Back Over the Pond

The day I have been dreading for three weeks is finally upon me: the day I have to leave England.

I fell in love with this place easily within my first 24 hours of being here (you know, after jetlag left me). It didn't take long for it to feel like home, or for the people I began to meet to become like family. My two weeks in Manchester taught me more than I can express in words about who God is and about who I am. This past week in London with Rachel has been nothing short of an adventure, and I am proud to say that we did NOT get lost once. (Minus one time we started heading the wrong direction on one street but then turned around before we got too far. Rachel, I am NOT counting that as getting lost. ;) )

Leaving is hard. Saying goodbye is awful. But I am hopeful that it is not goodbye for long. Manchester, and particularly Ivy Church and Eden Merseybank, hold an incredibly special place in my heart. And I know that there is no way that I would never come back. I've heard it said that when you have the opportunity to love people in a new place, you leave a part of yourself behind there. You never fully go home, because you've found another home somewhere else. The ache in my heart is telling me that this absolutely is true.

Instead of seeing this only as a heartbreaking goodbye, however, I will choose also to see how this new season of my life back in the States can also be a new season of growth. I truly have learned so much here, and I am thankful for the chance to have adopted a broader perspective.

I've learned the value of saying yes and taking risks. There is so much that I would have missed out on had I not stepped outside of my comfort zone. I've learned even more in depth the value of intentional prayer. I've spent so much time these past couple weeks in various prayer environments, and each and every second has been time well spent. I've learned, again, even more in depth what it means to trust in God. Every step that I've taken here has been a step in faith that God is bringing me farther into the path that He has set for me. My journey with cancer had taught me that trusting in God is a daily choice, and my new journey here is continuing to teach me that He is never fully finished with us. We always have new opportunities to grow if we choose to see each season of our lives that way, and that saying YES to Him often involves a lot of risk that may not always make sense to others. It takes a lot of trust and a lot of prayer, and you may not always understand it yourself even in the thick of it, but He is always faithful and will always surpass your expectations.

I know that I'm taking back with me so much more that what I came here with. I truly am so much more thankful for this opportunity than I could ever fully say. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me through prayer, through contributing financially, and through reading this blog. This could never have happened without it.

If you'd like to hear more (and I certainly won't be able to shut up about this for a loooooong time) please feel free to reach out to me!

Blessings,
Lindsay
Ephesians 3:20

London Baby!!

It's been a busy few days here in London Town! But aren't they all?

Here's the run-down of our past few days here:

Saturday

Big Ben

Parliament

Westminster Abbey

Trafalgar Square

National Gallery
National Portrait Gallery

London Eye

Sunday
Hillsong Church
Speedy's Sandwich Bar & Cafe (from Sherlock) - which was CLOSED! :(
221B Baker Street from Sherlock - which is actually 187 Gower Street next to Speedy's
The Sherlock Holmes statue
The Sherlock Holmes Museum
Regent's Park
Abbey Road

Monday
St. James's Park
Buckingham Palace
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
Green Park
Hyde Park
Harrod's
Piccadilly Circus
The TARDIS at Earl's Court Tube Station
Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station

Today
Tate Modern
Mona Hatoum special exhibit at Tate Modern
Tower of London
The Who Shop (Doctor Who stuff ;) )

CLEARLY very busy!!

With all of our travels, I am VERY proud to say that we have not gotten lost at all! We've become self-proclaimed masters of the Tube, which we have been riding very frequently. Along with all of our walking, it is definitely quite fun to catch glimpses of Big Ben and the London Eye coming back to our hotel.

I am also NOT SORRY that I have gotten Rachel to watch a few episodes of Sherlock with me as she works on her Masters things. :) Especially today, as it is my dear Benedict Cumberbatch's birthday!

Everything truly has been amazing. With all of our museums and other stops, it is incredible to me to think of all of the history that we are catching glimpses of. Seeing the Changing of the Guard yesterday and the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London today really had me thinking about that. Plus, it's been so fun being able to geek out at all of my Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes/Harry Potter things. Seeing Rachel get all excited about everything at Tate Modern and the National Gallery pretty much balanced that!

It really is an amazing and beautiful country - so rich with history and culture, and so diverse with its beautiful parks and countryside adjacent to sprawling metropolis. It's going to be extremely hard to leave in only a couple days' time. And yes, I so deeply still have Manchester on the mind.

Tomorrow, we will be going to see The London Dungeon show and hitting up the MASSIVE British Museum. Who knows what else we'll get ourselves into after that!

Please continue to pray for Ivy and Eden back in Manchester, and pray for us for safe travels back to Chicago on Thursday!

