Flying

So last night I had one of my rare flying dreams. I can't remember everything that was going on, but I know that I was running around town like a maniac with friends, trying to make plans for what we were going to do. All of a sudden I found myself in a glider/hot air balloon thing. I could rise and fall and turn through the air at will. While I was in the air I saw a hot air balloon with a couch attached to it instead of a basket--the side of the couch had something about "just married" on it. But as I glided up and down, I suddenly realized the couch had four people sitting on it instead of two! We all descended and I recognized my girl friends. Two of them were my roommate (Rebekah)'s little sisters! They started talking to me about planning to go to a concert, but we would all have to fly to Korea to get there. Korea?! And they acted like that was no big deal...

I woke up to a sun-shiny day and smiled. My healthy has almost fully returned, and it is my day off. I plan to clean my loft, go out with Sue and Paul (a couple from work), and then come home to a novel.

Amidst all these big plans and flying dreams, I want to share what I read in 1 Samuel 10 today. It's the story of Samuel anointing Saul, the first king of Israel. Samuel told Saul, "And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be tuned into another man" (verse 6) and then in verse 9, "And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day."

Wow. I really want that, so I prayed that God would "turn me into another woman," a woman whose heart is completely sold out to Him. I was given "another heart" as well as God's Spirit when I was saved, but I long for my completion, my sanctification. I ask that He change me daily. How great, to know Him and become like Him.

Internship Goals

Today is Thursday, the long day at work, however...I am not there. No, I am in my bed at my loft, resting. The dreaded sore throat has diminished, but my head has not ceased to pound. (There are so many different meanings of pound: to hit something hard, a measurement of weight, a U.K. monetary unit, etc--this comment is free of charge)

Anyway, I thought I would inform you of my goals for this internship:

Learn

1. How London culture is different than "American"

2. What a Christian Londoner looks like

3. How London churches function with such ethnic diversity

Become

1. Tidy

2. Engaging, personable, and honest in all my conversations

3. Discerning in regards to people's needs at a particular moment

4. Bold and Determined in my exploration of the city

Do

1. My job at the bookstore with confidence and efficiency

2. A meal I did not know how to cook before

3. Memorize 5 chapters of Scripture

4. Read 5 books

Now that you know my goals, this is what I have accomplished so far: I have cooked lasagna (well, it was close enough to lasagna), memorized Psalm 4, read 2 books (Never Let You Go by Erin Healy, and When Love Ends: and the Ice Cream Carton Is Empty by Jackie Johnson), and learned a lot about London. I hope to be able to check these goals off at the end of my time, and already I feel like I am making good headway!

When you read this, remember me in prayer please.

Being an Adult is Difficult...You Have to do Laundry Even When Sick

Yes, I am ill.

Despite my attempts to rest much, eat healthily, and stay clean, I have a sore throat. I admit, I felt it coming on about a week ago, but ignored the tickle until today. This morning I woke up with a full blown ache in my throat and a severe desire to stay in bed. But, as Sarah was leaving this morning (and my co-workers were expecting me in the shop), I could not stay in bed.

Sarah left for the airport and I left for work, but things didn't get much better. I took some meds, but my head started feeling fuzzy and I had a hard time focusing on price tags and numbers. Lunch left me feeling full but still sick. Petra and Carol told me I could go home early and get some rest.

So that is what I have done. I got home around 4 and slept until 8, when I woke up and realized I had no clothes for tomorrow. Laundry HAD to be done, even if only one load. The loft is a bit out of order too. And I needed to blog/check my e-mails. That is what I am doing now, and I'm desperately looking forward to resting again.

Keep me in your prayers please. This has been a good week, and it would be disappointing to be out of commission for a few days.

Last Supper

Tonight was Sarah's last supper here in England. Fittingly, we decided to eat Fish and Chips and go for a walk. The walk was insanely long (a trip that normally takes the bus 15-20 minutes, and took us 1 hour), but it was good to spend the time with her.

It was perhaps the busiest day in the shop so far. People bustled in and out, looking and buying. One of my favorite things to do is help people find gifts for others. I imagine what I would like to receive as a present, and then I direct my customers to that very thing. It is quite enjoyable.

I am quite tired, so I will hopefully write more tomorrow, but for now that is all. Goodnight all.

A Brilliant Day

Three thoughts went through my mind as I sat on the bus going home today:

1. I am so tired!

2. That African woman is so beautiful!

3. I can't believe Michael Jackson is dead. I wonder if the people here know who he was.

It is actually not that unusual for my mind to be going in 200 different directions in one moment, but it does make it sweet when I have time to rest. Which I can hardly explain how wonderful it was to come home to my loft and find it clean and sparkling. Sarah Collier, who had taken the day off and just chilled in my loft, had also cleaned it. It set my mind at ease to see everything in its place. What a blessing.

