Final Days

Hi friends!

This final week in Manchester really has been a whirlwind. I can't believe it's gone so fast. Two weeks has felt like two minutes, and I'm honestly heartbroken that I'm heading back to the States tomorrow.

That said, I'll try to sum up my past few days here!

Tuesday kicked off at a meeting at Ivy Central with the staff. The meeting started off with an awesome acoustic worship session, and I thought that starting off a church meeting that way was incredible. What better way to prepare for a discussion of doing God's work than by worshiping God? I loved that. The meeting was eventful and lively, and I got to see a few more people that I hadn't yet seen. After that, I had another lunch with Ben, one of Ivy's pastors. We went and had the "second best burger" at a restaurant in Didsbury, named as such due to the owners having what they thought was the best burger in New York and trying to replicate it. We talked for quite a while about a variety of things, including again the possibility of my doing a residency out here. He challenged me to think and pray not just about the residency, but about the next five years and about where my heart is at in regards to my passions about ministry and Manchester. I left feeling inspired yet also saddened, because saying goodbye to Ben was just the start of a long chain of goodbyes (or rather "see you laters" due to the fact that I absolutely plan on returning). I ended up walking back to my host's home in the rain for about half an hour and was soaked to the bone, so Cat and I ended up spending the afternoon in and dry, which was fine by me!

I joined my Grow Group friends later that night, and this time we were combined with another group that included a few more people I had met last year. We shared an amazing meal together (as well as some wedding doughnuts) and talked about the letter to the church in Ephesus from Revelation 2. I had been in a discussion about this my first night back in Manchester with the Eden team, but Ivy Church had talked about it on Sunday morning, which I missed since we were still in Wales. This letter essentially describes a church that does all of the right things, but they have forgotten the love that they first had for Jesus. How easy is that for us to do? We get so used to the "Christian Checklist" of doing the right things to check it off of the list, but without the zeal and passion that we had for Jesus when we first started following him. At the Ivy service, the speaker (a friend of mine) gave the Three R's to follow, straight from the Scripture itself: Remember, Repent, Repeat. To Remember is to look back at what you did and felt when you first meant Jesus. To Repent is to think through what some of the barriers are that are keeping you from that and to turn away from them (literally just following the translation of the word repent, which means to turn away). Lastly, Repeat means to repeat those things that you did to bring back the passion! Quite simple in explanation, not always so easy in execution. We had an amazing discussion and did some reflecting, and then it was time to pray. We prayed in small groups, and a new friend of mine had a picture for me that she felt while praying over me and the residency, and it was really incredible and relevant, especially to some worry I felt that I hadn't even mentioned. It was and amazing night, yet also sad as I had to say "see you later" to these friends as well.

On Wednesday, Cat and I joined up with a friend from the estate and took the bus into the city to do some shopping! We popped in and out of quite a few shops, but we also wanted to see a few more sights around the city. We went to the Manchester Cathedral, which I had seen last year but was unable to go inside. This time, I finally got to go inside! I was amazed by the beauty and detail in its structures, as I always am when I actually get to see a cathedral. We explored for a little while, and then spent some time at this awesome (and historic) pub nearby. It really did look very old-style, and it had a huge section of outdoor seating, so we enjoyed the sunshine for a little while. Eventually, we did some more shopping around, and then I really wanted to find the Alan Turing memorial. If you don't know who Alan Turing is, it's probably because his contributions to history were kept extremely confidential for a long time after World War II. He is considered the father of computers, and due to his ability to crack the code of the German Enigma machine, he was able to help the British army stay one step ahead of the enemy, which is considered to have shortened the war and save countless lives. While this is an amazing accomplishment, his story did not have a happy ending. Alan Turing was a homosexual, which at the time was illegal and highly controversial. Due to huge amounts of prejudice and injustice directed at him, he took his own life. Years and years later when his contributions to the war effort were finally brought to life, the government issued a formal apology and began to recognize him with high regard for his accomplishments, and the memorial was then built in Manchester due to the fact that some of his groundbreaking computer work happened at one of the universities here. It was such an honor to be able to visit it, as I love his story even though it breaks my heart. If you haven't seen "The Imitation Game," it's an incredible film about his efforts in the war so go watch it RIGHT NOW.

