'Which part of Africa are you from?'

This week has involved some interesting questions. Since I landed, I've been questioned constantly with regards to my origins. So far, I've had; Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and by far the most obscure; Africa. 

That was my favourite conversation to date, it was with a 2nd grader and went a little something like this:

2nd grader: Which part of Africa are you from?

Me: I'm not from Africa, I'm from England! 

2nd grader: Oh, so is it your mom or dad who's from Africa then?

Me: Neither, both my parents are English too. 

2nd grader: Ummmm, so why do you sound like you're from there then?

Me: I don't! I've never even been to Africa! 

I still love the look of confusion on the kids faces when I start to talk and it sounds NOTHING like they expected. Sometimes, I can tell they are more fascinated by the way I say things, rather than what I'm saying but I'm sure they'll get used to me eventually. 

I think it's really great for them to experience different cultures and learn things from a real life English/German/African person as it not only stretches their horizons, but also mine as I explore a different way of living myself. A couple of days ago, I was asked if I had ever seen snow before so I like to think I taught that person a little bit about life in Yorkshire! I was also asked if everyone in England says 'pip pip' and 'cheerio.' We don't live in a time warp! 

Learning Curve

Today, I took it upon myself to ask one of the guys how I am supposed to respond to the question I am regularly greeted by:

'What's up!?'

When I say what's up, it usually indicates that the person is upset or angry so this has caused me much confusion. Apparently, I'm supposed to say 'not much!' Unless that isn't the truth, in which case I am obliged to spill all my true feelings - good or bad as I am politely greeted by a cheery American first thing in the morning. 

I think I prefer 'how are you.'

Love, S x

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Snow is stupid. (I couldn't think of a title)

Well, my second week in the States is almost up. Sorry if these updates are a bit too frequent but I figured it would be a nice way for me to document all the little things I've been doing. Also, my short-term memory is pretty bad so if I don't do this, I won't remember anything!

This week has been great fun, I'm getting more into the swing of things although the snow keeps messing everything up! As soon as the snow fell, the schools were closed so we have spent quite a bit of time at the centre this week. We managed to get to Urban Promise on thursday where I delivered my first lesson to the kids. I didn't quite realise how many kids would be there so it did stretch me a bit. It was more like proper teaching, as the set up at Urban Promise is very structured and school-like so that was a new experience for me. I'm so used to doing activities that get the kids all hyped up, so I went with my usual approach but quickly realised that probably wasn't the best way to do it in that environment! Well, you learn by living. It was only my second time of meeting my 'camp' so I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. 

Yesterday, we went back to do JJM and just played cards with the guys. They were quieter than usual but I think that's because most of them wanted to be released for the weekend but they have to earn that by doing good during the week. After that, we went back to Urban Promise to help with a sleepover at a local Church. 

First of all, we went bowling with the kids. Now, I didn't expect that bowling would be any different in America. I was wrong. As we were trying to figure out what shoe size I would be over here, I passed by boots to the guy behind the counter. Everyone stopped & looked at me as he exclaimed, 'I don't want your shoes!' Well, that's not how we roll in England. I looked to the Germans to back me up, but that's not how they roll in Germany. So, red faced, I headed to put on my bowling shoes with my boots in hand. I was then beaten by a 6 year old. By 30 points.

Once I got over that, we went to the Church ready to eat our snack and put on our PJs to watch Monsters University. I love that movie as it takes me back to the good old University days. We then slept on a cold, hard floor in the Church and awoke to pancakes and bananas. 

As I was laying there this morning, shivering, having not slept a lot - I got to thinking about how precious Youth Ministry is. Youth leaders do so much stuff that is so uncomfortable and out of the ordinary purely out of love for the kids they work with. I am constantly blown away by that. I hardly ever hear people complain about it, because they know that those crazy things could potentially have a life-changing impact for the kids. At the YFC Conference, the American speaker who lead the morning talks spoke of when he was a young person and the things that impacted him the most. It wasn't the crazily elaborate games or talks. It was the times when his youth leaders would ask for his help. When adults would involve him in their lives. I don't think we can do enough of this, especially with the kids here who have such heartbreaking stories. 

One thing that has surprised me so far is that I can feel certain insecurities cropping back up. I've noticed that the leaders constantly encourage not only the kids, but each other and I didn't realise how vital that would be for me. I know that insecurities come when you're out of your comfort zone and it can become exhausting pushing yourself constantly. I just keep feeling like I'm not good at anything, but this style of working and living is so different to what I'm used to. For me, sharing a room with someone is out of my comfort zone. Leading kids in a school setting is out of my comfort zone. Everything being so centred around sports with the kids is out of my comfort zone. I think as I begin to feel more settled and more a part of the teams I work with, I will be more at ease and will stop beating myself up! A wonderful friend of mine sent me this quote earlier on in the week that I want to keep reminding myself of:

 'We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.' 

