In Monroe

Hey ya'll...i'm here!!! and I love it! The sun is shining outside and there is not a single cloud in the sky. I've just come inside from off the front porch as my laptop battery needed charging.

It is very interesting settling into the American lifestyle. There are far more different expressions than I ever imagined. It is lots of fun learning from all my friends and them learning some British terms at the same time. We have bundles of laughs. They are all such lovely people and we all feel like we've known each other for a long time, when in actual fact it is only just over a week. There are eight female students and one guy! I don't think he minds too much though. We all keep on telling him that he'll make a great husband as he will know women inside out. :)

We started our youth club here on Thursday. We had about 20 kids come, all black from the neighbourhood. Us students split off into two teams and walk round the streets picking up the kids and bringing them here. They seem to enjoy coming. We did the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water, so a few people acted it out on the front porch and then the rest of us helped with craft, snacks and playing with the kids. They are all such beautiful children and it is heartbreaking seeing some of the conditions that they live in and only a street away from where we live.

I'm learning so much about God and His love and forgiveness. He is incredible, which I'm understanding more and more day by day. I had a few complications when arriving in the U.S.A with my visa, the security guards were not too keen on me being in their country for nine months. I was asked after customs to go into another room and wait for a while. They asked me more questions and finally let me go. It was fairly daunting as I was by myself and I was shattered after travelling all day and with delays. However God kept me calm and walked me through it step by step. The Bible verse "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" was an appropriate verse to write on my hand!

I have been very busy since I arrived, with chores. I'm on the dishwashing rota everyday with two other girls and this last weekend I was on call, which meant doing food prep, clearing up and making sure things were in order. I enjoyed it though, my friends and I made it fun by blowing bubbles in the kitchen with washing up liquid and getting the Kitchen floor rather sudsy!

This last week was filled with lectures, intercession, worship, study and chores. We had a guest speaker come for the week and he spoke on relationships. One day he very much focussed on restitution and asking for forgiveness from sins that we had committed that were not settled. It was very convicting and it felt very peaceful putting some matters to rest.

Friday evening, we all went out to see Kung Fu Panda at the 'Movie Theatre' (as it is called here). And we had pizza, well I had fish!!!

On Saturday we went to a place called Cane Creek, a wood where you can have BBQs by a lake. I got to go Canadian canoeing on the lake with my friend Kristen and played frisbee.

I've started going to the gym, which is so much fun. One of our leaders drives us each morning and last week I had my first experience of Squash, even if I did get hit rather hard in the stomach! I can't wait to go back and play again.

I enjoyed experiencing an American Church day yesterday, it was held in a school, in their theatre. The speaker was FANTASTIC, speaking on relationships, he was very humorous and kept everyone in stitches throughout the sermon. I would like to go back.

Every week we have to do four pages of a journal, however this last week was 7 as we had to do a front cover and timeline. I really enjoyed having the chance to be creative, however most of us left it until Sunday to do and it was due this morning! Whoops. We all want to get it done earlier this week though. As well as that we're reading through a book by John C. Maxwell called Attitude 101 and we also have to learn the 50 American States. (Thank you Grandpa!!!) Each week we will get a continent to learn all the countries in it and at the end of the school we will have a map test of all the countries. I wish Luke could do mine for me! No I'm excited about learning them.

This week the main song that we have been singing has been Come now is the time to worship. I love the simple yet effective words of Come just as you are to worship
Come just as you are before your God
Come
No matter who we are, what we've done, what we look like, we can all arrive before the table of the King. It is so easy to judge people by their appearance or for the sins that they have committed but God looks at the heart.

I will try and send you some of our nice weather.
Thank you all for your support and love. You are all so special to me.