2 More Weeks...

We only have 2 more weeks left here for our internship, and we cannot believe how much the time has flown by!  We've been able to do more of our consistent activities this past week which include ESL classes and helping out at the drop-in centers.  The Indian fellow that I was telling you about in the last blog might go with us again to one of the church drop-in centers this Friday, so please pray that the Lord continues to work on his heart and that we will have opportunities to share the gospel again.

We're still meeting so many amazing people here.  The other week we met another African man at one of the drop-in centers who had an unbelievable story.  He and his wife and child fled Africa to escape persecution, but as they were fleeing, they were caught and their child was killed in front of them.  But, they were able to make it to England and he and his wife just had a new baby.  As we spoke with him I cannot describe the absolute glow of joy that this man had on his face.  He was so happy and so excited for this new child that God had blessed them with, and we could see how much God was healing their pain.  That was a real gift to speak with him and hear about his new born girl.

And then today was another great day that we were able to spend with some really special people.  Jim and Shelagh go to Grace Church here in Birmingham where we've been attending.  Jim has developed Dementia and his wife Shelagh is his full-time caretaker.  We were blessed with their company today as Jake and I went over to their house to help Shelagh with some gardening.  She has created this backyard of peace for Jim.  It is full of trees and flowers and water fountains and benches for Jim to sit and relax.  And, she tries and makes every area different so that Jim can always have different scenery to look at.  This woman is an absolute blessing to be around.  Her selflessness in taking care of her husband is so humbling, and they are a true example of a marriage that endures through anything.
She's also orignally from Liverpool and talks like the Beatles, which was super great :)

We also were able to go down and check out London for the weekend!  Bill and Becky's daughter Lynn and her husband Dave let us stay with them and we had a wonderful time.  We ran around like crazy trying to see all of the sights, but it was still great.  The second I saw Big Ben tears came to my eyes.  It was even more beautiful than I expected.  Of course we took a ton of pictures so I hope you enjoy them!

Victoria Station where our train got in at.

Beautiful architecture in London, and of course the red double-decker buses!

Both above are of Westminster Abbey.  I could have stared at this church all day!

Parliament!  This was amazing because Bill and Beckie's other daughter, Leslie, works here in Parliament and so she was able to take us all throughout it and we were even able to go into the House of Lords and the House of Commons where they meet.  We saw where the Queen sits, the old throne chair that Queen Victoria used to sit on, tons of beautiful paintings and statues of previous monarchs and officials and more.  Unfortunately, we could not take any pictures inside of Parliament, which kills me because there is no describing it's beauty and how fascinating it was inside.  The members of the House of Lords are not elected, they are born into families of wealth and nobility.  This side of the Parliament is filled with rich reds and golds, and it is also where the Queen herself sits.  The other side is the House of Commons, which the name pretty much describes itself.  These are the elected officials and this side completely lacked the overwhelming richness of the other.  This side had a lot of green and dark wood.  Not many people are able to see inside of Parliament.  You either have to pay quite a bit or contact an official to have them take you through.
We also learned that Big Ben is the large bell inside the clock tower and not the clock itself, just FYI.

Buckingham Palace.  We had hoped to go in and have tea with the Queen, but I guess she was busy.

The Tower of London.  This castle was originally built in about 1066 and was used as a fortress, then a royal residence, and then as a prison.  This picture does not do it justice, it is absolutely huge!

And of course, Tower Bridge.

Til next time!
Blessings,
Em

Have fun stormin' the castle

Had some more great experiences lately.  One was that we were able to go to a lecture on Islam.  It was taught by Christians for Christians to help us better understand the religion so that we can be more effective witnesses to Muslims.  I absolutely loved it because I don't have very much knowledge regarding Islam.  So, it was a huge help to me.  And they didn't overwhelm with information, they kept it to the basics and just focused on the main points of Islam.

This morning, we visited an amazing older woman who attends Grace Church here in Birmingham.  This is the church that our host family originally planted and we've been going to since we've been here.  She is one of the sweetest and godliest woman you will meet and loves the Lord with all of her heart.  She is an inspiration and an encouragement to be around.  She's into her 90's and she so needed some help with jobs around the house.  We painted her fence for her and took down all her curtains and washed them.  It was a great change of pace to actually get to use our hands and do a little grunt work :)  And we also were able to sit down with her for hours and just listen to her stories and her wisdom.  She was telling us that her husband died about 15 years ago, but that she never feels lonely because the Lord is always with her, and she sings and talks to Him all day.

