Can't To Party

Today, we were supposed to go to Scotland. Today's BBC News headline:

Landslides block main rail lines as rains hit Scotland 

"Both the main rail lines connecting Scotland and England have been blocked by landslides as heavy rains lash parts of the UK.

Warnings of thundery downpours across much of Scotland have also been issued.

Engineers are working to repopen the lines. Rail passengers have been advised not to attempt travel between Newcastle and Scotland."

All of Wednesday night was occupied by planning an epic adventure to Scotland, spending one night in Edinburgh and then continuing on to Loch Lomond just north of Glasgow. The planning was slow, full of distractions, & a even leaning on the un-enjoyable side because things simply weren't falling into place. 12:24am rolled around & we (me, jason, nick) decided we were finally ready to buy our train tickets; however, our plans were fully thwarted when search results revealed tick prices to have tripled in price making it completely impractical for us to go. Shambles. Discouragement, occasional kicking of ourselves, & unwanted feelings of lameness set in.

The next morning (thursday) we spent entirely too much time trying to make the not-meant-to-be-scotland-party work out, & moping afterwards once it didn't. Chris, Jason and I decided to go outside to catch some of the rare and treasured sun-rays beaming down on Birkdale. As the sunshine lit our skin, so did it relight a fire within each of us for living, and living well. So naturally, we decided to make a movie:

The Revengers

It wasn't until just after the Birkdale premier of The Revengers that I learned of the Landslides in Scotland. BOOM! KACHOW! POW! Everything suddenly came together and made sense--the Lord was protecting us and fully intended for us NOT to go to Scotland and be trapped there or get swept away in a sneaky landslide. His timing, 12:24am rolling around, the tedious and slow planning--they were all a part of His good and perfect plan for us. I could not see it at the time, but upon coming through it all the Father gently, sweetly, and humorously reminded of his sovereignty, faithfulness, and altogether perfect will.

Additionally, I read from Elisabeth Elliot's Through Gates of Splendor today and noted these quotes:

"And how do i know it is His counsel? 'Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night season.' Oh, how good! For I have known my heart in speaking to me for God!...No vision, no voices, but the counsel of a heart which desires God."


" I am as sure of His direction as I am of His salvation."


"We have arrived at the destination decided upon in 1950. My joy is full. Oh how blind it would have been to reject the leading of these days. How it has changed the course of life for me & added such a host of joys!" 


Oh how good it is to be continually walking in God's will; knowing that, regardless of what happens, it all happens in order to glorify His name! As our hearts draw nearer to God, so they begin to increasingly desire what His heart desires. Psalm 37 says "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart". How beautifully everything was crafted to work together!

" I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." -Psalm 119:32

3x5

Resourceful, I'd say.

Roseberry Topping

(Old) York

 Views from Hartburn

England quite possibly has THE BEST sunsets

Life @TheBirkdaleHouse

 

Our company has been reduced to eight. Both Elaina and Sterling have now returned to America. Today has been strange, it is as if all day Birkdale has been missing something, floating in a dream-like & restless state waiting for their impractical return to shake us from said state. It is quite sad to see these two go, but joyous to look back on how each of them challenged and encouraged me. Oh and what a time we made of their last two days! 

Put simply: we merely enjoyed each others company to the fullest extent.

England vs. Ukraine Futbol Match at Cleveland-Bay Pub

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them."  Acts 4:32-34 

Birkdale Baby

England has been challenging, but in ways altogether different than Camp. Here I am not constantly challenged to serve those around me, nor shepherding a cabin of young girls, nor having to Literally rely on the Lord's strength for lack of my own physical strength. However, I have been learning how to do ministry in a "real life" way with "real life" distractions and circumstances. Finding ways to bring up the Gospel in casual conversation with a British child who has been subjected to greater perversion than I have ever (undesirably) encountered at a secular university, has experienced such brokenness, & who simply has not been raised with the morals most Americans (regardless whether they're Christians) have. I have never been spoken to so derogatory than I have by the 13-16yr old boys we've encountered at the parks. In those moments, I have to pray for the Lord's strength in remembering that God created these boys, just as He created me, and longs for them to return to His heart. I am neither condemning nor condoning this people group which I have come to love, but rather presenting the challenges I have faced in ministering to them. 

