Christmas!

Well, I'm back at SPEC now. We all returned to 140 people at our home (which it is now - our home. yay!). We hosted the Volunteers conference - so all of the volunteers in England came to stay, and we went on retreat together. It was a grand time, and we had Sister Judith speak, and boy is she a story teller - 280 eyes were glued on her the whole time.

To be honest it was a little crazy coming back to that type of atmosphere when all we wanted to do was see each other again and catch up. We weren't all in the mood to meet a whole load of new people. So my earlier sense of energy and hope for the new year was a little bit dampened. But it picked right back up as the conference went on - and my joy really picked back up when we were able to gather together as a community again. The atmosphere around here is different. There is so much energy, so much hope, so much joy. Much more than was there last term. It's as if the break was what everybody needed to realize the potential there is in this place and in each other. We are so much more a family now - I am very hopeful.

Hope is a word that came to me over Christmas. I was contemplating the 'true meaning of Christmas', which comes up every year, and the answer is usually 'Jesus'. To be honest, my answer would always be 'family' in the past, but this year challenged that, as I was far from Mom, Dad, Meg, Dan, Grama, Nona, Scott, The Mark Suttons, and so many other close family and friends.

I'm going to give an excerpt from my journal, as it shows the thought process:

I have experienced the true meaning of Christmas. I'm quite sure, actually, that I experience this every year. Family getting together. I mean, I know the answer is supposed to be Jesus, but maybe it's a matter of a morphing meaning through the years - can you ever define what the meaning of a day is? When you're 4, it is about presents for you, so how can one define it as 'wrong' when that is what it is? Anyway, this beautiful famil took us in and treated us as their own. God provided through tem. How does that connect to Jesus' birth? The homelessness bit? The family part I suppose... Sometimes its hard for me to separate Jesus's birth from his death. I suppose Easter is more about forgivness of sins, the proof of unconditional love, and everlasting life. But what meaning does Jesus's birth have? What's the focal point? Hope? Jesus the saviour is born. Good times are near... an epiphany comes soon. Yea, that's it. Hope.

There's certainly more thought process since, but it's the beginning of a fun exploration :)

As that hinted at, Scotland was a HUGE blessing. The Haldane family reminded me a lot of my own, and truly took Annika, Anthony, and I in as their own children. It was wonderful to be in a family again. Anna's brothers were so much fun to play music with, study an atlas with, and just hang around with. We walked on beaches (The one in St. Andrews is featured in Chariots of Fire! yes, we ran!), saw cathedrals, and met a lot of great family. The Christmas traditions were fun - an Advent song as we lit candles leading up to Christmas, Christmas Crakers that have prizes in them and leaving Rudolph a carrot, and for Santa a cookie and a beer. We spent a lot of time with family friends just playing games! It was impressed upon me the importance of friends. The Haldanes were so welcoming to anyone who called or stopped by. There was always a bowl of soup or a quick cup of tea. Nothing too huge, but such a comfort to those who were struggling or stressed - a sense of normality, hospitality, and family. Scotland is my new favourite place, and I am going to move there. Currently, my list is 14 items long. Here we go:

1. Royal Bank of Scotland (the one we are all with)

2. Anna and the Haldane Family

3. A store entitled: "Thistle Do Nicely" (that one's for you dad!)

4. Scottish Accent

5. Friendly People

6. Hills and the Highlands

7. Dancing

8. Kilts and Tartan

9. Natural Beauty

10. Castles!

11. Cobblestone

12. Local feel

13. Beaches

14. Walking

The list continues to grow :)

Other quick business not really related to Christmas... It has been a while...

I have gotten an acceptance letter from Concordia, St. Paul in Minnesota! 1 down, 2 to go!

Just finished a fabulous retreat with 29 16 year old boys who had the perfect balance of rowdy and respectful. During every break they had, they were playing dodgeball in our living room with a designated referee and everything! They were surprisingly open about faith and God, and had TONS of questions during 'quiz the priest' including: what if there is no afterlife? and If God knows all of our days, do we really have free will?'. I was blessed to be able to work with them.

Lutherwood keeps providing fun songs and games to share with the community. I have had a request for 'the birdie song' to wake up a fellow team member in the morning :)

General prayers for the world. Specifically Gaza and Zimbabwe. I am continually surprised at how much more globally aware I am here. Maybe it's europe, maybe it's living with people from all over the world, maybe it's just me becoming more aware. Also the Whatcom County area, as the weather has been insane - flooding, power outages, rain... It's all over the place, people have been evacuated from homes. For some hope and some improvement.

I love you all and pray that you are safe, happy, and getting challenged at some point in your days!

Cheers m'dears!

For more Pictures of Christmas Adventures at SPEC, click here
For pictures of the Christmas Party dinner, click here
For pictures of White Elephant at the Christmas Party, click here
For More Scotland picures, click here
For even More Scotland pictures, click here

Recent Blessings

So, I know this blog isn't too up-to-date on my calendar of events, but I think the big event lately has been Mission Week. The SPEC team is going into a high school every day this week. It's similar to the mission I was on with SPECEast, but that was a very small primary school. This is a high school with 1000 boys (and a handful of girls). It's quite different - but I still love it!

We have been doing sessions in classrooms, a social justice rotation, and the advent program. The advent program has probably been the largest project we have taken on. We as a team came up with an outline of a modern nativity story. Mary and Joseph in modern day London. Herod is represented by Mary's overbearing father, the shepherds are a group of dancer/singer/rappers, and Jesus is born in a tube station (Angel station to be exact :) ). My part in this program is directing the band. I was expecting to be either playing piano, or watching and teaching students to play traditional carols. Boy was I wrong. I have a combo of 4 boys - all phenomenal musicians that know what they are doing. The pianist plays beautifully, and he and the guitar player can look at each other and change the feel of the song at the drop of a hat. I say "how about we do this in a different style" and the bass player starts playing a riff and the rest jump in. No planning time at all. It has been such a blessing to be able to work with such positive, competent musicians. They are truly showing the world what they can do with their gifts - way to go guys! The performance is tomorrow night - they are going to rock it! I am so excited!

On a personal level, I'm just excited to be putting on a show! I have missed rehearsing and the preparation for a performance. The adrenaline and focus and anticipation for such a grand event is something I have always loved and cherished. Now that it's missing from my life on a regular basis - I notice - big time. These are the times when I feel alive. (I suppose it's good that I'm heading into theatre :) )

This preparation has been a big topic around here during this Advent season. I'm not sure I've ever been so immersed in the Advent season. We talk about waiting and preparing all the time - and it's been very relevant as we have prepared for mission week. Now it's here, and all of the preparation is coming together - all of the waiting is coming to a climactic end - and I wonder how much of this translates to the religious side of things. Do I ever get this excited about Jesus being born? Or does it usually just pass me by? There's a big difference between showing up to watch a concert and being a part of the preparation for three months in advance. The performance always means more when we've had that personal investment. Shouldn't it be the same for Jesus? Is there a way to infuse this much excitement into the preparation for Jesus? I suppose during my life, we have had an advent calendar at home, we've gotten a Christmas tree, and decorated the house... but how do I prepare for Jesus personally - in my own heart?