Another great experience was 'English at the Market'.  This is where Bill takes his ESL students to the Birmingham City Centre markets and as we walk around he points out various items and people and asks the Indian men who are learning English to describe it.  What was amazing is that while we were walking around, Jake was able to talk to one of the men about religion.  The topic first started on Hinduism, but then Jake saw opportunities to ask questions about what the man knew about the Bible and then about Jesus.  The conversation lasted for quite some time and the man even ended up coming out with us afterward to the drop-in center that we help out at.  Once we were at the drop-in center, without any prompting from any of us, the man then grabbed one of the tracts regarding Chirst and sat at a table reading it.  He then had a really great time hanging out and talking with us and other people that were there, and we were able to connect him with the Pastor of the church that runs the drop-in center that also happens to live in the same neighborhood as him.  What a blessing!  Everyday we continue to see God working throughout these areas.

On a different note, we got a nice day off and were able to have a little R&R at Warwick Castle.  This is an absolutely enormous castle just outside of Birmingham in Warwickshire.  It's main foundation was originally built back in 1068, and then over the years different structures and towers were added to it.  In the 1700's it was made into a country home for the earl of Warwick.  This was just a huge treat for us.  I could have stared at this giant castle all day and never have gotten tired looking at it's beauty.  They also had some great tours around it that included wax figures of the family who used to live in it going from room to room.  And then you were led down below where it showed the events that took place when the castle and it's residents were preparing for battle.  As Jake and I felt the cold stones against the wall we realized that this was the oldest item we had ever touched.  Best day off.

And lastly, we've have been shown wonderful hospitality over and over again.  So many great people have had us over for dinner and treated us like family.  Last night we had dinner over at our new friends, Mohan and Leina's house.  They are the missionaries who are originally from India and are now here in Birmingham to specifically reach out to the Bengali community.  Excellent food with different curry dishes, paella, and samosas.  We also had a delicious meal over at Les and Barabara's, who attend Grace Church.  We've been so blessed to experience such incredible warmth from people since we've been here.

Well enough chatting, here's some pics.

Til next time.
Blessings! 
Em

Week 2

Where do I begin?  Earlier this week, we were able to attend a Farsi speaking church where we worshiped and read the Word with Iranians here in Birmingham.  The church is led by a man from Tunisia who preaches in English and then it's translated to Farsi by one of the Iranians.  One highlight of the night is that we were able to sing a worship song in Farsi.  One of my new Iranian friends is Jayram (sp?).  She is a mother of three who came here from Iran about 10 years ago with her husband.  I'm always so excited to see her because she is so sweet and friendly to Jake and I, making us feel comfortable and welcome.

This week we were also able to help out with some more ESL classes.  This one was located in a very diverse area of Birmingham called Handsworth which I recently found out is referred to as "The Bronx of Britain".  At this rec center there are three tables teaching English; a beginner's table, an intermediate, and then advanced English speakers.  We helped at the beginner's station and had Indian and Polish women.  What Jake and I kept forgetting is to say things in proper 'British English', not our dirty American English ;)  Which basically just consisted of Jake and I doing very bad British accents.

After that, we went to a drop-in center for Asylum Seekers.  These are centers for immigrants who have fled their country due to either persecution or other hardships and are destitute.  They come to these for either food, clothing, help with paperwork, or of course just someone to listen.  We met immigrants from Congo, Zimbabwe, and Eritrea.  We sat down with a Zimbabwe woman who told us her story of having to leave her country and not having seen her kids in years.  We sat and cried together as she relived her painful story, but she continued to praise God throughout it all, not understanding why it was happening but still trusting Jesus and thanking Him for saving her.  I cannot tell you the conviction this had on me.  Here was this woman who was forced to leave her family and country, had no idea if she would ever see her kids again, and she had the most beautiful and godly spirit.  Very humbling.

We also went to a different drop-in center today in an area called Sparkhill, which is the most multicultural area of Birmingham.  When you enter into this neighborhood you feel as if you've entered into a different country.  Many Indians, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and others.  Our new Indian missionary friends brought us here who meet every Wednesday with other Christians to go around the neighborhood and hand out tracks about Christ and let people know about the center.  Then anyone can come in for some food and good conversation.  I sat down with a woman from Lebanon who told me all about the history of Catholicism and the Byzatine empire!  It was like a free history lesson.

And lastly, Jake and I just got back from tonight's events.  I was able to attend a women's Bible study with some women from here in Birmingham.  It was a refreshing break from our hectic schedule, to just take time to be in God's Word with other Christian women.  And Jake went to a guitar club that's led by a missionary here with Grace Brethren.  He is an amazing guitarist who started up this club to meet other guys that he could be a witness to and share Christ with.  So, we both had a nice little break tonight to relax a little and unwind from the busyness.

Well, I think that's probably enough for now.  Don't want your eyes to start glazing over from too much information.  Til next time!

Blessings!
Em

They Call it...Marmite!

