I suppose I should report back on my wonderful and very blessed trip to England.
I learned so immensely much, that I doubt I can report it adequately.
First we had Boot Camp at the WOL Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York for about five days. I was extremely stretched because of the mixture of not knowing anybody, camp-like condidtions, HEAT, and rigorous training in every kind of evangilisim you can imagine. Needless to say I was so ready to get on with the trip!
I met Jessica Menard and her best friend Katy near to the last day of Boot Camp...thus far, I was wondering if God had heard my prayer asking him to send me a friend...It wasn't that the other girls weren't nice to me, because they were, and I got along with them very well, it was just like I hadn't found anyone who I truly meshed with, or wanted to talk to. Jessica was my roomate but she was never really in my room because her best friend was rooming across the hall so she was often there with her. Toward the end of Boot Camp I noticed that Jessica carried a Beatles Purse, and being a big fan of the band myself, I inquired about it...that started our one-of-a-kind friendship. Katy too, became a great friend of mine and after that, the three of us were basically inseperable.
When I arrived in England it was everything I had dreamed of and so much more! Not unlike stepping into a children's storybook. I had quite a bit of jet-lag at first but I perservered and actually quite enjoyed the touring of Windsor castle at what was 6:00am our time.
When we were seperated into three smaller groups Jessica and I were seperated from Katy, which was kind of a sad moment. We went to a town called Wantage, near Oxford, and she was in Milton Kenes (a couple of hours away) At that time I began praying that they would let us stay with the same host family. My prayers were answered and she and I stayed with an amazing English couple(Mr. and Mrs. Frith) who's grandchildren (Christopher and Lucy)came over every morning for breakfast. The house we stayed in was actually an old barn from the early 1600s that had been converted into a house, it was beautiful! Everything was done to make sure our time spent in England was lovely. Friday we were able to go to Lodona so that was another prayer answered! Though I do admit that it really made me wish I had longer...next time.;)
The ministries we did, varied greatly from cleaning out a brook to VBS to a "Culteral Exchange Night" on the fourth of July. I felt that we were greatly used and the ways that we were used were greatly effective.
The two things I learned most of all, were Patience and Prayer.
I couldn't believe how many times I had to just be patient and hope that someone somewhere knew what we were doing, because we sure didn't. Everything was.."Oh yeah, and Emily could you sing a solo in about three minutes..thanks"...and so on, if you get what I mean, I had to be extremely open and available and ok with the fact that I didn't always know what was going on.
I learned prayer through millions of things, God answering each little request, giving me peace and hope around every turn.
My verse that God gave was often quoted by one of the guy counselors and caught on untill it seemed in any annoying circumstance you would hear someone quoting the first part of James 1:2.."Count it all joy, brothers..."
It was an amazing time where I learned so much about myself, the World, and God. All in 18 tight packed days.
"The days seemed like forever, but the weeks flew by."-Katy
