Starbucks

Before I left, there were some concerns about whether or not there were any Starbucks around where I would be. Well Dinah, here they are! And I know some of these might look like I took a picture of the same on twice, but I didn't. 3 of these are on the same street and then the other 3 are on another street...the Borders Starbucks faces 2 others...I think it might be a little over done.

This one is by the train and bus station...I only went there once and then never went back because I knocked the fire extinguisher off the wall...not really a great first impression on those in Starbucks at the time.This is the one on my way into the church. I must say it is the one I frequent the most...even twice yesterday.

The Happiest Christmas

I realized today that it's been a while since I have blogged....I'm not doing as well as this as I had hoped. I have less than 2 weeks left here and it's a really weird feeling. Someone prayed today for safe travel next week and the fact that he said "next week" blew my mind. I will officially be in Texas in 10 days...I am very excited to see my family but I am also very sad to leave this family. I cannot wait for Christmas...the Happiest Christmas is a homecoming Christmas. This Christmas will definitely be a homecoming, it's been over 4 months since we have all been together..longest time yet, I guess that means we are growing up and getting older.
Last night we had a staff Christmas party that we got all dressed up for. I was in my room when I heard Carys call my name. I went downstairs and she said, "Would you like to wear on of these to your party?" She had brought out her pink wig, red clown nose, a headband and some glasses that have eyes on then that open and close when you move your head. Although they were all very random, they were Carys and she was so sweet to offer her things for me to wear. After I kindly rejected those wonderful things she came upstairs with some new eyeshadow that she bought at a school fate and asked if I wanted to wear that instead. It was the sweetest thing, she hadn't even opened it yet. I agreed to that and let her put it on for me. It was a sweet memory I will always have....maybe I'll wear the wig to her birthday party on Sunday. :) The Christmas Party was very fun and included dancing lessons which were very entertaining!

Pam and I decided to match for the evening...colored tights are totally in style here.

Pam & Charity, I am sooooo glad they are both going to be in Texas, well for a while at least!

Also I got to see my dad this weekend!! It was so very wonderful to see him. He got into England on Friday and then Saturday took a 5 hour train ride down to Wales to see me and meet the people here. I am so grateful that he came. He got to stay here with the Palmers and Marilyn got up and cooked us all breakfast Sunday morning and then cooked us all lunch Sunday after church. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Dad, that would come visit me and such a wonderful host family that is willing to put another person in the house for a night. This weekend was so good and had so many highlights.

Oh for another highlight of the weekend on Saturday morning I got to help the girls decorate the Christmas tree. Then when I came home that night they had come up in my room and hung lights and a stocking in my room. Such a sweet and thoughtful family.

As I begin to look back over my time here I realize that I have learned so much. I wonder what it's going to be like when I go home, will people notice a change or will I just go back to being what I was before. I pray for the previous.

Thanksgiving

I have realized over the past few days that I am growing up in a sense. I officially missed my first Thanksgiving. It was really weird, I must admit. It was weird knowing that back home everything was closed down and I was sitting in class and going on with my day like it was any other day, since it was here in Wales. Life seems to be changing every time I blink. One minute it’s missing Thanksgiving, the next another friend gets engaged or married. It’s weird. I don’t deal with change well, but apparently I am being forced to learn to deal with it better and realize that this is life, it would be boring if everything were the same all of the time…right?

We had a Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday so that we could feel somewhat like we hadn’t missed out on our American life and traditions and so that some of our British friends here could also experience a Thanksgiving meal…I think they were somewhat overwhelmed at the amount of food. I officially made my first pecan pie…one was slightly over done, but apparently the other tasted good. Here are a few pictures from the day, compliments of Charity…(I hope that’s ok)
The masses of food...

Some of the people

Carrie and Pam with all of the desserts...mmm

Addison was happy about all of the foodPlaying with Cerys and Bailey

Bigger Than Us

I'm sitting here thinking about how home seems so close, yet so far at the same time. I sometimes find myself wishing I were sick so that I could just spend the day in bed. This is not what I want to be wishing. I want to be so filled with energy and excitement that it really radiates to the children and people around me. I really do love being here and love the people, but it's the people back home that I am missing. I want to hug them and actually know what is going on in their lives and not just find out random tid bits here and there. I hate talking on the phone, and now that is my main way of communication with my family and friends back home.
This morning while I was reading in 1 Corinthians I came across this verse. I must say I'm not sure if I have read it before, but if I have reading it this morning really just amazed me. 1 Corinthians 1:25 "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." When I read this verse this morning it kind of slapped me in the face a bit. How many times do I sit there and think, oh I can handle this on my own or I don't need any help trying to figure this out...I'll work it out on my own? I can be so stubborn sometimes that it really just made me stop and think. So many times we think we know better than God and it clearly says right here that God's "stupidity" (if we can say that he has any) is more intelligent than any wisdom we as humans have. It's so clear! How do we continue to forget that God is omniscient? Then it says that God is stronger than any man, his weakness is still stronger than the strongest man in the world. Think about that for a minute...it really is just blowing my mind right now. We think we are so great, strong and wise, yet God tells us that is nothing compared to his wisdom and strength. What an amazing God we serve!
Ok so some things that kids have said lately that were funny:

• "Um Miss I need to go somewhere else because I need to fluff"
• In front of an entire club of kids aged from 8-11ish I think, "So you know that boy Callum that came last week? Well we are going out."

Well for some reason those are the only ones I can think of right now...maybe I can remember some more later.

Oh one more thing...Please be in prayer for our group that Satan will have no place here, that he will not even be able to scare us because we know that God is on our side. Pray that he would not even have a foot in the door with us. Pray for God's protection.

Laminin

Ok so this morning in our worship time before our actual teaching began they showed us this video. This may be only me and my ever so slight hint of nerd coming out, but I thought this was amazing! I'm not even going to try to explain it, so basically you should just watch the video and let Louie Giglio do the talking. I must say it's pretty amazing and it gave me goose bumps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

Time for a Change

Ok, so I know I look absolutely dumb in these photos, but here they are for you mom! I decided to go ahead and cut my hair off again...it was just too long for my liking. I'm not so sure it was the best idea because it is humid here, but nonetheless I've done it. I do really like it short though, even if it does make my face look "rounder." My computer is currently broken, so I am using the one that my family has in my room here, and I discovered I could plug my phone into their computer, browse and upload pictures directly from my phone without having to download them onto their computer. It's amazing what technology can do.

I've really been learning a lot in the past couple of days. It seems that the longer I am here the more I find myself wanting to go sit in a coffee shop..aka Starbucks, and just read and journal. For those of you that really know me, in the past I would have never ever wanted to just spend my spare time doing that. I really enjoy it though and I find that spending time alone with myself and God is one of the most amazing things. I think in the past I have been afraid of really finding out who I am because of what I might find. What if I found out I was someone I didn't really want to be?? I think it is so important to be comfortable enough with yourself to realize that we are always changing and growing. So what if I discover something that might be a bit weird, I don't have to stay that way, I can change, I can grow. God wants us to spend time with him because we want to, not out of obligation. I think I am really beginning to see and understand that. I am really beginning to want that time with God and not just do it because I know I should. Anyways your prayers would be much appreciated because I having a bit of difficulty with one of the girls on the team and I think ulitimately it is going to come down to the two of us sitting down to have a chat (as the British would say). Pray that God would give each of us understanding and grace towards each other. Thank you!!

Why should you never iron a 4-leaf clover?

