Brave

I can’t believe this season is coming to a close. I feel like I’ve lived here for years, but I also feel like I just got here six weeks ago. So much has happened: some amazing, some hard, and some just normal life moments.

Europe was an amazing experience. Traveling through France, Belgium, Germany, and Spain was a great adventure. We had fun exploring new cities, seeing history come to life, and just appreciating different cultures. Some of the trip was hard – figuring out where to go (especially in train/metro stations), language barriers, and sleeping on trains. Sometimes it was a rough and long journey – but always so worth it. I’m thankful for everyone who encouraged us on the adventure. Tiffany and I needed to be pushed out of our comfort zones again; and we also got to see and explore new things. It was the icing on top of a wonderful season of life.

To be honest with you, sometimes it amazes me this 9 month adventure even happened. Adventurous and brave were never adjectives I used to describe myself. Sometimes I’ve wondered what I’m even doing here. I’ve always considered myself a homebody – I have a great life in Texas. Why leave? Well, when I was finally honest with myself I realized I left because I was scared. With graduation looming, the idea of living abroad seemed so romantic. I was running away from being an adult. I wasn’t ready. In the wonderful way God works, however, I ended up running to the harder, more growing option.

Sometimes it’s hardest to see the way you have grown – I know I’ve struggled with seeing fruit in this season. But God is so much bigger than my blind eyes. He has lead and grown me in this season. I’ve learned more about who God is and who He says I am. And one of those words is brave. I am made brave by the love of Jesus. And in that knowledge I will bravely board the plane on Friday. I will miss my third home and the wonderful people I’ve met in this season (whether for a day or for the whole 9 months). I will forever cherish this season, these people, Glasgow, Scotland, and the whole of the United Kingdom. But on Friday I bravely board the plane and joyously look forward to a new, exciting and somewhat unknown future in Dallas. And I can’t wait.

Adventure is out there.

30 Days: Looking Back and Moving Forward

30 days. In 30 days I will be back in the great state of Texas, enjoying my family, friends, and some good food (aka chick-fil-a, tex-mex, bbq, etc.).

I can’t believe how quickly my time has gone here. There is a part of me that remembers so vividly getting on that plane, my training in London and Wales, and my first cold few weeks here like it was just the last few weeks. But when I think of the friendships I’ve made, and look around this beautiful city, I feel like I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve come a long way since my first train ride by myself at night where I had to basically do everything in my power to not cry or have a full on panic attack haha.

Since the games ended, life has been very normal here. I’ve been going to work about three times a week, enjoying more time with my YWAM housemates, and some adventures.

I got to go down south to Hadrian’s Wall with some of the YWAM staff and Tiffany. We had a great time!! It was one of my bucket list items. It was so cool to see a Roman wall, some parts of it were built starting in AD 122-128. That’s crazy!! It was an amazing experience, and I’m so glad we got to do it, as well as spend some time in the adorable and cozy town of Carlisle.

The next two weekends are pretty busy. The YWAM teams will leave for outreach starting on Saturday. The house will be almost empty again (like how it was when we first got here) as three teams go to four different countries on outreach. They will get to share God’s love in different parts of Europe and Asia. Please be praying for them as they go. I’m so sad they are leaving (the house just won’t be the same), but I’m so excited for what God is going to do and show them while they are gone.

Next Thursday the 18th is the referendum. Scotland will vote for independence or to stay united with the rest of the UK. Please be praying for wisdom, as well as peace. My biggest concern is the potential for disunity after the vote. If you want to know more, the New York Times did an informative article about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/world/europe/britain-promises-scotland-more-self-rule-if-it-rejects-independence.html?_r=1

The next day, Friday the 19th, More Than Gold is having a thanksgiving service. We are inviting everyone who was a part of the organization to celebrate all that God did. It will be an amazing time of sharing testimonies and reminding the church of the unity they found in this season. But it will be bittersweet, as that is the last day we will be working with everyone. Some have already moved on to new jobs, which is so exciting. God brought together the most wonderful team of people for us to work with, and I have been blessed by all of them.

