Christmas in England

Spending Christmas thousands of miles away from my family is going to be, and has been thus far, a very different experience for me. I've been able to try so many new things, and I've experienced the generosity and kindness of people in my new community. Daily, for over the past month, I have been asked what my plans are for Christmas, being so far from home. Thus far, everyone who has asked me this question has told me that they want to ensure I have somewhere to go, someone to spend it with, and if I had no one their house is always open.

But Christmas is just around the corner now and don't worry. I have plans. But before Christmas comes, there is much to do. In England people have been preparing for Christmas for months! Other than shopping for presents, attending "turning on the lights" ceremonies throughout town, and decorating the house and Christmas tree, people have been baking for months in anticipation of Christmas dinner. In fact, some people even started immediately after Christmas last year.

So then, what does Christmas in England look like? This Christmas, as most of you may know from the news, we have snow! Apparently it's the most snow people have had in England for the past 20 years, and it's by far one of the coldest winters. In spite of this, people are still in high spirits and Christmas traditions are still carried out, and here's a few that I've participated in:

Christmas pudding, also known as figgy pudding to us in the States, is typically made months in advance, sometimes even made a year in advance. Rumor has it that the longer it sits, the better it tastes, and the amount of brandy that is added to it ensures that this tasty treat doesn't go bad after sitting for a long period of time. And yes, this pudding (which is more like a fruit cake) is actually lit on fire just before it is consumed! I still haven't quite figured out why...and no one that I've asked seems to know.

More Christmas traditions include making and eating Christmas cake and mince pies, drinking mulled wine, having numerous Christmas dinners with friends well before Christmas actually arrives, making Christingles, going to see pantomimes, and breaking open Christmas crackers (which to my shock and bewilderment actually isn't something you eat, but instead is a cardboard tube wrapped in brightly colored paper. Why they call it a cracker is beyond me.).

Although I've thoroughly enjoyed partaking in these various activities to become "as British as possible" this Christmas season, I'm can't stop thinking about the amount of time and preparation that goes in to this one event, this single day that is over and gone so quickly. So much time, so much money, so much effort for just one day. I keep thinking about all the people that anticipate the fuzzy feelings, the warmth, the excitement of Christmas. And I also think about those who are alone, those who have no friends or family to be with, those who don't have food to eat, and those who will be excited if they get to sleep in a bed for the night.

I'm sure you've discussed this at least once already this season with someone (I know I have), but Christmas is not about the food, it's not about the amount or what kind of presents you get, or the disappointment you face when you open something you really don't like that your great-aunt's second cousin twice removed who can't even remember your name bought for you. So what is it really about? There's a tradition in Poland where on Christmas day everyone sets out an extra place at their dinner table just in case they see someone on the streets, someone who is alone, someone who is in need, they will be prepared and have room to invite them in for feasting and fellowship.

Now I've been invited to go to various houses, and for this I am truly blessed and eternally grateful. So then, where am I spending Christmas? With my new family, here in England. Yet there are so many people in this world who are less fortunate than I am and aren't adopted into families as quickly as I have been. What would it take to embrace the Polish tradition and invite someone to my Christmas dinner? I live just outside of a city that is full of poverty and despair. Even in this quaint town of Beverley there are homeless people, lonely people, people who are suffering, and people who do not have enough. It wouldn't be that difficult for me to find someone to invite to my house for fellowship and a warm meal. And let's face it, all I would really be sacrificing would most likely be that extra serving of stuffing that I probably don't need anyways.

So instead of focusing on what Christmas isn't, why not focus on what it is about, and then do something about it? To me, Christmas is about love. It's about sharing and being with other people regardless of who they are. It's about showing others how important they are. And above all, it's about Jesus and who He was as a person. A leader. A servant. Someone who cared about those who are less fortunate and often forgotten. The Messiah.

Never Never Land

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."



