Outreach!

HEY ALL

but i just got back from out reach late last night!! so i will jump right in and tell you all about it

FRIDAY

We went into the public schools with ages 4-11 and went class to class. The little kids we just introduced ourselves and showed them on a globe where we lived and let them ask us questions. Then the older kids from 7-11 we had an assembly. I did the BOOM CHICKA BOOM song with them they loved it! I had them getting super loud and wild I taught them if they wanna be like a canadian they have to get loud and they did! and then we re made the david and goliath bible story in modern day language and made it super funny they were laughing a lot!! we also did a little kids bible song with them and prayed with them and got them to ask us questions! we were there for an hour answering questions like '' whats your favorite color '' and '' do you have any pets in canada '' haha it was fun and we finished it off with them asking us can you ask us our favorite sports and games and colors? hahah so we did! but it was a lot of fun! it was amazing to be able to go into a school and teach so many kids about God. We also encouraged the kids to come to church sunday!! which i have a cool story about ill share on the sunday column 

SATURDAY

we went in the morning door to door.. I KNOW SCARY.. We went one of us with a local so we had five teams out! and we went door to door handing out books to anyone who wanted one they are called "grill a christian'' amazing book it has every question that you have ever had about christianity. So we had 17 people accept it from us and about 100 people accept the book from all of us together. Also in the last chapter it is help to lead you to christ! so although it was scary it was so worth it!! Later in the afternoon we went to a families house for lunch and then we all headed to manchester to do sight seeing and stuff in our free time. Saturday night we had a potluck supper at the church and we hosted lots of games to play with everyone! Everyone loved the games they had a lot of fun and we shared lots of laughs!

SUNDAY

We took over the morning service we did worship and a guy on my team did the sermon. It went so well and we met a girl who was at the school on friday and she was with her mother. We assumed she always went to this church until the lady who hosted us for lunch that day told us that the little girls mother was this ladies daughter. She had some issues with the pastors son when she was little and decided to never attend church again. And this lady asks her every sunday for 20 years to come to church. she always said no. Until we went to the school and this little girl went home and told her mom about us and asked if they could go on sunday. And she accepted and came to church! The lady when seeing her daughter walk through the doors broke down in tears! what a beautiful moment!! It didn't end with her repenting her sins and deciding to come to God but thats ok! the seed is planted !! YAY

So sunday night we took over the service again it was very laid back we did some worship and then we each shared our testimonies. It was a small church of 30 but the evening service there was about 10. So it was so small but it was so nice! it was the first time i have shared my testimony in 5 years and a lot has changed. So i was afraid but it was amazing. I had many people coming to me after thanking me for my honesty and my faith. People were so shocked by us all that we all love God so much being in between the ages of 18-20 They couldn't believe it! so i think that in its self blessed people!! 

so over all it was a successful weekend i am really happy with how it went ! and we are hoping to try to go back sometime in a couple of weeks to visit them again! When we left they were all tearing up it was really sweet!

MEDIA FAST&PRAYER DAY

im not going to lie it wasn't that amazing my media fast only because i have no time to be on the internet while i am here anyway so it really didnt feel like i was missing anything. So i have to be honest and say my life wasn't  changed. But the prayer day was so wonderful! It isn't often you can have a full day of praying. It was broken up so the morning we prayed all together. The early afternoon we went to our rooms and prayed with our room mates and then we went and prayed alone for couple hours and then lunch. And then we had workshops. So we had a bonfire with paper so you could go and put in something that you have repented your sins for and you know God has forgiven you but you still can't accept that god has forgiven you so your still holding onto it. So you can write it down and burn it in the fire. it was special! Then there was a painting room with paint and paper if you worship god through art you can do that, and we had a time capsule for the students next year, so we could write them a letter of encouragement. Or we could write on a big board being hung in our lounge so an encouraging word to the students. Also there was prayer walks were we all walk together on a trail shouting out prayers. There was loads to do! so it was a really amazing day. I really was able to reflect on things and get my prayer life in check! such a blessing

