Wales! (not the aquatic mammal...)

had a lovely time at adventure week in Wales. Snowdon (a small mountain by Oregon standards, but steep!) was spectacular. the above view is from the top. we had (so we're told) a rare sunny day with a refreshing snow shower at the top. all made it safely, which takes on a more serious note when you read that on saturday (just 3 days after we were there) a lady fell off and died.

team building had high moments and introspective low moments. found myself often leading and then feeling bad about doing so. still working on being comfortable in my own skin.

had a very wet solo exercise on friday, sitting in the rain on a rocky hill for over 3 hours with no books, timepieces, etc. beautiful view in spite of the wind and rain, wonderful cleft in the rock. amazed at how much He loves me. oh, how He loves me!

now back to normal (whatever that means). week of planning for light party, school assemblies, door-to-door, etc. hoping that my Christmas plans take shape! anybody want me to visit over the holidays? =)

the ongoing discussion...

what does it look like to do effective evangelism?

i must hand out 500 tracts, work on ways the church can reach a largely immigrant, transient population, do door-to-door, etc. is this the work of an evangelist? am i an evangelist? (normally i would say no. which does not preclude me from doing the work, though.)

what did Jesus do? well, He healed people, spoke to the masses usually in parables (not simple how-to-be-a-christian speeches, but rather confusing stories that only those "who have ears to hear" understood), discipled a few, and died.

ooo, "discipled". this is key. evangelism must come in relationship. we were not called to go out into all the world and get people saved, no, we were told to preach and MAKE DISCIPLES. this means relationship. this does not mean congratulating someone on saying a prayer and sending them on their merry way. no, no! this means loving people through the good days and the bad and walking with them as they grow in grace.

can i, then, do effective evangelism if i am only here for a short time? good question. if i lead people to a point of decision, i must plug them into relationship with people that will walk with them after i am gone. hence, the local church is key. i can only do evangelism if a) i demonstrate in word and deed my relationship with a Person (Jesus) and b) plug people into relationship with other believers who c) want to disciple new believers.

yes, you may argue, people can choose to follow Jesus in a lonely place. but that is only a place to start, and i do not believe that is the best place, especially if there are so many professing believers around anyway.

these thoughts and others along the same lines are churning within me as i walk through my time here in Hillfields. it is key to my continued involvement with OM as well, since blitz methods of evangelism are near and dear to the heart of the organization, or so it seems.

comments, thoughts, contradictions are always appreciated!

Echoes of Hope

In the devastated shell I stand

amidst broken wings

of buttresses that fly no more.

At my back a lone tower

rises defiantly skyward,

a forlorn symbol of hope.

I see the walls, the windows--

the work of centuries

ruined in a moment.

"It is much easier to destroy

than to create," the remains whisper

as I make my way to the altar.

Two burnt sticks stand there,

the only remains of a roof

designed to lift eyes to heaven.

A cross.

The Creator conquered destruction

that we might build eternally.

valley of humiliation

reading chambers the theme lately has been living in the valley of humiliation. and i am struck by the things that are confronting me here in coventry, the means by which i am being humbled. two things come quickly to mind: music and speech. in music, at least church music, i have a rich heritage. my father sang us children to sleep at the foot of the stairs with hymns. put words to music and i easily remember them, and my hymn repertoire is extensive. well, in the states that is. at the little baptist church we are attending, every sunday thus far they have sung, with great gusto, song after song that i have never heard. humbling. england: 1, pride: 0.

then there is speech. today as the pastor introduced me to the congregation (not, i might add, the first time he had said this) he told them that i would be learning to speak english properly while i was here. no matter that two of my compatriots are ESL with varying levels of proficiency, and the 3rd is not english but australian, no, it is the american that is sneered at and told, several times, that she does not speak english. as prepared as i was for this by being warned, it is still a struggle because (again that nasty little pride) i have a strong vocabulary and have always felt that my grasp of the english language is above average, due to my reading and training at university. here, however, the accent is really the key (whether or not i know more english words and use perfect grammar is irrelevant) and i fail because i speak with the wicked accent of a rebellious people. again, england: 2, pride (reluctantly): 0.

as you may well ascertain, here in the valley i am still learning to die properly. but i do believe and cling fervently to the mantra: He must increase and i must decrease. amen, so be it.

Coventry!

it wasn't my first choice, nor my last. but i'm excited! i know little about the town except that the germans did a lot of damage there during WWII, including destroying their cathedral. the effective blitz. now it is an international community as well as a tourist city.

i'm excited about my team: liz (team leader) from australia, liane from germany, ri na from korea and me, assistant team leader. we will be living in a real house/flat! no more dorm! many ministry opportunities include working with prostitutes, homeless, mums and tots, elderly people, and the internationals. challenging! most challenging being that i am probably the designated driver which not only means i have to learn how to drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but it may be in a manual car! working on not stressing about that.

lots to cover until departure day tomorrow...

reflections on outreach

the past few full days of outreach in P* and S* stretched me in ways I never thought I needed.

as we planned for the international night, the group voted me as the program organizer, the one who directed and made sure everything went swimmingly. as a reluctant leader who finds her faults glare all too clearly, I wasn't sure I wanted to have such responsibility. I knew I could do it, but I feared both taking too much control as well as offending people. testing points came right away, as someone confronted me about how i related to them and i calmly explained myself and then went away and cried. but the night went successfully, in spite of all the bumps, and several people sincerely thanked me for my role. being a leader is above all being a servant, and I know that He who modeled true leadership helped me through each step.

another stretching point came on the saturday street outreach to S* when 100 tracts were shoved into my hand with a cheery observation that if we ran out, there were more in the box! i swallowed my american pride that said tracts were annoying and ineffective and was surprised by how many people took them and thanked me. in the end, we passed out over 3000 tracts. all things to all men in order to save some, with this motto I cannot limit God.

in the end, being a servant for a Christian is simply being available whenever, wherever, to do whatever He asks. from politely refuting brainwashing accusations under the shadow of Darwin's statue, to painting a rose on a child's hand, my prayer is that every action and word is a testimony to His love and grace. yes, it is stretching because sin hinders my readiness. and always there will be people with whom, in my own strength, i want nothing to do. but He who promised is faithful. to that I cling.

...swings like a pendulum do...

these are a few of the things i enjoy here...

green, green, GREEN! the way the light plays hide and seek in the clouds with the hillside. learning new words like: keen, whinge, pudding (all desserts), cheers (goodbye and thank you), tea (meaning supper or just tea), proper, pinks, DIY, etc. the accent--even kids have it! the smiles on the people's faces after we serve them. friends from all over the world. scones. european chocolate. proper tea at any time. cobblestone streets only for walking. thousand-year-old buildings still inhabited! rambling through fields and forests on public footpaths.

a few that i struggle with...

plumbing. electricity (where is the light switch?). no personal space (thank God for walks!). traffic (which way do i look again?). missing those i love (that will never change!).