Two really cool things in one REALLY cold evening!

Just for dramatic effect I'm going to use blue text...It really was soo cold tonight!

Sorry for the epic post but I wanted to write this stuff down even if you don't read it all!


Well I suppose I could really tell you about the things I did tonight. As it is Thursday I went to chapel (which is like a different church service every week), this week it was 'High Mass', which to me being used to 'Mass' in the Roman Catholic sense I was expecting something very 'High' and I was quite nervous about going but when I got there everything was all familiar to me... Men in robes.... Strange smelly smoke coming out of a metal swinging thing....Lots of stand up sit down stuff....(some people might think I'm being irreverent here. I'm not, this kind of church is what I've been brought up in, I love it!) I felt so at home to be able to say the prayers without struggling around the funny unfamiliar wording (sorry Anglicans!) and to just know and really understand the meaning of what I was saying...It was so good! Hmm...... After all that running away from my church background I finally find some solace in familiarity...God's a strange one! :-)

After chapel I practically ran over to Hoole Baptist Church (slight change of denomination-those from home will understand what I'm like!). I've volunteered to help out with a youth group called DBiz run by the Light Project in Chester. But you see the thing was that I didn't exactly know how to get there and it was dark and it was cold and every so slightly scary.....So....While I was in chapel I prayed that I would find the church, not freeze, be scared of the dark, drunk people or crazy old men (worried now mum??)....And God totally did that for me, it was fine, I got there safe and it didn't take me long to defrost. It was an incredible night, first they have a 'brief' thing where they pray before the youth arrive, then the actual group, then the tidy up/round up/debrief thing where there is more prayer. This way of doing youth work isn't a new concept to me of course but I just found it so encouraging that people could do that as part of the normal youth night...Since back home we'd be lucky if we could say hi to the team before they were going home again....Never mind praying for each other. It was so good to be back in a setting with young people again, I've missed their bad language...Attitude...Arrogance and disregard for rules! And is was amazing to be in such a God centered place. Even though I don't think I had one conversation about God all night....He was there...Big time...Covering the place.....In the smiles of the kids.....The patience of the leaders.....Just everywhere!

Tonight has reminded me of why I want to do what I do.....Because of God's love....For those young people and for me too (since I'll always be His little Teenager!)