I should be preparing for the presentation I have on Thursday, but instead I decided to blog, while listening to Christmas music. I know it’s a bit early, but there is no Thanksgiving in Wales, so technically I don’t have to wait until after Thanksgiving to start listening to it, well that is how I am going to justify listening to it for now anyways. It is getting colder here and that makes me think of Christmas too…the high for the rest of the week is 54, 50, and rain…I need to do my wash, so that I can wear everything I own at once.
Last week we had some time off so Pam, Jesslyn and I went to Ireland from Tuesday until Saturday. It was wonderful and who knew there were sites that beautiful!?! We started out in Dublin and did a walking tour around the city on Wednesday. It was full of a lot of history, but it was still fun. On Thursday we got up and skipped breakfast….big mistake. If there is one thing I learned on this trip it is that the 3 of us need to start our days off with breakfast and coffee or grumpiness sets in. We got our rental car and headed on our way. It was raining, and I hadn’t driven a standard in about 5 years and I was driving on the other side of the car and the road, in a busy city…this started the driving out as a bit stressful. We started out on our journey that we thought was to take about 3 hours and didn’t arrive at our destination until about 6 or 7 hours after we started out. I guess Google maps didn’t account for the fact that we were on winding roads around mountains. Even though the drive was long, it was well worth it. We went to the Cliffs of Moher, which were magnificent! Here are some pictures…. Then we headed to Galway and at Quiznos, the first one I’ve seen since we’ve been in Europe. It was quite tasty though if I do say so myself. We ended the evening with ice cream and some guys, who weren’t necessarily sober, asking us for a wee lick of ice cream (Pam allowed them her ice cream because she didn’t want any more, but I am stingy and like my ice cream, so I kept it all to myself…hence the reasons for my weight gain). Thursday we got up and spent the morning, or what was left of it by the time we got up and left the hostel, looking around Galway. Then we decided to drive out to Connemara because it looked pretty and there were a bunch of leaflets for it all around, so it had to be good. I am so glad we did this. The drive out to Connemara was mostly along the Sea, it was beautiful. I don’t have many pictures from our drives because I was the only one who could drive, so I chose safety over taking pictures while driving. There wasn’t much to do in Connemara except look at the scenery, which we did. We did stop for coffee along the way and had a wonderful view of a lake while we sat and sipped our coffee, that wasn’t that great….it was all about the experience though. We took a different route home and found a pub along the way to have some dinner. It was probably one of the nicest meals we had on the whole trip, but it was fun to sit down and just enjoy a meal together somewhere nice, instead of enjoying a meal of McDonalds or Quiznos. The food was delicious and this meal was the only meal I had any vegetables the whole time we were in Ireland…oddly enough I was craving healthy food…even vegetables. Then we headed back to Galway and went to the movies. Then we settled in for the night. (I was really cold, that is why I am standing so awkwardly in this photo.)Friday we got up early and headed back to Dublin to return the car. We had to return the car in the morning and our flight didn’t leave until the evening so Pam and I went back into Dublin city centre for part of the day, Jesslyn stayed at the airport because she wasn’t feeling well. Pam and I bought some souvenirs and had lunch (my sandwich was in the shape of a 3 leaf clover) and then went into a wax museum. That was really fun because it was Halloween, so there were some extra scary exhibits. Then we went back to the airport and waited on our flight. I had a wonderful time seeing things I have never seen before and going places I had never been before. I would love to go back one day and try to see even more.
One thing that really began to hit me while we were in Ireland was how badly I wanted to go home. I know that once I got there I would wish I were back, but nonetheless I want to see my family, and talk to them face to face, not through Skype or over the phone. This really began to bother me because I do really want to be home, but I know at the same time that I am here and God has me here for a reason. I want to be used by God, even in these last weeks, but I know that if I continue to focus on being at home, then I might miss something God is trying to show me or teach me. I know God is working in me and trying to use this in some way, but I just can’t see how or why yet. I wish I could see what God is trying to teach me through being so homesick. I don’t want to be homesick. I want to be enjoying my time here, not wishing I were at home with my family. Maybe that is something I am supposed to learn, to live in the moment and not be focused or worried about the future, or what will happen tomorrow. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” Matthew 6:25. This verse came into my head, so I thought I would include it as well. Maybe I am supposed to learn this, maybe it is something more, only time will tell, I suppose.

In answer to the title question: You don't want to press your luck.

2 Blogs in 1 Day

I know this is monumental, but yes it is happening. I went to Bath this past weekend and I thought I would share some pictures. It was a beautiful day and we couldn't have had a better time.
To the Left is Pam, Jesslyn, Me, and Beth at the Roman Baths. It was very historical and very interesting. These baths are fed by a natural hot spring.
This is me with some of the wonderful armor (which apparently I've been in the UK too long because I spelled it "armour" originally.)

Ok, now I know this picture is 100% inappropriate, but if I didn't put it up, you wouldn't get the full experience we had. These men were outside the Roman Bath Museum doing acrobatics, in nothing but these thongs. It was (and still is) HIGHLY disturbing. Nonetheless here there are, the not really dressed acrobatic men posing. I apologize if I have offended anyone.

The trees are turning colors around here and here is a picture of some of those wonderful colors.



This is us eating our "Real Italian Ice Cream." It was delicious!

This is the park we spent the afternoon in taking naps. :)

This is the view from a mountain (Or hill) we climbed, in search of a castle that we never found.

This is me when we were lost and after we had been walking for over 2 hours and still hadn't found our castle.

Holy and Anointed One

I have been having a hard time again today. I want to be at home with my family, but I know that the Lord has me here for a reason. I found it hard today to have my mind completely where I was and not to wander off to other things. I noticed that I was very distant from everyone and I'm sure they could tell as well that something wasn't the same, I that was mentally removed from where I was. Then I met with Hannah, one of the other gap year students who is from Cardiff. We were planning the worship we are leading on Thursday and speaking with her really encouraged me. She is full of the Lord and it is evident. She really just opened up her heart to me and was talking about bringing an offering before the Lord. It really spoke to me and made me begin to think, "What am I holding on to that the Lord is asking me to give to Him and allow Him control over"? "What do I need to bring to the Lord and offer to Him as an offering?" We were reading through Mark 14:3-9 "While in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly. 'Leave her alone,' said Jesus, 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. Buy you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." This woman had nothing but this perfume and she gave it all to the Lord. Who of us, including me, would break our finest perfume to pour over someone? How many of us would give one of our most prized possessions up? If we really look at this though this woman was giving all she had to the Lord without asking or expecting anything in return. She was willing to lay it all out so that she might honor the Lord, she might bless him in some way. She didn't care what the others were saying or that they mocked her, she humbly did what she could for Jesus. Jesus blessed her for what she had done, say that this story would be told forever. I would just challenge you today to bring what you have before the Lord and truly give it to Him. Don't try to hold on to anything or try to keep some control over a small portion, but give it ALL to the Lord and allow Him to do His will in your life, without trying to be in control. Trust in the Lord and allow Him to show His power and grace in your life, so that you might reflect the beauty of Christ to others.