Blessings,
Lindsay

#LindsayToLondon

Well, I had to say my last goodbyes this morning to my dear friends in Manchester. Needless to say, there were a lot of tears on my end. I hate goodbyes in general, but knowing that I've left some really amazing people who will be on the other side of the Atlantic is really heartbreaking. Plus, I quickly grew to love the city of Manchester itself. I'll be back, though. There is no way that I wouldn't go back.

Yesterday was kind of a blur, but it was a remarkable day. I got to go with a group of people from Ivy on a prayer walk, which I have never done before. My friend and I walked around and asked people if they needed prayer, and while most people said no, there was one man who did talk with us and pray with us for probably at least half an hour. His story broke my heart, and while he didn't accept Jesus during our conversation, it definitely sounded like he will continue to process it. It truly was a powerful experience, and it gave me a lot to pray about as well. 

When I got back from the prayer walk, we had the Eden prayer meeting, which is always a cool experience. My host and I picked up her twin boys from school after, and we went for a walk through Chorlton and by the River Mersey. I went straight to the café afterwards for Youth Café, which was sad since I had to say goodbye to some of the teenagers. I've really enjoyed spending time with them these past couple of weeks. Not long after Youth Café, I had to say goodbye to my first host (which made me cry) and then say some more goodbyes to the Eden team at Grow Group (which also made me cry). We had a great talk about Ephesians chapter 3, which is one of my very favorite passages of Scripture, but I hate goodbyes, and I think it really hit me at that moment that I was leaving.

This morning, I caught the coach bus to London. After a five hour coach trip, I was clearly exhausted, and I was not super prepared as far as knowing where to find my Tube station to meet Rachel. I had to wander a bit and got a little freaked out right before I found it, since there are a lot of public transport places around the Victoria area and I wasn't brought to the place I thought I would be by coach. Regardless, I found it, and as soon as I got off of the Tube at Westminster and got to ground level, I saw him in all of his glory - Big Ben!! Rachel found me shortly after and brought me to our hotel, which is magnificent. They even gave us bath robes, which both of us are probably way too excited about.

We walked along the Southbank area of the River Thames to an amazing pizza place that Rachel highly recommended, and we also got to walk past the Globe theatre and Tate Modern. After eating (which basically caused me to momentarily hate myself since I definitely devoured all of my pizza), we took a walk across Millennium Bridge to peek at St. Paul's Cathedral, and ended up taking a detour back to the hotel. We ended up seeing quite a bit of London that way and got to pass through Trafalgar Square as well. London really is an incredible city, and even taking a little peek at some of the things we'll be seeing later had me really excited.

Tomorrow's Itinerary:

Big Ben (again ;) )

Parliament

Westminster Abbey

Trafalgar Square (also again ;) )

National Gallery

London Eye 

Please continue to pray for Eden Merseybank, Ivy Church, and also pray for the man we prayed with yesterday!

Blessings,

Lindsay

Daleks, the TARDIS, and Football - Oh My!

Today has been a day off of ministry tasks, and I got picked up to see some sights by a couple of the Eden team members!

We started out by taking a walk around Media City, which is an area of Manchester dominated by the BBC and ITV. Some of their studio buildings are all there and close together, so it's a really neat part of the city. While we were walking around (and joking about the possibility of running into Benedict Cumberbatch), that's when I saw it in the BBC1 window... the TARDIS!!! One of my friends ran and to see if we could go in by it and see it, which we absolutely did. Not only could I see the TARDIS, but I also got a picture by a couple of Daleks. Needless to say, it was like Christmas!

After our little detour for me to geek out, we went into the Imperial War Museum. It was an amazing collection of artifacts from World Wars I and II, as well as some modern day exhibits. It even held some of the wreckage from the World Trade Center, which was absolutely chilling to see. They also had an incredible picture show about remembrance, which was projected all over the walls in the central part of the museum. It was a very unique experience and was filled with some great discussion as well.

Once we had seen everything in the museum, we went to the Manchester United football stadium - much to the chagrin of my dear brother-in-law (Sorry, David!). We had lunch inside of the stadium, and I had my first experience with proper fish and chips, which were amazing! I also had a magnificent pudding of ice cream and a salted caramel brownie. Good eating!

After a break back at my host's house, the same friends took me to the Trafford Centre - a huge, beautiful shopping mall. There were some familiar shops, but a lot of them were totally new to me and exciting to see. Overall, today was a great day, but I'm very sad knowing that tomorrow is my last full day in Manchester. These goodbyes are killing me.

Blessings,
Lindsay

British Barbecue and Other Ponderings

I know I say this almost every post, but it has been a busy past couple of days!

