Changed.

Our whole group!

Hi y’all  l! Whoa…this past week has passed like a whirlwind.  CREATE CHANGE is over. It was wonderful, challenging, exhausting, and so encouraging.  CREATE CHANGE was our week where we opened up Stanley House to have ten young people live with us. This year’s CREATE CHANGE theme was justice. There were ten young people who consistently lived with us and then several more who came for one or more of the days. Over the week we chatted and discussed with them different aspects of justice and how they apply to our lives.

Monday and Tuesday we discussed identity and relationships. We thought that it is important to understand yourself and those around you before you can understand a larger concept of what justice is. Knowing who you are as a person and what you stand for are keys when learning about justice.

Then Wednesday and Thursday we were focusing on local and global issues. On Wednesday we took the youth into Paisley and had them do some really neat activities exploring local justices and issues that they wanted to change within their community. Most of these youth we were working with are really artistic, and so we thought it would be cool if we used photography and video to explore some of these different issues. I’ve posted some pictures of some of the things they came up with. It was amazing to see their response that night and just how excited they were about tackling local issues.

From our walk in the Braes with young people.

            Thursday we talked about global justice. I got to share a little with the young people about God’s heart for justice and why it’s important for us to pursue justice for those who are unable to pursue for themselves. A group called Tearfund  http://www.tearfund.org/ who work to combat the causes and effects of poverty came and spoke to the young people. She spoke to the young people about the injustices in the fashion industry. They told us about the unfair wages of those working in sweat shops and how their purchasing choices affect those workers.         It was really eye-opening for all the young people.  Then that afternoon we had a charity shop-fashion show challenge. Charity shops are like an American thrift store, and we had the young people create an outfit from the things they could find in the charity shop. They had only a couple hours to shop and then create the best outfit they could before participating in a fashion show.  

Young people working on outfits for the fashion show.

            We spent Friday cleaning and reflecting. We spent the morning cleaning up our house and then Friday afternoon helping the young people express their feelings about the week creatively through song, video, photos, and even creative writing. It was awesome the different things they came up with. I was blown away by their response and their creativity. I helped two of the young people edit a video; its attached below. The video explains CREATE CHANGE better than I ever could so I hope you will check it out.  Friday night we had a talent show case in which the young people got a chance to share their creativity with one another. I sang a song that evening, which I also attached below. The title of the song is “Better Love” by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. I thought the lyrics of the song really fit well with our justice theme, and it really fun to get a chance to participate in the evening.  We wrapped up Saturday with a day up at Lapewing Lodge Outdoor Centre where the young people had a chance to do the high ropes course and then share burgers and sausages together. It was a really fun way to end the week!

The whole week was so amazing. We had such a great time connecting with the young people and building relationships with them. It was really incredible to see how the Lord really begin to work on their hearts and how they really seemed to grow throughout the course of the week. I was so proud of each them, and it was really hard when we had to let them go.

            I love that we had a chance to inspire them to make a difference in their community. I really believe that it’s through the young people that change can really happen in Paisley. The goal to inspire and empower young people is one of the reasons why I love YWAM. However, I think one of the coolest thing about the week was how much the kids inspired us. Seeing their hearts changing and growing the past week really challenged me to think of my own views on social justice. I feel like I am still reeling from all that I learned and I am not sure I can fully describe how incredible it was just to watch how these young people grew.

            Through their eyes I could see the world in a different way. I realized what an impact we as young people can make. I think sometimes we get overwhelmed by the problems in our world and shut down, but over the past week I’ve seen and experienced what a difference small changes can make. I think something that has impacted me a lot over the past week has been learning more about God’s heart for justice. When bad things happen in the world we ask, “God where are you?” or we say “if God really was just He wouldn’t let this happen?” but by the same token  I think God sometimes ask us where we are. If we as believers are the body of Christ why don’t we do more to stop the injustices we see everyday, why do we not really care for our neighbors? I’m not really sure I have the answer and it’s a question I definitely am still working out with God, but I hope you’ll begin to think about what you could do to promote justice for others are you as well.  

All the leaders and youth together!

            It’s hard to believe I only have a week and half left in Scotland. My time has definitely passed too quickly, and it will be very difficult to leave next week. I really feel like Paisley has a piece of my heart. I am excited to spend last week continuing to build relationships and spend time with those I’ve gotten to know during my time here. Thanks so much for all your prayers over this past week. I plan to update at least one more time before I leave, hopefully two. Thanks for reading!

Create Change Video: 

Create Showcase video: 

"Better Love" 

Song by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

Learning.