I feel as if it is happening this season. Just hearing about it SO much - I can't help but have it on my mind. This year Christmas is going to be different for me - spending it with another family in a different country - on a different continent! So my usual preparations fall away. They are replaced, though, by a preparation of my heart. How will I feel spending Christmas away from home? My family will be on my mind and in my heart, but they will be far away, so what can I keep close to my heart that will be physically close as well? I can keep the miracle of Jesus extra close this year - and get my heart excited for his big performance - I'm getting involved in the rehearsal now.

But certainly - the English Christmas has been celebrated since October! But recently I have gotten the pleasure of trying mince pies, mulled wine, and Christmas pudding (Figgy pudding - like from 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas!') I have gotten the chance to attend English Christmas parties where we sit around and sing carols by a fire! We had Christmas dinner with parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, cranberry stuffing, and Christmas crackers with presents inside. That particular dinner also included a Swedish treat of a Santa Lucia performance! We were very lucky to experience their traditions as well.

I pray that your preparations and traditions are going well this Advent and Christmas season - You are all in my thoughts and prayers - keep me posted on your lives as well! I love you all!

Culture

Culture – we’ll start close. Culture begins at a family level. My family’s culture has taught me to be open-minded and see all sides of a story, to be a committed, hard-working person, and to treat all people with love, compassion, and politeness. It has shown me that the world is generally a good place, while keeping in mind the hardships that many go through each day. This is the level that has influenced me the most throughout my life, and though I moved out of the house and into slightly different towns and family cultures, the basics of those values were consistent.
And then I moved to England. In August of this year, I boarded a plane that landed in the London Heathrow Airport. I was picked up and taken to the SPEC Center, which is a retreat center for young people in the Westminster Diocese that I am volunteering at this year. This was all orchestrated through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Young Adults in Global Mission Program who prepared me quite well to be in British culture. I knew not to ‘jump the queue’ and to be ready to drink lots of tea, but what I wasn’t as prepared for was the multitude of cultures I would encounter here at SPEC. The 30 volunteers here are from 9 different countries – each with our own unique set of customs, values, and history books.
Initially, I don’t think we really knew what to do with each other – what do we say? Can I really ask questions about the snow in Sweden? Will it be all right to ask Anthony about his family back in Zimbabwe? What if I offend someone? What we have found as time has gone on, is that we are all curious about each other’s cultures, and all very excited to share our own. Through that discovery, there has begun a rapid exchange of stories, pictures, and customs that has taken my open-mindedness to a new level of understanding.
Hearing about Zimbabwe in the news is nothing compared to hearing about Anthony’s experiences back home and his sentiments about living in England. His appreciation for having water at the turn of a knob and his amazement at the peace in England shows so much more than a news story ever could. It is so real to hear his mom’s voice on the phone and to see the relief on Anthony’s face when he gets the confirmation that they are still all right.
Anthony’s is one of the many cultures I have been privileged to encounter. They has all opened my eyes not only to how different cultures work, but that my own, while appropriate for its time and place, is not the definitive one. I have never claimed its dominance, but have always felt comfortable in its effectiveness, and gaining an understanding of other backgrounds really challenges that. My culture, customs, and core values, the way of life I know so intrinsically probably would not apply, nor survive in other places. That’s quite a wake-up call to a girl that has always assumed she could survive anywhere and do anything.
To live, learn, and share culture is my contribution to our global world. By being open to learning about other cultures, and both sharing and challenging my own, I can help create that beautiful tapestry that the ebb and flow of diversity creates. This open door policy for cultural exchange and acceptance applied not only to the global cultures I am encountering right now, but the more detailed cultures of individual families and different types of social, racial, and economic backgrounds. These are the differences we encounter in one another every day, and the ones we must celebrate in one another to effectively communicate and co-exist.

Thanksgiving in England!

Oh my goodness! Retreats are coming and going, and I learn something during each one. But my most recent excitement revolves around Thanksgiving! I was so blessed to be able to spend it with the Scribner family in London. We saw lots of sights, drank English tea at the British museum, saw Spamalot, and made Pumpkin Pie with ingredients Jean brought from Washington! We even found a turkey dinner across the street from Spamalot! Here's a picture of Margie's family, flatmates, and me Thanksgiving morning.

Thanksgiving continued on Sunday at SPEC when Erik, another American volunteer, and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner. I have never cooked a meal that big before, but man did Erik and I have fun! I started the rolls at 11:00 am and kept cooking until dinner at 6:00 (well actually more like 6:15, but Thanksgiving dinner is supposed to be late, right?). The dinner was a big success! A shout out to Grama Sutton - I got her recipes for 'Grama Rolls' and Sweet potatoes - both were a big hit! We had a good time explaining all of our different traditions and dishes. The brits found it strange, though, when we said it was fine to put the fruit salad on the same plate as all the other food, but most went along with it anyway. We didn't discover until later that anything on the same plate, in England, is up for grabs to shove together with everything on the plate. I looked over at my neighbor who had fruit salad, roll, and turkey on one fork... we had a laugh together :) It was such a wonderful community time! To eat, laugh, and just be together as a family was so beautiful.

Another great part about this day may have been the fact that I was running the show ;) I have missed being in and around theatre a lot, and having that familiar feeling of working hard all day building up to the adrenaline rush at panic time was so wonderful. I felt alive! Everytime I get this feeling I am reminded of why I want to go into theatre - which leads me to the next big thing on my mind... UNI!

It has come time to apply for university for next fall. Discernment is a big process, though. I have gotten very overwhelmed regularly since I started the process. I am the kind of person that likes to know alllll of my options before making a decision. Well, we all know that there are thousands of universities in the US, and there is no way I could know about them all. So I have narrowed it down to 3... or maybe 5 universities. I am intending to major in theatre - either musical theatre or theatre education. I just had such an amazing time at the Morgan Middle School Drama Club that I can't imagine myself NOT doing thatre in that aspect or something similar. I don't know how I'm going to come to a decision, but luckily I don't really have to make that one until May. I am planning a trip back to the states in February to visit and audition at some schools. My biggest challenge now is the 'personal statement'. I have lots of brainstorms, but it's not coming together like essays normally do for me... maybe I just need some more 'think' time. Unfortunately, that time is running out!

Today I ran a session called 'Stranded!'. The premise is that a meteor is headed towards Earth and will destroy it in the next 48 hours. Luckily, we have known about this for some time, and have managed to build a space-station to live on. Un-luckily, there are only 3 spots left. Each young person is given a character, and throughout the session, they have to decide who stays and who goes. I was struck by how each made their case. Most began with: 'I should go because I have these special talents...' But later, when their shortcomings were revealed, the arguments turned to: 'I should go because I'm not.... (disabled, sterile, old, etc.)' I wonder how often in life we define ourselves by 'what we aren't' in comparison to other people. 'Well, I may be X, but at least I'm not Y...' Just a thought... Life would be nice if we could focus on the X - what we are and celebrate that - as well as the X in others. I guess it's sort of a 'glass half full' mentality.

I want to thank those of you who responded to my last post. The question of where God is in suffering was posed by the ELCA, though it had been floating around in my mind for some time. It's a question whose answer is always being refined in my mind. If you have any others you'd like me to think about - let me know, it may show up here!

