Ok ladies,
We've had enough of a break. Where shall we go next? I hear Habitat for Humanity will be needing a lot of people in New Orleans. :)
I won't be doing FWCC because its not during my spring break.
I am teaching 3rd Grade and LOVING it. I have 11 of my previous students (with 23 total in the class). Its all not a giant love-fest, there are a few squirly kids in that group...
So, seriously.. where to? I have a short Christmas break, Spring Break, Veteran's day (early Nov.) and of course the summer!
And yes, I am fully aware I have to figure out that (grrr) car rental stuff.
Missing all of you so very much
Delonna
PS: Aimee, thanks for the package!!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Chrissy's run-in with US Customs
One moment of the trip home sticks out in my mind.
Setting: US Customs in Houston, Texas
Cast: Joe Customs Agent, Joyce (me) and Chrissy
Scene One
Chrissy clears customs, by less-than transparent means. =) Joyce honestly discloses that "we" walked through a pasture while in England. Joe calls back Chrissy.
Conversation
Joe: Did you walk through a pasture in the UK?
Chrissy: I forgot about that.
Final Scene
Joe reams Chrissy for lying to a US Customs Agent. Joyce doesn't get reamed. Both Chrissy and Joyce have to dig through their luggage to get out the shoes they wore while walking in the pasture.
Note: Joyce got to use her walkie talkies while walking through the pastures in England.
Moral
Always use walkie talkies while walking in English pastures - they might improve memory.
Setting: US Customs in Houston, Texas
Cast: Joe Customs Agent, Joyce (me) and Chrissy
Scene One
Chrissy clears customs, by less-than transparent means. =) Joyce honestly discloses that "we" walked through a pasture while in England. Joe calls back Chrissy.
Conversation
Joe: Did you walk through a pasture in the UK?
Chrissy: I forgot about that.
Final Scene
Joe reams Chrissy for lying to a US Customs Agent. Joyce doesn't get reamed. Both Chrissy and Joyce have to dig through their luggage to get out the shoes they wore while walking in the pasture.
Note: Joyce got to use her walkie talkies while walking through the pastures in England.
Moral
Always use walkie talkies while walking in English pastures - they might improve memory.
Um, I'm home
Yep, I'm home! I only had a few nights of waking up at 2am but I think I'm okay now.
So are we done with this blog for now... since it is supposed to be a traveling blog?
Or should we talk about where we want to travel next? Who's up for Guatemala in March 2006? Ireland in 2007? Other ideas??
Keeping the traveling bug alive...
So are we done with this blog for now... since it is supposed to be a traveling blog?
Or should we talk about where we want to travel next? Who's up for Guatemala in March 2006? Ireland in 2007? Other ideas??
Keeping the traveling bug alive...
Saturday, August 27, 2005
leaving soon
I spent several hours at the British Museum yesterday. There was so much to see and I'm sure I only scratched the surface. I saw the Rosetta Stone and a lot of stuff from the Acropolis, and a lot of ancient British stuff.
One thing stood out to me though. There was an exhibit from artists in Mozambique. Mozambique has been in a lot of civil wars and conflict for years. Tons and tons of guns were being poured in to support the wars. Now that it's over there are millions of weapons spread throughout the country. A group, Arms for Tools I think, started a program to turn in guns in exchange for farm tools and other things. There is a story of one whole village who turned in all their guns for a tractor. Then a group of artists take these weapons and make sculptures out of them. There was a huge tree, the Tree of Life, made out of tons of guns. You can still see it all, pieces of triggers, etc. It was amazing, hard to describe when you see that many weapons turned into art...
I spent several hours trying to track down some Yorkshire tea and managed to make it to the Indian/Muslim area where there were a ton of stalls out. People were selling everything! Beautiful clothes and scarves, shoes, toys, fruits and vegetables. This went on for blocks and blocks and blocks. I wish I had discovered this area sooner! I could only linger so long though since I had a dinner date to keep.
I had arranged to meet Nancy Irving, the general secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation, for dinner. (I think that's her title.) I had gotten way over to East London to find a big enough Sainsbury's that sold big boxes of tea and I knew I would be late. It was a rush back through the street stalls and the tube to get back to my hostel and unload all my purchases, then a quick turnaround back to the tub.
I made it to Friends House fifteen minutes late, but all was well. Nancy and I caught a bus over to the Thames area. The Tate Modern is over there and a lot of theatres (for live shows). There was a theatre show going on in a park area and we stopped for a few minutes. The setting was a barber shop and there were three actors. They never said a thing, just interacted with the set and the radio. They would occassionally change the station and then would interact with the radio. We came in and the radio was doing war of the worlds type broadcast. The actors were terrified, trying to hide, etc, etc, acting like the world was ending. Then a soothing voice came on saying that this was episode 6 of such-and-such show, tune in next week... The actors became embarrassed and acted like they knew all along. The radio was changed to a different station, and they were off on another skit. They just kept going and going! We finally left and meandered along the river. We had a lovely dinner at a pizza place then went to visit the Tate.
This museum was made out of an old power company building. It is absolutely enormous! The 'atrium' area inside has to be something like 10 stories high. They did a wonderful job converting the building into a museum. We only had time to visit one gallery. It was titled something like 'beyond painting.' There were a number of 'artists' who had created these pieces with clay, sacking, bits of fluffy stuff, etc. One was simply a large piece of burlap stretched over the canvass with a slice right through the middle of it. This particular artist had really gotten into poking holes into his canvass or slicing through it to give a sense of infinity. Hmmm. I think that one gallery was enough for both of us!
I went across the Millenium Bridge straight to St. Pauls and made my way 'home.' I had a good last day in London and wonder if I'll every get back here again.
Well, the St. Paul's bells just rang 9:00. Time for me to gather my luggage and head for the airport! See some of you soon!
One thing stood out to me though. There was an exhibit from artists in Mozambique. Mozambique has been in a lot of civil wars and conflict for years. Tons and tons of guns were being poured in to support the wars. Now that it's over there are millions of weapons spread throughout the country. A group, Arms for Tools I think, started a program to turn in guns in exchange for farm tools and other things. There is a story of one whole village who turned in all their guns for a tractor. Then a group of artists take these weapons and make sculptures out of them. There was a huge tree, the Tree of Life, made out of tons of guns. You can still see it all, pieces of triggers, etc. It was amazing, hard to describe when you see that many weapons turned into art...