Wednesday evening was spent in the company of a friend from the Eden team, who graciously made dinner for us and also had Oreo cheesecake for dessert (YUM). Afterward, I went for a walk with one of the awesome teenagers from the estate, and we passed quite a lot of time at the Chorlton Water Park - one of my favorite places here in Manchester.

Today, my last full day, has been lovely. Cat and I took my other host family's three year old son to a local National Trust park called Dunham Massey. It's a preserve and deer sanctuary, while also hosting a beautiful estate, oddly similar to the estate in Downton Abbey. The estate was also used as a hospital during the war. We walked around and played loads of hide-and-seek in the trees, while also feeding very fearless ducks who kept coming closer for more biscuit. After we returned to Merseybank, we had team prayers. The team made me cry by giving me a beautiful card and praying over me. I later went on another walk with two of the teens and then we had Eden team Grow Group. We talked about another letter from Revelation 2, and then it was time for some more "see you laters." It was not enjoyable having to leave these amazing friends, but I trust that I will see them again and am thankful that they have blessed my life. During our discussion, we saw a rainbow outside the window, and I felt very peaceful at that moment, almost like I was being assured that this was not going to be the end of my time here in Manchester. It's been an incredible experience, both this visit and last year's, and I trust that God will lead me where he wants me to be. I'm quite confident that it's this amazing place, Manchester.

Whether you have kept up with me the whole time or have only read one post, thank you for reading.

Cheers,
Lindsay

Weekend in Wales

Hi everybody!

I'm just going to apologize in advanced if this ends up being a long post, but I also don't feel to badly about it because we had an AMAZING weekend in Wales!

We left on Friday evening and loaded up the mini bus with four adults and seven teenagers. The trip went quite smoothly, and it seemed like everyone was having fun listening to music and chatting. The scenery on the way was gorgeous, and the excitement was tangible as we started cruising along the sea. We even passed a couple of castles along the way, and if you read my blog last year, you know how much I love those!

We stayed in a house that belonged to our leader's uncle, and it was more like two houses joined together. The street looked like a typical coastal town out of a movie, with a lot of them painted in bright pastel colors. The inside of the house had a ton of rooms that ended up being good for playing hide-and-seek in later, and all of the teenagers were thrilled to pick out their rooms. We got settled in, and by the time everything was set it was quite late. Many of the teens had asked about going to the beach once we got there, but another leader and I ended up going with just one of them. The route to the beach was through a wooded area, and walking through there at 11pm was kind of spooky, but it was worth it once we got there - the beach was so beautiful and peaceful at that time of night! We just stood there quietly for a little while listening to the water and looking at the stars. It was a cloudy night, but we could make out a few constellations and see the moon a bit as the clouds moved. It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend!

On Saturday, we had breakfast together after one of the teens helped make it, and we got ready to go to the mountains. Before we left, one of our leaders shared out of 1 John 4:8 - "Perfect love casts out fear." It ended up being the best way to start out morning because we ended up actually climbing to the top of a mountain! The first half of the climb was quite easy and not too steep. We passed through a few fields with a lot of sheep, and the area we were in was just too gorgeous for words. After a while, the climb started getting steeper and many were started to get frustrated by the challenge of it. Even so, the teens started to encourage one another, and it was amazing to see teamwork being built through the struggle. I was towards the back of the group with a couple of teens who were starting to feel especially defeated by the challenge, and we really had to encourage each other through it. The climb was hard on me due to the scar tissue in my chest from radiation treatment, so breathing was painful through the steep uphill climb. The vegetation got to be quite dense the higher we got, and it was hard to see the path most of the time, so it was not easy to see where to put our feet; however, the higher we got, the more and more breathtaking the view became. The last bit of climbing was difficult, but once we actually got to the top, it was as if it was merely a leisurely stroll up the mountain because the excitement absolutely took over. I don't think I could ever put into words how incredible it felt to be at the top of that mountain. The view was astounding and the cool mountain air seemed to have a healing effect on our aches and pain and sweat. We had lunch on the top of the mountain, all the while looking around at the spectacular 360 degree view of the mountains and sea. I've never seen anything like it! It was exhilarating to stand on the edge and attempt to take it all in and enjoy the reward of the struggle. As I stood there pondering the majesty of God's creation, I was positively overwhelmed with joy and couldn't stop smiling thinking about where I was standing. I couldn't believe that I was actually standing on top of a mountain and that I was even able to make it there at all.