So you might wonder what then, I will do in the three weeks after that and what exactly I will be doing. To be honest, my homesickness is getting worse. As each day gets closer to home, I get more impatient and ready to be with my loved ones. God has been teaching me about joy in circumstances (the grass is always greener…), and growing me in trust and patience. I would appreciate prayers for this, as it is very difficult in some moments, especially when we have a lot of down time (which there has been quite a bit of).

But also, Tiffany and I plan to do some traveling to Europe! Whoo! The plan has changed a lot over the past month, but we are finally getting our plans finalized and booked. We will probably be spending a week at the end of September/beginning of October on the continent – mainly in Germany and Spain (with a few stops along the way). We are both excited to see what awaits us there! I know this will be a great time of exploring this beautiful world, and seeing God just through this time of traveling. Prayers for safety and that trains and travel all work out okay (we didn’t have the best of luck when we went to Paris in May, but God worked it all out).

We will also spend some time saying goodbye to the city as well as Scotland. A day trip to Edinburgh is for sure in the works, with some other ideas and options being looked at.

Thank you for walking with me in this season and for your prayers. They mean a lot to me. I can’t wait to see each of you soon. Be sure to keep up on Facebook as I post pictures. I will do my best to keep everyone updated on these last few weeks! See you soon!

The Commonwealth Games

Well, the Commonwealth Games have come and gone. It’s surreal to think this event, the buildup of the past year, is over. It’s been a bit of a struggle to process it honestly. But there was so much done, that I can’t even begin to thank God for all he did in this time.

My job specifically: my job was actually mostly done by the times the games actually got started. Our hard season was the matching in June, and getting that all worked out. We had a few problems, but nothing major really happened. I got to meet a few of the guests and hosts at the welcome centre, which was enjoyable. It’s been a big blessing to read the thank yous from guests and hosts alike. They made great friendships, got to attend events and explore Scotland together, and so much more. I pray seeds of God’s love were planted in those moments. Many guests said they couldn’t have come otherwise. What an amazing way to show Scottish hospitality.

The city itself: Glasgow bustled and gleamed. We had fairly nice weather most days which was lovely. The city centre was packed with people from all over the world. You saw the volunteers and athletes with their badges and uniforms, it was just surreal. There was so much excitement in the air. I was blessed to attend the first night of the rugby sevens. It was amazing to hear the Scots and the guests cheering for the underdog, countries like Uganda, who didn’t have much support physically there. I enjoyed watching it too! Very fast paced. It was also the first time I got to experience an international competition. I loved getting to see different countries compete and do their best in this once in a lifetime moment.

What More Than Gold did: now this is where I will never begin to fully understand all God did. MTG volunteers were all over the city, in churches, in communities, loving on people. There is a big church on the Main Street in the city centre that had its doors open every day, provided tea and coffee, as well as a cool place to sit down. Churches opened their doors to complete strangers for the opening ceremonies. Teams came and loved on kids and churches that were really struggling. It was a blessing to spend the last weekend with the Greater Europe Mission short term teams and staff. On the last night we heard their stories, and man was it cool. It was a blessing to Tiffany and I to hear their stories of being the hands and feet of Jesus. All of our hard days became worth it in those stories and moments. It was a real encouragement and blessing to be a part of that night.

Going forward: there is still some things to be wrapped up. We are having a thank you event for our hosts in August, as well as one for everyone involved in MTG in September. Tiffany and I have some travel plans that we are trying to coordinate. Please be praying though. It has been a bit of a rough transition for us. It’s hard for an event to come and go like this. We are both looking forward to October, and beyond, but we also don’t want to loose out on the next few weeks. I don’t want to waste the last of my time here. I would appreciate prayers in this home-stretch of our time here. I know it will be bittersweet to leave this land and people who I’ve come to love.

Thank you for your prayers and support in this season. I couldn’t have done this without you. I can’t wait for the day where we will hear all of the stories and all that God did in this nation and in the hearts of his people.

It’s Almost Here!!

