Saturday morning was the same as Friday morning. Except, on Saturday I had a sausage and egg sandwich as opposed to the standard English breakfast (fried egg, beans, tomatoes, bacon, sausage, and toast) I had on Friday :) After cafe, Jo Beth, Nicole and I all went to an afternoon tea at Ruth's house with several other women from the church. Ruth is a member of the church herself and is quite a lovely woman. The tea was wonderful and again a great opportunity for fellowship! I've posted a picture from the tea on the left :)
On Sunday, we had a prayer breakfast before the church service. Although I had to wake up a bit earlier to attend the breakfast, I really enjoyed it. It was nice to push "pause" for a second and take the time to intentionally pray for the church and for the community around us. The service then started at 10:30 am, which to me is a luxury! I helped in leading worship for the first time that morning and I can't wait to do that some more during my time here :)
To start off the day on Monday, I hung out with a group of toddlers during a Mom and Tots gathering! This ministry started in hopes of building relationships with local moms by providing them a time and space to connect with one another while their children do the same. Later that evening, I played badminton for the second time! I killed it.
Now Tuesday... Tuesday was a special day. Andy had a few meetings to get to in London so he "asked" us to explore Oxford that day. It took a little convincing but we agreed to do as he asked ;) We left Brierley Hill around 8:30 am and an hour and a half later we arrived in a town called Bicester. While in Bicester, we attended what is called a "cluster," where we met and shared with fellow American missionaries from Bicester and from London. It was wonderful getting to meet new people and hear about what God is doing in their lives and in their ministries throughout Europe!
After the cluster, us three girls took a bus into to Oxford and began our exploration! Pictured below is just a glimpse of the beautiful town that is Oxford.
On Sunday, we had a prayer breakfast before the church service. Although I had to wake up a bit earlier to attend the breakfast, I really enjoyed it. It was nice to push "pause" for a second and take the time to intentionally pray for the church and for the community around us. The service then started at 10:30 am, which to me is a luxury! I helped in leading worship for the first time that morning and I can't wait to do that some more during my time here :)
To start off the day on Monday, I hung out with a group of toddlers during a Mom and Tots gathering! This ministry started in hopes of building relationships with local moms by providing them a time and space to connect with one another while their children do the same. Later that evening, I played badminton for the second time! I killed it.
Now Tuesday... Tuesday was a special day. Andy had a few meetings to get to in London so he "asked" us to explore Oxford that day. It took a little convincing but we agreed to do as he asked ;) We left Brierley Hill around 8:30 am and an hour and a half later we arrived in a town called Bicester. While in Bicester, we attended what is called a "cluster," where we met and shared with fellow American missionaries from Bicester and from London. It was wonderful getting to meet new people and hear about what God is doing in their lives and in their ministries throughout Europe!
After the cluster, us three girls took a bus into to Oxford and began our exploration! Pictured below is just a glimpse of the beautiful town that is Oxford.
Wednesday, today, was a much needed day of rest :) We got to sleep in a bit and rest of bodies from all the walking we did on Tuesday. At 11:00 am, however, I had my first one on one meeting with a girl named Lucy. She is 16 years old and just finished her last year of secondary school! She spends most of her afternoons here at the church with her friends: Richard, Ben, Alexander, Alexandra and occasionally Connor and Jess. Lucy and I will be meeting once a week for the rest of the time that I am in England. I am so excited to see what the Lord has for our time together! If you could pray that the times we spend together would be fruitful, encouraging and life giving, that would be wonderful!
Until next time,
Cheers! :)
Until next time,
Cheers! :)