TRAVEL WEEKEND

it is coming quickly me and 6 others are going to Ireland !! im so excited we are still figuring out all we are going to se while there and what not ! but we are really pumped and just happy we are lucky enough to go! we are doing it ultimate back pack style. No checked luggage just pack packs and staying at a bed and breaky for 10 pounds a night. don't worry its not as scary as it sounds we read review 98% were positive 

that is about all i have for you all this week!! but i do have some things to leave you with..

this question is for all of you but most importantly pastor joe garcia. when i heard this question i immediately thought of him, im writing this not knowing if he reads my blogs so you can all try to answer!! 

'' since adam and eve were not born of a human body.. Did they have belly buttons?''

let me know your thoughts hahahah i personally thought it was funny.

i also have a joke for you..

" Hey do you need an ark???.... I NOAH GUY!!!!"  hahahahahhahahah ( classic bible joke) 

lastly i have for you an encouraging verse to let you all know im thinking of you!

2 corinthians 13:11-14

" Finally brothers and sisters. Rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God's people here send their greetings. May the grace of the lord jesus christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy spirit be with you all 

talk to you next week! xxx

blessed

HELLO HELLO!!

so it seems the patter has been that i don't get the chance to upload these until mondays now!! sorry all i get super busy on the weekends there is so much happening here !!

CLASSES

so classes are going super well. I was starting to get a little bit stressed with the world load we have right now, since we have a certain amount of chapters of the bible to read daily plus a book and prayer journals and we have an essay due, so coming from no schooling for two years this is starting to overwhelm me a little bit! but i am working hard and last night i just put my foot down and cracked down on my studies so it really helped i got myself caught up and i am feeling more at ease.. i know i can do anything with god's help! I am learning so much everyday in my classes though i am so excited for the remainder of this year! i can't wait to grow in wisdom and maturity in christ!! i have an awesome feeling about this year!

TRAVEL

we went to a town called chester on saturday! wow it was beautiful! it was more of a city but it was so much fun to look around there was so much history there, and there were street singers on every corner it was so much fun! there was an amazing vibe there ! and of course the shopping was amazing.. wow! but i really enjoy the saturday trips my school hosts it gives us a chance to go out of the school and see England more!

FOOD

i never want to see a potato again!! at this school we have had so many different kinds of potatoes .. i have been here 3 weeks and we eat them at every meal and we havent repeated one kind yet! they have found so many different shapes and sauces and ways to cook them! for every single meal guys!! I am  going to be a walking potato pancake when i get home!! but for some who are wondering the food is pretty much the same as home just the type of meals are different like here our lunch is the biggest and hot meal of the day and our dinner is either soup or salad or sandwiches.. and we call dinner here '' tea'' as i think i told you already our supper is hot chocolate and cookies at 9pm is what they call supper here.. its weird!

PHOTOS

i have so many photos for you all to see but i can not get wifi! when i get to town to use wifi there is so many students on it at the same time uploading i cant get enough reception! im sorry i am doing my best ill let you all know when i get them up!! :) 

MISSIONS

we had a missionary come in yesterday who is a missionary in third world countries where christians are prosecuted for there faith.. she meets with them and works with them and teaches them about god because a lot of them dont even know really anything about christianity they just believe in god but have no one to teach them more. She also helps smuggle bibles into egypt ! the fine if caught is 7 years in prison there, and her husband is on his death bed with cancer and she takes the risk of smuggling bibles to these people even though she is dealing with these things at home!! how crazy is that!! that is a faithful women of god.. she told us a few stories that i wanted to share with you all.. she met one man who was a christian and he was a christian for 19 years when she met him and he said that she was the first other christian he has ever met, and the bible she gave him was the first bible he ever read, or even seen.. he heard of jesus on the radio when he was traveling and ever since for 19 years he was faithful to god without knowing anything about him or even knowing anyone else who was a christian !! insanity.. 