I pray life is treating you all well in this Advent Season - Waiting time! :) Cheers!

Where is God?

Before reading, please know that I am having a really good time in England - I am learning loads, making great friends, and enjoying the work we do here at SPEC. These are thoughts inspired by the question 'Where is God in suffering?'

In a crazy world, we see amazing things happening – inventions, births, mountain-top retreats, beautiful creation, music… the list goes on and on. Here at SPEC, we do a morning prayer called ‘Looking out for Love’ that features the Fleetwood Mac song by the same title and a powerpoint presentations displaying pictures of amazing and not-so-amazing events in our world. There are pictures of new-born babies and people jumping out of airplanes. There are also images of hunger, poverty, and injustice. The question arises – Where is God in those situations? Where do we see that love that we are looking out for?

It’s easy to look at the work we do and see God. We see loads of young people come through the centre getting a chance to experience new things, make new friends, and seeing God in a new light. Hearing about some of their families is amazing. Some of these young people have got amazing opportunities and they are taking them – I had a group of musicians today that busted out 3 part harmony on a song they had just learned. But hearing their stories about home can also pose the question of where God is in their lives. Some live in constant fear of leaving their post-code because of gang violence. Others joined their first gang at 13, and have held guns often. Some have one or no parents due to this violence.

My life in England thus far has had plenty of good times, and lots of learning experiences. But it would be a lie to say that it’s been all tea and biscuits (though there has been a LOT of tea and biscuitsJ ) I have had a big struggle adjusting to my new life. I have left everything familiar. Family, friends, school, music, feeding myself, my church, my culture… all things that I have known from a young age that haven’t changed much. I have felt very alone in that – stripped of my identity - though for a long time I did not realize that this was the root cause of my distress. Where do I find God amidst my own suffering? I spoke with a priest about my feelings and how I thought that I should somehow ‘be stronger’ – all he had to say was ‘Jesus wept’. It’s a weird connection to make – my own suffering to Jesus’. His was so much more large, so much more important – but to see that Jesus did suffer, and that he did have times of weakness somehow allowed me to let go and accept that there is suffering in life and that it’s alright, normal, and important to the flow of life. Without suffering, could there be joy? Without valleys, could there be mountains? I know it sounds cliché, but I think it’s true. Sometimes the bad times can be for gaining perspective, or ‘making you stronger’. But for me, it’s seeing that even though things are bad, even though I might feel like crap, I’m still here. Life is still moving and I am surviving. I can continue on. God is still here. It’s about proving that God really is all I need. When everything else is gone, God is still there. It has been a profound realization. To see that so much of life is not 'needed' but makes it so full.

We do a reconciliation service during most of our retreats. This involves multiple prayer stations with the theme of reconciling – with the world, with yourself, with others, and with God. This tends to cause lots of emotion and lots of tears. It can be a painful experience to draw up all of those memories and try to let go of them. Thinking of all of your regrets and mistakes is not pleasant. It’s painful. Where is God? He is in the comfort that is given from one 14 year old boy to another. The last retreat I was on ended up with 4 of our toughest guys crying and hugging each other. God was in the comfort, the teamwork, and the ability they had to share that experience with each other.

So where is God in suffering? He’s in the little triumphs, the realizations, the silver lining. Maybe he’s in the learning experience, maybe it’s to prove that he’s all we really need. I’m quite sure it’s different in every situation – and maybe we never know until after the fact. I think, though, to keep sane in this life, we have to look for God in everything – including the bad, the suffering. There is so much good in this life to look at – but we tend to focus on the bad anyway don’t we? So we might as well start exploring the good side of the bad if that makes any sense at all. If we can manage to find the good- the God- in the bad situations, how much more will we be able to appreciate the good situations?

There are situations all around our world in which I find it extremely difficult to see the good and find God. I think you can all understand those horrific tragedies I refer to. At this point, all I can do is trust that he is there.

I'm beginning to speak like a brit!

It's been nearly a month since I last wrote - but don't worry - I've been thinking of you all quite a bit, it's just been a busy few weeks!


I have had some wonderful adventures!! My long-time friend Margie is currently studying in London, so we got together and toured St. Albans and London together. Amongst many adventures, a couple of highlights included going to see Avenue Q on the West End - Fabulous! - and Westminster Abbey. We were lucky enough to be walking near the Abbey just as the Evening Evansong was beginning in celebration of Edward the Confessor. It was amazing - and an all sensory experience - seeing a beautiful Abbey, smelling the incense, feeling the warmth of hundreds of bodies worshiping, and hearing the amazing men's and boy's choir. Wow. Have you ever had chills for an entire hour? I have now! To top it off, at the end of the service I looked to my left and discovered that we had been sitting about 20 feet away from Handel's Grave. What a day! Here is a picture of Margie and I standing on the Millennium Bridge!


For more pictures of our adventures, click here.



The next week brought an amazing treat for me! I was on mission with SPECeast, our sister project in Wapping - East London. We went into a wonderful primary school everyday putting on assemblies and doing sessions in the classrooms. The team was wonderful to work with - there was really a sense of love between us all - the kind of love that can support each other and really celebrate one anther's' gifts. The theme of the mission was "We Are One" - and was intended to energize the school about everything from the oneness of their school to the uniqueness in the One you. Our sessions included silly songs and games (my specialty!), tougher stuff like challenging stereotypes, and activities that promoted team work. We were all thoroughly impressed by the enthusiasm and energy in the kids as well as the amazing support and level of involvement from the teachers. Teachers are always pressed for time in the classroom trying to teach all of the information that needs to be taught, but at this school, mission was placed first and foremost. Those kids are so lucky to have teachers that value this part of their education as well - and an administration that encourages it as well. Below is a picture of our missionary team (and I think a kid that snuck into the picture ;) )

It is interesting to then look at our title as the missionaries, but see how important that role as teacher is. The teachers' ability to accept and encourage this mission was so essential to its success that the teachers should be called missionaries as well. We all seem to have that call. In our everyday lives we are presented with situations that we can treat in different ways. We have the choice to grump over things for whatever reason, or we can choose to find the good in whatever we are presented with. In the interest of those kids, their teachers chose to embrace this mission as an opportunity - though I'm sure it did take away from important classroom time. Certainly not every situation is a nice and happy one, and those issues should be dealt with - but life can certainly be much more pleasant when we choose to find that good - so that no situation is a total loss - both personally and for those around us. A situation that could be less-than-ideal for one may be an amazing opportunity for another. What a way to minister to one other - and such a simple and universal one at that. I may be the one with the title of a Christ the Servant and ELCA missionary this year, but we are all part of God's family and the community of the world, and are called to spread that love - be those missionaries, and accompany those around us with every tool we have - including our attitude.