Mother Theresa 

Sometimes it's easy to feel like what your doing is insignificant, or almost 'where do I even begin.' But as long as I keep being me, and loving these young people in the best way I know how, I could have a lasting impact - and that is the reason that I'm here. 

Learning Curve

I've decided to round of each post from now on, with something that I've learnt about America that week. So this week I learnt that:

Americans don't use the word savoury when describing food.

When I asked what word they used to describe non-sweet food they said they would call it 'food.' 

P.s. I cuddled AND fed a baby today.  P.p.s. I also had my first brew of Dunkin Donuts coffee this morning. It was extremely necessary.

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There's No Business Like Snow Business...

A few people have requested photos of the snow so I thought I should give the people what they want. I just went out to the backyard of the youth centre for about 65 seconds to get a few shots of how much snow fell here yesterday. It was too cold to stay out any longer - I can't feel my feet.

The customary 'where are my ankles' snow photo. 

I didn't go any further because I couldn't see the steps...

I don't think the kids will be shootin' hoops today!

I'm so glad it's my turn to take out the trash this week. Also, who's up for a BBQ?

Thankfully, it has stopped snowing now and has been sunny all morning. I hope this means it may melt quite quickly and life can continue as normal! We really need to go shopping so lets hope it disappears soon. As soon as I get a moment, I will share some photos of the centre with you. However, I should warn you that it just dawned on me last night that I can catch up on my favourite TV show; Nashville now that I'm in the States. Until I catch up - all my free time will be invested in that. Sorry not sorry. 

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What A Week!

Well, my first week in the States is up and I am SO TIRED! It's been so overwhelming but each day, it's sinking in more and more that I am actually here living this! You read about my first day, so I will update y'all on what else I have been involved with.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will be working with a project called 'Urban Promise' which you can read about right here. I had my first day there on Thursday helping to run an after school group which was so much fun, but when I was helping out at homework club, I realised I have been out of school for too long! I was really struggling to understand the work which was a little embarrassing as I am working with grades 5-10 which is equivalent to age 5-10/years 1-6 in the UK. Oh dear. Anyway, the kids have to call me Miss Sarah which I think is cute. 

We run our drop ins at the centre which have different numbers of kids each time but I especially enjoyed today - I think it went really well and it involved a game of Monopoly which can never be a bad thing. I also went back to the prisons and played cards with the guys in there. They loved my accent and kept asking me to say the British equivalent to everything. One of the other interns got a black eye at our retreat this weekend and they asked if I gave him that! HAHA. I must look pretty tough. 

We also went on a retreat this weekend which I think I mentioned in my last post. It was such a stunning place. I really enjoyed the drive up to Pennsylvania as there was quite a big Amish community there so I saw some of the horses and buggies like I saw on 'Breaking Amish' on TLC Channel! Also, they had a mennonite school and lots of farm type places. It's so strange to see it in real life! We joined with a local Church and some of the guys from Urban Promise. Though our kids didn't respond very well to it, (which didn't surprise me,) we had a wonderful time. I managed to have a walk around the place in our free time and got some photos. 

I thought this barn was very American!

My new horse friend.

It snowed overnight and was SO COLD.

Please expect photos of everything that looks typically American.

I took a walk to take photos and a stranger stopped to ask me if I was lost and wanted a lift. I said no.

I liked this bear.

I liked this sunset too. Also - the times are wrong on these photos but I couldn't  figure out how to change it.  

Yesterday, I went to my first basketball game and surprisingly enjoyed it a lot! As they had got all the times wrong, we ended up watching about 5 games which helped me pick up the general rules! I find basketball a lot easier to understand than American Football but most of the kids who come to the centre seem more interested in basketball anyway, so that suits me! We are going to have a Superbowl party so I will do my usual and prepare the snacks and ignore the game.

The cold weather is supposed to hit here again tomorrow so we have been told to expect a few inches of snow mid-morning. I'm hoping the weathermen here are like the ones back home; always wrong.  Also, for those of you reading in the States - happy Martin Luther King Day! We talked about him in the prisons today..what an incredible man.


Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18


I hope this update finds you all well!

P.s. I cuddled a baby today.

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My First 24 Hours In The US of A.

