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
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