After eating and enjoying our victory for a while, it was time to make the downhill trek. I'll be honest - the start of it was actually a little scary since we had to do the steepest part first through what felt like a jungle. One of the teens confessed that he was actually afraid of heights, and after another leader and I encouraged him and praised the fact that he did make it to the top, he said to us, "Yeah, it's like that verse from this morning." Perfect love casts out fear. I was so emotional at the fact that he made that connection, and we ended up talking about God for a little while. On the way up the mountain, he had kept saying things like "Life is beautiful," and "It's good to be alive right now." I had no idea that he had any fear at all initially, and so when it got difficult going downhill, I tried to remind him of what he had said on the way up. He was absolutely right - life was so beautiful on that mountain, and it was incredible to feel so alive.

The exertion of mountain climbing was later rewarded by a trip to the beach - in the daylight this time! It was even more beautiful in the sunshine, and the sand on my bare feet seemed to remove all of the soreness. The water was cool and soothing, and while I didn't swim, I enjoyed a stroll through the shallow water for a while. Eventually, I allowed myself to simply lay in the sand with my feet buried in it. The sun beating down on me was almost like a lullaby, and I found myself just wanting to be still and soak in what I had just done that day along with the light. Eventually, I joined in with another leader and one of the teens on an adventure to see the other side of the beach, and we found ourselves trying to climb around a small island and going through another jungle of vegetation to try to see it, and it felt amazing once we did. There was no one on the other side, and it was so still and peaceful. We were excited by the fact that we were the only ones seeing it, but that excitement seemed to wear off once we were trying to find out way back while simultaneously navigating the land mines of jellyfish left by the tide. Some of them were as big as tire hubcaps!

Eventually, we left the beach and headed back to the house, and we were all properly knackered by the events of the day. We ate together and had a little rest, and then the teenagers started an epic game of hide-and-seek. My chest and my post concussive head were too beaten to participate, but I sat in the kitchen/base to watch them all run around. Before we left the next morning, a few of us leaders and the same teen that went to the beach in the evening took a stroll through the nearby woods. I was struck by how green everything was and I definitely was beating myself up for not having my phone to take pictures of it. I stayed behind with one leader to help clean up the house after the teens left on the mini bus, and we eventually made our way back to Manchester, but not before taking a cruise through the mountains. We stopped at an overlook near Snowden, the highest peak in Wales. The summit of Snowden was shrouded in clouds, and it reminded me of Mount Olympus because of it. After a short while we had to get back in the car and go.

We made it just in time to get to the evening service at Ivy Central, and I finally got to hear Anthony Delaney speak. He is one of the leaders of Ivy Church and was in a way part of how I got connected with Manchester at all. He was talking about what he called "Kairos moments" in listening to God. "Kairos" is a special word for time, and it's not at all about chronological time. Kairos is used to describe moments that seem to exist outside of time - moments that seem to live on and become important parts of our memory. This word is found in Mark 1:15 as Jesus is saying that the kingdom of God is at hand, and also to repent and believe. In the message, this is applied to a circular model of following through with Kairos moments and putting our belief into action. It looks like this:

Each side has it's own question to ask yourself as you follow the circle around: "What has God been saying to you?" and "What are you going to do about it?" God is always speaking to us, but it's up to us to listen to him and to live as though we believe that he is speaking to us. It was a challenging service, and I know that I left it feeling convicted. I got to meet Anthony finally before I left, and it was incredible being able to make another NewThing connection.

Today has been a relaxing day so far, and I'm looking forward to another Eden team dinner. I was able to have lunch with another teen from Merseybank who wasn't with us in Wales, and it was great getting to know her more. This is, sadly, the start of my last few days in Manchester, at least until I come back again.

Please be praying for the teens that were with us in Wales, that they would continue to listen and seek after God!

Cheers,
Lindsay

Exploring

Hi friends!

The past few days have been a real joy spending time in fellowship with people. I feel as though I've been quite busy, even if I haven't been so on the go.