I spent several hours trying to track down some Yorkshire tea and managed to make it to the Indian/Muslim area where there were a ton of stalls out. People were selling everything! Beautiful clothes and scarves, shoes, toys, fruits and vegetables. This went on for blocks and blocks and blocks. I wish I had discovered this area sooner! I could only linger so long though since I had a dinner date to keep.
I had arranged to meet Nancy Irving, the general secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation, for dinner. (I think that's her title.) I had gotten way over to East London to find a big enough Sainsbury's that sold big boxes of tea and I knew I would be late. It was a rush back through the street stalls and the tube to get back to my hostel and unload all my purchases, then a quick turnaround back to the tub.
I made it to Friends House fifteen minutes late, but all was well. Nancy and I caught a bus over to the Thames area. The Tate Modern is over there and a lot of theatres (for live shows). There was a theatre show going on in a park area and we stopped for a few minutes. The setting was a barber shop and there were three actors. They never said a thing, just interacted with the set and the radio. They would occassionally change the station and then would interact with the radio. We came in and the radio was doing war of the worlds type broadcast. The actors were terrified, trying to hide, etc, etc, acting like the world was ending. Then a soothing voice came on saying that this was episode 6 of such-and-such show, tune in next week... The actors became embarrassed and acted like they knew all along. The radio was changed to a different station, and they were off on another skit. They just kept going and going! We finally left and meandered along the river. We had a lovely dinner at a pizza place then went to visit the Tate.
This museum was made out of an old power company building. It is absolutely enormous! The 'atrium' area inside has to be something like 10 stories high. They did a wonderful job converting the building into a museum. We only had time to visit one gallery. It was titled something like 'beyond painting.' There were a number of 'artists' who had created these pieces with clay, sacking, bits of fluffy stuff, etc. One was simply a large piece of burlap stretched over the canvass with a slice right through the middle of it. This particular artist had really gotten into poking holes into his canvass or slicing through it to give a sense of infinity. Hmmm. I think that one gallery was enough for both of us!
I went across the Millenium Bridge straight to St. Pauls and made my way 'home.' I had a good last day in London and wonder if I'll every get back here again.
Well, the St. Paul's bells just rang 9:00. Time for me to gather my luggage and head for the airport! See some of you soon!
Friday, August 26, 2005
Returning to Work
Joyce and I arrived in Idaho last night at 10:00 PM. Today I came into school in order to get everything set up for the students who come on Monday. I think I'm about ready. It has been such a fast transition from being with 230 other young adults to being at school again. There is so much that I want to think on from the gathering and so many people that I want to begin e-mailing. I'm hoping that I'll make space in my life for these things and not allow my time to be swallowed up by less important matters.
I'm grateful for all the prayers that were offered on behalf of the gathering. It was evident that God was at work among us, and I believe that he'll use that event for years to come in the continuing transformation of many lives. You can still be praying for the gathering that will occur in Kenya in October.
I'm grateful for all the prayers that were offered on behalf of the gathering. It was evident that God was at work among us, and I believe that he'll use that event for years to come in the continuing transformation of many lives. You can still be praying for the gathering that will occur in Kenya in October.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Back... to London
Time when you are traveling is a weird thing. Sometimes it passes so slowly and sometimes so quickly. Tuesday and Wednesday seemed to pass so quickly, and I felt like the whole last two weeks had gone by fast. But today, Thursday, I feel like the last two days have been forever long.
I was up early yesterday morning to be at Pendle Bar by 7am to check in keys. At 8:30 I was relieved and ran off to breakfast, scarfed down a full breakfast (yay!) and ran back to the Bar to continue checking people out. I was bummed to miss the last admin team meeting...but I don't know if anyone else made it either! I was able to attend most of the last session then, where worship was quite good. We then got to work approving the epistle. I don't even know what the final version is yet - I had to leave early and run back to the Bar to get the door unlocked so people leaving on the 12 bus could get their luggage!
The next few hours were spent checking people out, directing people traffic, trying to answer questions, etc. Also saying goodbyes to people which was quite sad. After many had left I took myself over to the office where the walls and desks were looking quite bare. I helped clean up the rest of the place. It was quite odd how bare and empty it felt, how life-less. And yet, you could still feel the energy in the rooms and halls.
I caught a ride down to Lancaster Meeting house and was reunited with about 20 participants who were staying the night there. I had a homestay though, and after dinner in the meeting house, two Rachels and I headed out. Rachel Phillip's house is way out in the middle of nowhere. It was a long drive! But so beautiful. It was quintessential English countryside. It was the Lancashire dales I believe, covered in fields and grazing sheep. We did have a near run in with sheep on the road a few times!
Rachel's house is quite simple and very old - about 200 years old perhaps, and is right next to a public footpath so there are always people walking by. She doesn't have a fridge, just puts items in the window and keeps the window open. That tells you how cold it is there! It was a wonderful, peaceful place to get a good night's sleep.
This morning Rachel and Rachel and I went into a little town to dry my clothes in the smallest laundrette in England - a little room on the end of a building holding one washer and one dryer! We did some shopping at a few local shops, collected my clothes, then drove on to Lancaster. There were still several participants hanging out so we all walked over to a great vegetarian restaurant called The Whale Tail.
Rachel, Thomas, Matt and I all had to get on the 2:24 train to London. Thanks to Chrissy for buying the wrong tickets so that Rachel and I could use them! =)
Getting back to London was weird. The noise and craziness was a bit overwhelming and shocking to the senses. And yet, I do really like this city. I had to drop off a lost passport at the Friends House, and then made my way over to my youth hostel. I'd tried to book this place a month ago for my first night here and it was full. I'm so glad I got it this time! I'm using the computer in the lobby and there is a big window right next to me. Out the window I can see St Paul's Cathedral, all lit up. And I can hear the church bells chiming each hour, and more often during the day. It is wonderful. I've mostly wandered around a few familiar spots today and will be going to bed soon as I am really knackered! =)
I think I might spend the whole day at the British Museum tomorrow, but we'll see...