June has flown by! The games will be taking place starting July 23! They are finally here! In a little more than 20 days, a large part of the world will be tuned in to Glasgow! It’s so exciting to see the city come alive, and soon it will be full of people from all over the world! I can’t wait.

Work has been good; it continues to be busy every week. The majority of our guests and hosts have accepted their arrangements. We’ve placed everyone somewhere, but a few still have issues with their placements (due to distance). God is so good in that he has provided housing for everyone. I’m excited to see what comes of these relationships.

The first guest comes in on July 10, and they continue to come in until around the 28th. The busiest of those days will be between the 20-25. Please be praying for our team as we meet the guests and they meet their host. It will be a lot of running around for us, but it will be such a blessing to meet some of these people face to face! I’m not sure exactly what my role will be this month, but I’m excited to be a part of it. Also, please be praying for any problems that might arise. We obviously hope everything will run smoothly, but do understand that something could arise at the last minute.

God is going to do really awesome things here this month. It has been an honor to serve with More Than Gold. I am so excited to see all of our work come to fruition. Thank you for continuing to pray with us. Next month I hope to have a great update on the games and all that God has done.

If you want to keep up a bit more frequently during the games, like our page on Facebook, More Than Gold 2014. That will be a good way to keep up with all of the different teams and what is going on here.

Hoping all is well back home! Thank you for your prayers and support. It means so much to me.

Paris and other adventures with Phillip!

I was really blessed at the end of May by a visit from my most wonderful boyfriend! We had some pretty amazing adventures. Sometimes life gets bogged down and I get busy with day to day life, but when I have visitors I am reminded of the joy of living in a foreign country. This adventure was no exception.

Phillip arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and we spent the afternoon exploring Glasgow. The next day he came in to the office and helped me with work, and then I took him on a date to the West End (one of my favorite parts of Glasgow). It was fun to show him my world, and to see it through his eyes. I also loved being able to have a normal date that didn’t involve the internet (as wonderful a blessing that has been, there is something about being able to interact in person haha).

The next day we were off to Paris with Tiffany! That was an adventure in itself. On the way down to London our train got delayed and then we couldn’t release the brakes. By the time we finally got to London we had just missed our train to Paris, so we had to wait a few hours for the next available train. We finally arrived and met up with one of my best friends Jonathan, his lovely sister Kathryn who I had met before, and another DBU alum TJ. Since we got in so late we didn’t do too much except have dinner and a chat (Phillip fell in love with kebabs on this trip!) Jonathan and Kathryn have spent the past few months traveling through Europe together, starting in Istanbul and ending in London. You can read their blog here: hoogsineurope.wordpress.com. I loved being able to catch up with these old friends and explore Paris together!

The next two days involved a lot of sight-seeing, laughing, eating, exploring, and learning how to be flexible (a true key in any travel haha). We got to see the Eiffel Tower (it’s rather large and kind of hard to miss), Notre Dame, the Louvre, the mueso D’orsay, the river Sine, the gardens, the view from the top of the galleries layfette of the entire city, and so much more.

Overall it was an amazing trip, but there were a few really special moments. I loved getting to have a Disney nerd moment at Notre Dame with Phillip. We even listened to “God Help the Outcasts” from the soundtrack! Getting to see the beautiful stained glass windows and just the architecture was amazing. I also really enjoyed the view from the Galleries Layfette! It was a hidden gem recommend by a friend I work with, and it was well worth it. We had some issues trying to all meet up there, but you can get on the roof of this large department store and it gives a beautiful view of Paris. We had fun goofing off up there, although I’m quite afraid of heights so I stayed far away from the edges. We also ended up watching the artistic movie Midnight in Paris at midnight. That was a great movie moment with some really good friends.

I couldn’t think of a better group to have this adventure with. I love all of the people that I’ve meet here and have become close to, but it was so encouraging to be with old friends. It is a blessing to have friendships that go back a few years and who you’ve walked through life with. I can’t imagine my weekend in Paris being any better.