I have landed safe and sound in Delaware! My flight was pretty uneventful and I had a really nice apple crumble! The weather is nowhere near as bad as I was thinking, apart from the odd pile of snow here and there, there is little evidence of the big freeze. The whole team came to meet me at the airport in Philadelphia so that was a little overwhelming but really nice. I asked them promptly if they had a kettle in the house to which one of them replied, (this was a genuine question) ‘what’s a kettle?’ That seriously worried me. None of them drink ANY hot drinks. That also worries me. So I am thanking myself for bringing tea and I bought some coffee at the store today. We have a water cooler that also dispenses boiling water so I will be just fine. You can all stop worrying!

 My first 24 hours have been somewhat eventful and I have thrown myself in with both feet. I’m almost unpacked and living with 5 people. I’m actually sharing a room with one of the other female interns, which for those of you who know me well, you will know that this will challenge me! We live right above the youth centre which feels a little alien but I think I will grow to really like it. This morning, I attended my first team meeting which was really exciting as things are about to step up a gear. We are going to figure out how I will fit into that on Wednesday. After the meeting, we went ‘grocery’ shopping and then had my first experience of a drop in at the centre. There were quite a few kids here and I played ligretto for the first time and one of the young people made me switch cards with her because I kept winning and she thought they must be lucky! Halfway through that, I left with some of the guys to experience my first taste of their juvenile justice ministry which takes place in a prison not too far from us. At first I was a little overwhelmed and felt out of my depth but after the talk we had all planned about drugs and alcohol, we broke into groups and played a card game called Spades which I had never played before. On the first hand, I ‘wheeled’ it which meant I won all the tricks! Ha. After rubbing that in, I had some good chats with the guys and am hoping to go back there. We finished up just after 7pm and then headed to Wendy’s for tea and two of the guys filled an ENTIRE tray with a variety of burgers. Welcome to America!

This weekend, we are going on a retreat with some of the young people to a Church in Pennsylvania which means by the end of this week, I will have been in three states. We are so close to so many places and the guys said they’d like to go to Washington D.C. as they haven’t been there yet. I’m excited about that! After all this time of waiting and wanting to be here, it still feels very strange. When you’re working, especially doing something that you love and have a lot of experience of, you could really be doing it anywhere. I guess the difference is that I stand out a lot but it helps that I’m comfortable being me. I think it will take a little bit to sink in that I am living here and doing this! I think this time is going to be really exciting and I want to see how we can all work together as a team to reach more kids after what has been a bit of a crazy time for this centre. The leader here is SO passionate and so honest, it’s really refreshing to be around that again. Tomorrow, I am having a day off to get myself together and have a bit of me time. I am sat on the sofa now watching TLC programs on Netflix so not much is different!! 

I will update as often as I can! 

P.s. I’m on EST time so I am 5 hours behind England and my phone is no longer in use though I think I may be able to hook it up to WIFI and use whatsapp!  
Love, S x

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Time To Go!

Well, after approximately 6 long hours, I am finally packed up and ready for the big move. It's much different than when I moved to University, because that required all sorts of items like pans, dishes, bedding, lamps etc, whilst this is purely clothes and a couple of home comforts. I have managed to fill 2 suitcases and a holdall, hoping that I haven't forgotten anything drastically important. The Yorkshire tea was one of the first things in there and I separated the Earl Grey into another case should one happen to go missing on the journey! I have also stocked up on hats, scarves and mittens just in case the big freeze lasts any longer. If it doesn't stay cold, I will be a little bit gutted because I really want to wear my new bobble hat. 

Admittedly, I am absolutely worn out after a wonderful but busy week at the British YFC Conference. We just spent 5 days in a hotel with a jam packed schedule of great speakers, time to gather together and attend seminars about youth work. It was so nice to hear about a subject I am SO passionate about again, it really set me up to go back in to working with young people again. One thing that stood out to me was what an incredible privilege it was to spend five days amongst people who share that same passion. I was so overwhelmed to be surrounded by people who are willing to better themselves, push themselves, take risks, get up every day at 7am when they're technically off work - all for the benefit of the young people they work with, and for those they have not even met yet. It was so beautiful. 

Youth work is NOT a selfish profession. That was so clearly demonstrated amongst the YFC family this week. We do everything in order that we might reach more young people, the ones who no-one else wants to work with, the ones without a family, an education, self-esteem, self-belief, a purpose, hope. We gather together to learn more from each other about how we can do that better, to make our work wider and more relevant, to build better relationships, to make a deeper and more lasting impact and to love each other more. What better reason to get up in the morning! 

