First Newsletter - Crystal in the UK

My First Newsletter from Compass Christian Centre..

Scottish Word of the Month- “SHATTERED” used for really tired…

The flight from Chicago to London and then to Glasgow was fairly uneventful, I made it through customs without any problems, some of my comrades staying in other parts of the UK were not so lucky. I had both my suitcases arrive in one piece, which is a miracle in itself since Heathrow Airport in London has lost over 1.5 MILLION pieces of luggage this past year. Compass Christian is located between both Edinburgh and Glasgow both are about a two hour drive through the beautiful Scottish countryside. After arriving at Compass and being introduced to the rest of the staff, I was shown my room that I would be sharing with a fellow North American, Erin- the Canadian and Sondrine (however, very briefly since she would be heading back to London for her Birthday and then university). I managed to unpack, however, did not manage much else since I woke up the next morning still attired in the clothes I had wore on the plane.
So far, my days have been spent with the house team which takes care of cleaning, cooking and managing Compass Christian. The day starts somewhere between 7:30 am and 9 am depending on what I am scheduled to be doing. Each day we have a morning thought with all the staff where we pray for those close to us and the youth that have come to Compass or are at Compass. Each staff member leads one morning, some quote a bible excerpt and we hold a discussion or other times we will learn a Christian camp song that we can later teach the kids. However, each morning thought is different and totally up to the person leading it. In addition, we have a bible fellowship each week; on August 29, 2007 we studied James Ch. 5 V.1-11. It was really interesting to get the different opinions on the verse and the discussion it spurned. Compass also puts on “Though for Life” each night for the youth where they try to discuss God and the bible in a fun way. One night, Joe (one of the assistant instructors- you will probably hear a lot about him because we will both be here for the next year with very similar end dates), used Happy Feet to discuss with the kids why being different is a good thing and got each of the youth to name one good thing that makes them unique. The kids struggled to label what made them special; however, Joe did an excellent job of getting them to think of one. Then he related how God made each and everyone special so we should not ostracize and criticize each other. The youth really enjoyed it.
Besides working, I have managed to have some fun as well. My first night I got to see a bunch of the younger staff act like monkeys and climb the rock walls, which inspired me to give it a try the next night. I actually did a pretty descent job and climbed to top of most of the routes. I only did not make it the top on the hardest, however only by a smidgen, but conquered a couple of nights later. Then the next night, Sian and I conquered the ropes course with only a couple of spills between the two of us (note to those that like rope courses don’t be a show off cause that is when you fall.) My only spill off a bridge resulted in minor bruises, though. Unfortunately, Sian also left, since she got a new job working for a Science museum in Glasgow. However, the same day I received a new roommate from South Korea named Sung Ok Cho, who is also in the Time for God Program. We call her Sunny because a lot of people had trouble pronouncing her name properly.
Please keep me in your prayers as I endeavor to make new friends, learn new skills, and build a better relationship with God.

God Bless from the Girl in Chilly Scotland,
Crystal