she also met a women who was preaching about god on the street, she was arrested and taken in and tortured like a man ( beaten up) after she was released she went back onto the street doing the same thing.. then she was arrested again and was tortured like  a women, how only a women could be tortured .. and raped.. and she still went back onto the street to preach god's word.. and then the third time they took her in they poured acid onto one side of her face... 

needless to say a couple of weeks later the man who tortured her showed up on her door step.. she allowed him in the house and offered him TEA?? yeah.. and when they sat to have tea he said to her '' your god gave me cancer'' and what i would have done would have been GOOD!! but she said '' my god doesnt give anyone cancer'' and from there she led him to christ!! he is now a christian and working in missions no longer working as a torturer!! how amazing is that!! that is god! that this women can look into the eyes of the man who beat her, raped her , and poured acid on her face and lead him to god!! WOWOWOWOWOWOOW.... 

the lady gave us all bracelets that say believe in the right to pray and we wear them everyday and she challenged us everytime we look down and see them to pray for the prosecuted church and christians! I encourage you all to do the same !! we forget about them when we get focused on ourselves and even starving children who need prayer to but we forget easily about christians still daily loosing there lives for christ!! and we can meet anywhere and carry a bible anywhere and own one with no problems and we can easily forget that!! i sure felt convicted !! i have a bible app on my phone!! and these people have one on a micro chip that they hide in there socks ... wowo! 

MEDIA FAST

i wont be on face book for a week now, the school is hosting a media fast from everything.. reason being we have a day of prayer on friday and our principal sais that if  your mind is filled with emails and facebook when we spend the whole day praying friday our mind with trail off to those places, so we want to media fast for a week to keep our minds pure of those things and of music and what not as much as possible!! so i am cheating now to send off my blog and tell my mother im alive !! :) but after this no more computer!! 

my next weeks blog will have how it went :)

OUTREACH

my outreach is this friday! i dont remember if i wrote in my blog what i am doing but incase i didnt we are going to a town 2 hours away and first day we are going to a primary school and walking to every class and allowing the kids to ask us any questions about us and our country then in the school we will host a assembly were ill be doing '' BOOM CHIKA BOOM'' and then we are acting out the david and goliath bible story in modern language and in place of the sling shot we have a cream pie! hahah! i am narrating that !! in schools in england you can talk about god but can't preach so we can said '' the bible sais'' but we cant say '' i believe '' a fine line!! and then saturday we will be hosting a famiily drop in centre with coffee food and games and songs at the church, sunday we take over the service with a drama and music and testimonies both morning and night , and then during the day we do some door to door work handing out invites to an event the church is hosting !! so there are five of us going! so please pray for us! im getting nervous but excited! we are spending all week preparing so we can use the prayer !!

i think that is all from me though!! i should get going now to bed!! but i hope your all welL! thanks so much for your love support and prayers! miss you all! hope your having the most beautiful fall over there !

survival of the fittest

HELLO EVERYONE..wow is it really sunday already? I feel like I just wrote you all a blog, so i am feeling at a lost of what to say.. but normally when i start this my hands just go so here it goes.you are likely all wondering why the title .. i have just discovered how much self control it takes to live here! there is so much beauty around me we live in rolling green hills and cute sheep everywhere and i am living in a castle with 171 people my own age! so i am learning how hard it is to truly focus on my studies, the teachers have cracked down on us with our work and they started it off by giving us a huge test were we needed to summarize all events in the old testament and name all books in new testament as well as answer twenty other trick questions, so it was hard!! and we have been assigned few assignments and also we have been assigned a book to read as well as six chapters of the bible everyday, so i find myself easily distracted by little things and i am learning to really try to prioritize my time better, its not easy but i am doing my best. 