Yesterday, I got to spend a lot of time in conversation with the Eden team and others connected with different ministries. It was a very insightful day, flowing from one conversation and story to the next. I got to learn more about a ministry called Christians Against Poverty from a woman who lives here on the Merseybank estate, and we forged a really awesome connection through our time together. Her daughter lives in London and attends the Hillsong church, so we might try to connect there! I also got to attend a women's Grow Group on the estate with my current host, and we had an amazing discussion on a portion of Acts 2. We talked a lot about boldness through the holy spirit, which is something that I'm continually needing to remember and internalize. It was a wonderful time with a wonderful group of ladies!

We later had an Eden team dinner, and it was so great being able to just spend time in fellowship with this amazing team of people. My host made an absolutely amazing meal, and it was a great night filled with laughter. I grossed the group out after they asked me what American biscuits are and I tried explaining biscuits and gravy, since biscuits here are basically different kinds of cookies. I thought it was hilarious, but the thought of putting gravy on biscuits was just appalling. I mean, it makes sense - the thought of putting sausage gravy on a chocolate chip cookie is enough to make me gag.

After team dinner, I went with to a training session for Safe Families for Children, which is an organization that actually started in Chicago and is doing amazing work for families all over the UK. It was, to be honest, slightly difficult to remain fully engaged the whole time since I am not a volunteer with them, but it was still really informative and interesting to hear about what they are doing in this area and across the country. God is moving through them!

Today was filled with loads of Ivy Church activities. My day started out with a few staff meetings, which were incredible times filled with prayer and worship. I loved that they actually stood together and sang a worship song. It's such a great way to really put your focus on who you are actually serving and glorifying through your work. The staff meeting also ended with a paper airplane competition, which was one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen.

My same friend that invited me to Grow Group invited me to join him and a couple of the youth workers at a local school for a youth club they run, so I went ahead and jumped in. It was great being able to spend some time in fellowship with them, even though no youth actually showed up for the club. I also got to explore the school with them, which was very interesting for me! We later returned to Ivy and I got to continue being entertained by the staff there; let me tell you, church offices can absolutely be a blast!

A beautiful event takes place in the Merseybank estate from time to time called Ohana. Members of the Eden team take over The Den for an evening and prepare homemade meals for a very low price for the residents of the estate. It's a great way for the community to come together and partake in a meal. Tonight, we had burgers, sweet potato wedges, cole slaw, and English trifle. It was quite the fantastic mix of American and English fare. It was really nice to be able to get to know some of the community members better!

To end my evening, I was able to attend my Grow Group's barbecue in a park nearby. There were a lot of similarities to an American barbecue, but there was definitely a larger variety of things being thrown on the grill. It was so nice to be able to meet more people who were not at the group last week, and to also continue to get to know my friends better. I got to try lots of different sweets and things (i.e.: Pimms, Jaffa Cakes) and get some suggestions for places to check out around both Manchester and London. I'm not sure I'll have time to check out everything that was suggested for Manchester, but I do have some things to add to the list for London.

I must say, it was absolutely heartbreaking to say goodbye to my Grow Group friends tonight, as I will likely not be seeing them before I leave for London on Friday. One of the friends couldn't be there tonight, but I will see him on Thursday, which will also be hard but at least I will get to say goodbye. I honestly feel so blessed that I have been able to gain so many new friends from this experience, and I am especially grateful for this group of people who have made me feel so incredibly welcome. I cannot even begin to express how much I will miss them, but that just means that I will have to come back, as I already know I want to. I love this place so much, and I especially love the people here.

"How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." ~Winnie the Pooh

Blessings,
Lindsay

Super Sunday

SUCH a long day today, but it has been nothing short of fantastic. I had three separate church experiences, all of which were very different but all wonderful.

Today started very early by being picked up by one of my Grow Group friends and heading to Ivy Church Fallowfield. This campus is literally one of the coolest and most unique churches I have ever been in...because it meets in a pub. Yep. You read that right. A pub. Naturally, they are quite empty in the morning during church time, so it is available for Ivy's use and is extremely cool.

Take note, American churches, if you need new ways to bring people into your buildings.

Anyway, my friend and I got there early to set up the church, as he is a NewThing resident who will be taking lead of the campus with another person quite soon. I liked being able to help set up - it brought back flashbacks from being a mobile church at Community Plainfield's launch. I also got recruited to help out on the welcome team; apparently I broke the record for fastest recruit since it was my first time even being there. It actually really was a lot of fun - I'm not used to just attending church services, so it was nice to help out. It's what I'm here for!

