Weald Word
My Time in England by Kelly
When did you become a Christian?
The question ‘When did you become a Christian’ has arisen many times while speaking to people I encounter. They like to hear a good testimony and automatically think a missionary ought to have one. I believe that I became a Christian 23 years ago when I was baptized at St. John’s. My response to the question is the same: “My whole life. I was born in a Christian family and raised that way.” They all seem slightly confused after I respond this way. One woman asked me if I had ever strayed and, not really thinking, I said, “No.” A few days later I got to thinking about what she said and it started to bug me. Of course I has strayed, who hasn’t? Is there a time in any Christian’s life when they don’t doubt God’s existence? Or miss church on a Sunday? Or a point when they might have sinned? Am I the only one who has doubted or sinned? Of course not! They have been many times in my life when I considered whether there was a God or skipped a Sunday at church, but that doesn’t make me less of a Christian. Instead, I think it might make me a stronger Christian. In doubting, I searched for God, thinking I might be able to prove that he didn’t exist, but instead I found him in unlikely places. I have spent many nights now, trying to fall asleep, thinking about what my response should have been. It should have been this: Yes, I have strayed. We all have to stray at some point in order to make us come back to God. Straying allows us to see that we need Him, that we can’t do everything alone. Being a Christian isn’t about following every rule God sets before you, but understanding that when you falter (even Jesus faltered), He will be there to help you. It is about sinning and confessing once you have sinned. It isn’t about never sinning, that is ridiculous. It is about knowing that no matter what, God is there to help you, guide you, and keep you safe.
Getting a Sense of England
I HEARD the laughter of children having fun and learning about God.
I SAW the beautiful English countryside on my various journeys throughout the month.
I SMELLED the bonfire and mulled wine as we celebrated Guy Fawkes’ night.
I FELT the soft fur of a new born baby calf.
I TASTED duck for the first time in my life. It is shooting season and we have plenty of ducks and pheasants being short here on the farm.
Sometimes stopping to small the roses can seem like a hassle. I have learned that it is never a hassle to take in as much as you can. There are so many wonderful things to be experiences here by using all of my senses. I am so much more aware of my senses here that I am back home. It is something I will definitely think about more once I return. I will look for things to see, hear, taste, smell and touch more often than I normally would.
Lutherans on the Loose in London
At first, you would think that working in a church would be wonderfully spiritual because you are always there. However, I am convinced that this isn’t true. I am in the church everyday of my work week. I help to lead a teen prayer group, Sunday school and various other church related activities. I worship at St. George’s when I am not teaching and thought that I was doing just fine. It wasn’t until I arrived in London on November 9th for an ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission conference that I realized what I had missed. Not only did I miss the songs that every Lutheran knows, but I missed the Lutheran theology and the fellowship of my fellow Lutherans. It was nice to be together and connect in a way that I think is so important. We had small group discussion to discuss what is going on in each of out lives. We had sessions on our Faith, Cross-Cultural Dynamics and what volunteering really means to us and to those around us. We were introduced to Jenny Welsh, who is the chaplain for the Lutheran Council of Great Britain. She serves as chaplain to students in and around London. She helped lead us in worship over the course of the weekend and helped us understand the Lutheran Church in Great Britain a bit better. She gave us information on Lutheran churches in our areas and was very helpful. I even had one of the Global Mission staff bring me copies of the Holden Evening Prayer so I can start this one Sunday a month. I am really looking forward to introducing this into the worship at St. George’s. I think that even though we are Christians it can be hard to be on the same page. Hopefully in the coming months I will start to feel like we are reading the same book!
Learning How to Speak ‘English’
George Bernard Shaw once said, “England and America are two countries separated by the same language.” I am here to tell you how right old George was in saying this. I have had some interesting conversations with the young people here about the differences in American English and British English. I am learning how to speak ‘properly’ as one young man put it and I am soon my way to sounding like a native, even if I don’t have an accent. Now, pay attention, because you could end-up saying something that you don’t want to. The first time I realized a difference was when I was writing a document in Microsoft word an when I spelled organization, it gave me a spelling error until I corrected it to say organization. The second difference was spoken aloud in front of a small group of teenage boys. Sixteen year old Oli has relatives in America and knows some of the funny differences. “Kelly, why don’t you tell us what you call a bum bag in America,” said Oli. Not know that I was saying something completely inappropriate, I replied, “fanny pack.” The group of boys erupted in laughter. I, the innocent American, had not idea what was happening until one of the boys politely told me that fanny might mean what you sit on in America, but I should never say it again as it has a totally different meaning in England. I had to Google it that night to see what it meant.
Other words I have learned:
Fringe=bangs
Kip=nap
Crisps=chips
Wonky=not quite right
Wellies=rain boots, short for Wellingtons
Pear-shaped=went wrong
Pudding=dessert
Nappy=diaper
Torch=flashlight
If you would like to learn more, you can visit the web page: http://www.english2american.com/dictionary/wholelot.html
Little Miss Holly
Holly is the 4 year old grand daughter of Frederick and Helen (the couple whom I live with). She lives on Westwood Farm with her mum, dad and little sister. She goes to Weald PreSchool and will start ‘big school’ next fall. Holly has a favorite stuffed animal which is a giraffe called Chippy. Chippy goes everywhere that Holly goes and if he is left behind, we have ourselves a tragedy. Holly enjoys playing with her friends, Daisy and Ruby, and often has them over to play after school. She also enjoys playing her cousins whenever the family is together. Holly loves to feed her chicks and gather the eggs that they lay. Another one of Holly’s interests is coming up to my bedroom to look at all my belongings. I would think that this is boring as I didn’t bring along many items, but she seems to be curious about everything. Her favorite item in my bedroom is a flashlight. It is a very special flashlight, because it turns into a lantern. She thinks this is just about the funniest thing in the word and always has to look at the ‘funny’ torch. She is wonderfully happy child and always seems to brighten my day when she comes over to visit me.
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