SSPC BLOG

So it has taken me a bit but i finally succeeded in siting down and finding the time to write you all about my trip so far. It's kinda crazy how much stuff the team and i have actually done so far. To catch you up if you haven't read the "info" portion of the blog, i'm in a borough (outside of central London) called Ealing. The team and I are staying here for culture training and sonship training till Wednesday. We'll move to Camden for the remaining portion of our summer. As of now, we are living in a dorm like building with students and visitors from all over the world! I've met people from Brazil, Cyprus, France, Italy, Sweden, and India... just naming a few. The atmosphere where we are staying is so so friendly and very relaxed. At around 6 or 7 the team and i eat dinner outside with everyone, then we all sit around for a few hours just talking and learning about one another. Well, for those of us that are new to London... Some of the students have been there for a couple of years. This past thursday night, the team and i went to a pub until around 11pm then we came back to find everyone dancing in the yard to all kinds of music ranging from Lady gaga, techno, to the cupid shuffle. I ended up talking with a friend who came to London from Brazil just to study English and experience life. I find that so cool cause he is around my age and i don't think i would have enough guts to come to a place where i don't know anyone just for an adventure. I would definitely consider myself spontaneous but i don't think i would be able to be that bold. So, needless to say, our conversation was so interesting cause i didn't end up going to bed until 2am. One of the first things that i've noticed about the people here (and it's very refreshing) is that they are so interested in me and about my culture and life. These people are not burdened to go "do" something. Everyone is very content with just being together and hanging out. In America i find that in order to have the most fun, college age people have to be doing something all the time. People aren't as content with just being together, talking, and getting on a real personal level with each other. Lol we don't necessarily want to be with each other we just don't want to be alone and feeling like a loser. Therefore, conversation usually stays shallow. I mean this is just a generalization but most of the time our mindsets are... "what can hanging out w/ that person do for me." I get a total different feel with the people i've recently met. They aren't satisfied with the surface conversation. They ask me about my values and thoughts about all kinds of subjects. This makes me feel appreciated and i really respect them cause they seem to honestly want to get to know the real me... Not just use me to make themselves feel cool or for whatever else they might needing... Anyway, what else have we done? Well, we went to central London on our day off yesterday and went to the British Museum... I ended up not really getting to look at a whole lot cause God blessed me with a run in with a fellow believer. We ended up talking for about an hour in front of the greek parthenon exhibit about many things. I ended up talking mostly about the law vs freedom and how we as christians are not bound to the law of moses anymore. (this convo will be better off further explained in person, but i just wanted to say that i was so encouraged by it! To everyone who is praying that i meet people and form genuine relationships with them, please keep praying because God is answering them!) We also got the chance to visit South Hall. This is a borough where many of the Indian culture choses to gather and live. To give you a lil picture of it, imagine what India looks like and you've got a really good idea what i encountered. I got to where i would be surprised to see a white person while i was in South Hall... Lol i would be thinking.. "why are you here? Your'e not Indian." :) While i was there, me and a few others bought some Indian desserts. And i absolutely loved them! It was so different from what i have ate in america. The flavors were so distinct and unique. I couldnt even begin to tell you what it was called. (i took a picture of the lil cafe that we got them in. So you can check it out on fb if you want.) So for some randomness that i would like to share. I would have never guessed that i would have trouble understanding English... lol but lots of the older folks here in Ealing that talk to me speak very very fast and i have trouble understanding them. I kinda feel dumb so i just usually nod and act like i can understand. Hope they didn't catch on. lol We have about a 5 min walk from our flat to one of the team leaders flats... and i just wanted to share that most of the houses have beautiful flowers in their yards and it makes the smell so amazing!! The area we are staying has lots of upper class home owners. Ha, funny story... I was walking to Joel's flat by myself one day, and i decided to take my time and get some pics. Well i stopped at one of the houses that i liked to snap a quick pic, and i am almost 99% sure there was a lady that saw me and prolly thought i was a weird american girl that was stalking her home. And last, i really love the fact that there are so many cute little children that walk around with their parents in their lil school uniforms on plastic scooters. If you read the Madeline stories when you were younger (the little french girl who wore the hat w/ the ribbon hanging off the back, or saw the movie my little princess) your picture of the children here is dead on. They are so independent and confident in public... regardless of their age or how young they are. I saw two little girls eating ice cream, walking down the sidewalk at about 3:30 in the afternoon by themselves. They couldn't have been any older than 8 or 9. Ok if you are getting tired reading all this... hang in there cause i have one more things to share. (I promise this will be the longest blog of the summer) :) The best thing that has happened to me so far is definitely the amazing training that Joel and Sarah (our team leaders) have given me. The whole idea is that they really want us to dig deep and examine ourselves, our sin, and our weaknesses and cover all that with the blood of Christ that was shed for us on the Cross. They are teaching us how to live daily, relying on the power of the spirit. They've been teaching us how to expose the sin that is deep within our hearts and not be driven to despair, but to let the power of christ fill the gap instead of myself doing what christ has already done for me. We are studying the law and how we fail to uphold it. The law shows us what God requires of us and where we fall short. Most christians see the law (or in other words...trying to be a "good" christian) and try to work to achieve it. We try and gain the approval of God and others. So what do we do? We work to prove to everyone that we are worthy... and that often means that we cover up our short comings and weaknesses. Our lives are therefore filled with us running in circles trying to prove ourselves and cover our weaknesses at the same time. We carry burdens that we were never meant to carry. We exhaust ourselves with trying to perform for everyone and we never experience the freedom that Jesus offers. Unfortunately most christians live as orphans, seeking worth and value. We should instead be boldly claiming the promises and love of our father!!! We are sons and daughters of a king who has made us worthy... we are not worthy cause we achieved it but because Jesus said... Lindsay you are not worthy of my blood but i am going to make you lovable and worthy to God anyway. I have been spending the last week being real with myself and my heart and admitting the fact that i have been driven by selfish motives for so long. I have been struggling with worth issues and weaknesses because i have not been living in the identity that i was given by Jesus. I have been relying on my flesh to fulfill what Christ has already done for me. I have been given so much empowerment this week and cannot wait to come back home and share with all of you how God freed me from myself! I have been living a life of dos and don'ts... be this and not that... walk this line and don't fall, type of life. I am not saying that i am now gonna do whatever i want... i am saying that my motivations to living a "good" christian life are totally different. I am desiring to follow the law because i am choosing to live in the spirit not the flesh... and when i fail to do that i am going to expose it not hide it, ask God to help me!! and then believe and live in the promise that he has given me through jesus. Please pray that God continues to reveal himself to me. Pray that i am so focused on him that all i want to do is bring honor and glory to him. Pray that as i worship him i see where i am lacking, and then that i praise him even more cause he takes care of that failure or weakness. My goal is to be real with myself, not trying to cover up where i lack strength. But immediately surrender, depend on him to make me strong, and then boldly take risks with a renewed and confident faith in his power. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and pray for me. I am so blessed to have you in my life and supporting me. Love you all!! Lindsay