The second exciting thing that happened tonight was that Petra took Sarah, Carol, and myself to IKEA. I had never been before, but my International Business professor at CU had ranted and raved about it, so I had high expectations. Those expectations were met and exceeded! What a fantastic store! What great prices and cool items! Seriously, if anyone is looking for some fun shopping or just an hour of amazing window shopping--go to IKEA.

I really must let you know--it is not easy to have daily devotions and prayer time. It is easy to find films to watch, people to talk to, and books to distract me from God. But why would I want to be kept from Him? Probably sin--the flesh. It is quite illogical really: when my soul is restless or ashamed, God is the only One who will calm me and lift my guilt. When I hide my sin, He is the One who exposes it, but also washes it away. I am so full of praise for my Savior and King. I'm not perfect, but my God is. He deserves our praise and worship.

Sarah's Sunday

So today was the busy Sunday I was a little apprehensive about, but definitely looking forward to. For starters, Sarah Collier came over and spent the night--we cooked, ate, and talked together, and planned for our big day today. The plan? Wake up, go to Hillsong's church in London at 10:30, go to the Global day of Prayer at 1:30, and attend David Phelp's concert at 8. Ambitious you say? Yeah...it was.

So the day began with a slight miscalculation. I thought (for some odd reason) that we did not need to head to Hillsong's church, which is 1 hour away, until 9:50. Needless to say, we realized we could never make it there on time, so Sarah and I decided to make the "Global day of Prayer" stop, our first. We stopped and had lunch, walked around a bit, and then moved on.

The Global Day of Prayer was more like a meeting for next year's Global day of Prayer. Though there were hundreds, and maybe even a thousand people in the stadium, it was still over half empty. Sarah and I joined a group of church volunteers and heard members of Parliament speak, and then we joined a group of students who were going up on stage to pray. Neither of us prayed into the mic, but we were both on TV, praying for London, the U.K., and our generation. It was a different type experience, as some of the "youth" and adults began speaking in tounges (something I haven't been exposed to much)...can't say I was comfortable, but just the same, I prayed for God to bring out leaders in my generation to reach London and the U.K. for Christ.

Sarah and I also found ourselves in a mostly Islamic part of town...which was different, to say the least. Here we were, two American girls in sundresses and sandals--the only exposed shins for blocks. All around us were bright clothes, head scarfs, and burkas. No exposed skin except for eyes and hands. Sarah and I felt culturally insensitive, but we didn't know we would be there! Maybe that is not a good excuse...but that's what happened.

Our third outing, to the David Phelps concert, was fantastic. I had such a great time listening to him sing...he seems to put his heart and soul into praising God with his voice. Honestly, his voice is like an instrument created by God which David has learned to skillfully play. He even sang a few of the songs he wrote himself. It was quite a treat. I was also excited because Sarah was not familiar with his music, so I was able to introduce her to his beautiful worship. It really was a time of praising God and reflecting on His greatness.

The trip home was a bit sticky, seeing as how it was dark. It was a bit intimidating, even with two of us, especially when the bus we got on did not stop where we needed to get off. After two undergrounds and two buses, we finally made it back to my flat at 11:45. I think I will try to get in before dark from now on...

But it was a good day overall, and I thank God for my safety and His character. What a great Sunday!

Late Night

Well, tonight is indeed a late night. It is 1 a.m. and Sarah Collier and I are still up. We have had a fantastic time together, which mostly consisted of dragging her suitcase up a huge hill, going to Sainsbury's for groceries, preparing our three course supper, and hanging out with Petra and Liz (my store manager and her house-mate). The tree course meal, by the way, was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it. Imagine an appetizer of pretzels and crackers with humus, garlic dip, and cheese, then a caesar salad, and then mac-n-cheese for the main course. Ice cream and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. YUM!

You know, I don't really have anything to report about the bookshop. Business has been slow this week, probably because of the rain. However, today was the busiest Saturday I have been here for (and that is probably because of the World Cup football game)! It was a joy to help people out, order new books, and check stock. One of my favorite parts though, is the fact that we can take books with us on our breaks. I normally bring one down with me, but I usually end up putting it aside. As much as I love reading, nothing quite compares to live interaction. And my co-workers are well worth "interacting" with.

That has really been one of the great blessings here, my co-workers. Throughout the day we laugh and joke and encourage each other. Working at CLC is really about the people (customers and workers) and not the profit. As I was working today I realized, this really is a ministry. We are providing affordable, Christian resources to people who may not have access to such literature otherwise. How great is that?

But yes, tomorrow (or later today really) is jam packed with activities. I will definitely write a post on it after the day is over--provided I don't fall asleep too quickly!

I got lost again today. Well, not really lost...I just didn't know how to get from where I was to where I needed to be...but it all worked out :) I must have no internal compass.