The service was fantastic. Everyone from my Grow Group was there and I was so thankful to see familiar faces. The band played a few Rend Collective songs, so I was really happy. All of Ivy is starting a series based on the book The Circle Maker, which is all about intentional and bold prayers. There was a video to start it off, and then my friend spoke to finish and did an incredible job. He spoke from Joshua about being strong and courageous, and connected it to the story of the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho to take the city. It really was fantastic. He also encouraged the members of the church to do a prayer walk right after the service around the local university, as that is a group that they are very prayerfully hoping to reach out to when the students return. The church also had lunch together after everything was torn down, which was really great. There was a very strong sense of community at this campus, and I was really thankful to have been able to be a part of it.

Church on the Merseybank estate was also about The Circle Maker, except this time with the smaller crowd, we were able to do some small group discussions. I had the opportunity to meet some more of the people on the estate that I didn't meet last week, which was great. I love the community within this neighborhood - it is pretty big, but everyone seems to be connected somehow. Eden really is doing great work here in Merseybank, and I'm so glad that I've been able to get involved and meet a lot of the people here.

Right after the Merseybank church, we took some of the teenagers to an event at Ivy Sharston called Super Sunday. Students from all across Ivy come together, and they had all kinds of games and inflatables for the students to enjoy. A musician named Emma Mould came to tell her story and perform - her album comes out in September and she is fantastic, so if you're reading this, check out her music! It was a unique experience, and there were all kinds of kinds as far as students go, but it was a great opportunity for the students to be in a safe and positive environment. Plus, most of my Grow Group friends were there as well, and it is always great to see them. I'm going to have a really hard time saying goodbye to them this week.

I can't believe that I'll already be leaving Manchester this week. I am really excited to be heading to London on Friday, but I'm definitely not ready to leave Manchester at all. I love this city and it's people so much, and I can't believe how blessed I am to have come into contact with so many amazing people. It has really hit me today how hard it is going to be to leave. I still have a lot of time before then, but it's hard to think about. Basically, I'm going to have to start saving for another trip immediately.

Please continue to pray for the teenagers connected with Eden here on the Merseybank estate. Pray for Ivy, and specifically Ivy Fallowfield as their hearts pour out for the students returning in the fall. Also, pray for my Grow Group friend who is waiting to hear this week about housing for his schooling in Sweden coming up!

Blessings,
Lindsay

CASTLE!!!

Guys.
For real.
I went to a CASTLE today.
In WALES.
A CASTLE!!!

For starters, Wales is absolutely beautiful. It is so green and lush and indescribably gorgeous. Add to that the fact that you're looking at a castle, and it is overwhelming.

The castle that we went to is called Chirk Castle. Apparently the builder of the castle, Roger Mortimer, was in on the (successful) plot to kill Llyewelyn, the Prince of Wales. Kind of shady. Regardless, the castle itself was breathtaking. It stood on a hill with a view of the countryside that was just so amazing, and SO green. Adam's Tower and the East Wing contrasted a lot - Adam's Tower held the dungeon and armor, as well as simply older looking stuff dating back to the castle's construction date. The East Wing definitely held more of the "high life" stuff of castle living. Either way, being inside of a castle was way cool. Being in there was like traveling back in time, and I couldn't believe that I was actually there. The gardens were also so incredibly beautiful - I don't think I've ever seen such big, healthy looking roses. Beautiful doesn't seem to me to be an adequate enough word, but I'm really just running out of adjectives to describe how amazing this place was.

Basically, I'm Flynn Rider from Tangled: "Guys, I want a castle."

We also spent some time in Chester once we were back in England. This city was once surrounded by a wall, which is still there and in use to travel around the city. We stopped by some ruins of a Roman amphitheater, which I definitely did not expect to be part of the city. Our main target was the Chester Cathedral, which was seriously one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. No joke. I couldn't take pictures inside the actual sanctuary since a service was going on, which was a bummer, but it was awesome to hear the choir and organ while exploring in there. It definitely added to the experience. The city itself was beautiful to look around, and the mixture of old and new was really exciting. I was really glad that we were able to stop there on the way home.

My host and I watched an episode of The Musketeers after we got home and had dinner. I had never seen it before, but I really enjoyed it! Definitely adding it to my watch list.

Tomorrow, I will be going to Ivy Church Fallowfield, per the invitation from the Grow Group I attended this week. It was really nice to have these past two days to be able to further explore Manchester and more of England as well as Wales, but I am ready to get back into ministry!

Pray for everyone who walks into Ivy's doors tomorrow, as well as our Eden church here in Merseybank!