Matthew 11:28-30



Rest for your souls. What exactly does that mean? So many people spend their lives searching for rest and peace in this messy world that we live in, and I'll admit that I've been one of them. My entire life I have loved these verses, probably because for as long as I can remember I've lived a chaotic lifestyle, rarely taking time to actually slow down and just be. This being the case I often asked God to give me rest, even though it was completely my fault that I didn't rest since it was my choice of how I was living my life. I believe that true rest would never happen. No way. Not for me. I like being busy way too much for that. However, things are different in England. Since coming here rest has been one of the greatest things that I have learned.

I don't know how many of you have been to England when it snows, but with it's narrow, cobbled streets the whole country transforms into a magical place where entire cities shut down and become silent. Rest. This past week it has been snowing like crazy all over the UK. Airports closed, roads shut down, people abandoned their cars on the sides of highways because it was too treacherous for them to drive, others were stuck in their homes not leaving for days. So why do I find this simply chaotic and dreadful image so splendid? Because it's in times like these where people are forced to stop. To step back from their crazy lifestyles, and to breathe.

Last week I found rest for my soul. With all of Beverley basically closed, I spent quality time hanging out with friends, sledding with my supervisor's son and dog on the Westwood, and enjoying a few days where I had absolutely nothing to do but be still.

One particular afternoon we were invited to the neighbor's house for tea and scones. Roisin and Lola, two of their children, were absolutely ecstatic that we were visiting, and kept asking me to come and see their room. After being led up two winding flights of stairs we finally made it, and I entered a little girl's paradise. Bursting with light and vibrant colors I stepped into a dreamworld, a place that was safe and full of love. I spent my time with the girls getting glittered poured over my head and spread through my hair in attempt to help me fly to Never Never Land. It was in that moment that I was doused in glitter, shouting out happy thoughts, flapping my arms in preparation to take off to Never Never Land, and running around the room with the girls that I was overcome with sheer joy and peace. Rest for your soul doesn't occur when we become so busy we forget to actually breathe, it comes when we take time to enjoy the small things of life like we did when we were children and embrace the gifts that God has given us, letting His grace shower down on us. So now, as we enter the Christmas season, take a step back with me, enjoy the moments that you've been given, take time to fly to Never Never Land, and take time to rest.

Peace.

Uprooted.

No matter who you are, moving to a new place is never easy. Starting a new job, attempting to make new friends in a place that often doesn't have the friendliest people, finding your feet in a culture that you thought would be similar to yours since, after all, we were a colony, yet discover it to be quite different. Leaving behind so many things that you love-those special people who have the capacity to make you smile just by looking at you a certain way because they know you, the favourite coffee shop you frequented so often that customer's dogs listen to you better than to their owners, that beautiful rock on the top of the mountain that you sat numerous times to watch God's artwork displayed as He paints yet another glorious sunset.

Yet there is something painfully beautiful about moving to that new place. You get a fresh start, a new beginning. You can be whoever you want to be. You realize how much you love people back home, and how much they love and support you and your crazy wild dreams. You meet new people that even after such a short period of time you love so deeply, and they bring so much joy and laughter into your life. Some of these people already trust you and accept you so much into their lives that they even get a copy of their house key cut for you so you can come and go as you please. And you learn that regardless of where you go or what you do, God is always, always faithful. In spite of how challenging things may be, how stressed out you get about something that happened back home over 2000 miles away from you, how often you feel that you are alone in the world though you're surrounded by people simply because you just don't understand their culture, God is always there, a constant.

I've been reading The Church that Never Sleeps, which is about a church in L.A. that is open 24-hours a day, providing numerous services to people in the worst area of the city. In this book the pastor says in regards to the challenges he faced while starting the church, "In the middle of my difficult journey, I learned that God sends rays of hope along the way to keep you on the path. They might not be big rays, but the little rays that encourage you and enable you to go another day." For me it's not usually the big things in my life that touch me and keep me going, but rather the tiny bits of encouragement. It can be something as small as someone telling me that the card I gave them made their day, or a girl thanking me through tears for taking the time to be with her and make her feel worthwhile, or even someone special buying me a travel mug for my morning cup of coffee because my host family doesn't have to-go cups since people in England don't tend to take coffee "to go"...they actually take time to sit and enjoy it (which I'll admit is something Americans could learn to do more often). It's these moments in England that I value and treasure, knowing that God is in the midst of it all, and I'm filled with peace knowing I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Peace.

