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 was incredible to listen to Nadia Bolz-Weber speak, as well as Rowan Williams! Other highlights were getting to hear Anaȉs Mitchell, attending an alternative Eucharist, going to Beer and Hymns, and a musical comedy show by Harry and Chris. The weather was gorgeous, and it was great to sit in the sun and just hang out and be together. One of the only drawbacks was needing to use porta potties, which is never my favorite. But hey ho, the things I do to be able to camp.

My most recent adventure was my trip to Ireland last week! One of my previous housemates invited us to his and his fiance’s wedding in Northern Ireland. Charlotte and I flew to Dublin a few days early so that we could do some touristy things. We went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and then did the Guinness Storehouse tour in the afternoon. I confirmed that I still very much do not like Guinness, and I will happily stick to cider! The following day, we went to a Seamus Heaney exhibit, visited the Book of Kells, went on the Kilmainham Gaol tour, and then we went to the Jameson Distillery. It was a full two days, but it was so incredible to learn more about the history of Ireland and simply explore a new city. Then we took the train to Belfast and the next day was Sam and Emilia’s wedding. It was an absolutely perfect day filled with lots of love, laughter, good food, bad dancing, and great friends.

    The following day, we said goodbye to Ian, as his time as a Tsedaqah resident had come to an end. It was sad to say goodbye to both Ian and Sam, who moved out a few weeks ago, as house members, but a large part of living in community is being flexible and seeing the dynamics of the community shift. That shifting continued as we welcomed a new resident this week! Albert arrived on Wednesday from Ghana, and he is settling in well. It is going to be a wonderful adventure, and that adventure will continue as we welcome another new resident in a few weeks named Derby, who is from Haiti. I am looking forward to this new iteration of the community, and excited for what is to come.

    Don’t worry! I will do a photo dump from the summer on Facebook so everyone can get a better idea of all the shenanigans. As always, thank you for all your love, support, and prayers. We shall talk soon! Peace.


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