We had another great residential retreat a few weeks ago. As I may have mentioned, I am pretty new to this high-school age group, so each retreat I seem to be learning new things as well as discovering new challenges. This retreat was no different. One of the earlier sessions was archery. Now, archery training, though intense and instructive, can never truly prepare you for having 12 crazy high schoolers with bows and arrows. (Which I am sure is true for any first year teacher or anything like that.) I was a bit overwhelmed with the situation, but as the session went on, I found great joy in how interested the young people were in improving on their skills. There is a sense of happiness and hope that comes when I see that hint of passion and sparkle in a young person :) We also had a really great chat in our 'girls only' session. It was wonderful for me to watch the leader of the session say 'let's scrap the session' in order to continue the discussion the girls had started about our image in the eyes of the opposite sex and how we can support one another as females. This is another way I see people being missionaries in every situation they encounter. These girls were passionate about helping one another out in maintaining a healthy image. The other exciting bit of the retreat was a young man who recognized a song I was playing and knew of the artist. Pete Stewart is from Whatcom County, and so I was quite surprised when a young person from London started singing along. Small world!

The English school system gives a week each half-term, and the retreat centre follows the school schedule, so we got a week off during the week of my birthday! To celebrate, my friends Anna and Anthony and I took a trip to Paris! There are a few albums of pictures up on facebook, but I'll share my highlights here. I think traveling with great travel buddies was a real blessing for one - we had a great time getting around the city together. Though Anna was fabulous at navigating us around the metro, we still found ourselves wandering quite a bit, walking up to something wonderful and saying 'Where are we and what is this?' I'm still not quite sure about a few of the sights we saw. We intentionally sought out the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre and the Mona Lisa (surprisingly small!), The Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, The Pantheon, and other sights. My favorite of our planned trips was the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. My love for cathedrals continues to grow. We got to attend vespers at Notre Dame after sitting, praying, and looking around for probably an hour or so, but the Sacre Coeur was the one that really took my breath away.

We went at night and had a bit of trouble finding it, so when we finally got to a big staircase, we all groaned at the thought of climbing them. But up we went, and boy was it worth it. At the top of the staircase we had the most amazing view of this cathedral (on the right). Wow. As we got closer we heard music - but not an organ or a choir - this was definitely hip hop music, and when it came into our line of sight, we discovered a full on dance party happening on the steps immediately in front of The Sacre Coeur (translated 'Sacred Heart'). There were probably 50 people watching some people dance. After hanging there a bit, we went inside and experienced silence. What a change in atmosphere. I think that is something I love about cathedrals though. As touristy as they might be, they still keep up their function as a worship and prayer space. That is the priority. There was an usher shushing people as they came in - and he was strict! But amongst the craziness - people walking around, people sneaking pictures, worrying about the next stop on their Paris tour, a dance party outside - there was such a sense of calm. Wow.

Our final day allowed us the opportunity to see local Paris. Our hostel was a bit outside the city, and on our way to our metro station we discovered a market! I love markets! So we looked around - Anna bought little boys spider-man apparel, and I bought socks and a coat. It was so much fun to interact with local people and feel as if we were really supporting the real Paris and not just tourist traps! We also had a bakery near our hostel that quickly became our bakery - our source for our daily baguettes and croissants. We also discovered a small park (by complete accident - I believe the conversation went something like - Allison: What is this? Anna: I think it's someone's house. Allison: *walks in the large doors*) It was arena like, and originally just provided a great place for us to eat lunch, but we quickly discovered that it was quite the centre for football (soccer to us Americans) and other outdoor recreation. We witnessed a progression of about 4 different groups of boys coming in and leaving in games involving footballs - some were actual games, others, the junior high group, resembled something that would be titled 'kick the ball as hard as you can at the wall'. This was very entertaining until one of the balls hit Anna in the shoulder - that was our cue to leave :). My favorite group though, was what seemed to be a family group - 2 older boys with some younger kids. The three of us were trying to guess what their relationships were - "those two must be brothers - and maybe they are cousins". They were treating each other with such love and care. Much to our surprise, when their game was finished, the kids ran to some parents as the older boys just waved - as if they had just met this family and had been so gracious to share their game. We think 'missionary' and what it means to share God's love. That's it.

The calmer side of the park is below

For more pictures of Paris, click here, here, and here.

The latter half of half-term break was spent in retreat with the SPEC, Loft, and SPEC east teams. We had some amazing speakers and had a lot of fun. I have been learning a ton during our ministry at SPEC, but I had some really good personal realizations on this retreat. Since coming to England, I have been dealing with culture shock and other very mixed feelings about being here. Nothing was wrong necessarily, but there certainly has not been a ton of confidence on my part - I have been feeling scattered and un-centered. After hearing some really good speakers, I began to realize what has been going on with me. My identity has always been based around the encouragement and support I have received from my family and best friends, the things I am good at and enjoy, and my structured, busy life that I love. All of these things are amazing and wonderful gifts - but in a 12 hour flight, they were all gone. What I have been experiencing is a 'desert' place if you will. It's just God and me. I am having to re-learn and re-discover my identity at its roots - no frills, no bells, whistles, or extras - but who I am at the most basic level - the level that is God. God as the foundation.

Realizing and truly knowing that -all else aside - my most important function in life and the only one that will be a constant is my function as a child of God has been so liberating. All else springs from that and grows out of that foundation. Music, theatre, teaching, socializing - all of those things are products of my role as God's child - God's creation - not the other way around.

This year I may not have a lot of those things I am used to - my family, my friends, music, theatre, writing papers - and it has seemed very intimidating to live without those things. But what this year does bring me is the amazing opportunity to experience that foundation - that basic level. I get to explore what it means to be a person of God with no distractions. Scary - but very exciting!

I am getting used to living in England though - my latest milestone was realizing that I am no longer shocked by traffic in the left hand lane!

Which brings me to today! This weekend was my first confirmation retreat and it was absolutely fabulous! This one had about 25 young people from two different parishes. They were all just beginning their confirmation programs. It was a very refreshing program for me because the sessions were more focused on christian issues. What really got me energized, though, was the curiosity in all of the young people. God was truly moving through this group. Within the first few hours, I got the following questions: "So - do you believe that Jesus is actually in the bread and wine?", "What's a Lutheran?", and "Who do you think is going to heaven?". By this point, I knew this retreat was going to be fun! What I love about our ministry here at SPEC is the opportunity we give the young people to explore for themselves what they think are the answers to those types of questions.

One session in particular was perfect for showing this. It's called 'Vote with your Feet', and we give the young people statements and ask them to agree or disagree and have a discussion to follow. They got to discuss issues like miracles and what makes a 'good' christian in a totally un-biased atmosphere.

I pray that you are all well and that God is blessing each and every one of you with wonderful experiences to brighten your life and exciting challenges to help you grow.

Cheers!

Well, it's a beautiful Sunday Morning - much like every morning for the majority of the past two weeks! It's unbelievable that It's mid-October and I can go outside without any form of coat or jumper most of the time! It still feels like early summer!

It's been a couple of weeks since I blogged last, so brace yourself for a long, but good, one :)

I had a very busy week the first week in October. The SPEC team had 3 retreats - all of which were a bit different. The week began, though, with a day of preparation. This was an amazing treat for me to be able to spend a little time really digging into the sessions I was going to be leading and to get a chance to really wrap my head around the themes of the retreat. I really enjoy the flexibility we have when leading a session. We are given the general outline, but beyond that we are given the freedom to put a lot of our own personality and gifts into the session, as well as adjust for whatever the group seems to need. At the end of the day I felt so much better prepared for the retreats - it really made me appreciate all of those planning days and prep period that my parents and all of my teachers value so highly!