On Wednesday, I spent quite a lot of time at The Den cafe on the estate. After The Den closed, I was able to just walk around and talk with people, which was really nice getting to know them better and hear about where they grew up. I got invited over for dinner by my friends that took me to Liverpool - I really love spending time with them so much, so it was a real treat being able to eat with them and another friend of theirs. Shortly after, my host and I took the bus into the city to see a play that was part of the Manchester International Festival. Traffic was quite backed up so we weren't sure if we were going to actually be able to catch the bus, but after a little bit of trial and error we made it! The people at the theatre very nearly weren't going to let us in since we were a few minutes late due to the fact that it was a quiet show; however, they let us in at the six minute mark since there was a bit more noise, and we were able to enjoy it together. It was a complicated show that dealt with some heavy topics like social class, homosexuality, and politics, but we felt all the more clever having seen it even though neither of us felt like we understood it fully. The theatre had a small bar within it so we shared a fruity cider that was quite delicious on the wide patio encompassed by the square surrounding the theatre. It was actually a really beautiful spot filled with tables and deck chairs all enclosed in this secluded area, and it was a lovely night to sit out and enjoy it. Shortly after, we took the bus back to Merseybank having delighted in an intellectual evening.

Yesterday started out quite the same at The Den. I love being able to sit there and see familiar faces while getting to know people. We had our prayer meeting following the closing of The Den, and then shortly after prayers I met up with my friend Maral and we took the bus into the city. Maral is from Iran, and she'll soon be starting a NewThing residency with Ivy Church! We took the bus into the Northern Quarter of the Manchester city centre, which is a really cool part of the city full of creativity. We explored some of the shops (some of which were comic book stores!) and Maral took me to her favorite Mexican restaurant. It had a fun atmosphere and had a wall completely decorated by different crosses. Following our meal, we walked all over the city enjoying each other's company and seeing some of the sights. Manchester is a very pedestrian-friendly city, so it is quite easy to get around, whereas it feels like you're taking your life into your hands doing that in Chicago. It was incredibly fun just being able to walk around and talk while taking photos of all the cool places in the city, which are everywhere. It was exciting seeing some of the same places I saw last year, like the Town Hall and the John Rylands library. All over the city are signs posted that say "I Love Manchester," as well as worker bees, which are the symbol for Manchester. There is so much pride and love for this city following the bombing that really shows a sense of unity. It's incredible even feeling like you're a tiny part of it.

I went this morning with my host and another friend to a rock climbing centre, and since I'm still post concussive, I just watched and acted as camera-person. It was still a lot of fun to go with and cheer them on! Later, we went shopping in Didsbury and got ice cream in Chorlton. We also stopped in a really hipster organic grocery shop called Unicorn, which was quite intriguing! Tonight, we leave for north Wales for a weekend retreat with some of the teenagers on the estate. I'll likely be off the grid and will blog when we get back on Sunday, but please pray for us as we go!

Cheers,
Lindsay

Grow Group

Hi everybody!




I hope all of my American friends had a fun Independence Day! As for me, I spent my day quite differently.




It started with helping out at the café with my host, which went very well. Cat handled most of the drinks and all of the food, and I helped out by running the till taking orders and making tea. As I learned last year while trying to help in the café, I'm no good at making coffee! Most of the time we were there was fairly quiet, so we weren't overwhelmed by orders. After closing, Cat and I went back to the house for some relaxing time.


After a delicious meal of fish and chips, a friend of mine picked me up for Grow Group. This was the same group of young adults that I went to last year and had an incredible time with, so I couldn't wait to rejoin them. There were a few familiar faces as well as some absences of people that were in the group last year. Regardless, it was fun right off the bat. We shared pizza and lemon cheesecake over loads of laughs, and then got started discussing the same bit of Revelation that was shared in the message on Sunday. Our discussion, however, took quite a different turn. In that passage (Revelation 1:9-20), Jesus's appearance is described, and it is nothing like how he looked while he was a human on Earth. What we had never realized before was that in this description, loads of light imagery is used. His eyes are described as blazing fires, and his hair is described as being like wool or radiant like snow. His face is like the sun at full strength, and even his feet are glowing like bronze. He's also described as holding two different items in each hand - in one he has seven stars, and in the other he has seven lampstands. Every simile used to describe him has some connotation of light, which makes sense, because didn't he say he's the light of the world? I find myself thinking like how John did at his appearance, because it is written that John fell over like he was dead. I probably would have reacted similarly, because I often find myself focusing on the gentle, loving Jesus that is described in the Gospels and forget about his power and majesty. It's not like one is better or more accurate than the other - he is both at the same time. I think what is important is to acknowledge and revere both aspects of Jesus, because he was both the human that walked the Earth alongside us and the powerful Creator that has always been and always will be.