Victoria Park, Thornaby

On a lighter note, yesterday we finally returned to Thornaby. My heart ACHES for Thornaby. It was quite sweet re-visiting the children we built friendships with all last week. I spent most of my time there with three kids--Lily, Elle, & Caden. The four of us played "Lost in the Jungle" in the bushes along the perimeter of Victoria Park, constructing a "house" using bamboo-like sticks for walls and giant leaves for carpet. We even broke off branches of flowers to decorate the "house" for Christmas. Possibly my favorite moment was when Lily grabbed hold of a low tree branch & began shaking it exclaiming, "Look! It's snowing! It's snowing!" (in a British accent) as Elle and Caden quickly ran under the tree to jump, dance, & laugh in the falling flowers of snow. These children reminded me of the simplicity of life, the joy with which we should approach all things, and the sweetness of friendship.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, 

for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive

 the kingdom of God like a little child 

will never enter it"

This week we have been doing assemblies at Northshore Academy, playing three songs and having one person sharing their Testimony. It amazes me that the schools allow us to speak the Gospel so freely and share what God has done in our lives. Additionally, I have finally fulfilled my lifelong dream of being a drummer in a band--using Jason's guitar case to lay some sick beats.

 

O God let us be

A generation that seeks

That seeks your face

O God of Jacob

Satisfied

Monday night Bible studies are one of my favorite parts of the week here in England. Tonight we had a Q & A with about 12 of our younger girls, making friendship bracelets and enjoying Kookie's delicious cookie cake.
The older girls came after this--it was both refreshing and altogether enjoyable getting to know both Pennie & Emily better. All of the girls that come are stinkin cool, i've decided that is just part of the essence of being British.
My prayer for these girls, older & younger alike (myself included), is that they would be SATISFIED in the Lord God. Completely SATISFIED in His great love, plan & creation, regardless of circumstances, trials, or what society tells them.

 

 Satisfied In You, The Sing Team

We spent the majority of the day today in Middlesbrough, stopping by Audacious--a Christian social network--and then hitting the main street to shop. I hate shopping. Today confirmed that. It overwhelms me and exercises my indecisive "muscles" (irritating, but possibly beneficial?).

In the past five days, our team has:

• Hiked to the top of Roseberry Topping
• Traveled to York
• Adventured in the most beautiful Lake District
• Seen a stretch of the Olympic Torch Relay
• Improved our British accents with the help of the local children

Adventure details to come in the very near future!

@BirkdaleHouse Update:  "CIVIL WAR" has begun between the ladies and the young men of the Birkdale House. The spark for "war" occured when Chris caught us wearing the boys clothes & filming a video outside the house. The flame was fully ignited when the boys proceeded to lock me in the Conservatory as their hostage. Needless to say, I did not crack under interrogations. Incredible video to come in the days ahead....

Somersaults

 

In The Garden

Pray for Thornaby. Pray that the kids in that area would KNOW the great & endless love that Christ has for them, and that they would truly understand the meaning & the power of the Gospel. Mon--Thurs of this week we have been sowing seeds in Victoria Park of Thornaby at our Wild Wild West Kids Club. Oh how quickly my heart has come to love these kids--Demi, Chloe, Grace, Lilly, Zoe, Kaitlyn, Olivia & so many more--I want them to KNOW Christ!!!

Thornaby is an immensely dark area. The kids told us it's considered "not normal" if there's not at least one fight a day there. We were pioneers in hosting a Kids Club in the area, & I truly believe Thornaby has been forever changed--changed not because of anything WE did, but only because the Holy Spirit has begun to stir up "dry bones" & these people are now seeing glimpses of the love of Christ.

Ezekiel 37

"The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know. ”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ’”

My heart breaks for these kids when i look into their eyes and into their lives. I pray that they would "taste and see that the Lord is good"...And that there is NO greater love than the love of Christ.

 We have also been going to Thornaby Academy, working alongside a team from Texarkana, and running Sports for the kids as well as telling them about our faith. All of the kids LOVE that we are American, and always guess that I am only 17 years old.