Blessings,
Lindsay

Cafés and Climbing

It's been a busy couple of days here in Manchester!

Yesterday started with accidentally waking up too late and helping out at the café on the estate. I have never made coffee before, so learning how to make a proper cappuccino was nothing short of intimidating. It was actually a really quiet shift, but there was a film crew coming in and out making a video for The Message. Even if it was quiet, it was quite enjoyable! The café is a nice place to get to know people in the community, which was one reason why Eden established it.

After the café shift, we had an Eden team prayer meeting. Everyone shared prayer requests and prayed over each other. I've never really experienced the seeing of images whilst praying before, but it seems to be a common thing around here, and it is actually extremely encouraging to have someone praying over you and then having people sharing what they are seeing. I think there's a name for that and I think I've heard that being a spiritual gift, but it's not one that I have and I am always really interested when people say that they're getting something from God that they'd like to share with you.

My host and I later returned to the café, and I got to sit down and talk with a fellow American who moved to the UK with his wife from Texas about a year ago. Hearing his story was really encouraging, and I'm so thankful to have that connection to keep in touch with. It was extremely uplifting to hear what his experience was like and to hear what he's learned since coming here. After he left, I stayed at the café with my host for the Eden Youth Café. Teenagers from the community all come to the café to hang out and possibly talk about some positive topics, such as trying new things and taking healthy risks like we talked about last night. My host told me that the Youth Café is very different from week to week, as it depends on what the teenagers are ready for and what can hold their attention. It kind of turned into an informal karaoke event, although none of the teens wanted to sing into the microphone. Even if nothing super in depth gets discussed while the teens are there, it is a nice way to build relationships and to simply have them in a safe, constructive environment. I've been enjoying meeting the teens, and some of them seem to be more familiar with me now. I'm really going to miss them when I have to leave.

I felt so sad leaving my first host family today, and I have grown to really love them, but I am also very excited about the new family that I am now staying with. I had been able to get to know them a bit this past week as they are also a part of Eden, and my host had invited me to go climbing with her and another woman from Eden that I've been getting to know quite a bit. We drove out to Stockport to this amazing climbing facility. I've never seen one nearby my hometown, and so it was quite new to me and it's been a while since I've climbed. I got to climb quite a bit, and made it to the top of all but one of the walls I attempted to climb. The two ladies I went with go climbing every week, and they were excellent. It was great fun and it reminded me of how much I missed climbing.

I know I'm having dinner with my host family and another family on the estate tonight, but I'm not sure what else is on the agenda for today. There is a lot of really neat stuff planned for tomorrow - stay tuned!

Continue to pray for Eden, Ivy, and the people of Manchester. Also, please pray for my host family as they have left today for a holiday in Bristol. I am also praying for the United States, as I've only just heard about the tragedy in Dallas.

Blessings,
Lindsay

Day Off at the Beach

Today was a day off of ministry tasks, which had a bittersweet feeling to it. I was sad to not be doing anything with Ivy or Eden today, but I was also excited to be able to just see more of the country. Not only was I seeing more of England, but I also got to see the sea for the first time. Ever.

Yes. You read that right. First time ever. I have never seen a body of water bigger than a lake before.

We took a trip to see the Irish Sea, which was about an hour's drive from Manchester. The drive to the beach was beautiful. It had a mixture of seeing the city from a distance and some farmland, and the closer we got to the beach, we also got to pass through some gorgeous little towns. The beach is within a national park called the National Trust, and aside from the beach, there were some beautiful woods within it.

Once we were in the car park, we had to climb a small dune before actually seeing the beach. Once I got to the top, the view was breathtaking. Even with the overcast sky, I was stunned. The sound of the waves drowned out any other thought. It was, simply put, beautiful.

We set up some towels to sit on after kicking off our shoes. My host's two year old son donned his wetsuit and ran towards the wave, bucket and spade in hand. We alternated between sitting and watching the waves (and toddler) and walking in the water. The seawater was COLD, but it felt so refreshing. The tide was still reaching pretty far up the shore, but as the day progressed, the shoreline kept creeping farther and farther away from us.

After enjoying a picnic and watching the many dogs pass by us, we walked a little farther along the shore in search of shells. Our toddler kept calling the little clam-like shells "mouse ears," and so now I'll probably always think of them as mouse ears because that is just way too adorable.

Once we left the beach, we got some ice cream from the truck near the entry to the park. It was my first time trying Mr. Whippy ice cream, which had the consistency of really frozen whipped cream or Cool Whip, and yet still had a real ice cream flavor. It was really tasty!