Our first retreat was a day retreat. The class of year 12s arrived in the morning, we did a quick intro and then they rotated through a few sessions. Annika and I led 2 sessions: Meditation and PUSH (pray until something happens). This session used clips from Bruce Almighty to explore a little bit about prayer. We got a chance to lead each session twice, so we changed things as we went along. And though I don't feel as if the session went perfectly, we did make improvements, which was good for me!

The next 2 days were spent with a residential retreat - the other half of the year group from week one. We were all geared up for another tough retreat full of chatty Cathys, but we were pleasantly surprised. This group of young people was really bright, and I had multiple conversations with individuals about their future plans. Their passion and determination was truly inspiring.

When I introduced myself at the beginning of the retreat, I shared that I was American (like I always do). This time, though, there was a chorus of "Who are you voting for?" to which I responded with nothing but a smile and attempted to continue my introduction, but couldn't due to the excited debate that ensued. I'm finding that American politics is VERY important over here :)

My favorite one was probably our mission though - we went into a girl’s school for a day and did a day retreat themed 'Born To...' It was really cool to be able to share such a cool message with such an amazing group of girls! After year 11, kids are free to leave school, but some choose to stay for 6th form - year 12 and 13, where they specialize in a few subjects, so the group we had was really focused and wanted to be there - and they were a very bright group. I got to lead a session with Carrie, another volunteer, called Johari's Window, which is basically a 'who are you' session. It was really cool to be able to share our stories, hear theirs, and to impart our wisdom upon them :) heehee - kind of like having a bunch of Megans to talk to (Megan is my wonderful sister). It felt odd to be speaking about God in a school setting, though - but I liked it, because in my mind they have always been intertwined.

God works in amazing ways - I think doing that session and leading a similar one about 'the road less traveled' is helping me to find my place within the structure of these retreats. I'm discovering that a lot of what the ministry is about is sharing my own story with these guys - who are really only a couple years behind me in age, and right at my heels in decision making. Just being honest about myself - it gives them permission to be honest about themselves as well.

The other way I'm finding to connect with the young people is through playing cards. A lot of the team has begun to play cards quite a bit, so I have pulled them out on retreat (thank you Jeremy for getting me a deck right before I left :) ). I am in awe of how unversal cards are. How many games you can actually play, and how many variations there are for each of those games! It's funny, we played a game at orientation with cards. Each table had a set of rules, so we read them, and then began our game, which we were to play in silence. The winners moved tables, and it became apparent quite quickly that each table had slightly different rules. It was to represent that different cultures have different customs and rules, even though the overall look might be the same. And now I'm experiencing that analogy - not only in its intended message - but in quite a literal way!

Another quick note about our day on mission - I pulled out my silly putty at one point in our break room, and they all gave me weird looks - they don't have silly putty in England! It was great fun introducing them to it! :) Here's Carrie seeing it for the first time.

This week also brought a very special opportunity to worship at the Westminster Cathedral. This Cathedral is only 100 years old, and is still not finished being built. It was amazing to think that we were there during the process. The other neat thing about it is that it is used regularly for worship and prayer, and there is no entrance fee at all. They really value the space for its intended purpose. When we had a quick walk through the main sanctuary, we heard the men's choir singing... :) Anyway, we got to celebrate our commisioning mass in the crypt after which we got to eat a nice pizza dinner with the bishop - a great time was had by all.

The last time I went to a Child's Birthday Partywith college students was in March of 2007 - I was definitely due for another one, which is exactly what happened that Friday. We played pass the parcel, did the electic slide and the Macarena, and ate way too many sweets. It was a blast!

To continue the childish theme, I think I have mentioned that I taught the team the Hippo song - well, I have caught a few of them on tape! Click here to view The International Hippo Song. These are some of my fellow team members from around the world. Countries Represented: England (2), Sweden (3), Scotland, and Zimbabwe. Can you hear all the accents?

During each of our residential retreats, we take the groups on a night walk. They are great fun, and often the highlight of the retreat for many young people. I also love these walks because I always seem to have great converstation along the way. It was during one of these conversations that I discovered my deep appreciation for organization. I have always enjoyed planning things and putting things in order, but it finally dawned on me that it's actually a great part of my personality and skills kit. And I had a chance to put that into practice this past week!

We were supposed to have a 3 day residential group, but they ended up needing to cancel, so we gained 3 days to basically organize this place. We did some massive clean outs of useless furniture and old rubbish. I also got the chance to organize SPEC's music collection. I have been working on and off on this project for some time, but I got to spend an entire day just cleaning out the multiple copies, unreadable copies, and random other items. We recycled a stack of paper probably 4 feet high. Then came organizing it - I really enjoyed myself. We are down to 3 binders now! I find that making things functional really satisfies me :).

I think that this organizational side of me has also taken root in my future planning. In order to be as efficient and functional as possible, my future outlook has always been: "I want to get to point 'B', so therefore I will do steps '1,2,3'." This makes sense, right? Well, to an extent, yes. But I'm finding that, unfortunately, it's somewhat unrealistic to expect. Here's an excerpt from my journal... forgive me if it doesn't make sense, it's definitely train of thought!

"I wish I could think less about 'A to B' and more just about 'A'... 'B' will be created by my chosen 'A's... But then will I ever know ifI'm at B? Do we ever actually get to B?"

Somewhat 'out there', but just my thoughts of the moment.

This thought is mostly spured by the need to make some decisions pretty soon. College applications will be due very soon, and that thought is kind of looming over me. Should I go to musical theatre school? Should I go to a school to major in something else and do theatre on the side? Should I just postpone school longer and go hiking in the Andes? Who knows?! Any thoughts or suggestions out there?

After long days of being inside organizing, Sara K., Elin, and I decided to go for a walk. A long walk. With a great suggestion, we took a footpath into St. Albans - a predicted 3 hour walk. The day was beautiful (the picture at the top was the beginning of our day) and we were up for an adventure, so we took the map and headed out. Well, the walk took a little longer than we expected due to our leisurly pace and a few wrong turns, but after 4 hours we reached St. Albans, spent an hour at the market, and then another hour walking down past the Cathedral in search of the famed Waffle House (unfortunately we had run out of time when we got there, so we walked back to St. Albans to catch our bus).

On the way we had a few adventures! We saw a tree resembling the fallen tree in Dirty Dancing and another tree that looked like it belonged in the Little Mermaid (the 'kiss the girl' tree). We encountered some Swans that Sara was quite afraid of. 'They will peck me! They are dangerous!" The footpath we were on lead us through a cow pasture. No fences, just straight through the pasture. Sara was a bit worried about the cows as well :) We made few wrong turns that took us through some cute towns, and at one point we found ourselves on the motorway (freeway) needing to be on the other side. We tried to find a trail, but there was none, so we hopped the fence to go down the steep hill to the path running under the motorway - on the left you will see me climbing over the barbed wire at the bottom of the hill.