Run Fat Boy Run

Well the many weeks of sun has left us and it is a rainy day today. I remember hearing it start to rain right before I feel asleep last night around 11, and when I woke up it was still pouring rain…and it has been misting all day.
Last night my family made tacos for me! It was so delicious! We had some “minced” meat aka ground beef, taco shells, beans, hot sauce (which confused Marilyn when I called it that because the jar says cool salsa…ironic), and of course chips (which weren’t normal tortilla chips, but sweet chili flavored tortilla chips) to go with that cool salsa, cheese, and last but not lease Jalapenos. I had to hold in my laughter when Warren brought home the jalapenos for the first time because he did, and still does, pronounce it with a J sound, and not an H sound. Now I don’t really enjoy partaking in jalapenos because they are hot, and I don’t particularly enjoy hot things, but when Warren brought them home I knew I was going to have to eat them because he bought them specifically for me. So last night at dinner I enjoyed some spicy jalapenos, which made my eyes water the first time I ate them, but my 2nd and 3rd helping of them weren’t bad at all. I think I actually might choose to put them on my food sometimes now. Who knows? If this trip does nothing else for my life, it has made me healthier and try and enjoy new foods that I wouldn’t have tried before.
This morning I went into town because it turned out that I didn’t have anything to do. I decided I was going to get Amy’s birthday present. I did buy her present, but I also did a bit of Christmas shopping. That’s right folks, I am half way done with my Christmas shopping and it’s the beginning of October. Well I mean I’m not sure how I am getting anything I own back home because I have purchased a few things here that I didn’t have room for in the beginning, but that is something I will worry about in December.

In motivation for the half marathon that is quickly approaching Marilyn and I watched "Run Fat Boy Run" tonight...slightly rude at parts, but very funny. That is where this title for the blog came, in case you were wondering.

Some days I sit down and think at the end of the day and I wonder if I have really made a difference during the day, if I have really made a difference at all. Today I don't really feel like I have and I wonder why God brought me here, don't get me wrong I love being here, I just don't know what I'm doing. On days like these I wish God would just drop something in my lap or send someone on my path that says, "Here is your purpose and here is what God is expecting to see at the end of the day from you." I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I learn by seeing, more than reading a book or something. It is times like these that I wish I wasn't such a visual learner.

If I'm Brave

I'm not very good at coming up with titles for my blogs, so I decided that I would start my iTunes and the first song it played would be my title for this blog. It was "The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs" from the musical Hairspray. I have decided that's just a weird title, so I decided to hit the next button and that is where the title of this entry came from, in case you were wondering!

I haven't been blogging as much lately because all of my spare time is consumed with The Mark of the Lion series books. I am hooked. I have finished one and am already 100 pages into the second. For those of you that really know me, this is huge! I have completed 2 books while I have been here and have begun my 3rd, 4th and 5th. (The 4th and 5th being books for class, but once again still more better than I ever did in college...those books just didn't seem worth my time).

Last night I waited at the bus stop slightly annoyed that I had to wait at yet another bus stop. It was then that I began to hear someone singing. I looked around and realized it was the other lady who was also waiting on the bus. I began to listen, and she hit some notes, but I don't think she was even near the right note most of the time, yet somehow it sounded beautiful. As I really began to listen and hear the words she was singing I realized she was singing praise songs! How wonderful to hear something like that at a bus stop! It seems like sometimes the people here don't really care about God. They are satisfied enough knowing that you believe and if that works for you, ok then, but it's not for me kind of attitude, if that makes sense at all. I was very encourage by this woman and her singing praises to the Lord out in the middle of a fairly populated street. How powerful to hear this and be reminded that God calls us to praise him in everything, everywhere, even if it may seem uncomfortable or awkward.

What If?

