SSPC BLOG

My Plan was to keep this short but thinking about everything that's happened this past week, that thats not really gonna happen… Hah The fact that i can sit here and tell ya'll that time has flown by but at the same time say that it feels like i've been here for months, is bizarre… but so true! I seriously feel like i have been in London for way longer than two and a half weeks. I think a lot of it has to do with the sun rising early in the morning and setting around 10 o'lock at night. I love the fact that i can go for a run at 9 and an hour later it just then be getting dark. I feel like i get so much more out of the day with the sun going down so late. I don't start to wind down until like 10:30 cause it feels weird to be getting ready for bed when i still have 3 more hours of day light, ha. Not to mention that our room is literally the size of a pick-up truck bed… lol (the funny thing is that i'm almost not kidding with that metaphor.) In order for us to not roast to death, we have to keep the window open all night. That means that i get an early morning wake up call from the sun AND the noisy buses around 7am. So being outside or out roaming the town is definitely the more logical thing to do then be in our hostel room.

What do my days look like?? Well, our first "routine" week will be this week. But as of now, i have been doing random things here and there. For a quick run down… We got here last Wednesday around 3ish and we pretty much just moved in and went to bed lol. The move was so tiring and then trying to figure out how six girls were going to live in a very tiny space took it out of us. Thursday and Friday we went to a borough called South Hall. South Hall is where lots of the Indian/Arabic cultures have settled into. Back in the 70's and 80's there was a flux of them that moved in. We got a taste of what ministry will look like because we did the activities that we'll be doing and Camden, in South Hall. We started of with book table. Book table is where we set up in a public area and hand out various books ranging from the gospels to daily devotionals. There are probably about 10 to 15 different pamphlets and short books to hand out. While one or two people stand behind the tables, two people hand out other pamphlets to the crowds.

On the first day, a older gentleman stopped by and ended up talking to me for about an hour. He was an Englishman that really wanted to share his knowledge with me. Ha. I was very impressed with how much he knew about the world, history, and well, pretty much anything you could think of. He was a gentle character that would set anyone at ease with his grandpa like demeanor. He seemed to want to share his life long secrets and wisdom with me. He took the conversation many places ranging from science to origins of language, but i kept trying to find ways to tie in Jesus with him. At the end of our time together, I gathered that he was very set in his way of thinking and that didn't have anything to do with the God of the Bible. He believes that God is just a form of thinking that satisfies our mind because it "explains" life and pacifies our unanswerable questions about reality. I was no match for him but i did suggest that he read a book by Stephen C. Myers, "Signature of the Cell." The gentleman i was talking with was grounded with the logical reason's why a God does not fit into his worldview, but i prayed that the words of Stephen Myers get him thinking in a way that is fresh and logical. My greater hope is that he would then be softened to hear more about Jesus down the road. His name was George and if you all could pray along side of me that the Lord remove the scales covering his eyes so that he can make proper use of his knowledge.

George is the perfect example of how God blesses people to know things about His creation and logically make sense of it, but if they don't have Jesus what has one gained in the end? I read a really good quote by Leo Tolstoy, "is there any meaning in my life that the inevitable death awaiting me does not destroy?" I feel like George has really made great use of his life in the areas of knowledge, but there is not going to be any value of his hard work once he experiences death. All of his endeavors to be educated will be in vain or as solomon calls it "chasing after the wind" if the spirit does not move in his heart. Pray that God will work a miracle in George.

The next thing we do is probably my favorite thing that i've done here in Camden so far. The team pairs off and walks the streets of whatever town we are in and we speak out prayers to each other. This might sound weird but it's really the total opposite. If an onlooker where to see me and my friend prayer walking and talking, they would simply think we were having a conversation with each other. The whole point is to speak to God in conversation like you are talking to you friend. We will spend about 2 hours doing prayer walks. It's amazing how the spirit works in your heart when you are doing prayer walks. My passion for South Hall increased 10 fold due to prayer walks. You speak out prayers for the people, local businesses, schools, local churches and christians already living in the area, families, prayers against the devil, protection, and literally anything you can think of. It's incredibly convicting and gets your heart feeling empowered to be a blessing to the people you are praying for. It empowers you to be bold. You also pray for divine appointments and for the Spirit to be working in the hearts of the people. I was so blown away with how powerful this was. Please be in prayer for me as i start to make my presence known in Camden.

I will be doing book table and prayer walks everyday from now on till the end of the summer. God has created in me a true passion for the people here. I am very intimidated by them but i am so ready to be the aroma of Christ for this place. One of my biggest frustrations right now is my tendency to just want to fit in. I always dread the question… "so what are you in London for?" Lol this one always forces me to stand out. I find myself just wanting to ride low in the safety of the crowd and not be noticed. But the more time i spend with God, i am being called to be different and not be ashamed. It's one thing to "say" that you're not ashamed… but to no longer "feel" ashamed is another thing.

 Pray along with me that i no longer feel ashamed of what sets me apart from this world. I can already see that i am feeling more and more free to boldly proclaim the Gospel message. God has been showing me that these people need to see something new and refreshing. For me to blend in is me trying to protect myself. By doing that, i am living for myself and for "my" image. Pray that i realize that i am not living for myself anymore. I am living for a new purpose and that this new identity is not going to be liked by everyone. In John, the Bible warns us that we are not of the world and to not be surprised when the world rejects us. Pray that i be reminded of this daily and that boldness flourishes from this very important reminder.

 So for some other quick things that i've done since i've been here… The Camden markets and locks are truly incredible. I have never seen so many awesome shops and items for sale in my life. To describe it a bit, imagine a gigantic yard sale/ festival/ goth and punk store/ shoe stores/ foods from all over the world/ cute boutiques/ the cutest clothes you've ever seen/ fabric stores/ jewelry stores/ nick knack stores/ and whatever else you can think of store, being in one place. It's so huge.

On our first day off, i was determined to look through the whole market. I left our hostel at 12 and got back at 6:45. I don't think i got through all of it but i was definitely close. Ha. I loved it! I was so amazed at how many different cultures were represented. That was on Saturday, on Sunday we went to the local park about 15 mins away and had a picnic with some of the Camden team's friends from the area. It was such a perfect day for a picnic too. We ate hotdogs, potato salad, crisps (chips) and Summer's famous brownies. It was a lovely day! And today, (monday) we had a day off and i went to the National Museum. I ended up buying the ear phones that talks to you about all the different paintings. That definitely made the museum 10 times better for me! I stayed there for about 5 hours!! lol. I ended up loving it so much more than i thought i would. It was amazing.

 I guess that is about it for now, thank you for keeping me in your prayers!! I have been so blessed these past few weeks by your prayers. Know that your prayers are not in being over looked because God has showed me so much in the short amount of time that i have been here. Besides all the prayer requests i mentioned in my blog, please be praying for the hearts of the people here to be touched by the spirit. Pray that i be super confident in the Gospel and not hold back. I will be walking around the markets and i am going to just have to step out and talk to people. Pray that because of my warm and friendly demeanor, they be curious as to what's different with me. That they be curious, ask questions, and show interest in me so that i can share my story with them. I want my passion for life and Jesus to catch them off guard so that they will seek to know more.

In order for them to see my passion, i have to be renewed daily by the gospel! I have to preach the good news to myself and let that drive me to be the person i need to be for the Kingdom. Pray that God open my eyes to his gospel truth daily/hourly so that i can have the energy to give people my over flowed portions. My goal is to worship God and as i do that, i hope to witness to people, become the aroma of christ, love people well, and let God's work pour through me so that His kingdom might come! Pray that God be glorified here in Camden. Thank again! Love you all -Linds