energy! It's crazy how some of us rely on coffee to get through the day.

Thank you for fun games with the youth...playing Mafia, Mao, and Hide-and-go-seek Sardines in the building. Even without food and sleep, it's been a great bonding experience. For dinner, we ate rice, chickpeas, sauce, and ham...so thankful for something new, but still hungry. We played the "hot seat" game with Jacqui asking deep questions to each of us...I love how they pick on me! It's fun having other YWAM Americans/Canadians around. I wish they could stay longer. We talked about God's calling for our life...I am called to be His child, a daughter, sister, friend, and a worker for His kingdom. We need to be obedient and use the gifts He has given us!

Day 3: I survived! My back was hurting last night and Jacqui kept snoring...I wish I had ear plugs! We woke up early, ate a delicious meal of bananas and bread (so happy for something different than rice!), and had Bible study. We talked about what's keeping us from getting closer to God and tore off the chains! It's so easy to compare ourselves to other people, fear people instead of GOD, and pride gets in my way.

Lord, thank you for home-cooked meals, a comfy bed, and showers. I pray I won't ever take it for granted. Thank you for an eye-opening weekend of how the rest of the world lives. It's awesome we raised money and awareness for Soul Action projects that work in some of the poorest communities in the world. I hope we'll be able to donate clothes/shoes to local charities in London. I encourage your youth group to take on the Slum Survivor challenge!