Well the rain has returned. I know I will be sick of the rain by the time I leave here, but it was nice to see some rain again today, even when I had to walk in it I enjoyed it. Today was the first day of track specific teaching. This means that according to the path we chose we have a teaching session with the others who also chose that path, some are youth, sports, creative, and mine, children. So along with 2 other girls in the group we spent the morning learning how to reach children for Christ, and what types of qualities make a good children's leader. I really enjoyed learning this morning. Ali and Lynda, the children's workers here are amazing and truly have hearts for Christ and for children. One of the things that stuck out to me in the teaching this morning was when Ali said "fight for the children to reach the heart of Christ." How powerful is that? Don't only hope or wish that these children will come to know Jesus, but fight for them! This gives a clear image to me and really praying for these children and to do anything that you can to help them understand who Jesus is. I know that only Christ can be the one to bring these children actually to him, but who are we to ignore God's call to love others as He has loved us?

Some days I wonder what I am doing here and I feel that I am not making a difference and that there is no way that I can make a difference in these few short months that I am here. It is then that I must remember that God has brought me here for a purpose and that those thoughts are only insecurities that I have and lies straight from the devil himself. I know that God has a purpose for me here and I need to remember that every moment of every day. I need to trust in God and not discount the fact that I am here because He brought me here. Just a few random thoughts going through my head.

What if we all began to pray fervently for those around us, those we don't know, the children, the youth, the elderly, adults who don't know Christ? Would there be a revolution in our nation? Would we see more people come to know and love Christ? Would we see a nation that loves God? A nation that truly loves him and doesn't care who knows it? A nation that doesn't just go through the motions of religion, but whose hearts are after more than this earth can offer? Would we see a difference in our churches? Our friendships? Our families? Our own lives?


For your entertainment, this is Pam, Audra, Me, and Jesslyn eating our DELICIOUS pastries from Greggs. I'm pretty sure mine was a glorified donut, or two with custard in the middle.

This is the four of us again in front of a large chair that was randomly placed in front of city hall and the museum, it had a purpose, but I don't remember what that purpose was.

A Schedule??

Today I began to really hurt for some of the high schools in Cardiff. Yesterday at staff meeting they were asking us to pray for the schools because some of them are supposed to close for certain reasons. From what I understood this has been going on for about 2 years, and so far they have stayed open, but it is still a concern. If the schools were to close it would not be good because rival schools would be merging, the school would be further for the students to get to without a decent bus route. I really just want to ask you to pray for the school and for the teachers and staff and for the students as well. Pray that God would should us a way to help these schools and that he would begin to turn the schools around so that they wouldn’t want or need to close them.
This afternoon we were invited to Friendship, which is for those over 50. They sing songs and just spend some time together worshiping. We were invited and given 30 minutes total as a group to talk. It was a fun time getting to sing with these individuals and getting to meet some of them and I think that they really enjoyed meeting us as well. It was lovely. We also got the opportunity to sit around and chat with them while we drank tea and ate a snack.
Some of you may be wondering what exactly I am doing here in Wales. This week we have begun to get into the sort of things that we will be doing for the rest of the semester, it seems like it is going so fast! I am working with the children in the church and a lot of children’s groups. On Monday I am involved in a group called Sprogz, which is where mums or grandmum or any other caregiver bring their children, up to 5 years old, to the church and let them play around while the caregivers chat and spend time together. There is also a snack time and a bible story. It is a neat ministry, but some of the women are skeptical, so pray for those barriers to come down. On Tuesday have teaching in the morning where I sit in a classroom like setting and learn about working with children and bringing Christ into that. Then during lunch I go into the schools along with a few other people and we have a lunch club, which I believe is similar to FCA or something for the younger children, and of course not just for believers. Wednesday is full of craziness with children. I have Wrigglerz, which is a club for younger children up to year 1, I believe. Right after that I have G-Pod, which is another club but for kids year 2-5, I think. Both are just a crazy, chaotic time where kids can come and play, sing songs, and learn about Jesus. After that I am going to be going to a bible study, which they call house groups. I am excited about this because it is through the church, so it is an opportunity to meet new people and hopefully feel more connected with the church, and have some interaction with people my own age. Thursday is our teaching day, where we will be going through the bible this semester, I’m sure there will be much more on this when the teaching begins. Then on Thursday nights I will be involved with Generate (GnR8) which is a teaching of the basic principles of the bible. My Friday will begin with service at The Gate and then in the evening I will be involved with Kidz Klub, and I have no idea what this consists of. I am excited to work with so many kids and to see how God is going to work through these ministries.
On another note, I just signed up for another half marathon…I think I’m slowing trying to mutilate my body and knees. Pam and I are going to attempt to run the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 18…we have run a couple of times already, but we are really beginning to train now....we are meeting at 8:45 in the morning for our first intense workout, well maybe just for a morning run to build up our stamina. This should be quite an experience and hey why not?!? You don’t have to opportunity to run half marathons in Wales all the time, right? I suppose that means I need to cut back on the sweets again...the absolute worst part! The good news though is that my family here is healthy, so I’m already off to a better start that I was last time I ran a half, oh yeah and I’m actually training this time. This is going to be a breeze, well if it’s not raining and feel like 0 degrees. And also in all fairness Marilyn just warned me that she isn’t treating me for injuries after the race.