I was up early yesterday morning to be at Pendle Bar by 7am to check in keys. At 8:30 I was relieved and ran off to breakfast, scarfed down a full breakfast (yay!) and ran back to the Bar to continue checking people out. I was bummed to miss the last admin team meeting...but I don't know if anyone else made it either! I was able to attend most of the last session then, where worship was quite good. We then got to work approving the epistle. I don't even know what the final version is yet - I had to leave early and run back to the Bar to get the door unlocked so people leaving on the 12 bus could get their luggage!
The next few hours were spent checking people out, directing people traffic, trying to answer questions, etc. Also saying goodbyes to people which was quite sad. After many had left I took myself over to the office where the walls and desks were looking quite bare. I helped clean up the rest of the place. It was quite odd how bare and empty it felt, how life-less. And yet, you could still feel the energy in the rooms and halls.
I caught a ride down to Lancaster Meeting house and was reunited with about 20 participants who were staying the night there. I had a homestay though, and after dinner in the meeting house, two Rachels and I headed out. Rachel Phillip's house is way out in the middle of nowhere. It was a long drive! But so beautiful. It was quintessential English countryside. It was the Lancashire dales I believe, covered in fields and grazing sheep. We did have a near run in with sheep on the road a few times!
Rachel's house is quite simple and very old - about 200 years old perhaps, and is right next to a public footpath so there are always people walking by. She doesn't have a fridge, just puts items in the window and keeps the window open. That tells you how cold it is there! It was a wonderful, peaceful place to get a good night's sleep.
This morning Rachel and Rachel and I went into a little town to dry my clothes in the smallest laundrette in England - a little room on the end of a building holding one washer and one dryer! We did some shopping at a few local shops, collected my clothes, then drove on to Lancaster. There were still several participants hanging out so we all walked over to a great vegetarian restaurant called The Whale Tail.
Rachel, Thomas, Matt and I all had to get on the 2:24 train to London. Thanks to Chrissy for buying the wrong tickets so that Rachel and I could use them! =)
Getting back to London was weird. The noise and craziness was a bit overwhelming and shocking to the senses. And yet, I do really like this city. I had to drop off a lost passport at the Friends House, and then made my way over to my youth hostel. I'd tried to book this place a month ago for my first night here and it was full. I'm so glad I got it this time! I'm using the computer in the lobby and there is a big window right next to me. Out the window I can see St Paul's Cathedral, all lit up. And I can hear the church bells chiming each hour, and more often during the day. It is wonderful. I've mostly wandered around a few familiar spots today and will be going to bed soon as I am really knackered! =)
I think I might spend the whole day at the British Museum tomorrow, but we'll see...
Home!
Ready for some amazing news???
I slept in my own bed last night!
So, here are some thoughts and ramblings after the event:
I don't know for sure what I've taken away yet from the conference. I think that the "fruit" will need time to grow and ripen before I can see the full effects. I have not turned on my TV once since coming home, and I so far, I am enjoying that.
I have decided to make two changes in my life. The first is the aforementioned "silencing of the TV," and the second is... well... I am not going to buy clothes this year. I will if I need to replace something, but I am not going to buy something because it is on sale and "Too cute to pass up..".
Now, I am not one to think that just "doing" will increase my spiritual life, but I do feel that a call to simplicity must start somewhere. I want to declutter my life of some stresses and I think both shopping and TV have been a waste of my time and resources. Mike pointed out that I do enjoy shopping and that I needed to be aware of that but... look at the work "enjoy." Should I really find joy in shopping?? I should find it in being with friends and talking with Mike and doing my best at work... not to mention in my relationship with Christ. If I am finding joy elsewhere, where do I leave room (or time) to seek joy where it really matters?
If my friends invite me to go shopping, I will simply have to use the discipline not to spend money. I may need to leave my debit cards at home to start, but I will do it. When something does wear out, I think I will take my time and carefully purchase what I need, and in that, find better quality (fair trade) products.
Avoiding both TV and shopping I think will help me de-materialize my life. The constant bombardment of commercials through TV and the readiness and availability of goods are two of the challenges I hope to avoid.
Personally, I have come to love my 3 traveling companions a great deal. I know the 3 of them share a closer bond than I do with any of them, but I appreciate their willingness to share their relationships and love with me. Even though I thought they were a bit screwy in the beginning, I came to adore those oddities and just added in my own version to their mix!
I love you three very much, and look forward to many other crazy adventures!
I slept in my own bed last night!
So, here are some thoughts and ramblings after the event:
I don't know for sure what I've taken away yet from the conference. I think that the "fruit" will need time to grow and ripen before I can see the full effects. I have not turned on my TV once since coming home, and I so far, I am enjoying that.
I have decided to make two changes in my life. The first is the aforementioned "silencing of the TV," and the second is... well... I am not going to buy clothes this year. I will if I need to replace something, but I am not going to buy something because it is on sale and "Too cute to pass up..".
Now, I am not one to think that just "doing" will increase my spiritual life, but I do feel that a call to simplicity must start somewhere. I want to declutter my life of some stresses and I think both shopping and TV have been a waste of my time and resources. Mike pointed out that I do enjoy shopping and that I needed to be aware of that but... look at the work "enjoy." Should I really find joy in shopping?? I should find it in being with friends and talking with Mike and doing my best at work... not to mention in my relationship with Christ. If I am finding joy elsewhere, where do I leave room (or time) to seek joy where it really matters?
If my friends invite me to go shopping, I will simply have to use the discipline not to spend money. I may need to leave my debit cards at home to start, but I will do it. When something does wear out, I think I will take my time and carefully purchase what I need, and in that, find better quality (fair trade) products.
Avoiding both TV and shopping I think will help me de-materialize my life. The constant bombardment of commercials through TV and the readiness and availability of goods are two of the challenges I hope to avoid.
Personally, I have come to love my 3 traveling companions a great deal. I know the 3 of them share a closer bond than I do with any of them, but I appreciate their willingness to share their relationships and love with me. Even though I thought they were a bit screwy in the beginning, I came to adore those oddities and just added in my own version to their mix!
