I thought it might be nice to describe some of the different groups that we’re involved with here that might not be self-explanatory so you have a better idea how Kevin and I are spending our time over here.
I’ll start with Boy’s Brigade. A lot of churches here have this group for boys from age 4 to 18. It’s kinda military-like in that they all wear uniforms and they practice marching. But, they also learn about different Bible stories and work on badges in things like health and safety. Discipline is highly valued at Boy’s Brigade; the boys do not get away with fooling around and are evaluated on their appearance – whether or not they have their full uniform on and if their faces/hands are clean. I work primarily with the Anchor boys (ages 4-7ish) and the Junior Section (ages 8-12). To be perfectly honest, I was not so excited about working the BB at the beginning – but the organization is so good for the boys. They not only learn discipline, but the leaders are so encouraging. I am impressed with how discipline and love are balanced in BB, and how that gives the boys confidence in themselves.
16 February 2009
Happy Valentine’s Day (a little late!). Valentine’s day is celebrated over here, but it’s not as big as it is at home. Maybe that’s a lie, I don’t know – I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day to begin with. Kevin and I celebrated by staying in bed reading and playing video games all day, then getting up at 7:15pm to go to one of my all-time favorite restaurants: Pizza Hut! One thing I’m looking forward to eating when I get home is bread sticks at Pizza Hut, they don’t serve them here and I love them.
Anyway, for those of you praying for us: our biggest prayer need at the minute is for our health. I have been sick with colds, etc. pretty much since the beginning of February and Kevin’s lying on the couch as I write this feeling pretty miserable himself.
Kevin thinks I should write about this experience I had a couple of weeks ago that I can’t get out of my mind. Maybe you all can pray about this too:
I was coming home from another volunteer’s house on a Friday night a few weeks ago. It was really cold and raining pretty hard. I had just missed a bus in the City Centre, and had to wait about a half hour for another one, so I decided to stop into a nearby Burger King to get out of the rain and to get something to eat. Inside Burger King there were loads of kids – probably in their early teens – dressed in black and neon meshy things that barely covered them up, lots of dark eyeliner, funky hair, chains, etc. I walked through a crowd of them smoking outside, trying to make sure they got their fag in before the cops came around again.
So, I’ll admit it, I was scared. I kept thinking ‘don’t make eye contact, they won’t bother you.’ I sat down in the middle the restaurant to eat my cheeseburger, and I kept noticing groups of kids going upstairs, which by the way, was closed and the toilets up there were closed as well. I don’t even want to guess what they were doing up there. My first thought was, “where in the world are these kids’ parents?!” (I know, I’m like a 70-year-old trapped in a 23-year-old’s body sometimes.)
It dawned on me though – I work with kids like these pretty often. They don’t scare me when they’re dressed in their nice school uniforms or coming to be on my terms. These kids are really crying out for help. Why are they all sitting around Burger King on a Friday night? Probably some if it is that they have nothing else better to do. But, most likely, they want to be accepted into some kind of group and running a muck in the BK is the easiest way to do it. I left BK just wishing there was something I could do. Wasn’t there somewhere these people could go? Somewhere that they could spend their time more constructively and safely? So, that’s something that’s been weighing on my heart over the past couple of weeks…
7 February 2009
I realize I have not written in awhile – mostly because I have been so busy! February has proved to be a busy month. Here’s just a quick (random) update:
• Last weekend we had a lock-in at the church with our youth fellowship kids. It went great! Slept for a total of like 30 minutes. The Lock-in was on Saturday night, so on Sunday morning we woke up and cooked breakfast as a fundraiser for people at the church. That went well too.
• After said lock-in/ breakfast, we went home and slept. I slept the whole next day and through the night. Woke up with no voice at all, and feeling very sick. About Tuesday, I bought this stuff called “night nurse” which is similar to Nyquil. That seemed to do the trick – I felt much better the next day.
• Bought new running shoes because my knees had started to hurt while I was running, and it’s been awhile since I’ve bought new sneakers. Praise God – I found the perfect shoes AND they were well within budget AND my knees are feeling much better.
• I’ve started working with a new group for young women and WAVE trauma centre. They actually meet on Fridays, which is supposed to be my night off…but I feel like I’ll learn a lot from that group, and all the members are around my age, so there’s some friend potential there. And, not too long from now the Saturday night youth club will be over, so I’ll at least have that night free.
• I went to a baby shower today. I didn’t realize that baby showers aren’t really customary over here – it’s kind of an American thing. So are bridal/wedding showers. Who knew? (P.S. It was an American that organized the baby shower…that’s why they had one). Anyway, I think that was the first baby shower I’ve ever been to.
• I have discovered that a trick to keeping mice out of our flat is to keep the washing machine running. They must come in through one of the pipes. Let me tell you, our clothes have never been cleaner.
• Recently, it hit me, that the best friend I have made in Belfast is a woman in her late 70s. She is just an amazing person, and I love spending time with her. She’s in charge of the tuck shop at youth club, she comes to prayer group on Fridays, she organizes fundraisers at the church, she sings in the choir, and she is proud to still be in love with her husband. Basically I want to be her when I get older.
I think I’ve finally got my feet under me here. That expression probably doesn’t make sense, since I think I just made it up. But, I feel more like myself, like I’ve gotten my bearings. It’s nice. I don’t get as stressed about things like I was when I first got here – which isn’t really like me. But, I think because I was so unsure of myself and what I was doing, I got worked up more easily. I don’t know – just a quick analysis of myself. I guess that’s about all for now! Sorry that this entry is so disorganized.
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