We left on Sunday the 25th which happened to be Phillip’s birthday! We surprised him with pastries and a bacon sandwich from Mcdonalds (thanks again for going out and getting that Kathryn and Jonathan!). We ended up being delayed in Paris by our train, and again missed our connection in London. So we spent the day on trains and didn’t get back into Glasgow until about midnight. (And our awesome boss picked us up and gave us a lift home!) The three train rides were very fun, however. Tiffany and Phillip enjoyed goofing off and contemplating our deaths in the Chunnel as we drove through. I’m very thankful for these two friends and all the laughter, because that is the only way to survive long train rides.

On Monday we obviously slept in and spent most of the day watching movies and tv shows. It was really fun to just have a day off and enjoy each other’s company. Phillip also got to know everyone in the house and we had some pretty fun moments and conversations. I’m so thankful for my family here and Phillip being able to be a part of that.

On Tuesday we journeyed in to Edinburgh! We did quite a bit of shopping and walking along the Royal Mile. We stopped in at the Elephant House (where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter) which was another good nerd moment. We had fun walking up and down the mile and seeing the lovely city.

It was really hard to say goodbye to Phillip, but I’m so thankful for the time we had together. It was an amazing experience to be able to travel and see so many new things together, but it was also nice to show him my world here. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Thanks for coming Phillip!

(This message has been approved by Phillip Hill.)

Life and Work Update: The Games are Coming!

So life has obviously been crazy the past few weeks. I’ve loved it but it has made it a bit harder to blog!

I will soon be posting a blog about my time with Phillip and the trip to Paris, but until then, here is what has happened since he left!

My friend Meredith came and visited for two days! She was a total blessing to me. Because of the timing with work, she and I didn’t really get to explore much of Glasgow, but her servant heart encouraged me. She jumped in to one of my busiest work weeks (the matching of guests and hosts) and served alongside of us. She was a blessing and I’m so glad God blessed us with some time to chatted catch up. She was between mission trips in Leeds and Germany, and I’m so thankful she spent her down time helping me.

Between her and the team from the University of Georgia (they came to serve in the YWAM house for two weeks), God reminded me of how much something simple like painting a room, cleaning an attic, or helping keep papers organized can really bless someone. Sometimes I get bogged down by my office work, but that is the way I’m serving God and others in this season. It is isn’t just some silly task, it is what I’ve been called to do, and called to do it well and with love and mercy. I’m so thankful for all of the people who reminded me of that lesson.

Work has been crazy but I think we are on the other side of things. We have matched more than 150 guests with about 90 hosts so far. We still have about 20-30 that we are trying to place. Last week we sent out all of the information for the guests and hosts, which was also a big undertaking. Now we are getting responses of people with their agreement or concerns. Many Clyde-Siders are concerned with distance or transport.

Please be praying for our team as we deal with the problems, and also that everyone involved in the process with show grace and patience. It is a lot to organize so many people. It’s been an incredible learning process, and God has taught me quite a bit about myself. I’m learning to believe more in myself and my decisions, as well as how to manage my expectations and duties for those I work with.

Hopefully all will be sorted in the next few weeks. The games are less than 40 days away! I can’t believe that summer is here. I’m so excited for the arrival of all our guests and to see all of our hard work as More Than Gold put into action! It will be an amazing experience to be a part of the Commonwealth Games 2014!

Busy.

So life is about to pick up for me, and I’m both anxious and incredibly excited. Work has been pretty busy, but starting on Sunday May 18th, almost every day seems to be planned for about 3 weeks. I would really appreciate prayer over these few weeks as life will be wonderful but also just very crazy.

Sunday May 18th I will be going with a number of other MTG staff to Edinburgh for an event called Heart and Soul. It is and large exhibition under the Church of Scotland. They are expecting 5000 people. We will have a booth and sharing about the social justice issues, the queen’s baton, and the Homestay Programme. It will be an all day event, so prayers for the right people to come and hear what we stand for.

Monday May 19th the house becomes more alive with University of Georgia team for a few weeks. 12 people will be living with us and helping serve YWAM and the community. It will be the largest group yet, so just flexibility as our numbers begin to increase. I’m both excited and a bit nervous about this new season with a full house.