CLASSES.........the classes are only getting better! seriously i came here thinking that i would be like a big retreat of constant messages that are fuzzy teaching you how much god loves you but these classes are so intense and teach me things i never knew and not just about the bible but about the legit history! and we are being taught about all the bible stories that no one teaches you in sunday school or in church ! we are learning about people in the bible who have done extraordinary things that i have never ever heard of! its so much fun! and they break things down for us and ask us questions and interact with us so we feel involved and learn more its really awesome i am really enjoying my time and learning so much

FRIENDS....all i can say is i love the social parts of this school! i love all of my friends there so amazing i love all the people here its an awesome atmosphere and everyone is so supportive.. last night was a lot of fun we did star gazing in the court  yard and had a huge jam session everyone brought instruments and we sang and played all night . I can't even think about leaving here ! i love it to much

TRAVEL ....we went to silverdale today it is a coast on the ocean so we did some walking along that and there was some hiking as well through the bush and some field walking and road so it was like every kind of walk but it was so beautiful and of course we ended the day by all going for tea.. hah! the funniest part was everyone was sitting on the patio drinking tea under umbrellas even though it was poring rain! it was quite funny.. tea in the rain.. only in england! 

FLASH MOB......so today we had a flash mob! all the girls got together before and we organized a huge flash mob .. so we did it today at dinner it was so funny the guys were all in shock it was hilarious !! i am getting a copy of the video it was recorded so it will be on facebook as soon as thats all sorted , ill post it on my wall and on the group to be sure you all see it! ( it was a dance flash mob )

HISTORY..last night we got to go down and have a huge group history lesson! it was so much fun! we got to see photos from the original family in 1890 who built this castle , we saw photos of them in here, we also got to see photos from 1938 when the school was started of the first group who attended this school, it was so cool to see them sitting in our lounge and outside in the courtyard! it was really cool!! i wanted to see all of that i was curious so it was funny, we also got to see a 20 min video of clips of students from the 50's and 60's here at caperwray! very cool

OUTREACH ....we got chosen for our outreaches for those who haven't heard! i was chosen to do a weekend away one day at a public school, and another hosting a family day so lots of games and crafts and food, and then we will be taking over a churches service doing the worship and the sermon and testimonies and what not, as well as doing some door to door work.. so its going to be a huge weekend ! it is the end of october so i could use a lot of prayer im pretty nervous about it! but i am so very looking forward to it! :)

GOD...i have been very challenged to focus more on god, i guess i can get wrapped up in the social aspect of this school and i forget to spend time alone with god, so he has challenged me to go on a walk everyday alone and spend time praying with him, so i have been doing that everyday and he has spoken to me a lot! so it is really amazing ! 

CHURCH....a lot of you were wondering what church looks like for us, well we joke because it looks like the movie babies.. because all the things that elders would normally do like greeting and ushers and speaking and maybe worship and communion it is all teenagers. so it is ran by teens and all teens are in the audience since church is at our school. so it is pretty funny.. but it is pretty basic worship and a different speaker each sunday. this sunday was amazing we had an irish speaker and he was so good and so encouraging, they focus a lot of encouragement on sundays since the week is filled with a lot of soul searching and possibly changing around habits or theories you have been told your whole life, so sunday service messages are normally very encouraging and lifting! and then for evening service its pretty laid back we move all seats so we sit in a giant circle at night , and we have done something different every night, last night room advisors gave testimonies, and other sunday we did communion and a letter to ourselves and put it into a box of what we are feeling now and what we hope to get out of bible college, and we will get it back at the end of school! so it is really fun! people here get very dressed up for church to which is also fun because all the girls are in dresses and the boys in little bow ties ( capernwray trend ) haha it is fun!