We then went on the Squirrel Walk in the woods. This park is apparently a home to a really rare type of squirrel called red squirrels. We saw a few as we walked - they are actually quite beautiful little creatures! It was so peaceful and quiet on this walk, as people didn't want to scare the squirrels away so they could see them. The hush in this place gave it an almost magical feeling - like if we waited long enough, something incredible would happen. And you know what? Something incredible is always happening. Life is happening.

Being surrounded by creation in this way always draws my attention back to God as our Creator. He truly makes beautiful things, doesn't He? It always helps me keep my perspective in check. I am small and limited, but He commands the waters and calls tall trees to rise up. He created every intricate thing out of nothing and isn't confined by time or space... and yet He knows my name. He loves me as His child. He has a plan for my life and guides my steps moment by moment.

If you're reading this, I hope you would know and believe that the ultimate Creator of the universe knows you in your most inner being as well. And He loves you enough that He defeated death for you. And He wants you to know Him.

Blessings,
Lindsay

Grow Group

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got invited to a Grow Group tonight.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It was AMAZING.

I must confess I was a tiny bit nervous about going, purely since I did not know what to expect, and I was also nervous that I would feel like an outsider or be awkward or something. Regardless, I was mostly very excited and so grateful to be welcomed in.

I got picked up by a new friend I had met at the church earlier in the day, so I was also grateful that I was greeted by a familiar face right away. He actually is a current NewThing leadership resident at one of the Ivy campuses, so it was really encouraging to hear his story with NewThing.

The Grow Group was held at the home of the person who had invited me, and he cooked an amazing dinner for all of us. There were five of us there, and we immediately fell into conversation and shared lots of laughter. I felt right at home pretty much as soon as I got there, so all of my nerves quickly fell away. I should have said so then, but I was so incredibly thankful at that moment. After we finished eating, we had tea and pudding (dessert, which was ice cream) and then proceeded into our group discussion.

Ivy just finished a series about the heart this past Sunday (as I mentioned in my Sunday post), and one of the group members actually spoke the message at the campus that most (if not all) of the group attends. They gave me a recap, and from the sounds of the recap alone and the discussion that followed, it sounded amazing.

Essentially, three conditions of the heart were discussed and how they can be fought:

1. Doubtful heart
1. To fight a doubtful heart, Declare the Lord's truth to yourself (through prayer, Scripture, etc.).
2. Divided heart
1. To fight a divided heart, Delight in the Lord. (His goodness will overtake anything else that is fighting for your attention.)
3. Distant heart
1. To fight a distant heart, Dwell in the Lord. (He is never the one to distance Himself, so if you draw near to Him, He is already there.)

(In case you hadn't noticed, each condition and solution starts with D so it's easy to remember. Thank goodness.)

Our discussion was very honest and truthful, and the group had been so welcoming and accepting of me that I had absolutely zero reservations about speaking candidly. It was amazing, and I think we all needed to be reminded of the power of the Lord's truth. We spent time in Scripture together and in prayer, and the whole time I kept thinking of how grateful I was to be there. I felt so convicted and challenged by our discussion, and don't we all sometimes (all the time) need an honest dose of truth to get us back on fire for God? It truly was exactly what I needed, and I am seriously so thankful for the invitation.

I honestly just feel so overwhelmed in the best way at how close God feels right now and how blessed I am to be here and to have met these people and to be able to experience this church. Even though the truth about Him can seem so simple when we just start listing off adjectives about Him (good, faithful, loving, etc.), it doesn't minimize the power in that simplicity when we really take that truth and internalize it. He IS good. He IS faithful. He IS loving. He IS powerful. And He is SO much more good than we could ever understand or deserve. Because of that, He is SO worth any risk it takes to follow Him.

When it comes to the heart, how we approach God with it is simple and yet so profound and monumental. He gives us His whole heart out of his endless love and grace. He gave it all for us on the cross. How could we do any less than to give Him our whole heart and our all in return?

"I'm saying yes to You and no to my desires. I'll leave myself behind and follow You. I'll take the narrow road 'cause it leads me to You. I'll fall, but grace will pick me up again.

I've counted up the cost, and You are worth it.

I do not need safety as much as I need you. You're dangerous, but Lord, You're beautiful. I'll chase You through the pain. I'll carry my cross, 'cause real love is not afraid to bleed.

I've counted up the cost, and You are worth it. Jesus, take my all. Take my everything. I've counted up the cost, and You're worth everything."

~"The Cost," Rend Collective Experiment

Blessings,

Lindsay

Prayer, prayer, prayer

It's about 4:45PM Manchester time, but it has already been one full day!