English Hospitality

Hospitality can make a world of a difference. In my past experiences abroad, it can mean everything from saving the head of the fish for guests of the household to slaughtering the only goat the family owned to prepare a feast to finding and offering the best chair for the guest to sit on. Gestures of hospitality have come to mean so much to me in England, and I've learned that one of the greatest and most common acts is offering a cup of tea or coffee.


A couple weeks ago as I prepared to leave for a conference in London I witnessed a quintessential act of hospitality. A loud crash that sounded like a door slamming from a strong wind echoed through my flat early in the morning. My host mother, Liz, ran out of her room to inquire if I was alright, thinking that I had managed to injure myself (which wouldn't have been out of the ordinary) but the noise actually wasn't caused by me this time. After inspecting every area of the flat and finding nothing we opened the front door and were greeted by the sight of a camper that had smashed into the side of our flat! Looking up the street the owner of the vehicle was running towards us apologizing profusely. Apparently she had neglected to put the parking break on, and although we scarcely live on an incline it was enough to make the camper just roll into our flat. Luckily, no one was hurt. There was damage done to the house, yet instead of being upset and treating the woman poorly, Liz quickly ran up to her and said, "Would you please come in for a cup of tea or coffee?" And so she came in to chat and sort things out for the repairing of the flat in a peaceful manner. Having tea, afterall, is a wonderful way to figure out how to solve all problems.

Peace. :)

Day #18 of Potatoes!!!

Ever hear the rumor/stereotype that people in England eat a lot of potatoes? SO TRUE! I've eaten them every day since I've gotten to England! And I still think they're delicious. My host family is amazing, and they have literally adopted me as their third daughter, taking me on as many "cultural learning experiences" (as my host dad calls them) as possible. Some of the experiences this week included going to Freedom Festival (a live music and arts event which takes place in Hull to celebrate...well...freedom!), biking roughly 40 miles round trip to visit the ocean, wondering around York and touching (yes TOUCHING) the walls that William Wallace touched when he "conquered" England, grocery shopping at a local market, learning all the things I shouldn't say, and getting puked on by a baby (some things never change).

This past week was my first full week of work, and it was quite diverse, so I'll only focus on one part of it for today. One of my responsibilities this week was to help run a school assembly. The children were adorable, especially with their British accents! But other than their accents a few things really stood out to me: It's a law in England that all children must have indoor shoes and outdoor shoes for school. However, some of the children's families can only afford one pair of shoes, so these children are made to either wear their socks or go barefoot. My heart completely broke for them, and I instantly wanted to go out and buy a ton of shoes. But would that actually do anything? On a different note, since there is no separation of church and state, prayer is openly allowed and even encouraged in schools. At the end of the assembly we all gathered around and prayed. It was so powerful to see all of those children bowing their heads openly in prayer alongside their teachers.

Overall, England has already been an incredible learning and serving experience for me. I'm completely psyched for what the rest of this year has in store!

Peace!

The Beginning

Hello everyone!

Getting to England was a little difficult, since the plane I was supposed to take from the States was found to be broken as I boarded it. We took off late and I missed my connecting flight in Germany, so I had to take a few more flights before finally making it to England. But I'm here, safe and sound with an amazing host family!

So far I've spent my time meeting people, wondering around the city, orienting myself to the English lifestyle, and have learned that they have peanut butter, so I don't have to live without it for a year! I've had more tea this week than I have in my entire life. The people here are the most hospitable people I've ever met, and constantly offer me food or something to drink or assistance with whatever I need. One of my new-found friend informed me that the only reason I can't understand her is because she "actually speaks English!" So I have a lot to learn, and am very excited.

~Heidi