The British Summer.

Even though I spent about three years at NTC, I was never in England during the summer. Let me just say we have been having FANTASTIC weather. It's been in the low 70's with tons of sunshine. I'm soaking it up because England being England...it will rain again. 

Last week was a busy work week full of meetings, lunches, and students coming and going. Even though the work week was busy I still managed to have some fun. 

Wednesday night I was able to go to the Didsbury Craft Club. This is a craft club that takes place once a month and is put on by the Didsbury Community Church. The Didsbury Community Church is a church that meets here on the NTC campus. The craft club is a great way for the church to reach out to the local community. It was fun to meet new people. There were several people there from the community as well as people from the church. We made ribbon flowers and some other paper crafts. I made some birthday cards! 

Friday night I went to the Levenshulme Food and Drink Festival with a couple of friends. I had a fantastic burger and the most delicious brownies I have ever tasted. It was fun to go somewhere new and enjoy the sunshine. 

Saturday was once again beautiful outside so I decided to go to the City Center. As you can see from the pictures a lot of other people decided to enjoy the weather and get outside. I love the vibe of the big city in the summer. 

Ok... so this particular picture looks like it wasn't very sunny but it was.
These clouds went away five minutes later.  

Sunday after church the pastor and his wife invited myself and a couple of friends over for a BBQ. We spent the whole day sitting outside enjoying food, the weather, and fellowship. We all have slightly pink faces today to prove it. 

It was a busy week but a very very nice week. I'm so glad I'm here. 

Community and Squirrel-gate 2014.

Community.

One word that has come into my mind several times in the five weeks that I have been here is community. NTC is a community itself but it is also connected to several other communities. NTC is like a hub. You never know who you are going to run into. You never know who you will meet for the first time. It's exciting. 

I'm blessed to be a part of the NTC community and the community that is the Church of the Nazarene. We are a connected church, we are a global church. It's amazing to be able to hear and see what God is doing in other communities connected to NTC. 

Squirrel-gate 2014.

So...there are a lot of squirrels here. Especially around the NTC campus. They are pretty mischievous and pretty greedy when it comes to food. They have chewed a hole in the lid of our dumpster and it's pretty common procedure to kick the side of the dumpster before you open it so you don't have a squirrel jumping towards your face. 

Last week, in the building where I stay, a squirrel came in through an open window. It was found by some students (after it had made a mess and eaten some people's food) and promptly shooed out the window again. 

The next morning we awoke to find the window sill chewed to bits and another mess made in the kitchen. Thus began the squirrel hunt. Apparently not one but two squirrels came in the previous day and one had been hiding somewhere in the kitchen. After a day of searching, said squirrel was finally found and shooed. It hasn't been seen since. 

We thought we had found all the "squirrel damage" until I went to open the freezer yesterday evening. We think that the squirrel knocked the freezer plug out of the outlet resulting in a defrosted freezer and rotten food. "The squirrel strikes again!" was my thought. It has provided us with a good laugh and will be hence forth known as "Squirrel-gate 2014!"

Hope you have a great (squirrel free) weekend! 

Well, I made it safely to England with no delays and no problems in customs. I am so thankful for that. Maybe it's just that I'm older now or have just become more patient over the years but this trip went quickly and I just enjoyed the journey. Sometimes I do not enjoy flying so this was a particular blessing. 

This whole journey has been a blessing. I continue to pray that I can be a blessing to this community as I have been blessed. Having only been here less than two weeks and already been told that I am an answer to prayer is a huge blessing in itself. 

So what have I been up to since I've been here you might ask...I've been busy...which is great! That's what I'm here to do! The housekeeper for NTC left for a college trip 4 days after I arrived and I've been doing her job while she has been gone. It's been a whirlwind but I'm loving it. With the help of several others we have been preparing all the colleges accommodations for a Minister's Summer School that begins tomorrow. We have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. It's been a tight turnaround, changing over around 21 rooms. I've been so grateful for the experience of those I have been working with and grateful that they never seem to tire of answering my many many questions. It's been a steep learning curve but really that's been the best way for me to learn quickly. 

It's funny because I haven't even been here two weeks and it almost feels like I never left. Several people have asked me if it's weird being back and the short answer is no not really but the longer answer is that it's weird that it's not weird. I've been welcomed back to the community with open arms. It's been so wonderful to see familiar faces and meet so many new ones. I am reminded that it's the community that makes NTC so special. It truly is like family. Family is a blessing.

I am blessed. 

Hope you enjoy a few pictures of my first few days here. 

Dene Road, this is the road the college is on. 

Bus Ticket.

View from the my kitchen door. The weather has been so nice I like to eat with the door open.

Like I said...wonderful weather.

You've got to have fish and chips. It's a must. And it was delicious.

Full Circle.

I really believe in the phrase "Full Circle." I believe it because it has happened to me on several occasions but perhaps the biggest "full circle" moment I have ever experienced is about to take place in around six weeks. 

In 2005 I took the biggest step of faith I had ever made at that point in my life by beginning a course at Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England. To set the story up for you here are a few facts about my life back then:

1. I had never been outside of the United States up until this point. I had to get my first passport in order to make this trip. 

2. I had only ever had one address at this point. I had lived in the same house my entire life. 

3. I was a very reserved person. Some would call it shy...but I prefer reserved. Once I got to know you I wasn't shy/reserved. I was the type of person that preferred to watch and observe before participating. 

4. I had already been to and left two different colleges.

I'm pretty sure most people thought I was crazy. How in the world could this reserved slightly sheltered girl ever go to another country...on her own...not knowing anyone? If I'm being honest I didn't know either. What I did know is that I felt God calling me to go. That call gave me the peace and sense of adventure I needed to take this step of faith. It was a step of faith because of those four facts above. It was a step of faith because I had to put my total trust in the fact that God knew better than I what I could do. That's hard for someone who likes to feel in control over their own life. 

Long story short...that step of faith changed my life. I ended up staying at NTC for three years and finishing my Bachelor's degree. I was blessed to be put in a situation that forced me out of my shell. I learned to see the world in a whole different light. I met and made friends from all over the world. My worldview was stretched. My horizon widened. 

I've done a lot since my time at NTC. Each new adventure has stretched and grown both my faith and me as a person. I was a youth pastor, and student (again), a volunteer, an ESL teacher, a learner, a listener, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a retail worker and a nanny. But here I am, nine years on from 2005 and I find myself making plans, dusting off suitcases, and saying goodbyes. 

Full circle experiences make me feel blessed. I get to again experience a new adventure. Yes, it's somewhere I have been before but I am a different person this time and I am sure that NTC has changed as well. It's like getting to experience something through new eyes. 

The step of faith is a little different this time. This time I'm leaving behind not only friends and family but a job as well. But there are things that are also the same. The call to go is the same. I don't know what the outcome will be after my time of service but I know God does. He will provide what I need just as He did before. He will grow and stretch me just as He did before. That's a full circle experience in itself. 

I am blessed.