Posts

Life Update!

Well, it is already June, and that is pretty wild. My visa extension application has gone through, meaning I am legally allowed to stay in the UK until the end of August like I planned! I cannot believe that is only a little ways away. There is so much to do before I leave, and I am just trying to enjoy every minute. Work is super great, as always. Towards the end of April, I finished my time working with Together Liverpool, and transitioned into being at the probation hostel full time. It was an absolutely incredible experience being on the Together Liverpool team, and I miss everyone quite a bit. I learned a lot about what it means to support people and churches in their social action, and all the work that goes into running a charity. It is valuable experience that I am very thankful to take with me. I learned a great deal working with Together Liverpool, and I am continuing my learning at the probation hostel. I am now at the probation hostel Monday through Thursday, and every day

Journeying Through Darkness

Hello all. I write to you from Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, where I am currently waiting on my delayed flight back to Liverpool. What better way is there to spend the duration of your delay than to blog, am I right? This weekend I had the privilege of coming to Paris for the American Cathedral in Paris’ centennial celebration. There were many wonderful people in attendance, including; the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Michael Curry, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, Joris (YASCer), Madeline (YASCer), and others from the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe that I was fortunate enough to meet. The entirety of our Saturday was spent in an incredible venue, hearing some speakers and having a revival. Yes, you read that correctly. The Episcopal Church held a revival and even quoted some Bible verses. Verrrrrry impressive haha. Also, to brag a little (I would say “not to brag” but that would just be silly and untrue. A little bragging is good), I answered a bibli

Questions With The Residents Part 1

As y’all know, one of my placements here in Liverpool is working with women who are transitioning out of prison. I have struggled to find the best way to blog about this because I want and need to do it in a way that keeps things confidential. The ladies and I have finally come up with a way to do this.  We wanted to find a way to share their experiences with a wider audience. So, I came up with a list of questions that I asked a group of women, and in my next few blogs, I’m going to share their answers. It is important to note that the information that was shared with me is these women’s experiences, and therefore cannot be taken as complete fact because all humans will have differing perceptions of situations.  The women I am privileged to work with are a variety of ages, from all around the UK, and they have a wide range of stories, with quite a few shared experiences. They come to the residence straight from prison, and spend around 12 weeks living in the house. Some come with lots

Waiting on A Miracle

Hi all! Happy Advent. I cannot believe I am in my 9th month here in Liverpool. I have been keeping busy watching the World Cup with my housemates, running around at work, and continuing to explore and try new places in Liverpool. It is so fun to be here during the holiday season, and to experience the festivities in the cathedral and the city. Of course amidst all of my holiday cheer, I hear my dad's voice yelling that we are CELEBRATING ADVENT and that it is not Christmas yet. He would particularly yell this when mom would put on Christmas music during the month of December, and she would always come back with, "This is me preparing for Jesus!"  This memory always makes me laugh, but it also always reminds me that Advent is a very important time. It is a time of preparation and waiting. Now, I am not very good at waiting. It is one of my least favorite pastimes. In my older age, I have improved on this, but I still would not consider myself particularly good at patiently

Network of Kindness Celebration Planning

Well folks, it has been a little over a week, and I believe I have sufficiently recovered from the last few months of event planning that culminated in the celebration last Thursday night. The event was our first Network of Kindness Celebration!      One of my placements while I am here in Liverpool is with a charity called Together Liverpool. I am very fortunate to be working with a team of incredible individuals who recognize the need for change in our communities, and who are passionate about making those changes happen. Together Liverpool works across the Diocese of Liverpool to support churches, charities, and communities to further their social action, address the root causes of poverty, and to build community by connecting people through our Network of Kindness. This network will connect people with others who are doing similar work in the area, but also spark ideas for new projects. The next step with the Network of Kindness is our Communities of Practice, which we will be fa

Summertime and The Livin's Easy

It is truly wild that summer is officially over, and I have been here for about 6 months. And a busy 6 months it has been! I have had the opportunity to do some super cool things these past few months. I went to a USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) conference that was outside of London with my housemates, where we discussed issues including gender-based violence and the colonial legacy of mission. This was an excellent opportunity to meet other Anglican Church members from around the UK and to learn more about global mission. The different speakers were quite interesting and varied, and there were a large number of bishops present, as the conference was right before the Lambeth Conference. Another awesome experience I got to have this summer was going to a Christian festival called Greenbelt, and camping for a long weekend. I went with my housemates, and I have to say, we festival-ed pretty well! It was a weekend full of music, comedy, relaxation, and excellent speakers. It w

Banana Bread at Work

Hiya everyone. I cannot believe it is already August! If you know me well, you know that I am a bit of a procrastinator, and this explains why I have not blogged in a few months. I am working to be better about it, I promise! The past four months have been a wild time. My placements are keeping me quite busy. I have two placements here in Liverpool. I spend Monday and Tuesday working at an approved premise for individuals who are transitioning out of prison and back into society. I absolutely love every day of it. The people I work with in the office are all characters, and just very wonderful! I am learning a great deal from them, and I am learning a lot from the residents as well. Everyone is different, and no day is boring. My second placement is with a charity called Together Liverpool, and we work to help churches and communities in the Liverpool Diocese with their social action work. My work here has been enlightening as well. The team I have the privilege of working with is so g