From there, we talked about finding Jesus in the everyday and loving the church like Jesus does. It was comforting to know that I'm really not alone in having a hard time acknowledging Jesus in all things. What we landed on for a while was that it is so easy to just complain about everything instead of turning to Jesus. How often to we keep ourselves wrapped up in the busyness of life and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by it instead of relying on Jesus for strength and endurance? Why do we often forget that Jesus experienced our own mundane humanity and understands how we feel? Our talk really was a wake-up call for a lot of us, and we needed the reminder to turn to Jesus in all things. I think encountering the image of the powerful Jesus who conquered death was a solid push in the right direction - after all, if he is that blindingly radiant, he's kind of hard to miss.


Later today, I will be having dinner with my friends that took me to Liverpool and then seeing a play with Cat. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this day, and I'll tell you about it soon!


Cheers,

Lindsay

Triple Threat Church Services

Hi friends!

It's been an eventful past couple of days! Which is good, because I didn't come out here to sit around. :) Yesterday in particular was a very on-the-go day, but in the very best ways.

It started with a walk to Ivy Central. Ivy Central is about a mile down the road from Merseybank, but I had never walked it on my own before. I had a map from my host Cat, and it got me there with no problems at all. I also got to walk along the beautiful River Mersey, which was a real treat. I made it in time for the 10am service, and we started right off the bat with worship. The most incredible thing about this was that everybody, and I mean everybody, was singing their heart out. It was a beautiful noise to hear everybody's voices ringing out and to see everybody giving their all to the words they were singing. It was amazing. My friend Olli gave a brilliant message to kick off their new series called "Summer of Direction." For this series, they are looking at the letters in Revelation to the churches. We looked at the beginning of Revelation (1:9-20) when Jesus appears to John, and how this exchange shows how Jesus loves us and loves the church. The reassurance of this message is that we are in safe hands with Jesus. Jesus himself is not safe, but we are safe in his hands. It's like Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia - "He's not safe, but he's good." Following Jesus and doing his work as the body of Christ is rarely in our comfort zones, but he is still good and is still carrying us through that. Because of that, there are three main things to do from this passage of Revelation: we need to pray for the church; we need to treat it as family; and we need to know that we are safe to take risks. As I'm figuring out my own calling, it was encouraging to be reminded that no matter what, God's got this. I'm safe in his hands even if it involves risk, just as we all are.

The second church service was on the estate here in Merseybank. I love this church in particular because it has shown me that church can happen anywhere. As it says in Matthew 18:20, where two or more are gathered in his name, Jesus is there! This church meets in the community centre of Merseybank, and we had probably about 25 people there, but the Holy Spirit sure moved in that room! For this particular service, a band from Ivy called Galaxy was leading, and their mission is to create a new style of worship music that reaches listeners outside of traditional-style worship. In other words, they're all about fun! A lot of their songs were from the group Hillsong Young & Free, whom I love dearly. It was amazing to see how at first, most people were just standing and listening while singing along, and gradually more and more people let their guard down and started dancing! It was so much fun, and the Holy Spirit was moving in that room. There was some time to share testimonies and faith stories, and it reminded me again how God can be glorified through any story. After the service, we shared a meal together, and it was great to both be reacquainted with people I met last year and to meet some new people as well. I got to catch up with one friend in particular from last year who has been a huge encouragement to me as I'm trying to listen to where God is calling me, and she asked me what the most difficult part of it all has been. I thought about it for a moment, and I told her that the waiting has been the most difficult. I'm confident in that God has called me somewhere into ministry and in some fashion, but it is really hard to wait to hear from him, especially since I have no idea what my life looks like after Track 2 of the NewThing program (see my other blog: newthingadventure.blogspot.com). She gave me some more encouragement and prayed with me, and I felt again that God will reveal it to me in the right time. It is just not easy to be patient sometimes. (Can I get an amen?!)