Tuesday May 20th Phillip gets here!!! And obviously lots of adventures planned with him, including Paris Thursday 22- Sunday 25. He leaves on Wednesday the 28th. It will be an amazing and busy week. I’m so excited to share my world with him and make new memories. Prayers as we travel and just that we enjoy our time together. It has been four months since we’ve seen each other, and will be about that long on the other side. It will be hard to say goodbye, but I’m blessed that he can even come and visit.

After he leaves my two out of town bosses will be making it back into the office and we will have our host trainings. So we will be busy as I catch up on anything I’ve missed and as we prepare to meet and train our hosts.

The first week of June we will be matching hosts and guests. Obviously a big and full week. I’m really excited about this, but it will be a lot of work. Please be praying for wisdom in this time. God has a plan of who will be where, and we want to serve and honor Him in this. It is such a simple thing, but as Christians we are called to share Christ’s love in this way. Be praying for our hosts to have moments to share, through actions and words. The actual process will probably a bit crazy, so just for us as an office to be able to work well in this week.

And sometime between the host training and matching, my home and social life will pick up as well. One of my oldest and dearest friends Meredith will be stopping by for a few days. She will be between adventures of her own. Be praying for her as she serves in England and that our time together will be refreshing for her between activities.

At home, our Discipleship Training School will start May 31. There are 8 people, as well as a family, coming. This is what the YWAM staff has been working toward, teaching and training this group. After months of anticipation, I know it will be exciting to meet these people and watch how The Lord grows them and uses them in our community. The prayer is for good community to be built, and just for these new friends to grow well in The Lord. I’m a bit nervous to live with so many people under one roof, but I also know it is an amazing opportunity to grow and learn.

So there are lots of ways to pray! And I am so thankful for all of you and your support! 🙂

Adventure Is Out There!!

So April provided the biggest blessing in that I got to travel and go on quite a few adventures (with a few more lined up). So I’ve been down to Cambridge, to Edinburgh twice, and also got to spend a few days in London with my parents. Crazy!

The Lord has been showing me recently that I’m actually more adventurous than I believed myself to be. Now I know that seems silly and not important, but it has been rocking my world. God knows me better than I know myself, and has blessed me with these opportunities. I’ve gotten to see things I’ve studied and daydreamed about. It is overwhelming sometimes what a blessing it is to be here and see these things. Being a history nerd and getting to see stuff hundreds of years old is humbling. I can’t put my feelings into many words except blessed, overwhelmed, and humbled.

So I think I will try and do a short summary of my trips. I could write more, but I’m trying to keep it short haha.

Cambridge – I went down to visit one of my bosses. I saw lots of cool things and enjoyed being with her and her family, but my favorite moment was King’s College Chapel. I remember studying this and how it was not completed because of the War of the Roses. Some of it was even completed by one of my favorite kings, Henry VIII. I got to see that. I actually cried in the chapel, because I just felt how much Jesus loved me, getting to see that. It still gives me chills to think about it.

Edinburgh – I’ve been twice now, once with two lovely ladies from GEM and Tiffany, and a second time with my parents and Tiffany. It has a much different feel than Glasgow, more tourist friendly. Both were beautifully sunny days full of fun and good conversation. It just kind of felt nice to be a tourist in Scotland. We got to see the castle, hear bagpipes, see where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter, I got to hold and pet an owl, and see other historical cool things. It’s been pretty great, and I look forward to more adventures there.

London – it is hard to sum up the week with my parents in London. I really love London you guys, it is one of the most diverse cities I’ve ever been to. My parents and I saw so much in London, and even journeyed out to Oxford and Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). All of my nerdy sides came out: history, literature, movies, and television. I also got to see the Kahalia girls, which was such a night of encouraging fellowship. It was refreshing to be with my parents and get away and show them this amazing place. I know they enjoyed it just as much. It was hard to say goodbye, but a blessing and memory I know we will all cherish.

