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