Christmastime in the City

     With two weeks left to my time in London, I cannot begin to think where the time has gone. It's been ages since my last post, I realize so much has happened. We traveled a bit, had some wonderfully traditional American meals, attended the premiere of the Hobbit, sang loads of Christmas Carols, and worked with a group who serves the homeless. But as things here are winding down, 2014 closed, there are a few things that have happened over the past few weeks that really stand out to me. The interesting thing about YWAM life, you feel like you've lived loads of lifetimes in a very short amount of time.

1. Bristol Outreach: We were able to spend a week in Bristol which was a city I really enjoyed. We met a lady who is a painter and paints beautiful cityscapes. As we began to talk to her about her art, about what we do, we offered to pray for her and as we did, we learned she is a Christian. But from all she had said, she was struggling in her walk to find hope and joy. As she encouraged us, we were able to encourage her and speak truth into her life. We went back and visited her a couple days later to exchange emails. She was absolutely thrilled. It was a moment that reminded me why we are doing what we are. Being an artist can be lonely, but we need to step out and make sure we're encouraging one another and find fellowship with one another.

2. The Hobbit Premiere: Yes, this really happened. We stood around for hours in the cold to see some of our favorite actors walk the Green Carpet and not see the movie. But it was amazing to be a part of it. We were in the second row of the pens, right across from the press. Eve though some of the actors didn't come through our section, we were able to watch them interact with each other and several of them did come our way. It was however, one of the most interesting environments to be in. The idol worship of these people was very real. We spent a lot of time in intercession for both the stars and for the people around us. We were exhausted at the end of the day, but it was amazing. Two of our team members had really cool interactions with the Producer for the film as well as Billy Boyd who played Pippin in the Lord of the Rings film.

3. Holidays away from Family: Thanksgiving and Christmas are a big deal in my family. It was hard to think about being away from them. But the leaders of our house know that. We had an awesome Thanksgiving day just gathering around each other and saying what we're thankful for. A couple of days later we had an epically delicious traditional American style Thanksgiving! For Christmas Eve, we were serving the homeless but after we came back for appetizers and Secret Santa, and loads of dancing. Christmas was another delicious meal, dressing up and just enjoying each other's company. It was hard but at the same time, it was a really good Christmas.

4. Earls Court Community Project: The day before Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve we were helping with the Earls Court Community Project serving and performing for them. It was amazing! We interacted with them, learned their stories, and were able to bring joy in a really hard time. In turn, I met a Christian woman who had been homeless for about two months. Her story touched me and encouraged me. She offered to pray for me as I told her I wasn't quite sure what the future held for me. Being able to serve in this way though was awesome. We were told any entertainment we provided couldn't be longer than five minutes because their attention span wasn't that long. A twenty minute performance, we kept their attention throughout the whole thing and they really appreciated it. It was an excellent way to spend Christmas Eve.

5. New Years Eve: We could have partied inside the warm with food and drinks. Instead, we were at the top of Primrose Hill in Camden, overlooking the entire city by two in the afternoon with drumsets and guitars, saving our spot at the top of the hill in the cold. But come 10 in the evening, we were joined by a couple other YWAM teams and we had worship on the top of the hill. Surrounded by loads and loads of people, we had conversations with people, random people joined us in worship and the fireworks went off from the London Eye. All of which were amazing! People may not have known what we were singing but it totally changed the atmosphere of what could have been a really heavy day. It was one of the best New Years Eve Parties I've had in a while.

   As I prepare go home, I know God has things for me there as well but there's still things to do here. We have an exhibition in a week where we will be showing some writing pieces, performing some covers, and doing a small skit. It's a way of culminating what these last eight months have meant and all the freedom and work that God has done. To him be the glory, always! It's been amazing and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. Even though I'm leaving now, I know that London and I are not done with each other. I'm just excited to see when and how God leads me back here.