Our day in total was about 7 hours. We were on our feet for 6 of them. We had a great time, and had some really good discussions about our home countries and holidays. Did you know that in Sweden on December 24 (Christmas), people stop everything to watch Mickey Mouse for an hour? It's tradition!

My other highlight from the last week was leading prayer for the team. I used a reading from Matthew 6 about not worrying. I'll leave you with the other text I used - author unknown.

Memo from God

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: THE BOSS
Reference: LIFE

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new grey hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Matthew 6:34
So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

I love you all and would love updates about your lives! I pray that you are doing well and that God is blessing you with great things in life!

For more pictures of the Children's Birthday Party, Click Here.

For more pictures of our Walk, Click Here.

One Month and going strong!

As of last friday, the 26th, I have been here 1 month!
Whew! This last week has had a lot going on!

Sunday brought our final day of archery! The exam was roughly 4 ours, but we all really breezed through it and all passed! We received a little certificate and a cool green badge that says 'Archery Leader'. We are certified for 2 years and are qualified to set up ranges, fix equipment, and lead sessions.

The next day brought my very first retreat! I was so excited to be able to greet the bus with 44 kids. As we sat in front of the centre waiting for them to show up, I really didn't have a very clear idea of what this retreat would look like. I had the rota, but that couldn't prepare me for the actual experience. The group was here for a total of about 25 hours, so we had planned a very tight and packed schedule.

The overall theme of the retreat was 'The Road Less Travelled (Leadership)'. Throughout the retreat we had 7 sessions surrounding this theme - doing things like trust and communication games, talking about people we admire, team challenges, problem solving, and looking at our own road and where we might go next. This is a really relevant theme for year 11s because this is the point in their education where they pick the subjects that they are going to hone in on - to put it in American terms, they are in the position of a college sophomore - honing in on what they want to do with their life... at age 15.

The phrase 'Meet them where they are' took on a whole new meaning for me. I was expecting to be somewhat involved in their friend groups, helping provoke conversation, teach them games and encourage activities... things like that. What these young people needed, though, was someone to be there. To be present and available if they needed to talk, but other than that, just to be a safe and comfortable person. I'm still kind of trying to wrap my mind around it.

Basically, this group stopped talking maybe 3 or 4 times total during the entire retreat. Sessions would go without one moment of quiet from the group. Now, this wasn't malicious or intentional disrespect, it was just they way they worked. They just couldn't turn off their mouths. Now, my first instinct after polite requests for quiet and the 'just wait for them to get quiet' method is to sit them down and give them a good lecture, but the SPEC philosophy is to meet them where they are, so they were only given a bit of a stern talking to once. Other than that we did a lot of waiting and just talking over the dull roar. Though this tested the teams' patience, the kids had a great time, and I think by keeping things as positive as possible, the young people were more inclined to get involved and really allow themselves to get something out of the retreat. And they did- I had a quick minute long conversation with a girl whose name I never learned, but at the end of the retreat, she thanked me. It was a real lesson in finding God in the small things.

Overall, it was a really good retreat. I have a lot to learn - this is a new age group for me, a new culture, a new way of doing things etc. But I have 3 retreats this week, so I'll have lots of chances to practice!

I had a day off after the retreat and I wandered into St. Albans to do some proper exploring. I got myself a sim card/cell phone finally, which has proven handy a couple times, but on the whole, it usually stays off in my room. I have enjoyed not having a cell phone. I never realized how much I would check it for calls or messages and the like until I didn't have it - but I don't miss it too terribly :)

I grabbed a sandwich after checking out many resturaunts for the best prices, but then had to figure out where I was going to eat it (it's much cheaper to take away than it is to eat in). And I looked up and saw a sign that said 'Cathedral' with an arrow. So I followed went down a few cobblestone pathways and ended up at the St. Albans Cathedral, which I had heard of, but hadn't seen yet. As I rounded the corner, I discovered a wonderful grassy park with benches and a few trees - it was beautiful (not to mention the sun was shining!). And I ate my lunch and read my book for a couple of hours.

This is the view of the cathedral from where I ended up eating my lunch:

I feel very lucky that this is basically in my backyard. Time off is a completely new concept to me really. During my life, if I had nothing on the calandar for a day, that didn't mean there was nothing to do. There has always been something to practice, a paper to write, or chores to do and errands to run. I don't have other commitments here at SPEC, so my days off really are off. I've been struggling to fill the time. So I am making a list of hobbies to take up. So far, the list includes knitting (which I already do), walking, photography, and party planning.

Today I combined two of them and took pictures on a walk :) (result on the right) This is in one of the fields on the SPEC grounds - currently my favorite worship area. I also had a great opportunity to go blackberry and raspberry picking today with the Rogers' family - it was very pleasant!

I believe it was that evening that I wandered over to the Pink Lounge in Chantry Lodge to play some cards. We played couple of group games, but the majority of the evening was rather comical because there were 4 people and 4 decks of cards, and 4 different solitare games being played. I'm pretty sure that Sara J. knows an infanite amount of card games - we all kept watching her and trying to figure out her game. We each taught games, but the most popular one was called Napolean. Apparently there is only one situation in which you can win.

The other exciting accomplishment due to time off is a database of games using Microsoft access. It was really nice to be able to record all of the games I know and categorize them - now I can say 'hmm... I have a small group that needs to play an outdoor name game' and I can pull up a list! It's fabulous (and a little nerdy, but I'm really excited :) )

The following two days I was serving in the kitchen as well as doing some other odd jobs. At first I was really fidgety and antsy in the kitchen because it was so low key. I felt as if we should be working hard all day and have no down time, but as time passed, I began to understand that the many breaks were not due to laziness or the need for a British tea break, but to efficiency. The kitchen crew is so together, prepared, and good at what they do, that there wasn't a whole lot to do. I ended up getting teased for asking frequently 'what can I do?'.

Then the weekend came, and a few of us ventured into London for a day. I was very excited to navigate London public transportaton, which we did with ease. Knowing that I can get around is really liberating. SPEC is wonderful, but it's very good to get out, and now I have the tools.

We had a ball! Our first stop was the British museum. It was storytelling day, so in each of the world culture areas there were storytellers throughout the day. Anthony and I snagged a spot front and center on the floor to listen to the Cinderella story from India. It was wonderful. Other highlights from the day included Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter, Picadilly (lots of theatre) and the South Bank of the Themes, which has a lot of free outdoor theatre, workshops, and events going on. We were there as the sun was going down, and the views were excellent. But my favorite part was the giant furniture made out of astro-turf. I think it's a set for a comedy show they do. All 5 of us fit on the arm chair!

Almost done - just two other thoughts...

Post is fabulous! I have gotten a couple of letters and a wonderful package from my family, and they always arrive just when I need a pick-me-up. I can't tell you how many times that perfect timing has worked out. Thank you so much for those letters - they are an amazing support!

We pray twice a day as community, and as the year gets going, we each take turns leading a devotion for the morning or afternoon. I got inspired the other day listening to a band playing Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium, and thought that it would be amazing to use in a prayer. The only problem is that all I can come up with is to use the theme of thankfulness and praise to think/write about while we listen to the piece. Do any of you out there have other ideas/activities/Bible verses/etc. I could use to put together an awesome devotion?? If you think of something send me an email at allicat_smile@hotmail.com . Actually, if you have any thoughts at all or just feel like sending a note, email me - or send some post, because that's fun too! :)

I hope life is wonderful and blessed for you all as well! Cheers!