And these are just a couple of views of the sunset last night that I thought were pretty.

The Leaves have Begun to Fall

I was walking to City Street today when at some point I realized I was actually headed to City Center…oh stupid me. After my 45 or so minute walk I settled with buying some slippers at the one and only….wait for it…TK-MAXX!!! This might sound somewhat familiar to you, and just so you know it is the exact same thing as TJ-MAX, just add another X and change the J to the next letter in the alphabet and there you have it, the British version of TJ-Max. J Then I headed back down to my original location and here I sit in a shady café called Orange Café, that serves massive amounts of food, for cheap. I am currently the only one in here that doesn’t work here, but hey why not? Seize the day!

This past week has been a good week. Yesterday we went down to The Gate and had a prayer day and spent the morning praying on our own and then the afternoon praying for each other, what better way to bond with your team? I was supposed to go to the movies with my mentor but I really just wanted to spend the evening at home, so we cancelled that and I had a lovely evening at home with my British family. You see dinner around here is not eat, clean, leave…it is eat, have dessert, drink coffee and sit around and talk until you feel it’s time to move on to something more, or usually in my family’s case, get the kids in the bath and into bed. So we spent about an hour and a half or so at dinner, eating our dessert and drinking coffee. It all began when Carys and Rhian wanted to try my Dr. Pepper, that they had never had before, so they each tried a little bit and Carys really didn’t like it, Rhian said she didn’t like it, but she drank most of hers, then Marilyn and Warren both decided they would try it as well since they had never tried it before either….the consensus on Dr. Pepper is that it tastes of mouth wash…lucky for me that means the entire 2 Liter bottle is mine! Then I tried some sort of drink that they have. A lot of the drinks here are concentrated and you mix them with water or sprite or something, so that is what this drink I tried was. It is called Menthe and you mix it with Sprite. If you wanted to honestly know what this tastes like then get a bottle of Sprite and literally mix it with mint mouth wash and drink…it was even green, ewww gross, is all I have to say, luckily I hadn’t finished my coffee yet so I was able to rid myself of the awful taste fairly quickly. We had a lot of fun trying new things though. Next Rhian decided it would be funny is she had me say “tomato,” because I say it funny… She got the biggest kick out of hearing me say it my Texan way and then hearing me try to imitate her in saying it her British way. It was actually really funny and amusing. Then we watched some Wallace and Gromit, which is a cartoon like movie with very few words, but actually pretty funny. It was good spending some time with the family last night and laughing a lot.
This afternoon I got on the bus and at one of the stops I was the only one left on the bus and the driver turned the bus off, shut the doors and left. I was very confused by this, but he soon returned...maybe he had to smoke or use the bathroom, I don't know but it was weird.

Climb Every Mountain

Well today was a wonderful day, if I do say so myself! The day began with a staff meeting, and since we are like interns or something of the sorts, then we are considered staff as wale....get it (I'm in Wales). Sorry I couldn't resist. Staff meeting was very fun, and all of the staff at the church and with Going Public seem to get along well. It is going to be a fun semester working along side all of these wonderful people. Then since we don't know the British, not English because apparently they really hate to be called English when they are British, students and they don't know us we spent the afternoon getting to know each other. We played many games such as lining up by your name, birthday, age, and number of siblings, all without talking...there might have been a little cheating going on. I am now known as a cheater, although I don't really do it too much, only when I'm losing at games. (The British students have been told not to play card games with me for this reason...at least I'm honest when I cheat...is that an oxymoron?) I had a wonderful time getting to know them a little better and it seems as though we are all going to get along well.
I am having a little trouble with one of the younger guys, I need to be more patient. He tried to tell me today what the AC joint was and where it was. I tried to politely inform him that I've taken tests over every bone/muscle in your body, so I knew where it was and what it's actual name was....it was only my major in college, no big deal. Please pray for patience.
I came home and decided that I was going to go for a run because I'm in love with the desserts here, and I had cereal, 2 small pancakes, a croissant, and a roll thing with chocolate all for breakfast alone this morning, so I needed to get out and get some exercise. When I got home my host mum, Marilyn, wanted to go as well, so naturally I was excited that I had someone to go with me...yet I failed to think about the fact that she is a doctor and likes being healthy. I think I am going to be sore in the morning. She was fast, but claimed to be slow and we ran for 30 minutes, which really isn't long until you are out of shape and eat thousands of sweets in a weekend...well and a full days worth of meals all for breakfast. It felt good to workout, but man I'll pay for it in the morning! (I hope I can get out of bed!)
Tomorrow we are doing a scavenger hunt throughout Cardiff, so it should be very fun. We need to make sure we know each other and the city! Hopefully by Wednesday or so I'll be doing some of the stuff that I will be doing for the rest of the semester.
Well I'm off to bed, goodnight.