I love you three very much, and look forward to many other crazy adventures!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
aimee's thoughts
I think we've about covered the first week of traveling around England. Luckily there are many more stories we haven't told (the windshield wipers... =) so we'll have plenty of stories when we return home. It is Tuesday now, the last full day of the Gathering. I have not shared much of my experience yet.
I have been glad to read the girls' experience, and to talk with them and others. As a member of the admin team I think I've only been able to experience about half of the Gathering. I've been running about doing a lot of work, organizing this and that, been in a lot of meetings, and been involved in some pretty heavy stuff (that i don't feel at liberty to share here).
I've made a few connections with people and had some good conversations and interesting experiences. I'm starting to ask myself now, what will I take away from this experience? What have I learned? How have I changed? What has impacted me? Where do I go from here?
I'm afraid I've been 'on' so much that I haven't had much time to just stop and listen and think. Interestingly, listening has been one of the common themes I've heard. Everyone has been very willing to listen to one another. I think we all expected there to be a lot more division and strife and arguments, but I haven't seen a lot of that. People have been very open.
One interesting story is that I met a girl who thinks that perhaps the 'other' Quakers (unprogrammed) don't really know God, they only think they do. She said that a couple days ago and I didn't have a chance to talk to her more about that. Today we were in a group and had to draw pictures of what we thought the future of Quakerism was. This girl drew a picture with the word 'God' written at the top, then EFI, FUM, FGC - all crossed out, and a crowd of people below that. She hoped that in the future Quakers could move beyond those divisions and have more in common. I really appreciated hearing that from her.
I've gotten to the point that I have a lot of thoughts... and no thoughts. This week has been really, really interesting in many ways. I don't know if/when I'll be able to share them on this blog. I apologize to my 'fans' that there aren't more travel details. My traveling has mostly been from my room to the dining room to the office, to the great hall, to the office, to the dining hall, to the office, to my room. =) I did go on a trip to Swarthmore Hall (and sat in both George Fox's and Margaret Fell's chairs!) and also climbed Pendle Hill. I will try to post about those soon.
I have been glad to read the girls' experience, and to talk with them and others. As a member of the admin team I think I've only been able to experience about half of the Gathering. I've been running about doing a lot of work, organizing this and that, been in a lot of meetings, and been involved in some pretty heavy stuff (that i don't feel at liberty to share here).
I've made a few connections with people and had some good conversations and interesting experiences. I'm starting to ask myself now, what will I take away from this experience? What have I learned? How have I changed? What has impacted me? Where do I go from here?
I'm afraid I've been 'on' so much that I haven't had much time to just stop and listen and think. Interestingly, listening has been one of the common themes I've heard. Everyone has been very willing to listen to one another. I think we all expected there to be a lot more division and strife and arguments, but I haven't seen a lot of that. People have been very open.
One interesting story is that I met a girl who thinks that perhaps the 'other' Quakers (unprogrammed) don't really know God, they only think they do. She said that a couple days ago and I didn't have a chance to talk to her more about that. Today we were in a group and had to draw pictures of what we thought the future of Quakerism was. This girl drew a picture with the word 'God' written at the top, then EFI, FUM, FGC - all crossed out, and a crowd of people below that. She hoped that in the future Quakers could move beyond those divisions and have more in common. I really appreciated hearing that from her.
I've gotten to the point that I have a lot of thoughts... and no thoughts. This week has been really, really interesting in many ways. I don't know if/when I'll be able to share them on this blog. I apologize to my 'fans' that there aren't more travel details. My traveling has mostly been from my room to the dining room to the office, to the great hall, to the office, to the dining hall, to the office, to my room. =) I did go on a trip to Swarthmore Hall (and sat in both George Fox's and Margaret Fell's chairs!) and also climbed Pendle Hill. I will try to post about those soon.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Lake District
Just before the World Gathering began, Delonna and I stayed at the Elas Crag Bed and Breakfast in the North of England, near Keswick.
This area is known as the Lake District and is one of the most beautiful places, especially if you like nature, mutton, cloud cover, tea, foliage (especially ferns), flowers, stone walls, water and quiet.
This area is known as the Lake District and is one of the most beautiful places, especially if you like nature, mutton, cloud cover, tea, foliage (especially ferns), flowers, stone walls, water and quiet.
Climbing Pendle Hill
Most of us at the World Gathering climbed up Pendle Hill today. This is the hill upon which George Fox had a vision of a large number of people to be gathered to God
"Didn't George Fox envision us in our climb: a great people to be gathered from all corners of the earth and branches of the Quaker Tree." - Ute Caspers, speaker WGYF 2005
"George Fox chose a challenging way to climb. This could be seem as a metaphor for us. There might be easier ways to live. But we choose to allow the Spirit to challenge us. Maybe it will be worth the view, especially if we have each other . . .. Get enough rest so we can be ready to face the challenges of loving each other." - Cherice Bock, facilitator WGYF 2005
"Didn't George Fox envision us in our climb: a great people to be gathered from all corners of the earth and branches of the Quaker Tree." - Ute Caspers, speaker WGYF 2005
"George Fox chose a challenging way to climb. This could be seem as a metaphor for us. There might be easier ways to live. But we choose to allow the Spirit to challenge us. Maybe it will be worth the view, especially if we have each other . . .. Get enough rest so we can be ready to face the challenges of loving each other." - Cherice Bock, facilitator WGYF 2005
http://www.wgyf.org/
Watch, read, & listen to the World Gathering live as it happens!
All the reports, pictures, sounds, & video from the gathering are being placed here constantly throughout the gathering, live as it takes place; both at Lancaster and during the post-gathering events both in the UK & in Africa.
All the reports, pictures, sounds, & video from the gathering are being placed here constantly throughout the gathering, live as it takes place; both at Lancaster and during the post-gathering events both in the UK & in Africa.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Russian to English to Spanish and back
Translating languages is a recognized challenge. Translating ideas . . .
