I'd love to say I've fully mastered the Tube, the Bus, and the British currency all within the past two and a half weeks. The Tube and I may have become friends but I've found the buses still don't appear exactly where and when I want them to and the patient Barista in the Covent Garden Starbucks can tell you exactly how well British coin and I are getting along. However, as I've adjusted to the new modes of transportation, which includes loads of walking around the city and a forty minute walk in the morning to Notting Hill, the past two weeks have been incredible if also not lacking in a bit of sleep.
We've began preparing for outreach and as we split up into tracks, I found myself not focusing just on theatre but rather in music track. I'll admit I was initially filled with a great amount of apprehension. I feel I have some skill in the area of music but not loads. However, as I've spent time in prayer and talking with one of the leaders of the music track, I began to realize that maybe God had a bigger plan for me than I realized upon arriving. I've often said within theatre that I can dance and I can act but I wish I was stronger vocally and I've been given three months to become stronger in that area. *mind blown* The leaders of the music track have incredible gifts and I'm really excited to be able to learn and work alongside of them. Our theme for our outreach performance is Joy. It is our task to write and compose three pieces that tell a story of Joy.
But amongst our track time and learning French, one of the most challenging but incredible moments of every week occurs on Friday nights in Soho. We partner with a church there to do evangelism. They set up a tent with free coffee and tea, have worship, and just talk with people. When I first heard about it, I was super excited as it sounded exactly like what I had done in Australia. But the moment I stepped onto the busy street corner, the atmosphere was vastly different than what I had experienced. People are rushing about, there are loads of adult shops, clubs, and pubs in the area, and the heaviness is real and tangible. For some reason, both times we've been out, fear has overwhelmed me. But God is good, gracious, and always present. The first week, I worshiped, watched, and prayed with our team and for our team. But towards the end of the evening, my roommate, Elin, began to talk with a gentleman and invited me to join. The man, we'll call him Willie, is not a Christian. He is a man who is very intelligent but due to life circumstances, he is currently homeless, sleeps in a church, and is working odd jobs. Money controls and motivates him. We were able to share with him how we've experienced God's love and provision in real and tangible ways and we were able to share how much God loves him and pray with him as well. The next week, Willie was there again. I don't think he's ready to let God take over and lead him but the seeds have been planted and we have to believe that God is working.
The second week we were in Soho, we teamed up with people from the church to talk with people. We had such a wide array of conversations. We talked with a man who was a Sikh and he was not afraid to ask us the hard questions about why we believed in our faith and why we wanted him to believe in Jesus. We talked to a group of guys who would rather go drink, party, and believe in science than believe in an awesome God. Lastly, we talked with two girls from Venezuela who were Catholic but not assured of their salvation. We were able to talk with them about truth and also pray with them which was an awesome experience. One of them had also been to Seattle so we had something in common. At the end of the evening, I was encouraged and I saw how God just changes the environment when we begin to worship, pray, and take courageous steps to talk to people.
The longer I am here, the more I see God moving and working not only in the city but also in my life. He's revealing and teaching me about myself and all the things in my life that I've hid behind for many years. There is true freedom in him when we rest in his love. I'm so grateful for the staff here, their hearts for the city, for the arts, and also for us. It's amazing what happens when you stick eighteen people from different nations with different languages into one house. There's been loads of laughter, fun, and deep conversations. They've become my family in a very short time. God consistently uses them to encourage and refine me. Plus, I've remembering Spanish, I know how to say "thank you" in Portuguese and have learned some words in Dutch. We have three more weeks in our house before we head out on outreach. I'm excited to see how our performance piece comes together and how God continues to move and grows us closer as a group. Oh, and continues to give me energy when I go to bed late and get up early. :)
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