Hi folks! Time is moving so fast! I have been in Scotland for more than month now. How cool is that?

Paisley! 

I love it in Paisley. It’s so strange when talking to the young people here to have them tell me they don’t like it. It’s such a unique place, and one I believe has a lot of hidden beauty. As I walk through town, I know God is moving here. The atmosphere feels different than it did last year…lighter maybe. I don’t know if I can fully explain it other than saying that I truly believe God has good plans for Paisley, and He is using YWAM and other ministries in Scotland to empower the young people to begin making changes.

         This week is a big planning week for us because on Sunday about 15-20 young people are going to move-in with the 20 of u!. Adding twenty more is kind of crazy! I am so excited though.  I mentioned in a previous post about Create Change. It’s a week-long program for 14-18 year olds in Paisley.  The theme for this year is Justice and how we can empower the young people of Paisley to Create Justice in themselves, in their relationships with others, in their city, and in the world. 

One of the bands from Friday's CREATE

The week will start off on Sunday night and continue until Saturday morning. This past Monday night we spent about three hours planning out different aspects of the week, and it got me so excited for the week to come. I think it is going to be such an incredible experience for these kids.

         One of the girls who is leading the week was telling us that most of the kids who are coming are “unchurched” youth meaning they have little or no biblical knowledge. It’s neat that these young people will get a chance to ask questions and that we will get an opportunity to pour into kids who maybe have never heard the gospel before.The week hopefully will challenge them and allow them to figure out what they stand for.

The mass of kids waiting to get in CREATE Friday night.

I am so excited to get to be a part of Create Change. I am going to be helping lead some of the activities and discussions. Honestly, it feels like I am going to be working at camp again for a week. However, I really like the idea that these kids are moving in with us and will be a part of the rhythm and community of this house for a week.

 I would appreciate your prayers as we prepare for next week. Specifically, pray for the young people coming that the Jesus would open up their hearts to Him and that they would truly understand the message and the Jesus of the Gospel and not the Jesus they may have heard about on TV or through their friends but really meet Him.  Also, please pray that things would go smoothly and that the discussions we have with the young people would be challenging and fruitful. Yeah, if you guys could pray for that I would be so thankful.

In other news, Tea and Toast went good on Monday. Daniel is doing well. He is still dealing with his brother’s death. Apparently, there were some guys that saw his brother after he had overdosed and left him for dead. Daniel is struggling to understand how to forgive those guys and even struggling with why he should forgive them.  So just continue to pray for him. I also ran into Natalie and her new husband on Monday. I mentioned her in a previous post, but she is doing really well. I also met a few new guys at Tea and Toast and just got a chance to chat with them. It’s heart-breaking at times because you see these men who are just struggling with addiction or have just fallen on hard times and knowing there is really not much I can do for them except to listen. I think what has really sustained and encouraged me when meeting with these guys is that the Lord is sovereign. I can’t fix other people’s lives, but the Lord is big enough. He loves each one of those men just as they are and so that’s what I am trying to do as well. It’s definitely draining and hard, but the Lord continues to give me strength each time I meet with them.  

Also, on Saturday it was a beautiful, glorious day in Scotland so some friends and I started walking.  We were hoping to find Johnstone Castle, but we didn’t take a map with us so we ended up walking farther than we intended. We ended up in a little town called Howwood, which is about 8 miles from Paisley. However, Scotland seems to have an abundance of castles, so we were able to finish off our adventure with a different castle. It was great and such a fun day.

Then Sunday afternoon after church, a group of us headed to Greenock. They were holding an event for people to come and view the Tall Ships that were docked there. Apparently, these Tall Ships race around Europe and this is the first time in twelve years they docked in Scotland. It was so neat to get to see the ships. They were huge and it was such a beautiful day to be near the water.

Thank you guys, again, for your support. Being here has been so incredible, and the Lord is continuing to use Paisley to mold and shape me into the woman He wants me to be. Keep Create Change in your prayers. I will definitely keep you guys updated next week on how everything goes! 

                                              
  

Create.

Hi guys! CREATE on Friday was wonderful! Thanks so much for all your prayers. We had about 550 kids show up which is fantastic. Many of the CREATE Crew said that it was the most relational CREATE they had ever been a part of. They really felt that there was a lot of conversation happening between the CREATE crew and the young people. I really had such a fabulous time! It was great to see all the different bands perform and to get to hang out with some of the Scottish youth. 

