The Purest Heart I Have Yet Met

"Brother" Ian (who I first wrote about in November under the post "Brother") has been in hospital recovering from a hip surgery and I had the chance to visit him this week with another woman from JMC. Seeing him and his bright spirit automatically reminds you of the beauty of god's love. Just sitting with him and Jenny in the shared hospital room hearing his stories of all his visitors and seeing him interact with the other men sharing his room, it is so obvious what an amazing heart he has. 

One of the other men sharing the room didn't have visitors that afternoon and as I was Ian's 24th visitor, I felt for this man not having someone by his bedside. But then I thought, there is no need for me to feel sadness for this man....he is sharing a room with Ian!! Even if he didn't have visitors apart from that afternoon, he had the one man sharing his room that can easily remind anyone of how loved they are! When he came over to chat with us, he and Ian seemed to be life long friends, but you know it's simply because Ian has been friendly with all of them in the short week he has been in recovery: making mere hours of camaraderie in ward 19 stronger than all their years. 

Ian reminds Jenny and I that he has had 24 visitors, and we know that represents only a small portion of the people he is constantly praying for. He remembers the details of every life he encounters and has such hope for their health and happiness. He genuinely takes the time each day and has everyone he meets on his heart--the purest heart I have yet met.

He left me with a prayer and words for my friends and family back in the states, so this is for you from "Brother" Ian....

'Exalt The Lord over all the earth.
Hold the hand of He who calms the waters,
And sing songs for him'

Ian read us some scripture that he had chosen for us earlier that day.















He really loved my bright shoes :)








Cheers for now!
-Elie

Take A Short Drive With Me Through the English Countryside (Coast to Coast)

It seems as though all the roads outside the city are quaint back country roads: rhythmically winding through endless fields, scattered with sheep and the occasional lama, dipping up and down the rolling hills. The small two way lanes are lined with shrubs and tall trees whose branches reach out to each other from across the road above your head. It's a beautiful sight on this sunny winter day, leading me only to crave the view in summer or autumn. 

Every 10-20 minutes we pass through another small village perched atop a small hill or tucked away in the next valley. Each including their own brand of cottages, terraced houses, a church or two, the local pub, and in some, an old castle preserving the country's past as if the history channel was coming to life right before my eyes. From the roman ruins to bombings in the world wars- there are so many stories, there is so much culture and so many different accents for such a small island.

From the sea side (peering across the ocean to the Scottish coast), to the snow capped peaks of the Lake District...less than 30 minutes. From the west coast, back home to the east coast...less than 2 hours. In a day trip, shorter than one to cross Colorado alone, I saw life and culture older than even the country of the US itself. England begs to be explored!

Bring on the New Year!

Hiya!
Can't believe it is 2014 already, let alone February! Here is what has been happening across the pond...

1. Christmas events in Jesmond including: watching The Grinch, a midnight service, a onesie Christmas morning, an international student Christmas lunch, watching The Grinch, opening presents with my family over skype, boxing day lunch complete with penguin races, and, of course, watching The Grinch.

Meera and her sons joined Rob in wearing onesies!

       -I was so worried Christmas would be the hardest part of this year, but again God proved me wrong and reminded me I wasn't alone. Rob and his family took me in and I got to see Santa in action for the first time, bringing gifts for he and Katie's grandchildren.
   On Christmas morning, Rob wore a onesie during the service to portray a brilliant image for his sermon, reminding me of how much I love Jesmond Methodist Church!
  And skype is so amazing that I often even forgot I was in England and not in my living room at home opening presents with my family. Although it wasn't the Christmas I am used to, the Christmas spirit I know and love was ever
present.

YAGM ladies at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland

2. My first trip to London to visit my cousin Kelsey, the other UK YAGMs, and my summer roommate (a former UK YAGM) joined us as well!

3. Welcoming back the students after their winter break, bringing a lively atmosphere back to the city.

4. Time in the hills of Wales for the BIG Time For God conference. As this year's YAGM volunteers, we ran a Leadership session and the final worship. Great week with great people!

All of the Time For God's volunteers in Wales for the BIG conference

5. The start of our Alpha Course that will continue for the next 8 weeks. It is a life-changing course that begs the question, "Is There More To Life Than This?" I have heard many great things about Alpha and am looking forward to see what it can give to those who are joining us! (for info- http://www.alpha.org/)

6. A Pioneer Conference Weekend, shedding light into a revival for the Northeast that is just around the corner. (for info-http://www.pioneer.org.uk/)

7. And a fun Super Bowl celebration, with a not so fun scoreboard.








Abby (another YAGM in Durham) came up for the night as we streamed the big game and munched on classic american snacks :)













In other words...It has been busy and it has been exciting and I can't say thank you enough to all those who lend me prayer and support :)

Just a thought...

"Here we may prove the power of prayer, to strengthen faith and sweeten care."

