On the day that I was flying out to London, Patrik from the Sending Center prayed that Jesus would bring me to the end of myself, and quickly. I feel like I need to email him to tell him that his prayer is being answered.

Lovin' this...

I love evenings out on the green, where we just sit and laugh and tell stories over dinner.

Feeling Heavy

I woke up Monday morning at 3:45 feeling burdened. My stomach felt like it had been gutted or punched. O, from the Camden team, shared some of the church history of Britain that's taken place in the past 100 years. I thought I would write some of it out, so that people can perhaps sense a bit of why I feel so heavy.
-1910: The Ediburgh Missions Conference (They believed they were right in the cusp of seeing the world come to know Jesus).
-1914 to 1919: WWI desimated the leadership of the Church (most male leaders in the church were called to go serve)
-1920 to 1930s: Slight resurgence in churches as people felt that GOd had brought them through the war. THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE'D SEE A LITTLE JUMP IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE.
-1939 to 1945: WWII shook the spirit of the nation. A lot of ministers didn't know how to speak to returning soliders.
-1950s: Billy Graham Crusades started here. A lot of the older generation made commitments and catalyzed evangelicalism in Britain. OF ALL THE BG CRUSADES AROUND THE WORLD, THEY WERE THE LEAST EFFECTIVE IN ENGLAND.
-1960s: Big cultural upheaval. The Church didn't know how to communicate to the people of that generation.
-1965-1970s: Rapid decline in church attendance.
-1970s: Mass immigration into country, along with their worldviews. People here saw that there were alternatives to church. "Spiritual Shopping" began.
-1985-1999: Another rapid decline in church attendance.
-1999-today: Approx 8% of Brits go to church. 1/3 of those people weren't born here.
WHAT TOOK THE CHURCH FROM 900-1900 TO BULID GOT WIPED OUT IN 100 YRS.
*Average age of church goers: 50 yrs.
*2000-2010: 1.1 million people left the church.
*90% of new churchplant growth is from "transwer" growth (Christians coming from other churches).
-By 2020, the Methodist and Catholic Churches are likely to not exist as a local denominational presense.
-By 2030, most denominations will collapse.
THESE ARE SOME OF THE CURRENT TRENDS.

The question that O left us with, in regards to this "Nose Dive Period" of the Church, is does the plane have time to pull up in time? And the hope that I have right now is that these things can be reversed and changed by the power of Holy Spirit. I know that He's not finished here. I know that there's a reason that He's burdened people to be a part of serving Him in the UK. Later on Sunday afternoon, I was talking with O, and he said that he could tell that that talk on trends really hit me. He had seen me sitting there tearing up as he gave the background to the church situation. What's exciting in all of this, he said, is that we could be the change. We're part of a bigger story in God's kingdom building.

Sunday Morning

I felt like I drank from a water hydrant yesterday, with all of the information I heard and observations that were made. Our team went to a High Anglican service in the morning, probably the "highest" that I've been to before. I was glad that we weren't prepped beforehand about it, but had the opportunity to take things in. I was struck with a few observations in particular:
-There were a lot of crucifixes around the church
-I didn't see anyone my age. It was all elderly people or young families
-There was no mention of Jesus in the sermon, but in a positive light, the rector did base his talk on questions that the congregation has been asking (showed a hunger)
-A lot of people welcomed us after the service
-I had a difficult time following the mass, because they did not give much direction through the book of prayer
I think the biggest thing I wondered was how a non-Christian would feel in a service like that. I am a Christian who has grown up going to church, and I had a very hard time following through the service and knowing what was going on, and what different things are for (ie: the incense). How much more difficult and "uninviting" would it be for someone who has never been to church before?
That question plagued me as our team met with a Brit from the Camden team in the afternoon. He told us that we had just experienced what any non-church goer in England would, and that now we can relate more to them.

The first few days here

I stood on High street in Camden this afternoon and suddenly realized that it's already Friday! I had been going through the whole day thinking that it was Thursday. I guess jetlag and full days that kind of blur into one will do that to you. Megan (the other apprentice) and I arrived at 0600 on Tuesday morning. I had never flown British Airways before, and it was excellent, although the guy infront of me kind of invaded my personal space for most of the flight(I'm convinced that the British accent just makes anything sound more professional). I was exhausted getting on the plane in Philly and was hoping that maybe lots of exhaustion + jetlag= no jetlag at all (?). Not the case. After getting picked up at Heathrow, our team leaders lovingly made us stay up ALL day to kick jetlag out of our systems quickly (including running errands and getting phones). I was so exhausted in the middle of my first night here, that I woke up and shot up in bed, panicking for my pillow ("Oh no! Pillowwwwwwwwwwwwww!"), which was in the same place it had been when I went to bed. Welcome, Roommate Megan. I am so thankful that you get to experience my crazy panicky sleep moments so early on in our friendship.

The interns arrived yesterday morning! I was so excited to meet them at the airport! They seem like a really passionate and amazing group of women. Megan and I decided to inflict the same pain on them that our team leaders did and made them stay up all day yesterday, too. :) Today we spent the say in Camden with the team I'll be serving with. More to come, and perhaps it won't be so sarcastic next time! :)

Leaving

Yesterday I was sitting on the GO bus riding into Toronto for the last time. I started thinking about how huge a blessing these past 2 years here have been. When I finished school, I had some job opportunities in the States that I was seriously considering, but for various reasons (including knowing that moving overseas in the near future was a big possibility), I came back to Toronto. I am so thankful for these past 2 years. They have had their challenges, but I've really been seeing fruit in my own life of how the Lord has woven those challenges and trials into gold. And there have been such rich, fun moments and memories! I started tearing up on the bus yesterday (how surprising!), as I thought about the goodness of God, and how amazing a community of family, friends, and church He has provided for me. I am so excited for this new opportunity in Camden. I'm also really thankful that I'm feeling such bittersweet emotions about picking up my roots and moving over there on Sunday. I love how deeply rooted I felt here. "Being home" showed itself so many times in the form of the beautiful people that God has put into my life here.

This Treasure Within

I never thought I'd blog again, but I'm going to give it a try while I'm living in Camden and see how it goes! I think it could be a good way to write stories and thoughts that I want to share, and let people read it if/when they want!

"This Treasure Within" comes from a passage in 2 Corinthians 4 that I've been drawn back to a lot recently. For example, on Saturday, I found myself sitting on an airplane flying back to Toronto, chatting with the physician next to me. This guy was definitely an interesting conversationalist! The question "What do you do?" came up pretty early in our chat, and I was able to describe a bit about what I'll be doing in London this next year wtih World Harvest. We moved on to a discussion on healthcare, and different experiences that we've had as health professionals. It got to the point where he made the comment "You know, I think all religions are beneficial for the healthcare system, because they all promote care and a helping nature." I stared at him blankly, as all of a sudden my heart yelped, "But I have this HOPE, this treasure, within me. And that Treasure, Jesus, who conquerred my sin on the cross, changes everything." The Treasure of Jesus gives me a lasting security that nothing else and no one else can give. He gives me hope that there is more to this life than living and dying and going through each day. Jesus gives me JOY, joy that can meet in any circumstance. And the older I get, the more and more I hold dear to the fact that Jesus' love will never fail me. I'm going to Camden because I long to share this Treasure within me with fellow broken people in my generation. And that Treasure changes everything and meets us anywhere.