A Shot in The Dark

Well I have moved in with my new family, Warren, Marilyn, Rhian, and Carys. They are a very lovely family and are always fun to be around. The girls are 8 and 6 or 7, somewhere around there and they are hilarious. They like to tell joke and laugh a lot, many times they are in their own little world and it is fun to listen to the types of things they are saying to each other. This morning I heard Carys speaking to Rhian and apologizing for something followed by "My Queen." It was quite funny. Warren loves to read and works for a non-profit called Speakeasy that gives free legal advice and Marilyn is a local general practicioner. One thing I have had to adjust to some is that they are very in to healthy food. This is quite the opposite of my family from home...we don't eat too unhealthy, but by no means was I forced to eat vegetables! I think I have eaten more vegetables in these past 4 days than I have in my entire life...maybe an overstatement, but quite possibly true. The good new is though we have had dessert each evening after tea (dinner) so far...I hope this continues!
Yesterday we went to an art center that is a ministry partnered with the church called "The Gate." It is a very neat environment. It is an old church converted into this ministry that offers dance classes, pilates, plays, musicals, and a cafe. I think this will be a place I spend a lot of my time...well hopefully. The music in this coffee shop, that I am at, is interesting...it sounds like someone pushing down on the record and still playing the music and I'm pretty sure the person singing in dying a slow painful death...apparently the people here like that kind of music though. Anyways, I would imagine the music at The Gate is a lot better! We heard an orchestra practicing yesterday while we were learning all about The Gate and it did sound nice.
It was sunny yesterday and most of the day today, but we had a true taste of Wales weather on Wednesday because it was tipping down as they say here! I had on a rain jacket, and an umbrella and still somehow I was still getting wet. The British students that we are working along side will be arriving tomorrow and Sunday, I am excited to meet them and hopefully all of them and all of us Americans will get along nicely. We will begin doing a lot of work on Monday, so I am also excited about that and hopefully it will be very challenging and fun at the same time!
I know there is loads more to tell you, but I seem to have forgotten what they are now. Have a nice day!

I just want to dwell on who you are

I just finished my breakfast and it looks like it is going to rain again today. As much as I missed the rain when I was in Texas, I'm sick of it here....already. I know that without the rain Cardiff wouldn't be as beautiful as it is, so deep down I am thankful. Imagine when it rains where you are and all you want to do is stay in bed, well here it is cold and rainy...even more reason to stay in bed, but you just have to go out in it and conquer the day.
Yesterday was a good day for the most part. Church was different because the pastor is out of town, so they had a "family service," which basically meant it was kid friendly. Many different people from the church spoke and told testimonies and different things the Lord has asked of them. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed it, I've never laughed so hard in church! This 82 year old man was being interviewed and he was hysterical, jumping up and down on stage, cracking jokes, oh man! After lunch we went to Marc and Charity's house for lunch, which was wonderful! It is always good to be around family and so many people. Later that afternoon I was here at Ellie's house by myself and homesickness began to really set in. It is such a different world around here. It is quiet beyond belief, which is great, but not even close to what I am used to. It is too easy in America to surround yourself with things that keep us from hearing what Jesus is telling us and keep us from really knowing who we are. Charity and I talked for a little bit about being homesick and how quiet it is and she was very encouraging. She was reminding me that being homesick is normal and for the times I think it is too quiet to remember that Christ calls us to listen to him, and we need to be listening for the still small voice of Jesus. This is something that I continually forget.
I am moving in with my host family today so please pray that everything goes smoothly. I know they will be wonderful. Oh and incase you are wondering, I think my clothes are still a bit wet...

I need a dang dryer!

This is a view of Cardiff from the top of a tower in Cardiff Castle, absolutely amazing!

Well today was BEAUTIFUL! It was sunny all day and "quite warm," and by that I mean that I was comfortable in long sleeves, a scarf and flip flops. We spent the morning shopping and fortunately for my bank account I didn't find anything that fit. The sizes here are very different, a 0 in the states is a 4 here! I did find this really cute dress in a store called Next, but they only had it in sizes that were way too large or way too short. We then had a taste of home by going to Subway...mmmm, it has never tasted so good. The look on the man's face when we asked for "chips" was priceless though because here chips=french fries and crisps=chips.

