Saturday August 31, 2019
Today was my first “day off” since coming to the United Kingdom but it was still full of adventure. I spent the day in the city of York (which is we with my host family. We walked around the entire city, visited some of the historical sites and had a lovely coffee and pastry snack along the way.
That evening I went to Halifax (East of Leeds) to attend a concert by the world famous brass band Brighouse and Rastrick. It was a wonderful night, and I had my first experience of taking the train that night. To learn more about the band click here.
Friday August 30, 2019
Today was the final day of Holiday club. The children had a blast celebrating the last two weeks. In celebration the volunteers went out that night to a local pub to celebrate and to get to know each other better.
Thursday August 29, 2019
Holiday club continues, today they learned about herbs and spices while planting their own to take home with them! They also had a visit from the Leeds Rhinos, the local Rugby club.
I also moved into my permanent lodging accommodation for the year. My new host family is a lovely lady named Ann and she is also the Church Administrator at St. Andrews. Check out my blog post about being homeless and moving around ( coming soon)
Wednesday August 28, 2019
Holiday club continued today, today the children learned about recycling and the impact that waste has on the environment.
Tuesday August 27, 2019
Today was my first full day on the job. The church is running a holiday club this week, which is a non religious version of VBS. We had lots of laughs, memories, and fun.
Monday August 26, 2019
Today I was invited to have lunch with some of the members of the church. We had a wonderful lunch finishing it off by sampling wine and different British cheese. I am so thankful for the opportunity to make friends with these amazing people.
Sunday August 25, 2019
Today was my first church service at St. Andrews. In the service today they talked about the creation story, specifically the 7th day ( the day god rested). It is a Bank Holiday Weekend ( National Holiday) here in England, so the story was appropriately timed. To learn more about the service and the sermon check on my blog post here (coming soon). In the future I will have a blog post every week, reflecting on the service/ sermon.
In the afternoon there was a church barbecue where I had the pleasure of meeting many of the church members over a nice meal of green salad, sausage, hamburger, and ice cream for desert. Check out my blog post here (coming soon) about service leadership and humbleness.
Saturday August 24, 2019
The Dudleys and I ran a 5k run in the local park, which was filled with smiles and laughter, but it tuckered us out and we spent the rest of the day resting.
Friday August 23, 2019
I went up to the church where I will be working, and met some of the staff and children there. The United Kingdom is currently on “holiday” before school starts back up in a couple weeks and the church has a program called “Holiday Club” for children to attend during the day. I spent the day helping out Beverly ( who will be my boss) and learning more about the program before attending lunch with some of the other church members.
Thursday August 22, 2019
Today, I arrived in the United Kingdom. I flew into the Manchester airport and was met by Willie who drove me to Leeds, United Kingdom. I spent the rest of the day getting to know my (temporary) host family Max and Sheana Dudley.