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Conversations about Jesus
Last night our base groups were supposed to discuss who Jesus is, but because we were running short on time we put the discussion off until today. This meant that I was able to have the conversation with the girl who asked me about how I see Jesus. In short I tried to explain to her how I saw Jesus as the one who has brought us back into a relationship with God, a relationship that is broken by sin. I talked about how the Isrealites made sacrifices in order to restore their "righteousness," and that Jesus was the final sacrifice for all time. She said that this was the first time that the concepts of "saved" and "washed in the blood" had made sense to her. She's still not at a place where she can say that Jesus is God or that he enables her to connect to God better. However, I believe that God is at work in her and she is continuing to seek Him.
In our base groups today we read statements such as "The Bible is very important to me" and "Jesus is the light of the world." Then we spread ourselves out on a line from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree" and explained why we were where we were. Everlyn (a lady from Kenya) and myself were the evangelicals in the group and the others ranged from being brought up in the Christian tradition, but not really sure that other religions aren't valid, to seeing Jesus only as a good teacher, perhaps on a slightly higher level than others such as Gahndi.
At one point I told the group that this has been an interesting week. On the one hand I want to be respectful of others and where they are on their spiritual journies. I know that God leads us in different ways and that not everyone will experience him as I do. However, I want to be honest and say that my view is that Christianity is what I see as having the most truth about who God is and that if people are truly seeking God they are going to come to a place where they see Jesus as much more than just a teacher or a prophet. And even though other religions have some truth, in my mind it may be because the best lies are based on truth. I was really encouraged when two of the people in my group said that a couple of days ago they might have been really threatened by my saying this, but they feel like God has brought them to a place where they can hear this and not be on the defensive.
There have been many other ways that I have felt God challenging me to be open about my beliefs and He has helped me to do it in ways that are loving. Yesterday, at the meeting house near Swarthmore Hall, I felt like he was asking me to share a message that was a bit contradictory with the message shared by an older member of the meeting. At first I was very uncomfortable with this, but now I'm seeing that it's important that we don't avoid the things that we disagree about; we must discuss them in order to allow God's Spirit to work to the fullest during this week.
Well we've just finished an international dance time (there was bellydancing, folk dancing, the hokey pokey, a Zulu dance, and New Zealand dance, and much, much more) and I'm feeling a bit tired so I will sign off in the hopes that I can get some sleep before speaking at the early programmed worship tomorrow at 7:30 A.M.
In our base groups today we read statements such as "The Bible is very important to me" and "Jesus is the light of the world." Then we spread ourselves out on a line from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree" and explained why we were where we were. Everlyn (a lady from Kenya) and myself were the evangelicals in the group and the others ranged from being brought up in the Christian tradition, but not really sure that other religions aren't valid, to seeing Jesus only as a good teacher, perhaps on a slightly higher level than others such as Gahndi.
At one point I told the group that this has been an interesting week. On the one hand I want to be respectful of others and where they are on their spiritual journies. I know that God leads us in different ways and that not everyone will experience him as I do. However, I want to be honest and say that my view is that Christianity is what I see as having the most truth about who God is and that if people are truly seeking God they are going to come to a place where they see Jesus as much more than just a teacher or a prophet. And even though other religions have some truth, in my mind it may be because the best lies are based on truth. I was really encouraged when two of the people in my group said that a couple of days ago they might have been really threatened by my saying this, but they feel like God has brought them to a place where they can hear this and not be on the defensive.
There have been many other ways that I have felt God challenging me to be open about my beliefs and He has helped me to do it in ways that are loving. Yesterday, at the meeting house near Swarthmore Hall, I felt like he was asking me to share a message that was a bit contradictory with the message shared by an older member of the meeting. At first I was very uncomfortable with this, but now I'm seeing that it's important that we don't avoid the things that we disagree about; we must discuss them in order to allow God's Spirit to work to the fullest during this week.
Well we've just finished an international dance time (there was bellydancing, folk dancing, the hokey pokey, a Zulu dance, and New Zealand dance, and much, much more) and I'm feeling a bit tired so I will sign off in the hopes that I can get some sleep before speaking at the early programmed worship tomorrow at 7:30 A.M.
In Edinburgh, Scotland
The Stone of Destiny is considered by many, as more important the the Queen's crown.
Walking on cobblestones is supposedly good for one's health. If you can get past twisting your ankle, it puts both of your body's balance systems into use.
Walking on cobblestones is supposedly good for one's health. If you can get past twisting your ankle, it puts both of your body's balance systems into use.
I was Driving in England....
There is a band from the 80's I used to love called, "The Swirling Eddies." They were a not well-known band that delivered most of their messages in parables. One song went, "I was driving in England on the Santa Ana Freeway, somebody's screamin' out, "You're goin' down the wrong way"....
Fortunately, I didn't actually go the wrong way except when there weren't any cars around.
Driving was a bit scary at first. Deep down, I was worried my primary impulse would be to hop to the wrong side of the road in case of emergency. I pondered a couple times if that changed the "suicide seat" to the driver's seat or if it just meant we'd all be in trouble if we got hit. It wasn't a thought I harbored long...
I did declare a bit of marshal law on the topic of direction-giving. I knew driving would be challenging enough, but I couldn't have 3 intelligent women trying to direct me and therefore creating arguments amongst each other. It did work for the most part.
Finding the hostel in York was the most frustrating (I admit I was near tears), but that perhaps due to the fact I hadn't looked at a map myself. Thereafter, Joyce and I spent time before each trip looking at maps and then checking them together along the way. It helped me ensure a sense of direction. Next time, I'll remember to pack a compass.
Getting (not lost) turned around north of Amble (we never actually made it there) was one of my favorite times driving. There weren't many cars on the roads and we just wandered around, looking for anything labled "A1". There was this one young man we encountered on a bridge pushing a pram (that's a baby-carriage for you non-brit speakers). "Hi! Excuse me, but do you know how to get to the A1?"
"Hm well, its a bit far from here... you just... you jus' go up the road here and you'll come across a high um... wall. Its really high. You jus' follow it 'round till it goes to the left. You ya don' wan' ta follow it. Ya wanna go to theh uh.. theh... (at this point, he is motioning with his right arm towards the right. It is flapping around...) the wall goes to the righ' an' ya go ta the um... uh.. to theh..."
"Right?"