Now, there was another service happening at Ivy Central following the Eden Merseybank church, and a couple of my friends at Merseybank asked me if I was going along, to which I said no since I was there this morning. I thought it would be the same service. However, as you can see from my title, I've already told you that there were three services, so you can probably guess what happened. I felt like I was being told to go to the service, so I changed my mind and went with my friends. I'd had a lot of fun dancing with one of those friends during the previous service, so part of me thought it would be fun to go to this next one with her, too. So, I tagged along, and boy was I wrong about it being the same service. First of all, I finally got to meet one particular Ivy pastor in person whom I had communicated with a lot before coming here last year. We had Skyped a few times and emailed a lot, but he was not in the UK last year while I was here, so I had really been looking forward to meeting him, and now I got to hear him teach. One of the worship pastors I had met last year was also leading this service, so it was great to see him as well. The message that evening was called "Stuck In the Middle," and as crazy luck (or divine intervention, rather) would have it, it was about waiting. The Scripture being taught out of was the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. In that parable, a sower is planting seeds and generously flinging them everywhere, regardless of where they might land. Jesus talks about various seeds where they landed and what happened to them, and this was connected back to seasons of waiting in our lives. Now, God is very much like the sower in that he is extremely generous in spreading the seeds, or spreading blessings. We, on the other hand, tend to hold onto the seeds because they are the safest in our hands. We don't want to risk them in the soil. What we need to do, however, is to hold onto them with open hands and let God do his work. The question then is this: how are we going to wait?

After we concluded the service, I ran into the same friend that had prayed with me at Merseybank, and immediately she affirmed for me that it was a God thing that I was there to hear that message. It really was! I've been trying to be patient with God, but just as it is with all of us humans, it is really hard! The message affirmed for me that God knows exactly what he is doing, so waiting doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Just like a seed planted in the soil, things are happening even if I can't see them.

Today, I got to meet with the same pastor over lunch, and we got to spend some time chatting and getting to know each other, while also looking ahead at what God is doing. We talked about the NewThing program, and also about the possibility of doing the leadership residency (which is the third part of the program) out here in Manchester. It was incredibly affirming for me that he was the one that suggested doing the residency out here, and if I'm being honest, that is what I terribly want to happen. Even so, I want it to be God's will, and not just my own. If I could so boldy ask of you all reading this, could you pray for me in this time? Pray that I would have an open heart to hear from God about where he wants me to go. I'm praying that he would open the right doors at the right time, and that I'm not only pursuing my will but his will. I want to make the most of this season of waiting, so that not only is it a season of waiting but also one of growing and learning along the way.

Thank you for reading, and may you know the depth of the love of Jesus today!

Cheers,
Lindsay

Magical Mystery Tour of Liverpool

Hi friends!

Today certainly was an exciting day. Some dear friends of mine that I met here last year took me on an adventure to explore the city of Liverpool. If you're anything like me, all I previously knew about Liverpool was that it was the birthplace of the Beatles, so naturally I was quite excited to learn more about the city and see the sights.

Since I believe I have recovered from the jetlag, I found myself excited to wake up early and start our journey. Liverpool is slightly less than an hour from Manchester, and we had quite a few laughs on our way there. Our first stop after arriving in Liverpool was a ferry ride on the River Mersey (which I had no idea extends from the estate here in Manchester all the way to Liverpool!), and it felt so nice to be on the water. The breeze, albeit quite chilly, felt so nice, and it was such a unique way to see that portion of the city. We had walked along the pier to get to the ferry, and there was some interesting stuff on the way. For example, I had no idea that the Tate galleries (which reside in London) also had a gallery in Liverpool. There was also an exhibition called The Beatles Story, and while we didn't go inside, we did get to check out The Fab Four Shop. We even saw a "Yellow Submarine" in the marina!

After our ferry ride, we took a bus tour of Liverpool. It was one of those double decker buses, so naturally, we sat at the top. The city centre of Liverpool had quite a bit of history to it, so it was enjoyable listening to the tour guide tell stories about the buildings, some of which were quite humorous. We rode past some areas where the Beatles had played (such as the general vicinity of The Cavern, although we couldn't see it) and nearby some of the places that they attended school. There was a building that Paul McCartney had apparently bought and donated to a performing arts school, and he even attends the graduation ceremonies to hand out the certificates!