For more pictures of London and London Colney, click here.

Other thoughts on life...

One thing I love about community is the opportunities we have to minster to each other. When you get 30 people that have all given a year (or more) of their life to helping young people, you get a pretty amazing group of people. There is always someone to turn to during both hard times and celebration. I have found this especially with other international volunteers as we struggle together with culture shock, homesickness, and the language barrier (and there are a few words that us American don't understand :) ). I have found that some of our most special times are the non-verbal ones, like the impromptu dance party a few of us had, and teaching each other card games from our home countries.

Having that Lutheran heritage has also been fun sharing. Erik, the other ELCA volunteer, and I have had a great time having Lutheran/Catholic discussions with our Catholic neighbors. We are so blessed to be in such an accepting environment - everyone is curious about Lutherans (there are 15 congregations in all of England and Scotland and Wales) and has had really open ears and hearts to what we have to say. It has gone the other way as well - I certainly enjoy hearing the lively discussions and opinions surrounding catholicism, and am learning more and more what it means to be Catholic to different people.

Of the leadership staff, each have 2 or 3 of us that they are supervising. My supervisor's name is Simon, and he is the qualified youth worker. I am very excited to work with him - I think we are a really good match. He has just the right tools and style to challenge my skills working with young people. I will make a comment like 'yea, sometimes it's hard to get them into a circle...' and Simon replies with 'nah, you just have to train them so they know when you stand a certain way to just do it.' And other things like that. I'm really looking forward to it.

TFG Conference!

It’s been quite the week! Since returning from Snowdonia, I am well on my way to becoming a certified archery leader – along with 11 others from the team. We have learned about safety, shooting, safety, teaching, safety, how to make an arrow, and more safety… you get the idea J
Here is a picture of Sara K. from Sweden and me holding our recurve bows! We take our 4 hour assessment tomorrow – wish us luck!

Monday we went through an intense child protection session, where we learned a lot about what child abuse is and how to deal with it if a young person approaches us with a situation. The rules on child abuse are much stricter here than in the states – I would guess due to the US’s emphasis on freedom. For instance, the most physical harm a child can legally experience is something that leaves a small, temporary red mark. I know that the laws vary across the US, but England has definitely become quite strict, especially in the last few years.

The day became more enjoyable, though, when a number of us headed off to the TFG conference in London! Time for God (TFG) is the UK volunteer organization that the ELCA works with to find placements for the UK volunteers. There have been 3 or 4 conferences during September – ours was 27 volunteers from around the world. It was really nice to be in a group of all international people and have a chance to discuss the issues specific to the international perspective. We talked about ways to budget on a volunteer stipend, some travel tips, and culture shock – what it is and how to deal with it. It was very refreshing to talk to someone who really had a good understanding of what culture shock is and how it can affect people. I have been experiencing some homesickness, some tiredness, and some generally weird emotions. After chatting with my field officer, it became quite apparent that culture shock has hit early for me (usually it comes somewhere 3 or 4 months into the volunteer year). We chatted about it, and I am feeling much better – though prayers would be lovely.

We also got a chance to head into central London! I finally got a chance to see some proper sights! Not only that, I figured out how to navigate the bus system (sort of) and the tube – which was surprisingly easy! We took a leisurely walk around and saw Big Ben, The houses of parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park, and Buckingham Palace.

Here is a picture of me outside of Westminster Abbey. (I plan to go to church here soon!) An interesting note about Westminster Abbey – there was a chapel to the side of the Abbey that was open for free viewing. It had lots of graves and memorials – including one of a woman who had been married to an ‘Edward Sutton’! Maybe Cousin Ann can trace back the genealogy :)

The other highlight of the conference was the TFG West End! We were split into 3 groups and assigned a performance genre. There was a drama group, a dance group, and the song group, which was the group I was in. We were given a CD of ABBA’s greatest hits and sent off on our own. Well, we had some ambitious people in our group and ended up writing a whole script to tie our 5 favorite songs together. Myself, Sara J. from Sweden, and Judith from Germany were the 3 singers – The International Song Birds was our title I believe. I’m quite sure Sara has experience in performing ABBA songs – she knew the songs, the classic ABBA moves, and exactly how to make quick ABBA costumes! Here’s a picture to show you what I mean…



In other news – I have taught the Hippo song to my fellow volunteers, and it is the new favorite, and when I introduced the game ‘Boppity Bop Bop Bop’ and we played for probably half an hour! I find that the silly times have been my favorite. The loft team had a talent show/show and tell event the other night, and I absolutely loved learning the silly songs and games, watching a magic show, and participating in some Swedish and Hungarian folk dancing. What a night!

My other couple favorite moments of the week both occurred yesterday during my day off. I went in to St. Albans by myself, ran a few errands, and then needed somewhere to sit and eat my sandwich. This is the precise moment that I saw an arrow pointing towards ‘Cathedral’. I strolled through the little shopping areas and out a brick path to this beautiful Cathedral that was built from Roman ruins! Then it got better – as I rounded the corner of the building, I found a large grassy park with a few benches and trees. The sun was shining and I ended up sitting, eating my sandwich and reading my book for a couple hours. It was so peaceful watching people walk by and hearing the bells ring every 15 minutes.

Later that day during community time, we worshiped outside around the large cross in the middle of a field. The sun was still shining, and I felt so refreshed and fulfilled. I hadn’t realized how much I missed outdoor worship! It was a wonderful day!

Oh! And I have my first retreat on Monday! I am paired up with a veteran retreat leader, Luke, who is just full of energy and a great guy overall. I am so excited to work with him and learn from his experience. The two pieces I am actually leading with people are an evening prayer and football! It will be a blast – but definitely a challenge, so prayers for that would be wonderful!

Well, I’m going to sign off for now – that’s a lot for one post! I have really enjoyed hearing from all of you – thank you for your emails and thoughts and prayers. Much love to you all!

And as usual - pictures for your enjoyment!

More Pictures of TFG and London, Click Here

More Pictures of TFG West End, Click Here

Snowdonia!

Yea - when I mentioned that the hike sounded more like a walk... I was wrong. We summited a Mountain! it was 1085 metres high - about a third of the height of Mt. Baker. For the majority of the hike we found ourselves in clouds, but when the wind blew hard and the fog cleared for just a few moments... it was breathtaking!

The terrain was much more rocky than at home. I'm used to dirt trails and lots of trees, but Mt. Snowdon was rocks and field. A portion of the hike I would deem climbing even. There were lots of sheep as well - all over Wales actually- just roaming about, grazing on the grass.

The retreat was wonderful. Our days were spent hiking, biking, and exploring some of the cute towns in Wales, and our evenings were filled with discussion of what it means to live in community with one another as well as some fun and games :)

I have really enjoyed our talks about community. In my years at school, at camp, in theatre, the topic of community hasn't been truly taken on as a subject. That's a lie - I have a vague memory of singing a song about community at Deming elementary - anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Anyway - there were 7 main elements of community we talked about, but the one that got me most excited (surprisingly) was 'celebrate'. It was suggested that we have an events calendar that housed our favorite holidays, birthdays, etc. My mind started spinning about planning events and doing special things for special people. I can't wait to get started!