The best part for me was that I really got a chance to spend some time with one of the girls I met a few weeks ago. There were tables set up in the back for kids to hang out while youth watched the bands, she and I sat together and talked. I spent the majority of the night with her, and it was so great because I feel like I got to know her better. Several of her friends joined us throughout the night, so it was great getting to know some of the other local youth as well.

I posted a video below of one of the bands from the night, so please make sure and check it out. Thanks so much for all your prayers for Friday night. It was definitely a success. CREATE is such a cool ministry, and it’s so apparent that the Lord is really moving through it.  Sorry for the delay on the CREATE news, but I already have a longer post written about the rest of the weekend and this week that I should be able to get up either tomorrow or Thursday.

                              

Stretching.

On Monday, I had dinner in the center of Paisley on wood planks that we pushed together to make a table. I ate with strangers, friends, and my YWAM family. There was loads of food that we had prepared and brought to share with everyone who stopped by. We called it the Father’s Table--a time where men, women, children, strangers, and friends could dine together in a way similar to the feast we will someday have in Heaven with the Lord.  

It was really amazing and thought provoking. It was wonderful because it felt right; it felt like something that Jesus would have done. But it was thought provoking because it forced me to ask myself why I have never done that before. I wondered why I don’t just sit and listen to people and hear their stories more often. I know that life gets busy, and there are ten million things to do, but it’s incredible what can happen when we let ourselves stop. We realize we do have time to listen, to talk, and to share…even with complete strangers.

Also, on Monday morning I went to Tea and Toast again, which in an outreach to the Paisley community for those looking to chat and share a cup of tea. Daniel (I mentioned him in my last note) was there again and remembered me. We got a chance to talk again, but he left early because he was going to meet with a doctor to help him get off Methadone. I learned from Pastor Wesley who heads the Tea and Toast program that doctors here put patients on Methadone to help them get off heroine, but the Methadone is just as addictive as heroine, so it’s really not a great option for those struggling with addictions. I ask that you join me in praying for Daniel that the Lord will free him from this addiction. He is such an interesting guy with an incredible testimony of the Lord’s grace in His life. He really wants to know and to seek after the Lord, but his addiction is such a struggle for him. Please be praying for him. I also got a chance to talk with several other people at Tea and Toast. I talked with a grandmother and grandson who came with their neighbor. She recently suffered a loss and had started coming to the church because she saw that her neighbor seemed to have a peace about her and wanted to experience that peace as well.

It’s been wonderful just to get to sit down people in Paisley and share with them about God and the things that He’s doing in Paisley. I also got to invite some of the people I had been talking with at Tea and Toast to the Father’s Table, and two of the guys showed up. It was really great because they came and found me when we were eating and wanted to say hello.  It was a real blessing because I feel like I have started building relationships with some of the people in Paisley. Very exciting as I see what God has does!

In other news, I had a really once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this weekend. Some friends here were trying to complete The Three Peak Challenge, which is to climb the three highest peaks in Scotland, England, and Wales in 24-hours to raise money for Cherish Uganda, a mission in Uganda set up to make a difference to more than 100,000 orphaned children who were HIV+. The group has made their goal to transform the very communities that these children live in by applying the principles of HOPE (Health, Love, Prosperity and Education) to create a future of promise for them. 

I had the opportunity to go with them and a dozen others on a rickety bus on one-lane roads, but I was secure in God’s love as He allowed me to see more of His breathtaking world and push myself in ways I never have. It was so much fun but really demanding. I had a little knee trouble and some blisters, but it was such an inspiring experience! My friends successfully completed the challenge and were able to raise a good deal of money for the charity. Check out Cherish Uganda here: http://www.christiangrowthinternational.org/Groups/73168/Christian_Growth_International/Churches/Cherish_Uganda/Cherish_Uganda.aspx

The rest of this week is devoted to preparing for CREATE on Friday night. CREATE is an open mic/creative expression night for young people in Paisley. Right now there are over 1,000 young people confirmed on Facebook! It’s so crazy! The Lord is doing such awesome things through CREATE. When I was here last year, there were only 100-200 kids coming. It’s amazing how much it was grown in a year and just all the incredible ways the Lord is using that event to minister the youth. It’s really humbling to have the opportunity to encourage them and spend time listening to them share their gifts and talents in a safe environment. There aren’t a lot of creative outlets for young people in Paisley, so this CREATE event fills a real need and is very appreciated by the youth.

Something I have loved about Stanley House is that the rhythm of life here is slow. We get things done, but we make time to sit and talk with one another. Twice a day we take a break and call it FIKA--basically, morning and afternoon tea. We sit down, usually with some treats, and talk about the day. We take the time to enjoy one another’s company and to learn from one another.