"Yeah, go to theh right. Then you'll come to a roundabout an you go.... blah blah..."
because that is about all I heard. Inside my head I'm thinking, "Great, we're getting directions from a guy who can't say the word "right." This is painful."
When he finished, I said, "So, we'll see you back here in about 15 minutes, huh?"
He laughed. I did too... but sure enough, about 15 minutes later, we passed the same spot going the opposite direction.
I now understand how in British Literature, there can be stories of people thinking they were bewitched and that was why they were lost. I mean really, we are four intelligent, college-educated women. We are logical and sensible... yet we drove around the same 10 square miles for over 2 hours!
Fortunately, I didn't actually go the wrong way except when there weren't any cars around.
Driving was a bit scary at first. Deep down, I was worried my primary impulse would be to hop to the wrong side of the road in case of emergency. I pondered a couple times if that changed the "suicide seat" to the driver's seat or if it just meant we'd all be in trouble if we got hit. It wasn't a thought I harbored long...
I did declare a bit of marshal law on the topic of direction-giving. I knew driving would be challenging enough, but I couldn't have 3 intelligent women trying to direct me and therefore creating arguments amongst each other. It did work for the most part.
Finding the hostel in York was the most frustrating (I admit I was near tears), but that perhaps due to the fact I hadn't looked at a map myself. Thereafter, Joyce and I spent time before each trip looking at maps and then checking them together along the way. It helped me ensure a sense of direction. Next time, I'll remember to pack a compass.
Getting (not lost) turned around north of Amble (we never actually made it there) was one of my favorite times driving. There weren't many cars on the roads and we just wandered around, looking for anything labled "A1". There was this one young man we encountered on a bridge pushing a pram (that's a baby-carriage for you non-brit speakers). "Hi! Excuse me, but do you know how to get to the A1?"
"Hm well, its a bit far from here... you just... you jus' go up the road here and you'll come across a high um... wall. Its really high. You jus' follow it 'round till it goes to the left. You ya don' wan' ta follow it. Ya wanna go to theh uh.. theh... (at this point, he is motioning with his right arm towards the right. It is flapping around...) the wall goes to the righ' an' ya go ta the um... uh.. to theh..."
"Right?"
"Yeah, go to theh right. Then you'll come to a roundabout an you go.... blah blah..."
because that is about all I heard. Inside my head I'm thinking, "Great, we're getting directions from a guy who can't say the word "right." This is painful."
When he finished, I said, "So, we'll see you back here in about 15 minutes, huh?"
He laughed. I did too... but sure enough, about 15 minutes later, we passed the same spot going the opposite direction.
I now understand how in British Literature, there can be stories of people thinking they were bewitched and that was why they were lost. I mean really, we are four intelligent, college-educated women. We are logical and sensible... yet we drove around the same 10 square miles for over 2 hours!
language
Nothing like being separated by a common language! I've been collecting lots of interesting phrases that are used here.
In response to 'Do you want to share this tray?' = 'go on'
In response to 'Do you want chips or peas?' = 'I'm easy'
There's also a lot of 'faffing' about. Faffing about with our memory sticks, faffing about with details, faffing about with unimportant things, etc.
People often 'can't be bothered.' As in, 'do you want to run over to the store?' = 'ooh, I can't be bothered' or 'I couldn't be bothered.'
There are more which I can't remember right now. But the funny thing about this worldwide conference, I'm not sure where these phrases are really all from. So, pardon my possible english/irish/scottish/canadian/nepalese/australian/kenyan/new zealand/mexican/guatemalan/russian/bolivian/peruvian/indian/french/dutch/etc phrases/accent. =)
In response to 'Do you want to share this tray?' = 'go on'
In response to 'Do you want chips or peas?' = 'I'm easy'
There's also a lot of 'faffing' about. Faffing about with our memory sticks, faffing about with details, faffing about with unimportant things, etc.
People often 'can't be bothered.' As in, 'do you want to run over to the store?' = 'ooh, I can't be bothered' or 'I couldn't be bothered.'
There are more which I can't remember right now. But the funny thing about this worldwide conference, I'm not sure where these phrases are really all from. So, pardon my possible english/irish/scottish/canadian/nepalese/australian/kenyan/new zealand/mexican/guatemalan/russian/bolivian/peruvian/indian/french/dutch/etc phrases/accent. =)
aimee says - a little more detail
Right, well I appreciate lots of detail and I don't mind it in this main window, so here I go again. (Sorry Joyce =)
So it was a bit stressful at first learning the left side of the road. Delonna started out doing the driving and she insisted that only one other person at a time, the navigator, be allowed to talk. This sounded okay in theory, but Chrissy and I (or maybe really just myself) were back-seat-drivers trying to be helpful in pointing out road signs and every other thing we saw. This created a bit of tension, but we survived.
I kept my eye out for things that were different from driving in the US, other than driving on the left side of the road. One of course is all the roundabouts. Instead of exits that go off to the side, every now and then you reach a roundabout in the middle of the highway. You travel around it and go off in the direction of the place you want to go. Takes up less space than exits I suppose. I also saw signs on big trucks saying "abnormal load." We followed signs to "The North," and tried to figure out the meaning of the round sign post with a red x on a blue background. We passed signs for many towns: Tickencote, Doncaster, Pickworth, Clipsham, Cottesmore, Woolsthorpe, Colsterworth, Buckminster, Sleaford, Harlayton, Nottingham!, Claypole, Bathley, and Kneesall.
We got into York on Wednesday night just about dusk. We were going to be staying in a backpackers hostel and had some vague directions on how to get there. We had already found out a few road rules for England which Joyce has alluded to. One, they don't really label their roads. There are street signs every now and then, posted on buildings on that street. But they aren't everywhere and it's hard to see them, especially at night. There are also lots of one-ways and roundabouts to help you get lost. Also, streets seem to change names about every three blocks. The street we were staying on I think had about 5 different names on in within about a 12 block length! We drove around lost and asked directions a few times and the stress levels increased! We were tired and just wanted to go to bed! And all the directions sounded like - 'go down that road, turn right, then left at the roundabout, can't miss it.' But we did! Anyway, after speaking with the hostel we finally found the place, which we'd passed at least once thinking it was on the other side of the road!