Some highlights from our Snowdonia Trip:

Day one was probably the muddiest for our entire group. Half of the group chose to mountain bike the trails around our hill of the day. The rest of us decided to walk to our picnic destination. As we began to walk, Simon suggested that we plunge straight through the woods because 'it's a shortcut'. Well, only 2 people took that challenge while the rest of us continued up the main dirt road. It was a bit rainy, but other than that we were please with our choice. As we continued to study the map, we found the trail that we deemed the quickest, and took that turn. Our main leadership continued on the main road, but the rest of us were confident in our decision. Somewhere, though, we took a turn to what we thought was a small trail, but ended up being a small stream. Definitely NOT a trail. We plunged through anyway, walking through the stream and pushing our way through thick branches. I had a blast! Never in my life have I thought "hey, I think it would be fun to go create a trail!" But I really enjoyed myself. Here's a glimpse at our challenge.

Day 2 was the big hike up Mt. Snowdon. I was in the slow group, and boy was I thankful! That thing was pretty steep. I had a really good time, though, and was proud of myself for summiting a mountain - the highest in England and Wales too! It was really really windy, hence the superman picture to the right - we couldn't resist!

Day 3 I didn't take any pictures, but it's worth mentioning that we did a high ropes course that at it's highest was 52 feet, and the final element was 40 feet, which is significant when you know that the last element was basically a free fall for 30 feet until the thing we were hooked into slowed us down- it was awesome!

For more Pictures of Snowdonia, click here

For even more, click on this one

Well, week one of training is nearly through - and boy has it been awesome! Through our sessions, I have come to learn quite a bit more about what it is that I am doing this year! The project is a 'residential' program mostly, which is British for 'Overnight retreat'. Basically, if you think of a youth group retreat and mix it with a week of summer camp, you get a SPEC retreat. Most of the groups that come are from Catholic Schools in the Westminster Diocese. They come to us for 3 days 2 nights typically, and we put on the retreat for them. We do a mixture of sessions that fit the theme of the retreat, outdoor activites, and prayer. It's really up my alley, but rather new in a lot of ways as well. There are many moments that remind me of camp, but they are different enough that I'm definitely learning something new.

Some practical speak - I have an address now! It is as follows:


Allison Sutton
SPEC, All Saints Pastoral Centre
Shenley Lane London Colney
St. Albans
HERTS
AL2 1AG


Long, isn't it? I really have been enjoying the British - the tea, complaining about the weather.. :) I was chatting with my friend Melanie, who lives just 20 minutes from central London, and she was sharing with me that, though stereotypes, she and many Brits will claim them and be proud. The pride in their nation is something that I'm not too used to, coming from the US. It's been very fun to hear people speak so fondly of where they come from. That doesn't stop with the Brits, though. I have chatted a bit about Sweden with my friend Sara, and have shared great conversation about our homes with Anthony from Zimbabwe.

Home is such a personal thing. Someone once said that when you go somewhere, you don't learn a whole lot about that place, but you sure do get to know your home better. It's true. Explaining to people what the US, Washington, and Deming are like has made me realize the different things I really value about them, and what qualities are really relevant. It's so easy to look past these things while they are present.

The SPEC Centre, St. Albans, England - they are beautiful. Here are a few pictures of the site:







The back door to the main house. This is where most of the SPEC meeting rooms, offices, 2 chapels, and some team member housing resides. I live in this building, which I love! There are 7 volunteers that live here, and we are getting along famously! We have stayed up having deep theological disscussions and watched half a season of 'Friends' together already :)











This building is known as 'The Loft'. The Loft is the Children's project for ages 7-14- they do a few residential programs, but more often than not it is a day program. Children come with their school groups, sing silly songs, play games, do crafts, and have sessions fitting their theme - depending on age. There are no shoes worn in this building, which I think is pretty fun, and the decorations are very bright and inviting.


For more pictures of the grounds and my room etc. Check out my facebook pictures - just click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056678&l=6ec66&id=39207159


The staff and volunteers are headed out to Snowdonia in Wales on Sunday for a retreat of our own. I imagine we'll be doing a lot of team building, and there has been talk of a hike, which I think in WA terms is more of a walk, but it sounds beautiful none-the-less :) I'll keep everyone posted. Also - if you'd like to be in touch, feel free to comment here, or shoot me an email at allicat_smile@hotmail.com

Much Love to you all! Cheers!
Allison

I'm Here in England!

August 28, 2008
Greetings!

I have been in England for 2.5 days now, and I’m really enjoying myself. I arrived at Heathrow Airport in London around 9:00 am and breezed through immigration. I then had just enough time to say goodbye to my fellow YAGMs, grab a hot cocoa (paid for it in pounds J ), and get picked up by a wonderful gal named Tracy. Just a quick note – in the US, when ordering fast food or coffee, the barista says ‘for here or to-go’, here, the phrase is ‘drink here or take-away’. I got very confused and had to ask the barista what she had said 3 times. She finally had to explain the whole concept – I was slightly embarrassed. Immediately following, I had to figure out how to get myself, my large cocoa, and my 2 giant suitcases across the coffee shop to an empty seat. That was interesting to say the least!
Anyway, Tracy picked me up and we drove on the left side of the road for about half-an-hour to St. Albans and the SPEC centre. Our first order of business was to have a cup of tea – it was great! Since that day I have had quite a few cups of tea, and also experienced the culture of tea breaks. As Simon, the youth worker, explained to me, it’s a way of processing and thinking through what you need to do. I have found this to be quite true. When people around the centre come to a mental road block, they have a cup of tea to think about it. I have come to really enjoy tea breaks, as they are my main opportunity to get to know the leadership staff, as they are working during the day.
Since the rest of the volunteers don’t arrive until tomorrow, I have been doing some odd jobs, as well as just hanging out quite a bit. I made a lot of beds today, and had a good chance to chat with my friend Anne-Marie from Poland who has volunteered at SPEC for the last 3 years. She is here for about a month to help with training, and then she is heading off to Uni (University) to study interior design. We had a very nice talk about studying what one likes, as opposed to what the ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ path of life might be.

What I'm doing this year...

A quick overview of my upcoming year...

I am serving with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)'s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. To make a long story short, through many interviews and 'get to know you' types of conversations, I have gotten a placement in the United Kingdom!

I will be serving in St. Albans, which is about a half hour north of London. The centre I am at is called the SPEC centre, a youth retreat centre of the Westminster Diocese of the Catholic Church. I'm not entirely sure what my position is like yet - more on that later (aka when I know).

It's been a long, but very rewarding and smooth process up to this point. It has been so easy working with the YAGM program and leadership, which is a huge blessing! And we are all finally here in Chicago for training! There are 38 of us that are all heading to different countries. There are 10 of us going to the UK, and other countries include South Africa, Kenya, Slovakia, Jeruselem/West Bank, India, Argentina/Urguay, and Mexico.