This morning, my host and I attended a prayer meeting at the Ivy Church Sharston building, which is home to The Message Trust - a Christian organization which, from my understanding, does a bit of everything. There was a bit of worship time, a speaker, and then everyone broke up into prayer groups. The speaker's message was centered primarily around Philippians 2:14, which talks about doing everything "without grumbling or complaining," and a lot of this actually has to do with how we deal with people that we don't always get along with. He tied this in with Colossians 3:23, which encourages us to work as if we are working for the Lord, which, in reality, we already are if we are focused on following His call. The reason the speaker tied these two together is because God sees everyone as extremely valuable, so if we are grumbling and complaining about the people we work with, God sees this as us grumbling or complaining about someone that Jesus died for. It was very profound and powerful, which gave us a lot to pray about in our groups.

After the prayer meeting, I got to sit in on an Eden Network meeting with many other team leaders, all of whom were extremely kind. We met at the cafe (and small business hub) owned by The Message, so we were able to share breakfast and tea together. There is a new team leader joining Eden, so everyone went around and shared about their communities, which was nice since I got to learn more as well. After everyone shared, we broke up into pairs to pray for each other. The woman I prayed with was super nice, and it was a pleasure getting to pray over her. Her prayer for me was so encouraging, so I was really thankful for that opportunity.

When we were through, we went to The Den (Eden Merseybank's cafe) to catch the end of an Ivy staff meeting. Everyone greeted me with applause when I was introduced, which honestly nearly made me cry. Everyone has been extremely welcoming to me so far, and it has been so uplifting. When the meeting ended, we broke up into prayer groups. (Are you sensing a theme here?) The group I prayed with was incredible, and most everyone needed prayer for similar things, so it was a really powerful moment. Afterwards, I was invited to a Grow Group (small group) this evening, which I am greatly looking forward to. Two of the people from Eden met us in the cafe a bit later, one of whom is the new member, so he got to see what Eden Merseybank does with the cafe in the estate. Since then, I've been back at Ivy Church Kingsway where I am now blogging from. I got to connect face-to-face with one of the people I had Skyped with back in December, so talking with her has been a lot of fun.

What I love so much about this day is that it has reminded me (as I often am) about the power of prayer. When people are gathered in the name of Christ and are able to appeal to Him, it is just such a powerful experience that doesn't compare to anything else. How amazing is it that our God wants a relationship with us, and actually listens when we pray?? It has also been reminding me of the sheer importance of the fact. As it tells us in Scripture, we truly need to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. Prayer changes things, and especially in a ministry environment, we need to pray over each decision, each interaction, each event, each moment. Our mission of sharing the Gospel is what's at stake, so why wouldn't we be reaching out to the One who has commissioned us to go and share it for everything? Having a prayerful heart is critical to the mission.

And so, I will ask again, please keep praying for Ivy, Eden, and the people of Manchester. Please pray specifically for the new Eden member and his community that he will be reaching out to. And please continue to pray for me as I take all of this in.

Thanks for reading and for praying!

Blessings,
Lindsay

PS: Since I've now been surrounded by British accents for several days, I feel like I've been starting to think in a British accent. Any bets about when I start slipping and speaking in it?

Independence Day in the UK

So, I have a lot to write about considering I didn't write at all yesterday.

Yesterday, Sunday, I attended two church services. I got to go to Ivy Church Sharston in the morning, which was an incredible experience. The service was very similar to what I'm used to at Community, but with a few changes. The message was all about the condition of our hearts, which was the wrap-up to a series all about the heart based on a verse in Proverbs. Everyone there was very welcoming, and it was so exciting being able to be a part of it.

The second service was in Eden Merseybank. My host family are the team leaders of the Eden Network in the Merseybank community in Manchester, and they run a small church (connected to Ivy) in the community center. It was such a unique experience, as it had a more informal feel due to the smaller numbers and it being in a smaller community center space, but it was so cool to see the community of the estate coming together with the common aim of praising Jesus. It just really goes to show that a church building is literally just a building. When the Body of Christ comes together, THAT is the Church.

Today, I got to spend some time in the community cafe that Steve and Sarah started up for the estate. I got to know a few more of the people connected with it and a few of the students I spent time with at the youth event on Saturday. I also got to see Ivy Church Kingsway and meet a few of the staff people, including one of the people that I had talked to over Skype when planning this trip. It was so nice to be able to see another campus, and I also got to explore a bit of the Didsbury community with my host as well as put together a bit of an itinerary for me together.