We came up a few steps, rang the bell, and were invited into a beautiful old house. Dark hard wood floors and a sweeping grand staircase climbing to the second story. It was a beautiful old house with a lot of charm. We signed ourselves in and climbed up the stairs to our room. I was last in line as Chrissy, Joyce, and Delonna crowded in to the room. They stopped in the doors and seemed concerned. I peeked my head in and saw there was a bucket of water in the middle of the room, with a steady drip into it from the ceiling. That one bucket was not enough. The entire ceiling was leaking! It was like a waterfall coming down right in the middle of the room. The ceiling (very high up) was cracked and had signs that this was not the first time it had leaked. The carpet through the whole middle of the room was wet and it seemed that the floor was sloping in toward the middle.
We cautiously put our stuff down at the edges of the room. The bunkbeds were circled around the outside of the room so we thought it would be okay to sleep there. Another traveller came in then and exclaimed, 'ah! it's still going!? They said it would stop soon!' "When was that?" we enquired. 'About two hours ago.' We then discovered that several of the beds were getting wet and perhaps the management didn't know about the severity of the problem. Indeed they did not and they moved us all to a different room.
Some of us were a bit sad about this as we thought the drip-drip-drip sound might be soothing. Of course then they changed the bucket out and it was more of a plunk-plunk-plunk, followed by bits of plaster falling from the ceiling.
Thursday morning we woke early (finally!) and managed to make it to York Minster Cathedral for their morning service. The Cathedral was very beautiful and quiet in the morning. I think the girls managed to find a reference to Quakers there. I read a bit of history about a lightning strike in the 80s that struck the roof of one wing and set the Cathedral ablaze. The roof was destroyed as well as one grand rose window. They spent years fixing it and renovating.
After the cathedral we went to the Merchant Adventurers Hall. This was a really old building still in possession by the original organization. This was a merchants organization which sort of had control over who could sell what in town. The building was hundreds of years old and quite interesting to wander around. (Sorry I don't have much more detail!)
We then cut across town over to the Castle Museum. It was probably quite similar to other small town museums, with recreations of what the town looked like in the early days, and a portion of the gaols (english spelling!) and shops and a millworks, etc. They had a spy game to play where you searched for clues amongst the artefacts in the museum and tried to figure out the mystery. I didn't play the game all the way through, but did go into the 'solution room' to find out what the solution was. The man there told us it was based on a true story of WW2 when spies were all over the country trying to find out what was going on, what the plans were, etc. Many business were closed down or shifted over to making different things. In York there is a chocolate factory and this factory did not shut down. But, part of the factory was not making chocolate. It was making ammunitions! And none of the spies ever found out.
After we finally got out of the museum (Joyce was having a blast with the spy game) we wandered over to The Shambles, a really picturesque little street with many, many little tiny shops selling all sorts of things. The cobblestone street was only wide enough for a small car and there were hundreds of people milling about. Many of the shops were only big enough for a couple people to stand inside. Chrissy, Delonna, and I had lunch at 'the sandwich man' - or something like that. The one-man shop made about 50 different kinds of sandwiches, to order, for £1 each.
We realized that one morning in York was certainly not enough! There was so much to see, but we really needed to get moving and get up to Edinburgh. It was going to be about a 4 or 5 hour drive, or so we thought...
So it was a bit stressful at first learning the left side of the road. Delonna started out doing the driving and she insisted that only one other person at a time, the navigator, be allowed to talk. This sounded okay in theory, but Chrissy and I (or maybe really just myself) were back-seat-drivers trying to be helpful in pointing out road signs and every other thing we saw. This created a bit of tension, but we survived.
I kept my eye out for things that were different from driving in the US, other than driving on the left side of the road. One of course is all the roundabouts. Instead of exits that go off to the side, every now and then you reach a roundabout in the middle of the highway. You travel around it and go off in the direction of the place you want to go. Takes up less space than exits I suppose. I also saw signs on big trucks saying "abnormal load." We followed signs to "The North," and tried to figure out the meaning of the round sign post with a red x on a blue background. We passed signs for many towns: Tickencote, Doncaster, Pickworth, Clipsham, Cottesmore, Woolsthorpe, Colsterworth, Buckminster, Sleaford, Harlayton, Nottingham!, Claypole, Bathley, and Kneesall.
We got into York on Wednesday night just about dusk. We were going to be staying in a backpackers hostel and had some vague directions on how to get there. We had already found out a few road rules for England which Joyce has alluded to. One, they don't really label their roads. There are street signs every now and then, posted on buildings on that street. But they aren't everywhere and it's hard to see them, especially at night. There are also lots of one-ways and roundabouts to help you get lost. Also, streets seem to change names about every three blocks. The street we were staying on I think had about 5 different names on in within about a 12 block length! We drove around lost and asked directions a few times and the stress levels increased! We were tired and just wanted to go to bed! And all the directions sounded like - 'go down that road, turn right, then left at the roundabout, can't miss it.' But we did! Anyway, after speaking with the hostel we finally found the place, which we'd passed at least once thinking it was on the other side of the road!
We came up a few steps, rang the bell, and were invited into a beautiful old house. Dark hard wood floors and a sweeping grand staircase climbing to the second story. It was a beautiful old house with a lot of charm. We signed ourselves in and climbed up the stairs to our room. I was last in line as Chrissy, Joyce, and Delonna crowded in to the room. They stopped in the doors and seemed concerned. I peeked my head in and saw there was a bucket of water in the middle of the room, with a steady drip into it from the ceiling. That one bucket was not enough. The entire ceiling was leaking! It was like a waterfall coming down right in the middle of the room. The ceiling (very high up) was cracked and had signs that this was not the first time it had leaked. The carpet through the whole middle of the room was wet and it seemed that the floor was sloping in toward the middle.
We cautiously put our stuff down at the edges of the room. The bunkbeds were circled around the outside of the room so we thought it would be okay to sleep there. Another traveller came in then and exclaimed, 'ah! it's still going!? They said it would stop soon!' "When was that?" we enquired. 'About two hours ago.' We then discovered that several of the beds were getting wet and perhaps the management didn't know about the severity of the problem. Indeed they did not and they moved us all to a different room.