PRAYER REQUESTS..we have right now a little something we are calling the capernwray plague ... since we all have same meal times and classes all together so all 171 of us are always together we have managed to pass around one giant cold! and decided to call it a plague its toxic were all droppin like flies.. the preacher this morning was joking saying it is a toxic building cause there is no silence its constant coughing and sneezing in the crowd and nose blowing! so if you could pray for us that we dont all get worse into the flu or something !! also for focus for all our work that is on our way!! 

i think that is all i can fill you all in on! but i am having so much fun here and everyday im challenged more with God, i find myself crying more then normal but i dont mind because i feel like God is working in me, and he needs to break me down to build me up, and i am learning more about myself then i ever thought. i thought my growing was finished when i left africa but he is showing me there is so much more to learn and so much more growing to be done! so i am enjoying the ride and embracing every day and trying to learn to live in the moment and not always look so far in the future! so its all a learning curve but i am loving it! 

ps, i learnt something yesterday that stuck with me quite a bit! it was  a quote saying .. 

" if the devil cant make you bad he will make you busy" WOW, that one hit home for me because i can get myself so busy so easily here and forget to spend time alone with just me and god no one else !! it is so easy to allow business into our schedule! so i thought i would put that in here for anyone who may find that impacts them to...and lastly .. verse of the day!

Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good pleasing and perfect will Romans 12:1&2 <3 

love you all!! praying for you all everyday xx 

Settling in!

hello everyone!!

so it is finally blog time! I have been waiting all week trying to write down all I need to write in this blog. I want to do one blog every sunday for you all so you have a full week of updates! Hopefully I can be better at it this time then in Africa.... One thing I will do the same I will categorize things with little headers so you can read them and if there is something you dont care about you can skip because this is likely going to be a long one.. so lets do this! 

SETTLING IN......

so when I first arrived here my first thoughts were crap, I really made a mistake with this one.. It was my first impressions because it is huge castle and it seemed that everyone had already made life long friends together.. and every person that I had hungout with on the bus to the school ditched me the moment we walked into the school! so I kind of felt like a gold fish in the atlantic ocean lets say.. it was scary! .. When I first met my roomies as well i wasn't sure if i was going to get along with them well or not.. it was all very blurry I was hanging out with different people for every meal and service so I wasn't sure where I belonged or if i belonged at all.. but that was short lived thanks to some intense prayer on my end and I know my mom was bringing herself right up to the pearly gates with her prayers for me! and now at this very moment I am feeling right at home! I am so comfortable here, I have found my place in this school and were i belong in all this mess! I have found close friends and am meeting so many new people every day! I love it here!! If someone offered me a teleport machine i would not go home.. i would just teleport my family to me here! It is so wonderful here and i feel like i am in the midst of god's plan for my life ! everything here feels right it sits with me very well and all those times of second guessing if i really heard God right when he called me here are so gone because i know for sure i am right where he wants me! Its an amazing feeling!! I can feel all of your guy's prayer wrapped around me in all i do i feel it so i thank you all for that!!!

GOD'S WORK.....

so.. me and God mean business while im here.. i am learning so much about him.. I was thinking for a while between growing up in church and then Africa i pretty much knew all the mushy mushy about God but while im here he is really changing my know it all attitude and proving to me that daily i can learn more about him i will never know enough about him! he is forever working in me.. it is amazing !! I have never felt as close to god as i do here.. i feel that i go to sleep at night at his feet i just feel him all around me in every step i take! it is an amazing feeling!!

CLASSES....

