since we arrived yesterday morning, i have thought several times "i want to include this in the next blog i post." but now that i'm sitting here actually doing it, it's hard to think of what to say. i want you all to know what it's like here, and although i'm not sure i will be able to explain anything well enough, i will certainly try.
if you think we are in London, you're wrong. if you think we are in any place that is similar to London, you're wrong. we live in Stockton. it's not at all like i imagined it to be. even if you've seen Shelby or Hannah's pictures, it's different. we take pictures of the scenic places, but those are the every life of these people. the every day is dark and dry and hopeless. on the streets, most of the businesses are closed and many windows are boarded up. the schoolyards are lively, but homes are broken.
both nights, we have gone to a parking lot to hang out with teens. last night we set up a skate park, and tonight we hung out on the "youth bus." basically, in Stockton, there are youth workers, people who work for the city and try to keep the kids and teens out of trouble. the kids we have spent time with do poorly in school, and most won't attend past the age of 16. they smoke a lot. they drink a lot. they have a lot of piercings. they're hard. BUT, Jesus is so good. i come from a "wealthy American home" and attend university. sure, i have piercings/tattoos, but that's probably the only common thing between us. it should have been very difficult to make conversations. but, it wasn't. Jesus has been our words. all we have done is sit and talk to them, and they love it. we love it. i'll probably end up talking about this a lot, so i'll leave it there for now.
today we hiked up Roseberry Topping. i'll likely get a picture of that up soon. from the top, you can see the entirety of the Tees Valley, where we will be working. Mike read from Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones. as many times as my friends and i have read and talked about this passage over the semester, it has never made as much sense to me as it did today. England is so different than America. our schools and universities may seem dry, and they are. but it's not the same. people in America have the opportunity to seek Christ. our friends and neighbors have most likely heard the gospel at some point in their lives. these people haven't. people aren't not following Jesus because of social pressure. they just really don't know. it's a different kind of dark. and it's heavy.
but it is also so evident that the Lord has sent people and brought us here for a very specific and important reason. this much darkness needs a light. in the ways that Jesus has already set up friendships and conversations for us, we can see that we are here on his mission and in his timing. he is working and is ready to pour out more.
pray for our friends. pray for strength for our team.
thank you
update: here's the pics!
Part of the Tees Valley
Roseberry Topping
Saltburn
cheers!
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