We also saw two cathedrals, one of which we were able to go inside of. This particular cathedral had very interesting architecture, as it was circular in shape and had stained glass within every wall. The top of the cathedral was sort of like a dome, and it was also primarily stained glass. The light within the cathedral was colored based on the stained glass, and it was absolutely breathtaking. There was a service going on inside as well, and the acoustics of the cathedral as they sang were incredible. We could only see the outside of the other cathedral and this one was more traditional, but still stunning. Possibly the most interesting sight was a church building that had been bombed in the war. The inside of the church was completely gutted, but the outside was perfectly intact. You could see straight through where the windows would have been, but the outside structure was untouched. It was haunting yet still gorgeous. Pieces of history like this really strike me when I see it - in the States, we don't have any places like that since the war never touched our soil, so seeing it brings a whole new perspective to history. It makes it more real.

After exploring some more and having some chips (some of which were smothered in Nutella - really put a new spin on sweet and salty!), we headed back to Manchester and enjoyed a barbecue at my host family's home. The rest of the evening will be relaxing, which after a full day sounds good to me!

Thanks for reading, friends!

Cheers,
Lindsay

Back for Round Two!

Hello friends!


Well, here we are! I'm back in Manchester and couldn't be more thrilled to be here again. I arrived yesterday morning, and because jetlag hit me harder than ever, I decided to hold off on blogging until today.


The flight on Wednesday evening went very well. I arrived at O'Hare about an hour and a half before boarding, and I was able to get through security and to my gate within half an hour. I couldn't believe it! As I was waiting at my gate, I was informed that I was moved to the row by the emergency exit and was asked if I would be willing and able to assist, so I said yes and immediately started praying that nothing would happen on this flight. After all, it was still a window seat, and then I had extra leg room!


While on the plane, I was seated next to a lovely English couple from Yorkshire who I greatly enjoyed talking to. While it was no business class (like last year), the food was still pretty decent. I had the option to choose either chicken and rice or cheesy vegetable pasta, so I went with the pasta since it seemed like it would be easier to eat. After the meal, I decided to put on some music and try to get some sleep, which was difficult because a) the seat didn't recline very much and it was hard to get comfortable and b) the in flight movie was Beauty and the Beast (the new one!). It also seemed like there was a lot of turbulence, so the shaking kept waking me up. Overall, I would be very surprised if I got more than three hours of sleep, tops.


When we finally arrived in Manchester, we ended up having to wait twenty minutes to a half an hour on the plane since we arrived early and there was a plane at our gate. Once we got off and were able to stretch our legs, I discovered that the line and customs was extremely long, which negated any of the extra time we had since getting there early. By the time I got through and found my luggage, I was able to find my host right away. It was so good to see her! We got back to her house pretty fast, and I again couldn't believe that I was back here again. I sat with Cat for a little while over a cup of tea (which, after that flight, I enjoyed immensely) and then took a shower. As promised, I messaged one of the teenagers on the Merseybank estate that I've kept in touch with, and she walked with me to the café. Once we got there, I was able to catch up with a few of my friends from last year, which felt so good! After we spent a little while there, she walked me to her house so I could say hi to her sister, and then to the Eden team leader's house (who I also stayed with last year). I was able to see a few more familiar faces, and then we had our prayer meeting over lunch. Now obviously, I've missed these people and this place terribly, but I realized again how much I missed praying with them. It truly is at the heart of everything this team does on the estate.


After dinner (which was an incredible lasagna made by Cat) and Youth Café, the team gathered here for Grow Group. We read the letter to the church in Ephesus from Revelation 2 and had an amazing discussion on how it can apply to us today. In summary, the letter describes a church that is doing all of the right things, but the one thing that Jesus holds against them is that they have lost the love that it first had for Him. How easy is that for us to do? We get in a routine and start trying to check things off of the "Christian" list, and often we feel pretty good about it, but we've lost the passion that we had when we were first saved. Working in a church can even sometimes feel like that when the focus ends up being on trying to run everything just right or on the attendance and things like that. The solution that we landed on was that sometimes we need to go back to the foundation and try to reignite the awe and wonder of what Jesus did. Even if we think we're past that point or too spiritually mature, we need to remember that we're always learning and growing, and sometimes we simply need to remember what Jesus did for us when we truly did not deserve it.