wow.. i could finish this blog off with that.. because that is what they are.. WOW!  we have 6 lectures a day 45 minutes each spread through the day. and my goodness i can't sleep at night because i am so excited to wake up at 6am and go learn some more! i can't get enough of these classes every time they say '' ill just wrap up'' a little voice inside me goes NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! don't stop i cant wait another day to hear more!!!! hahahahahaha it sounds so lame but i am so enjoying everything they are teaching me.. this is what i came here for.. my teachers are so honest and real and legit and not afraid to say it how it is.. they dont tip toe around anything! its amazing ! they say all the things everyone is thinking about christianity that no one has the guts to say! they get your mind thinking they dont help you think out of the box they pick you up and throw you out side of it! haha! its incredible !! they are so smart and educated and god led its really a blessing sitting and listening to them teach me!! we had on saturday a session on worship.. and she had us all close our eyes in silence as she read us REV 4:2-11 sentence by sentence slowly and waited after every sentence to allow us to picture it and put us in heaven for a moment! there wasnt a dry eye in the place! it was incredible! what a feeling!! Today for church they also had us all close our eyes and the preacher had a letter he felt God wanted him to read to us. so with our eyes closed he slowly read it to us.. i was balling!! i felt like God was standing in front of me! he was reading things that i needed to hear.. during worship i was battling with insecurities and the pastor addressed and corrected every insecurity i was feeling during worship in that letter! i was balling!! it was incredible!! it amazes me on a daily how God works!! Our task now is to finish chapter of genesis. we will be reading a book in the old testiment once a week and then new so i will have read the whole bible when i leave this castle! so i am very much looking forward to that as well!

SOCIAL......

so the social part of the school! we all have '' duties'' so we are assigned something to do for cleaning and we have that task for 3 weeks and then it changes and on though the year so this three weeks i have dish drying duty after lunches. so it is actually a blast i do it with amazing people and we plug in our ipods and turn drying dishes into the ultimate high school musical/camp rock dance party.. best part is the person giving us those songs is guys hHAHAHAHAHAH it is a blast.. we also have interactive groups so we meet with them weekly for a bible study and someone in the group is assigned the devo so mine is in december.. also we have '' family groups'' so a small group and you get a mother and a father and you meet every wednesday for a bible study and also 4 fridays in this 6 months and we do fun family night things, so this friday we had our first so we played so many fun silly games at our mom's house and we made crepes and pigged out and played and laughed it was so fun!! also here we have a lounge and so there is always people in there playing dutch blits and spoons and the name game and so on, and we have a sports hall with pool and ping pong so there is always ultimate ping pong games happening in there! we also have something caled the loop.. i uploaded photos on facebook of the scenery its a nice 35 min walk through fields and hills and just beauty and eventually you lead back were you were so its a full circle so we call it the loop.. so we always walk it in groups and sometimes alone and a lot of people run it as well its nice!! and for anyone who knows me well i have found my group of girls who love ONE DIRECTION .. so we had the ultimate one direction party in the big girls room this morning while getting ready for church ahah so much fun! 

MEALS......

so the food here is just random.. its not weird because it is all food we have at home it is just in random combos.. like chili and rice.. and salad and scalop potatoes .. and ham and cream of brocoli soup.. like it is just random! also here your lunch is your big hot meal. so we eat huge lunches and then like a sandwich or soup for dinner.. or salad.. and here they dont call it dinner its called '' tea'' and supper time here is a late night snack and tea which we have at 9pm. so we have like cake or muffins and hot chocolate and tea.. but our meal is called tea. weird right! but i am getting used to it.. breakfast is normal its like 50 giant tubs of every cereal you can think of, and then yoghourt some fruit and toast .. and on saturdays for breaky we get bacon eggs the whole bit, and sundays we get cereal but instead of toast we get chocolate croissants ...YES! MY favorite day..... :) 

TRAVEL.....

we are about 10 min away from a small town called carnforth it is smaller then port carling.. so we only go there if we need groceries.. we have a bus that takes us 3 times a week if you decide to go, sometimes its full so it cost about 10 pounds one way.. then next city is lancaster we went yesterday its super cool theres few streets that all the roads are closed and its just booths and stores looks like midnight madness ! it also has starbucks so i can use wifi! yay! and we went to a nice italian restaurant it was so different! real italian pizza it was so weird but so good!!! 

i think thats all!! i am doing so wonderful i love it here ! i am so happy .. assignments start next week so i will have so much more for yall! love you guys thanks for your support for me !! here are some verses that stuck to me while im here so far

Jeremiah 9:23-24 this first helped me come down to reality that i dont know everything about god.. no one does we are always learning and there is always more to learn about him!