September Newsletter - Katy in the UK

The beginning of a journey…
Sept. 2007
Journey is a word that has been used often both by those at my American orientation as well as my British orientation to describe this year that I am embarking on. It is a fitting word. I am on a journey that has taken me across an ocean, to new people, a new culture, and sometimes what feels like a new language. But even after only a few weeks I can sense that it is a journey that is bigger than just physical. Already, I sense that part of this year is also a spiritual journey to see God in new ways and in new people and experiences.
Some of these new people, who are also on their own journeys, are my roommates Ashely, Lina, Marolina, Zsofi, and Nicole. Ashley is a fellow American who has been out of school and working for the previous two years. Lina is Swedish girl who has just finished high school. Marolina and Nicole are both German and have also just finished high school. And Zsofi is Hungarian and also has just finished high school and also has a father who is a pastor.
The six of us are living together in an apartment slightly off from the city center of Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is a city with a population around 450,000 and a lot of history.

The other important connections I have made so far on this journey is with Bethany Christian Trust, the organization that I have had the opportunity to join as a full-time volunteer for the year. This organization was founded 25 years ago by a local parish pastor in Edinburgh, Scotland, and works to ‘help homeless and vulnerable people through Christian love in action’. They do this in many different ways from street work-providing food and shelter to people sleeping on the streets- to helping people find housing, to helping people furnish their new residences with items that many of us take for advantage for example beds or flooring.
The unit I work for is Bethany House, which is a resettlement hostel. People who are homeless are able to come and live within Bethany House for a few months while they search for permanent housing. The project workers at the house provide support for people to find housing, as well as any psychological, emotional, or spiritual support that the residents may need. My job at the House involves several different aspects. The main part of it is to be a support for the residents of the house, to hang out with them, get to know them, and be there in whatever way I can. The logistical side of my job involves doing things like manning the office, helping clean rooms after a resident moves out, fixing meals, and providing some social time for the residents.
This past month it has been amazing to see the dedication of the staff to the job that they do. Many did not start out looking for this type of work but instead have felt called by God to leave previous jobs and work in this environment. The way some of them have talked to me makes me remember the way I felt called to this year by God almost a year ago. Now that I am here, I feel so grateful to God for calling me to this, and to the support that I have received from home and from the new people that I am meeting here.