Saltburrrrn SHawtiez.....

Worship at Saltburn

PhotoCred: Hannah Elizabeth Taylor

"When i find myself by the sea
in an others company

by the sea
when i go out to the pier
gonna dive and have no fear"

#SumMaRoOmiEzZ

I live with nine of the most talented people I've probably ever met. In the Birkdale House we have five musicians, two of which have written and recorded incredible songs; a National Geographic caliber photographer; a brilliant play-write; a somersault/useful life-skills extraordinaire; a website designer; & lit-erally the best dancing "cowboy" I've ever met. We've been teaching each other our respective skills--and today, yes today, Elaina, Savannah & I learned to Somersault.

Altogether English

Yesterday was a day that left my mind unable to rest. It made me not want to sleep because i did not want to stop living for even a moment. It was a day altogether English.

We begun the day by traveling to Whitby, a fantastic town located on the Yorkshire Coast. Most of the streets were covered with brick and Brits, and at every moment there was an ice-cream (most commonly referred to here as "Whippy") shop within eyesight. Ideal? Yes.

If I could forever captured one aspect of Whitby, it would be the sounds of the seagulls flying overhead as we climbed the 199 steps to St. Mary's Church and Whitby Abbey. The elevated view and sounds were overwhelmingly enjoyable. Climbing the ruins of the Abbey added some much needed adventure to the trip, and momentarily I felt I was climbing at Lake Lincoln just outside Fayetteville. After eating my first genuine Fish & Chips at the famous Magpie, our crew spent the rest of the day drinking in the culture of the streets & local shops of Whitby.

Now for my favorite part of the day--our drive through The Moors. In England, the weather is bi-polar. It rains nearly everyday, but is also always sunny at some point(s). Despite the challenges this presents in hosting outdoor kids-clubs and cookouts, choosing proper attire to wear for the day, and justifying showering when ones hair is only going to get wet, I view this as an entirely good thing. Because the weather is always changing, the skies consistently have such a depth to them that do nothing but sing praise to their Creator.

Bon Iver couldn't have captured the drive better with his falsetto, "Hulled far from the highway aisle/I could see for miles, miles, miles". Rolling hills of vibrant greens and yellows, hand-made fences of stone dividing the land, and quaint hidden villages that I would quite happily move to. And inside no enclosure were the friendliest sheep roaming about. Several times we opened the van door to stop and "talk" to sheep, and we definitely considered snatching one up to come live at the Birkdale House with us.

Near the end of our drive through the seemingly endless Moors, we had to ford a river. When I saw the sign, I American-ly thought "Henry Ford". Wrong. It meant "River Ford". Oregon Trail? It definitely felt like it, only slightly more exciting. The best part was when the car behind us (the other half of our group + Mrs Taylor) paused in (expected) fear, but then bravely rolled swiftly across it and Mr Taylor proudly declared, "My wife is so incredible. What a woman she is".

We ended our English Day by going to see The Panoramic (our new British friend's Indie band) at an English Pub in Stockton. We danced, we sang, we navigated the 3.2 miles home in the rain.

After all of this living, Elaina, Savannah, & I could not sleep. So naturally, we sat in our loft and sang musicals until our minds were content with resting.

And So It Begins

Wearing the shoes I've traveled the most miles in (my running shoes), today i traveled the most miles i have ever been--4.612 miles across the great Atlantic to Manchester, England. Despite the mere 2 hours of sleep I recieved on the plane, I could not shut my eyes on the train ride to Yarm due to the incredible landscape of Northeastern England. My favorite part by far were the families of sheep gallivanting across stone-enclosed fields. Repeatedly, God compares us His children to sheep:
"The Lord is my shepherd, i lack no thing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul" (Psalm 23).

Occasional hills were covered in the brightest and fullest yellow flowers I have ever laid eyes upon, reminding me, "Not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these" (Matt 6:29).

I am finally here. And i am so excited to see how God works in me & through me, as well as our entire team, this summer.

"This life is not godliness, but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is becoming cleansed."    -Martin Luther