Often, people over complicate youth work. One of my favourite speakers was Mark Oestreicher. He wasn't just my favourite because he is American and has a big beard. He spoke so honestly and gave such good advice that is so applicable to my life and work. If you work with young people, I recommend that you read some of his stuff and great ready to learn some great things! In one of his talks he said this:

'The power of great Youth Work/Ministry can be summed up in these 3 points;

• Showing up
• Listening
• Words of truth'

Just by you, an adult, turning up at a youth group - you could massively impact the life of a young person without even realising it. All you have to do is BE there! Easy as pie. 

Giving a listening ear to young people today in a world where their voices are very rarely heard or taken seriously, can lead to a VITAL relationship in their live whilst they are living a 'relationally disconnected' life. 

Good words spoken into the lives of teenagers who are constantly put down. 'You're so creative, you're beautiful, you're a great friend, you'd make a great leader, you are loved just as you are, you were worth dying for' - these few words could transform a young persons life. It could impact them for y-e-a-r-s to come. You may not even recall saying it to them. 

This totally blew me away. It takes such a small step to get involved with volunteering in any form of youth work be it at your local Church, on mission, in a youth centre, reading to kids in a school or millions of other formats - we can ALL sacrifice even just an hour a week just to have the chance at giving a positive impact in the life of a young person who was worth dying for. Often, it seems like a scary thing - but young people need a whole plethora of adults in their lives to help them make sense of this ever changing world. With the rapid growth of the internet and social networking, levels of face to face communication are always dropping. But we can be the solution! We can be brave, step out and get involved. 

So, can you listen? Can you show up? Can you speak words of truth into the lives of young people? If you can - I would urge you to find out how you can get involved in something local to you that seeks to benefit youngsters. It could end up being transformational for you too! 

It is time for me to find out what life is like for American young people and to figure out how I can best help them in the 6 months that I have with them. I am SO excited to get over there and to practice what I preach! I am so grateful for all those that have supported me to get me there - this is more for them than it is for me and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Please do follow my journey as I leave the comfort of my belovéd Yorkshire hills to work with young people in YFC Delaware. 

It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,

    be compassionate and loyal in your love,

And don’t take yourself too seriously—

    take God seriously.

Micah 6:8

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One word for 2014

I have seen this concept scattered around a couple of blogs and felt inspired to do the same. One word, that I will reflect on throughout the year that hopefully come 2015 - I will have become a little better at. I want to choose integrity.

“Integrity is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; humility grows when we refuse to be prideful; and endurance develops every time you reject the temptation to give up.”  ~ Rick Warren

This word has always been important to me. It's something I've always aimed for, but I think in 2013 - there were times where I failed miserably at it. The pressures of finishing my degree the previous summer and being completely confused, totally disheartened when I couldn't find a job in the area that I worked so ridiculously hard for but was so passionate about became too much and I regularly cracked. Though to some people, getting drunk is a normal thing - I did it too much. Admittedly, I could count on both hands how many times I did that this year, but each time it happened I felt more ashamed of myself. My lack of self control not just with that but with other things like my temper, increased. I don't want to compare my circumstances or say things like; 'well, they get drunk every weekend so I can't be that bad.' I'm not responsible for anyone else's actions but my own and I want to say that I disappointed myself.

Sometimes, it felt like the people around me really enjoyed seeing me make mistakes. It proved to them that I wasn't perfect, (which I have never EVER thought I was!!!) that I mess up too. I agree, I'm not perfect, I've got a long list of improvements that need to be made - but in some ways, maybe I use that as an excuse. I never really rebelled, I didn't do that in my teenage years because that was when I started going to Church, and I did it a bit at Uni but not that much. I used that as my occasional cover up, but never felt good doing it. Well, now those people know I get it wrong too. But that doesn't make me feel good inside. It doesn't make me feel like I'm being a good example. It makes me think that  people might remember me for the mistakes I have made. I don't like that.

So, I propose that this year is a fresh, new start. One to take the bull by the horns and to go full throttle into the plans that He has for me. I am so excited to be going back to an environment where I can be challenged to work for good. To use the skills that I have been blessed with to help improve the lives of others. To refind that spirit of self control and be proud of what I have achieved rather than feel guilty for my failings. I thrive off being productive, from reaching the last, the least and the lost. I know that's what I'm here for and I will go to the ends of the earth to do that. I don't want people to be encouraged by my shortcomings but rather by my successes, so that they might be inspired to do the same thing in their lives.

I want this year to be one in which I remember the importance of integrity every single day, so that I will always be encouraged to do better, to love more and to make the right choices. We all have our weaknesses and this blog is not a judgement of that. I am assessing my own character against the standards I feel I should be living up to, which I don't feel I did very well in 2013. But the beauty of all this, is that tomorrow is a brand new day and His mercies are new each morning.

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