I’ve been really challenged by the fact that the friends I am staying with aren’t just missionaries in Paisley. They’ve really made themselves at home here and have truly become citizens of Paisley. This is their life, and they are trying to figure out what it means to live for Jesus every day. There isn’t some special missionary formula. It’s taking our lives one day at a time and giving them up to the Lord--serving, loving, and working in a way that glorifies Him. Jesus is truly at work through them, and it’s been so encouraging to watch how they live and love for Jesus and how this life and love shapes the way they love and build relationships with others.  Their hearts are so beautiful, and I have been encouraged and challenged by each of them every day.

I know it got a bit long this week, but my heart is just so full. God has given me such a love for the people of Paisley and Scotland. God is doing some really amazing things here, and I feel so blessed to be a part of it. Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers. Let me know if you have questions. If you’re interested in learning more about YWAM Paisley or any of the programs/events I’ve talked about, you can check out their webpage at www.ywampaisley.org.  Blessings, friends! Until next time. 

          

        

Settled. Week 3.

Hi all! So I meant to post this last Wednesday, but then somehow forgot. I am sorry this update is a week late. You should have another one in a couple days.  As your reading this just pretend it's last Wednesday. :-) 

This past week has been so amazing. It’s crazy I have already been in Scotland for two and a half weeks. Time is going by so fast, but I feel truly settled at Stanley House now. I spent the past week really trying to figure out the different things I wanted to be apart of and help with while I am here in Paisley.

On Monday mornings, I will be heading into Paisley to help out with an outreach called Tea and Toast. It’s put on by the Nazarene church in Paisley and basically is a drop-in for people to come have tea and toast. I had a chance to participate last year when I was in Paisley and really wanted to help again. It was really wonderful. The walk to town is about a mile or so but I feel like I know my way around Paisley enough now that I had no trouble finding the church. I was able to meet a couple people while I was there.

The guy I talked to the most name was Daniel. He was really interesting guy. He’s a new Christian but is still struggling with an addiction to methadone.  Pastor Wesley, the Nazarene pastor has been talking with Daniel for a while about going to rehab.  When I arrived Pastor Wesley and Daniel were talking and I joined them. Daniel was talking about his younger brother who had died the week before of a drug overdose.  He seemed to be having a pretty difficult time dealing with it, but he really open with us about it. I talked with Daniel for over an hour and it was amazing just to hear his story and the things that he was dealing with.

I also had a chance to meet a few other people. One girl, Natalie, is getting married on Saturday and then I met some other ladies who work with the church. It was such a great experience It is something I plan to do weekly while I am in Paisley.

A lot of the other things I will be helping out with while in Paisley are currently in the planning stages. In two Saturdays we will be hosting a neighborhood BBQ  here at Stanley House and I am making a video to help share with the neighbors a little more about what YWAM is all about.

I also helped make a promo video for a weeklong event here at Stanley called Create Change. It is kind of like a week long summer camp for 16-18 year-olds in Paisley. They come and live at Stanley House for a week during July. The theme this year is justice. The kids who will come are from all different backgrounds so it will be really awesome to have about fifteen to twenty teenagers living here for a week. We will definitely have a full house. The video I helped make to promote Create Change is attached. It’s pretty fun and you can get a little tour of the inside of Stanley House. Here the video: 

I have been cooking and baking a lot as well. The DTS (Discipleship Training School) came back from their week-long trek on Monday night so while they were gone there was a lot more help needed in the kitchen.  Cooking meals for 20+ people is a pretty huge undertaking but it’s been fun to learn.

Lastly, this past weekend I spent Friday night and Saturday in Edinburgh. The Fringe Festival which happens in August is a huge musical festival that takes over Edinburgh for three weeks. YWAM has an outreached called Shine that they do during the Fringe Festival. Some of the members from the base are on a planning committee for Shine and they had a meeting in Edinburgh on Saturday so I tagged along. It was fun to get to listen and help them plan Shine even though I will be gone by the time it starts. It’s going to be really awesome. 

Okay…whew! So much is going on constantly but I love it. Paisley is such a great, little city and I feel so blessed to be here. Thanks for your prayers and support. Talk to you soon.

YWAM Words explained: 

DTS: Discipleship Training School: A six-month school for students of all ages to come and learn more about Jesus and what it means to be a disciple. 

Create: A open mic night in Paisley that YWAM helps put on for the young people. I came last year when it was just 100-200 people over the last year it has grown to be almost 500-600 young people. It's pretty amazing.