The cool aspect about all of these things is also my reaction upon returning. Glasgow feels like home now. It’s good to get away, but it also reminds us how nice home can be. So my heart officially has a third home here, and I’m okay with that.

More Than Gold

So, I haven’t been the best at telling everyone about my day to day life, what I am doing here in Glasgow. It is one of those things where it feels so normal to me that I forget I haven’t updated you all!

On Mondays I work at the Youth With A Mission house and not with More Than Gold(MTG). We help around the house and serve alongside of the wonderful staff we get to live with. But I will save that for another blog.

Tuesdays through Fridays, I walk about a mile and a half (with hills) to the train station after our 8 AM prayer time. I walk with the two other wonderful women I get the pleasure to live and work with: my roommate Tiffany and Ish. We then take the 25 minute train ride into Glasgow. The walk can be hard some days, especially when it is raining, but I get to see some really beautiful parks, trees, and mountains. I love the train ride too; I’ve always loved looking out the car window, so getting to do that every day on the train is great. We pull into Glasgow Central and continue our walk over the River Clyde on the footbridge across to our little offices.

There are quite a few different teams and facets that make up MTG. All of the people I work with are very lovely, and it feels like a small family. On Wednesdays, whoever is in the office meets up for lunch. Someone will usually give a devotional message (I gave one a few weeks ago that will also hopefully make its way into a blog soon) and we will enjoy prayers and fellowship. There are some native Scots as well as a few Brits to balance us all out. Everyone works well together and there is a great dynamic of people. I’m so thankful for each one of them and what they are teaching me about The Lord and life.

I work on the Homestay team. There are four of us: David, the head boss who is actually based in Atlanta, GA; Lucy, the guest coordinator, who is down in Cambridgeshire; and then Rebecca, our host coordinator who is based locally and is in the office with me most often. I am the administrative assistant who works between them all.

We are working on providing housing for athlete families as well as the official games volunteers (also know as Clyde-Siders). My role consists of balancing all of the administrative tasks; since I am in the office most often, I make sure everything is up to date, respond to emails and phone calls, as well as assisting the host and guest coordinators with any tasks they need help with. Soon we will begin the process of matching hosts and guests.

We have had a lot of interest in the project, and I’m so thankful to be able to provide housing for the volunteers. Please be praying that we continue to get in more hosts as we get closer to the games. The more hosts we have, the better we can serve the guests who are coming in.

I’m really thankful for all of the people The Lord has placed in my path and this opportunity. Although I’m not super sporty, this ministry has been great at reminding me of how much I enjoy doing administration work and helping those around me. It is a blessing to be here and I am thankful to be here in this season and learning what God has for me.

Have a great week!

Clouds

Today I got to enjoy a beautiful, overcast walk through parks and around the West End. This passage in my devotional a few days ago could not have come at a more fitting time. So blessed by The Lord, so I felt like sharing.

“Clouds”
Amy Carmichael

This evening the clouds lay low on the mountains, so that sometimes we could hardly see them, and sometimes the stars were nearly all covered. But always, just when it seemed as though the mountains were going to be quite lost in the mist, the higher peaks pushed out, and whereas the dimmer stars were veiled, the brighter ones shone through. Even supposing the clouds had wholly covered the face of the mountains, and not a stat had shone through the piled-up masses, the mountains would still have stood steadfast, and the stars would not have ceased to shine.
I thought of this and found it very comforting, simple as it is. Our feelings do not affect God’s facts. They may blow up like clouds and cover the eternal things that we do most truly believe. We may not see the shining of the promises, but still they shine; and the strength of the hills that is His also, is not for one moment less because of our human weakness.
Heaven is no dream. Feelings come and go like clouds, but the hills and the stars abide.

The Lord also reminded me of a quote from C.S. Lewis. “But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not worried by our sins, or our indifference; and therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him.”

“The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, The Lord is robed in majesty and armed in strength. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken…but mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers of the shore-The Lord above is mightier than these.” Psalm 93:1,4

God is bigger. So we rest in His faithfulness, even when we do not quite know where we stand. Praise God for His faithfulness.

Goodnight my friends.