Afterwards, we went over to our neighbors across the street on the estate for an Independence Day barbecue. Now, I know what you're thinking: an Independence Day barbecue in the UK??? Well, the husband is actually from New Mexico and his wife is British, so now they live in Manchester. His brother was also in town visiting, so the party between the six of us was 50/50 as far as the American-British ratio goes. They grilled, we ate, and later we actually lit off fireworks. It was loads of fun and the sheer irony of this celebration just made it all the better. I felt so welcomed in and had an awesome time.

Tomorrow, I'll get to attend some church meetings and hopefully meet more of the staff!

Please continue to pray for the city of Manchester and Ivy Church, as well as Eden Merseybank and the students on the estate. Thank you for your prayers so far!

Blessings,
Lindsay

Jumping in

Wow. What a day.

After literally sleeping for twelve hours (8:30PM-8:30 ish AM), I woke up actually feeling quite energetic. I did not feel nearly as jetlagged as I expected. My host family and I spent the morning exploring the Greater Manchester city centre. Manchester is an incredible city. The cathedrals and churches were beyond amazing. One in particular - St. Mary's Church - was so dazzling in its uniqueness. It's referred to as Manchester's "hidden gem," and for good reason. This church is tucked away from nearly all traffic - automobile and pedestrian - and you would really only be able to find it if a local showed you. We also went into John Ryland's library, which also basically looked like you were in a cathedral or in Hogwarts. There were countless ancient books, and I even saw fragments from what are believed to be some of the oldest copies of Scripture in existence. Talk about incredible!

As many of you who might be reading this know, I am not a city person. I tend to avoid Chicago if I can. But Manchester was so different from any city I have ever stepped foot in. There are so many wide pathways and squares that are solely for pedestrians. Even the traffic wasn't all that busy. It didn't feel any where near as overwhelming or claustrophobic as most American big cities. While it is definitely bigger, it honestly didn't feel any busier than Naperville, and most of the drivers were nowhere near as obnoxious. And it was definitely way more beautiful.

After exploring the city centre, I went along on a youth event from some of the students connected with the Eden Network. Eden is a youth outreach program that is dedicated to building community connections in some of the harder-to-reach places. My host family serve as the leaders of it, and the neighborhood (or "estate") that they live in is surrounded by a mixture of socioeconomic statuses and a variety of influences. The five students that I went with, as well as their leader I was helping, are all from the estate. The program that we attended was a workshop/concert led by a UK-based Christian band called Twelve 24. It was mostly a creative workshop, but it and the concert were geared toward sharing the Gospel. It was a great event, and some of our students (and many others in attendance) gave their lives to Jesus. It was incredible! The students were also largely entertained by having a "real" American with them, and asked me all sorts of questions about where I live, what we have in our country, and how many famous people I know. Some even were telling me what they know how to say in American. It was quite hilarious for me, as I definitely don't think myself exotic by any means, but apparently I am to them.

I get to attend Ivy Church for the first time tomorrow. I can't wait to see what it will be like, and I am so excited to be meeting the people there!

Please pray for the students on the estate, especially the ones who have accepted Jesus. Also, pray for Ivy Church and Eden Network as they strive to reach the lost in Manchester.

Blessings,
Lindsay

Manchester, Day 1

I arrived safely in Manchester this morning around 8:30AM. Update: that screaming child I mentioned in my last post? Yeah, sat right behind me on my flight.

The Lufthansa flight was nice, but it was definitely not BusinessFirst on my first flight - I got a bit spoiled on that one as my first flight. Regardless, it got me to where I needed to go and was a good experience. It was a short flight, so I didn't need the reclining bed or a full meal. The people were very nice and helpful. It would have been a super nice flight if it hadn't been for the screaming the whole flight.

I got my first stamp in my passport after getting off the plane. The customs worker who was checking my passport asked me almost immediately: "Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton?" I was 0% surprised. I told him neither and we had a good laugh. I grabbed my baggage afterward (Thank you Jesus for making sure it got there!!!) and then I was very quickly able to find my host family holding a cute sign for me.

Since then, I've been spending the day with them and having lots of fun exploring the area surrounding their neighborhood, which is stunningly beautiful. I felt like I had good energy until around 4PM, and I ended up needing a short nap. I still felt wonky until we ate dinner, and now am still feeling tired but not as woozy as before. I doubt I'll stay up very late, as I am immediately jumping in to helping out with a youth group outing tomorrow. I'm very excited to be getting started so soon. I met a few of the local teenagers today, and they were so excited by my accent (I have an accent???). It sounds like there is a lot planned and I'm so excited to be able to start experiencing it all.

Please be praying for Ivy Church, Eden Network, and the many people of Manchester who have yet to receive the good news of our Lord Jesus!

Blessings,
Lindsay