Sometimes it seems that prayer is all we have. When there is nothing we can do, when we have run dry of all resources, when we are blind to the future, or when we are halfway across the world from a hug that we desperately want to give.

But if in these moments prayer is all we have...then we have more than we know and more than we need. 

As I came trough the holidays with good memories and a warm heart, I will admit that homesickness is now making an appearance. I knew that it would happen eventually, but I didn't anticipate it to be such a conflicting experience. 

Yes, I am homesick for snow, I am homesick for the blue sky clear over the mountains, I am homesick for Zombie Nation in the Gonzaga Kennel, and I am homesick for my family and friends back in the States. Even now as I sit in the Cafe, Michael Buble's "Home"plays over the speakers, and it all reminds me just how lucky I am to have a home worth missing!

And yet in all this longing I feel such a strong pull to my new community I have found here in Newcastle.  So in these conflicting pulls on my heart, all I can do is pray. 

At first this made me feel helpless, but then I heard the words quoted above in a hymn last week, which reminded me that prayerful power comes not from simply going through the motions of talking to God, but in truly believing that he is listening and cares. Prayer pulls us to put our full trust in God to be with those we can't, and to sort out the path before our every step.

If all I can do is pray, then I can do more than I will ever imagine.

Hope you had a wonderful Holiday season and a good start to this new year!

Cheers

-Elie

The UK YAGMs in Wales. Couldn't imagine this year without them!

Christmas nights with my favorite movie, The Grinch.

I'll Be Home For Christmas...If Only In My Heart

    Again a month flies by since my last post, and yet it feels like I have a year's worth of stories to tell.
Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas is well under way, and I have said my goodbyes to the students as they go home for winter break.

    I was pleasantly surprised to find myself feeling sad to see the students go home for the next month. Of course I am happy that they will have time with their families and friends, to relax and celebrate the holidays, but I will also miss them and their enthusiasm each sunday and hearing their "lows, highs, and hows (God moment)" each week. It has been such a blessing watching each of them find their way to Jesmond Methodist Church, and seeing how they have settled warmly into their role as a part of this family.  I look forward to when they return, to see them reunite with the community, to hear their stories from home, and continue to watch them grow in each of their personal faith journeys.

    I have to be completely honest, and admit that facing the Holidays away from home is not the easiest part of this year.  It will be my first Christmas without snow; without reuniting with childhood friends; without hiding our nativity's baby Jesus until the 25th: without disturbing the late night Christmas Eve service in fits of uncontrollable laughter or setting my mother's hair on fire (great story to ask me about sometime); without peacefully sitting around our tree after the service; without monkey bread and mimosas and an argument or two about who gets to sit in the big chairs christmas morning; without being the designated gift distributor...without my family. Those who know me well, know that I like tradition and am not the biggest fan of change, but here I am living in the reality of change, and knowing that all my Christmas traditions will go on without me this year.

    Now before this post gets too dismal, I want to tell you about a few things that have been pulling me through the fact of spending the Holidays half way across the world.

• Getting a tree with my flatmates and decorating the flat while all singing along to Christmas music (for a moment, it was as if we were in a cheesy hallmark movie).
• Filling up my schedule with carol singing, christmas concerts, and Holiday meals with the JMC community.
• The invitations to become apart of another family for Christmas.
• The Christmas cards being sent and received each day.
• The chance to bring love and laughter to international students who will also be away from home this Christmas.
• And ironically enough, the thing that has helped the most has been the chance to learn about so many new Christmas Traditions here in Britain:  new songs, new christmas fairytales, new traditional Christmas foods, new words for familiar Christmas bits and pieces, and even new snacks for "Father Christmas" on his big night-- milk and cookies in the States, mulled wine and mince pies in England, and whiskey and mince pies in Scotland.  No wonder American tradition is milk and cookies...the man has got to sober up after being over here! Maybe a few of you back home can leave him some water and aspirin this year as well :)

Yes, this christmas I will miss the snow, the traditions and my family back home, but it is beyond explanation how worth it the trade is to have this opportunity. Christmas will be different and 8 hours earlier than usual...but with a community like JMC, I know I won't be alone.

Happy Christmas :)

...or as the Gordies say..."Calm doon an' ha' ya' sel a canny Christmas! Cause Santie is comin to toon!"

-Elie

PS: if you would like to hear about my Big Thanksgiving Meal here, then send me your email address and you will receive my next Newsletter :)

Here is a sneak peak into Thanksgiving:
-one of the 10 pumpkin pies I made for Jesmond's first Turkey Day Celebration! I was also able to celebrate down near Durham with Abby (another YAGM up here in the Northeast!)

"Brother"

I know it has been nearly a month since I have last posted, but perhaps that is a good sign of how I have really been settling into a busy day to day life: enjoying the work that needs to be done, loving adventurous free time with new friends, and relaxing when I need to recharge again.