I forgot to tell you of my experience of getting my bus pass. I have a monthly pass and here those passes contain your picture. We went to ASDA (Wal-Mart in the UK) and sat in a photo booth thing and followed the instructions, 1. Sit still. 2. Keep all hair in the frame. 3.Don't smile. This last one made me laugh, naturally, therefore I tried not to smile, while laughing and it took my picture. Needless to say I look dumb in my photo, but I show it to the bus drivers many times a day. Hopefully they at least get a little laugh out of how dumb I look in it.

Pam moved into her host home today and Ellie is out of town, so it's been somewhat quiet around here this evening. Luckily another friend is staying the night with me. In my spare time today I did my first load of laundry, Mom you would be proud because I still have clean clothes and I have already washed some of my dirty ones. The washer took some time, and didn't allow me to wash very many clothes at once. When they were finally done I took them out and went to hang them on the line. This was NOT a success because there was a spider web (with a spider on it) in the path I needed to take. Let's just say my clothes are in the dinning room on a clothes rack and my "pants" are all over the bathroom....probably more information than you need to know but in the UK pants=underwear, this can be quite confusing if you are talking about jeans and you call them pants. As I was putting my clothes all over the house I could only think how grateful I would be for a dryer and how everyone at home should be thankful for the dryer I know they have. Word on the street is that these clothes will take 2-3 days to dry, I wish it was 45 min to an hour!

Oh I have also found that my name is a Welsh name and that the original spelling for "Jennifer" is actually "Jenifer," so thanks Mom and Dad for looking deep into the spelling of my name and taking my name back to the roots of where it came from! :)

I just firgured out how to add pictures to this, so this is a picture of Pam and I when we got lost the first time.

This was a warning sign at the hospital that I thought was funny. No worries I wasn't at the hospital as a patient, I was only passing through the parking lot to find a bus stop.

It has been another wonderful day here in Cardiff. The weather has been beautiful so far, but I'm told it won't last too much longer. This morning Pam and I decided we were going to go running because "we hadn't been walking enough." So we began our morning trying to run, but there are hills here and although it may look flat if you start running it will become a hill. Due to these massive inclines, compared to Texas, we ended up mostly walking, but it was quite enjoyable.
We then headed into town after lunch to get some stamps and as a result we missed our bus to the church...it slowed down and then drove right past us...some bus drivers aren't so nice around here, but most are. We caught the next bus, but because of the frustration of missing the first one we got off about 3 stops too early and ended up having to choose left or right to get to the church. The Lord was definitely with us because somehow we ended up at our usual stop and then found our way to the church, 20 minutes late. After talking about the importance of prayer walking for a little bit we went back into town and went prayer walking around a park. This is something that I have really enjoyed doing. I can't wait to begin to see the results of people that have gone before us and have been faithful in prayer walking in these area way before we ever came.
It seems to me that the "honeymoon" phase of this trip is beginning to fade for me. I am beginning to realize that I have been here two weeks and I'm not just on a holiday and I will be heading home in a few days. It scares me a little bit, but it also excites me because I know that in this time I will be able to build meaningful realtionships with the people around me. Last night Ellie had her house group over and so we were able to meet some people from the church that are around our age. It was amazing. We had a prayer time and everyone went around the room to say prayer requests and it was just amazing to hear where they were at in life and the honesty that each of them had. I felt as though I had been part of this group since it first started. After everyone left we were able to sit with Ellie and hear her views on some things. It was interesting to hear what she had to say and it made me want to search for my own opinions on certain things.
Have a great day!

I know...I'm blogging!

Ok well I know I said I would not do this, but I think I have decided that I should in fact blog! Today was a nice day here in Wales, we woke up to the rain, but by the time we actually got out the sun was in fact out! We had the day to ourselves today just touring the city and trying to get to know the bus system and such. It was quite an expereince.

The main thing we did today was to go to Cardiff Castle. It was absolutely lush. (lush means awesome/cool here in Wales). We were able to walk through the place where people used to live, but I don't seem to remember what it was called. After we left the castle we went to a local coffee shop and sat and talked. I have made a wonderful friend, Pam, that is from Texas as well. We were put in the same hotel room during orientation in London and now we are both living together for this week because each of our host families are on holiday. We are staying with a girl named Ellie who is 24, and her parents are currently out of town, it is sort of like being in a college apartment again. It should be interesting and fun to move in with our actual families here pretty soon.

The bus system here appears fairly difficult at first glance, but we have found that it is not. Yesterday Pam and I rode the bus alone for the first time in Wales and we managed to get off at the right stop, but then we turned the wrong way, twice, to get to the church. After climbing a hill and not knowing where we were at all we called Emma, one of the Hands On staff here in Wales, and she came and picked us up. The people here are all very friendly. Well have a good evening, I'm off to bed!