Some of us were a bit sad about this as we thought the drip-drip-drip sound might be soothing. Of course then they changed the bucket out and it was more of a plunk-plunk-plunk, followed by bits of plaster falling from the ceiling.
Thursday morning we woke early (finally!) and managed to make it to York Minster Cathedral for their morning service. The Cathedral was very beautiful and quiet in the morning. I think the girls managed to find a reference to Quakers there. I read a bit of history about a lightning strike in the 80s that struck the roof of one wing and set the Cathedral ablaze. The roof was destroyed as well as one grand rose window. They spent years fixing it and renovating.
After the cathedral we went to the Merchant Adventurers Hall. This was a really old building still in possession by the original organization. This was a merchants organization which sort of had control over who could sell what in town. The building was hundreds of years old and quite interesting to wander around. (Sorry I don't have much more detail!)
We then cut across town over to the Castle Museum. It was probably quite similar to other small town museums, with recreations of what the town looked like in the early days, and a portion of the gaols (english spelling!) and shops and a millworks, etc. They had a spy game to play where you searched for clues amongst the artefacts in the museum and tried to figure out the mystery. I didn't play the game all the way through, but did go into the 'solution room' to find out what the solution was. The man there told us it was based on a true story of WW2 when spies were all over the country trying to find out what was going on, what the plans were, etc. Many business were closed down or shifted over to making different things. In York there is a chocolate factory and this factory did not shut down. But, part of the factory was not making chocolate. It was making ammunitions! And none of the spies ever found out.
After we finally got out of the museum (Joyce was having a blast with the spy game) we wandered over to The Shambles, a really picturesque little street with many, many little tiny shops selling all sorts of things. The cobblestone street was only wide enough for a small car and there were hundreds of people milling about. Many of the shops were only big enough for a couple people to stand inside. Chrissy, Delonna, and I had lunch at 'the sandwich man' - or something like that. The one-man shop made about 50 different kinds of sandwiches, to order, for £1 each.
We realized that one morning in York was certainly not enough! There was so much to see, but we really needed to get moving and get up to Edinburgh. It was going to be about a 4 or 5 hour drive, or so we thought...
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Finally at the Gathering
I arrived in Lancaster on Tuesday afternoon. The group from Woodbrooke traveled on the train together and then waited at the Lancaster Meeting House for the next bus to the University. Right as the bus was pulling away I saw Delonna and Joyce come out of the train station. I was glad to see that they'd come out unscathed from their travels without Aimee or I.
The first two days of the gathering have been full of meaningful conversations and fun activities. Already I've talked about such various topics as alter calls, Quaker worship and culture in other countries, spiritual journies, pastors, the nominating process, absence of young adults in meetings for worship, and much more.
I was also able to help organize the worship session last night. We had about 9 Yearly Meetings that each did two minute presentations, NWYM and North Carolina YM led singing, Colin Saxton and Ute (from Germany) spoke, and we had some silence. The one and a half hour meeting somehow turned into two hours, but nobody seemed to mind too much. NWYM sang a blessing at the end in English and Spanish. (The blessing that the youth sang during youth night at yearly meeting.)
Last nigh after worship we had a Bible trivia game. It was very fun. After answering the first question correctly my team chanted, "We know the Bible, yes we do. We know the Bible, how 'bout you?" Aiden (from Ireland) told us that if we knew the Bible we should know it says not to trash talk the other team. I think he was just jealous. Most of the Spanish speakers were on the other team. One recited the books of the Old Testament in Spanish flawlessly, and we gave her a round of applause. This was a fun way to get to know people.
Today, after morning worship, my base group had a very powerful time of sharing and we were able to pray for one of the members who is going through a difficult time. Afterwards one of the girls asked me if we could talk sometime about how I view Jesus. Although she is a Quaker, she hasn't really looked at Jesus before, but she says that she sees something in those of us who profess Jesus that she would like to explore more. You can be praying for this conversation and others that I have with people about who Jesus is to me.
This afternoon a group of 20 or so played soccer. The representative from Jamaica is very good and unfortunately he was not on my team. We lost by two and both goals were scored by Joyce White. (It is a good thing for her that we were not calling off sides, otherwise I'm not sure that the goals would have counted.) Tomorrow, Benny from Cuba wants to get a group together to play basketball after our trips to various Quaker historical sites.
The first two days of the gathering have been full of meaningful conversations and fun activities. Already I've talked about such various topics as alter calls, Quaker worship and culture in other countries, spiritual journies, pastors, the nominating process, absence of young adults in meetings for worship, and much more.
I was also able to help organize the worship session last night. We had about 9 Yearly Meetings that each did two minute presentations, NWYM and North Carolina YM led singing, Colin Saxton and Ute (from Germany) spoke, and we had some silence. The one and a half hour meeting somehow turned into two hours, but nobody seemed to mind too much. NWYM sang a blessing at the end in English and Spanish. (The blessing that the youth sang during youth night at yearly meeting.)
Last nigh after worship we had a Bible trivia game. It was very fun. After answering the first question correctly my team chanted, "We know the Bible, yes we do. We know the Bible, how 'bout you?" Aiden (from Ireland) told us that if we knew the Bible we should know it says not to trash talk the other team. I think he was just jealous. Most of the Spanish speakers were on the other team. One recited the books of the Old Testament in Spanish flawlessly, and we gave her a round of applause. This was a fun way to get to know people.
Today, after morning worship, my base group had a very powerful time of sharing and we were able to pray for one of the members who is going through a difficult time. Afterwards one of the girls asked me if we could talk sometime about how I view Jesus. Although she is a Quaker, she hasn't really looked at Jesus before, but she says that she sees something in those of us who profess Jesus that she would like to explore more. You can be praying for this conversation and others that I have with people about who Jesus is to me.
This afternoon a group of 20 or so played soccer. The representative from Jamaica is very good and unfortunately he was not on my team. We lost by two and both goals were scored by Joyce White. (It is a good thing for her that we were not calling off sides, otherwise I'm not sure that the goals would have counted.) Tomorrow, Benny from Cuba wants to get a group together to play basketball after our trips to various Quaker historical sites.
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