In the past month...
I have had YAGM visitors and got to show them my life up here in the North-East (as well as getting them "hooked" on knitting),
Explored the historic city of Durham (including its Cathedral: aka one of the filming locations for Harry Potter),
Celebrated Bonfire Night at the local fireworks show (other wise known as the 5th of November in which Guy Fawkes failed to blow up the British Parliament),
Supported the Falcons Rugby team,
Received a bike from a friend out of the goodness of her heart,
Hosted a Pumpkin Carving Party,
Cooked a dinner for the Northumbria University, Christian Union "Mission Week,"
Kept busy preparing for the JMC Traditional Thanksgiving Meal next week,
as well as with the usual weekly small groups, church services, sunday-night sanctuaries, and my line dancing class of course :).
And to relax, I was able to sneak away with Rob and Katie to their cottage in the country-side of Northumberland!

Left: Durham Castle and Cathedral on the River 

(towers to the back left)

Right: Invitation for Thanksgiving Meal

Bottom: Pumpkin Party

The view From Rob and Katie's Cottage (reminded me of the film "The Holiday") 

A lot has happened in my three months here, and yet it seems to have flown by so quickly!
But nothing has made this span of time more apparent than church this sunday...

      Three months ago, if someone had told me that I would be playing guitar and singing in the worship band at JMC, I would have called them a fool! But sure enough, there I was this sunday, strumming away. I was surrounded by 3 very talented musicians and friends, who were supporting me and encouraging me to play with only one thing in mind...God.
     I anticipated nerves, I anticipated sweaty palms, I anticipated to forget the words or strum the wrong chords; but all I can remember is feeling God with me, knowing the others were right beside me, and hearing a familiar voice ring out above the rest of the congregation. This voice brought me such comfort and assurance that I wasn't preforming for an audience...I was joining with family in worship. This voice was "Brother" Ian, singing as if no one was listening.
     Ian is a kind, loving, selfless, and joyful man, recently referred to as the "closest thing we have to a saint." Ian is a lively spirit at the heart of both JMC and the Jesmond community itself. His welcoming personality is made palpable in his greeting each new face as "Brother" and "Sister." When I say he knows and is known by everyone one who lives and works in Jesmond, I am not exaggerating in the least. And anyone will easily tell you of his generosity and great, big hugs! Hearing Brother Ian singing out each sunday is just another nudge from God, reminding me that I have stepped into an indescribably, incredible community!!

Cheers for now!
-Elie

Welcome to Ashleigh Grove

It has been a week since I moved into my flat (love my flatmates! -3 incredibly sweet and fun women), and I have finally composed a video tour for you...enjoy :)

     I came to Newcastle with 2 bags, a guitar and a backpack. Last weekend, I filled Rob's suzuki with all the stuff I had to move into my flat...I am not surprised.  This has been a pattern I have slowly figured out about this experience: I bring little and take away much more. More luggage, expectation and love; all of which are exceeded with each new encounter.  I know I am not the first to discover that, when it comes to God, you always receive ten fold of what you give, but it is none the less humbling. 

    I am working to create strong relationships within the church for the young professionals and students, and I gain many amazing friendships in the process. 

    I am holding lunches to bring the whole of the congregation together in fellowship, and I find I have been made a part of this amazingly loving family. 

     I have started a free dance class for the students, and have such fun dancing without inhibition. 

     I lead a student small group on monday nights, and am given time to relax and explore how my own faith is strengthening. 

     I knit with some ladies each wednesday to make a blanket for Africa, and am loved, looked after and mentored by Katie (Rob's wife), Margaret (one of the Church stewards) and the other ladies there.

     I attend a meeting, and am overwhelmed with support from those I work with.

I could go on for days about all the examples of how I have received so much in my two months here thus far, but the point I am trying to make is: as much as this blog is to tell of all that I am doing here in Newcastle, I can't help but believe that the only way to express my year is, not in the things I do, but in the things God does. Describing this journey in the ways this community and the Jesmond Methodist Church family loves. And I can tell you from a front row seat...that that love is gonna rock this city.

Cheers for now

-Elie

Cliff College and Will Smith

I spent last week at Cliff College in Derbyshire with the other UK YAGMs. It was a week of great sights, great studies, and the most amazing friends bringing more laughter you would ever imagine to fit into one week.
We discussed discipleship and what it looked like in our jobs, woke up to the sound of cows relentlessly mooing at 5:30, climbed the cliffs behind the campus, were almost blown off the cliffs by the strong winds, and even got creative with a short ode to Jesus and Will Smith's Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

While waiting for our trains at the end of the week, we (Abby, another YAGM in Durham, and Harry, our YAGM "Bonus Brit" we became good friends with over the week) decided it would be fun to preform this ode to a peg-legged pigeon....

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200715435703925&set=vb.1102612040&type=2&theater

I'll leave you with some photos of the Cliff beauty.

Cheers for now!
-Elie