Those of you who know me well know that I am not a picky eater.  I'm quite a foodie and love to try foods and dishes from all different types of cuisine.  My 'Will Not Eat' list is quite small and the number of foods on it can be counted on one hand.  However, I now have a new food to be placed on said list.  That food is...Marmite.
Jake and I repeatedly saw this little jar of sin at the grocery store and wondered if it was similar to Vegemite (which we also have never tried).  So, our host bought us a little jar to try.  The ingrediants are yeast extract (no, no, that was not a typo, I did indeed type yeast extract), salt (and plenty of it), B vitamins, spice extracts, celery extract, and other vitamins and minerals.  The consistency is that of a tacky, sticky, thick, brown goo.  The most common way to eat it we were told is to put it on toast with butter.  Ok, I like toast, especially with butter, this will be good.  The taste is indescribable, but I will do my best.  It tasted like a combination of roast beef au jus, with some bbq flavor and some beef bouillon cube thrown in there for good measure, and it's all been marinating in something quite sinister.  I wish I could have attached a picture of my face as it hit my tongue, but unfortunately the moment was not captured on film.  I'm sorry Marmite, I did want to like you, honest.  But, you are terrible, just terrible.
So, I now have an updated 'Will Not Eat' list as you will see below:
-Cantelope
-Jelly Beans
-Lime Jello
-Menudo
-Wheel Macaroni
-Marmite!

Til next time,
Em

Some more from week one!

Wow!  Our first week here has been an absolute whirlwind.  We have met so many different people from so many different backgrounds, all working for the cause of Christ.  We've met Brummies (people from Birmingham), Persians, Indians, Arabs, a Bangledeshi, an Aussie, Kurds, Korean, Finnish and others.  One guy we met who works here with OM in the Kurdish community had a Canadian mother, a father from the Faroe Islands, and they were missionaries so he grew up in the Philippines!  
Our first week consisted of meetings, ESL classes, serious networking, cultural immersion, church and prayer meetings...and a little bit of sightseeing.  God is showing us how big the world is and the importance of taking our work one day at a time.  He is also showing us how vital patience is in working in the ethnic communities.  When witnessing to the Muslim community specifically, relationships are essential, as is continual prayer.  What's been amazing is that every time I've had to head into a situation where I felt like I would just be so far outside of my comfort zone, I've actually ended up having a great time and really enjoyed the people I've worked with.  God continually reminds me the importance of just simply loving people.  
On a lighter note, we are really enjoying the culture differences here in England.  The language here is so surprisingly different, for instance:  the trunk of your car is called a 'boot', the hood is the 'bonnet', gas is called 'petrol' and it's priced by the liter, dessert is referred to as 'pudding', and when you go to eat you 'tuck in'.  'Pants' are actually underwear here, and so they call pants 'trousers', and a sweater is a 'jumper'.  They go by a 'stone' which is 14 pounds, and instead of saying 'how are you?' they ask 'are you alright' or even shorter as 'y'all right'.  And that's just a few examples.  Recently, we went into a store and saw the American section, it was filled with peanut butter, jelly, marshmellow cream, instant pudding, cake mixes, cereals, and more.  Jake and I had a great time there seeing what typical 'Americans' eat.  A box of Lucky Charms in the American section cost about 8 pounds which is about $13!  We just had to get some pictures.
Overall, it's just been huge learning experience.  Everyday is like school, just constantly taking in new information.  Wherever we have been needed, we go and help.  Our prayer has been that the Lord shows us what it is that He wants us to do and accomplish while we're here.  Please continue to pray that we are open to the prompting and guiding of the Holy Spirit, and that we will know what to say when opportunites present themselves.

Blessings!
Em

Picnic in the Park

Today Emily and I headed out to the country with an Iranian fellowship of believers for a picnic.  There were also a few Iraqis, a Bangladeshi, and the pastor of the fellowship, a Tunisian man who has a South Korean wife.  It was amazing to see how people from so many different places and backgrounds came together as a family because of our unity in Christ.  Persian, Iraqi, Tunisian, Korean, Bangladeshi, and American people all sharing food and laughs.

At one point one of the Iranian guys was joking around with an older Iraqi man about taking me hostage to Ahmadinejad in Iran for some good money, to which the older Iraqi man replied to him, "No, he is an Iraqi citizen."  I replied with, "If you guys keep feeding me this good, I'll go willingly..."

It seems we have experienced so much already in the short time we've been here, and it is just the beginning of our trip.  We're excited to see what the Lord has in store and will be sure to keep you all updated.

- Jacob

Day 1

We made it to England!  Pretty smooth sailing the entire 7 + hour flight.  However, had a little tough time going through customs.  I think all the prayers are what allowed us to finally get through.  The guy was very suspicious of us coming, especially for 6 weeks, and had many questions regarding our jobs, how much money we made, what Jacob was studying, and more.  We actually began to panic for a minute thinking he wouldn't let us through.  But, thank the Lord, he finally did.
So, now we're here in Birmingham starting our internship and ready for whatever lies ahead.  We'll keep you posted on how it's coming along!

Blessings!
Em