By the time Grow Group finished after prayers, I headed straight to bed and slept in this morning. I'm feeling pretty good today and am looking forward to what lies ahead!


Cheers,

Lindsay

Manchester: The Sequel, Coming June 2017!

It's official. I'M GOING BACK TO MANCHESTER!!!

As many of you know, it's rare for me to hold a conversation without the phrase "When I was living in England" or "When I was living in Manchester" coming into it at some point. Ever since I left the incredible place that is the UK, I've been aching to return. God has placed an undeniable passion on my heart for England, and He's made a way for me to go back! Let me tell you how.

First, I need to take you back to the awful day that I had to leave London. The whole process of getting to Heathrow and getting on the plane had me choking back tears, and once our plane started moving, I couldn't hold them back anymore. I absolutely did not want to leave. But as hard as it was for me to leave London, it was even more heartbreaking leaving Manchester. As I was on the coach bus about to pull onto the motorway, we happened to be driving past the Merseybank estate, where I lived for those two weeks there. Immediately, the tears just started flowing. I couldn't help it. I didn't even care if other people on the coach saw or heard me. As much as it hurt, however, this was a confirmation to me that I really had found my mission field. Those two weeks in Manchester had been the best of my life. I felt more at home there than I had anywhere else, and I knew that I would do whatever I could to go back as soon as possible.

Now, let's fast-forward again to my return to the States from London. I was so desperate to find a way back to England that I did something drastic - I did MATH. I wanted to figure out how much I would have to save a week to have enough set aside to get back to Manchester by the following July, without stretching myself too thin. By then, I was at the end of July, so I had to do less than 52 weeks. I settled for 50 weeks and decided I would start that week. Then, I estimated what I would have spent on air fare for this past trip, had the miracle situation not worked out the way it had this time around (which I would love to tell you about if you haven't heard this story!). I added in a little bit for spending money, but mostly wanted to focus on the flight since that would be the biggest thing. My wonderful, amazing host families also invited me to stay with them again, so I didn't figure in hotel - I decided I would worry about that if it came up since I didn't want to spread myself too thin. Now, I probably could have found an easier day to do this, but I started multiplying dollar amounts by 50 to see what I would come up with. After a few tries, I multiplied $25 by 50 weeks and came up with a total of $1,250, which seemed like a good goal to me that would definitely cover a round trip economy flight. I then created a spreadsheet for myself to track my progress, and also committed to putting in extra whenever I could.

Since July 24, 2016, three days after returning from London, I've stayed faithful to this plan. I put in my leftover spending money from my first trip to get a head start and consistently set aside at least $25 each week to meet my goal. Now, as many of you know, I gave myself a concussion at the end of December and had to take some time off of work. Since it was over Christmas break and I don't get paid over breaks, I went a month without a paycheck and had to pull from savings to make end's meet. Right after I started getting paid again, I had a dogsitting job that paid me a very generous amount that, since I couldn't put in my weekly Manchester savings during that time due to doctor bills and things, helped me get back on track. Since then, I've been able to stay consistent! Praise God!

Now, as I said previously, I had estimated saving $1,250 by the beginning of July. By the end of April, however, I had already saved $1,190. So, since I already had the funds set aside and had just confirmed the dates of the trip with my host families, I decided it was time to book the flight! Which, as of yesterday evening, is exactly what I did! I will be leaving on June 28th and arriving back in the wonderful city of Manchester the following morning, and staying until July 14th. This trip will exclusively be for Manchester, so there will not be any side trips to London, but that is a-okay with me since I want as much time as possible in Manchester. I can't wait to be back with Ivy Church and the Eden Network, and all of the wonderful people that I met from both!

Friends, God is so faithful. He made a way for me to return to this amazing place that I love so dearly, and I can't wait to return and have so many more wonderful stories to share with you. God is moving in Manchester, and I am so humbled and thankful to even have the tiniest part of it.

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for me, supported me, and who have let me share my heart with you.
Blessings,
Lindsay