Yesterday there was a wedding at St. Peters, the church where I am doing some of my volunteer work. The couple were not members of the church, but rented it for their ceremony (it really is that beautiful!). As a volunteer I have found that sometimes I am given jobs that no one else wants to do and I'm okay with that, especially when it means I get to attend a wedding! They needed someone from St. Peters at the church to help with all the little things that would surely come up, and trust me, they did. I was more than happy to help with the wedding and very excited to see the ceremony in such a gorgeous setting.
I had been told by the bride when I met with her the week before that there would be two pastors presiding over the service. They were going to have their pastor, from the place they attend church now, but were also going to have a pastor who speaks Portuguese, as guests from both sides spoke the language. I had never attended a wedding done in two languages so it was going to be a greater experience than I thought.
Both pastors were at the front of the church for the prayers and readings towards the beginning of the service. The English speaking pastor led, while the Portuguese speaking pastor translated. I was witnessing the coming together of two cultures. At times, the pastors were over lapping as they spoke creating a cultural experience I hadn't had before. Then it came time for the vows and the exchanging of rings. The English speaking pastor stepped off to the side and the Portuguese speaking pastor stepped in front of the bride and groom. An English translator then came up to the front and said that the couple had decided they would exchange vows and rings in Portuguese and that the English speaking guests would hopefully catch on.
My initial response was surprise. They weren't going to translate any of what the Portuguese pastor was saying? I had no clue how I was going to be able to tell what was happening or when they were officially married or anything. I thought that I was going to be lost for the remainder of the service. Then the bride and groom turned towards each other, held hands, and the pastor began to speak.
I had no clue the actual translation of what he was saying. I couldn't tell the words he was using, but it was beautiful. Knowing the basis of what marriage is built on and what is pledge to one another in a ceremony before friends and loved ones, I completely understood what was happening. The religious practice of marriage spans cultures and links us together. People all over the world get married and most have some type of ceremony that binds two people together before God. I didn't have to know what the pastor was saying because I knew that the bride and groom were sharing their love for one another and promising a lifetime together. Their gestures, their expressions, the act that was taking place was obvious and was a beautiful union to witness.
I could see the love; between the bride and groom, from the guests on both sides. The love of God was in the ceremony and is a great display of how it doesn't matter what language it is done in, because regardless, the love is there. Blessings and love to all of you!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
No Club!
The past week has been very different from most that I will have here. The Club, which is one of my placement sites, has been closed for just over a week. The Club is a place where children and young adults spend time, mostly in the evenings, so they are not wandering the streets. They take lessons in cooking, music, play sports, hang out, and attend mentoring sessions. It is a light in the community that many of the youth gravitate towards.
For the past week the Club has been closed for health and safety reasons. There was a lot of work that needed to be done in cleaning and making sure the Club is in good condition for the people who come. Over the past week my days at the Club have been spent sorting, organizing, throwing things away, and cleaning. It has been a long week. It is amazing how much can accumulate in a couple of years!
During this time, everyday, we had kids coming to the door asking if we were having Club that day. Each day we had to tell them "No" and you could hear the disappointment in their voices. When I would run into the kids on the street they would ask why we aren't having Club and when it would be open again. They are looking forward to coming back. They miss it.
It's funny because most of the kids who come to Club don't have the best manners. Rarely do you get a "thank you" or any acknowledgement for the time you give up to spend with them and to teach them. At times it can seem like they are taking the Club for granted, but they definitely are not and this week has been proof of that. Even with the signs on the doors and us telling them all week we won't be open, they come back each day just to be sure.
Part of me thinks that it is not just about the activities that they are missing, but also the interaction with the people who work at the Club. Yes they like to play games, but I also think that they like seeing us everyday, talking to us, having us check to see how their days have been. They like engaging in the relationships we have with them. We aren't their parent or a sibling, but we are people who care about them and many of them need that. For them just knowing that we care is enough. For us, we don't need them to say "thank you" all the time because we can see it in their smiles and this week hear it in their disappointed voices, how much we mean to them.
There is more work to be done at the Club before we can open again. We want the Club to continue to be a good and safe place for youth to come. Hopefully we will be up and running again by midweek so the kids can have their Club back!
For the past week the Club has been closed for health and safety reasons. There was a lot of work that needed to be done in cleaning and making sure the Club is in good condition for the people who come. Over the past week my days at the Club have been spent sorting, organizing, throwing things away, and cleaning. It has been a long week. It is amazing how much can accumulate in a couple of years!
During this time, everyday, we had kids coming to the door asking if we were having Club that day. Each day we had to tell them "No" and you could hear the disappointment in their voices. When I would run into the kids on the street they would ask why we aren't having Club and when it would be open again. They are looking forward to coming back. They miss it.
It's funny because most of the kids who come to Club don't have the best manners. Rarely do you get a "thank you" or any acknowledgement for the time you give up to spend with them and to teach them. At times it can seem like they are taking the Club for granted, but they definitely are not and this week has been proof of that. Even with the signs on the doors and us telling them all week we won't be open, they come back each day just to be sure.
Part of me thinks that it is not just about the activities that they are missing, but also the interaction with the people who work at the Club. Yes they like to play games, but I also think that they like seeing us everyday, talking to us, having us check to see how their days have been. They like engaging in the relationships we have with them. We aren't their parent or a sibling, but we are people who care about them and many of them need that. For them just knowing that we care is enough. For us, we don't need them to say "thank you" all the time because we can see it in their smiles and this week hear it in their disappointed voices, how much we mean to them.
There is more work to be done at the Club before we can open again. We want the Club to continue to be a good and safe place for youth to come. Hopefully we will be up and running again by midweek so the kids can have their Club back!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Ohhhh Technology.
Technology and I do not get along too often. We have a love-hate relationship that goes both ways. Technology is extremely frustrating for me to navigate and rather than make itself easier, it senses my frustrations and acts up more because it knows it is annoying me. In many ways it is like a brother or sister who knows just how to drive you crazy, so does it intentionally, because it can.
My google account, email, blog, everything, has been down for days. Me, being the technology disabled person that I am, couldn't figure out the very simple way to fix it. It senses unusual activity, it needs codes, it needs a cell phone number to send codes to, it needs me to verify my identity. How do you tell a computer who you are? If it knows who you are, how do you convince a computer that it really is you?
Eventually I was able to fix it. I think the "unusual activity" it was detecting was my being in the UK. I don't know how computers know these things, but they do. My google account had stopped working after I sent an email at work. The email was not unusual, but computers know where they are and my account was set-up in the US, not the UK. It is the only explanation that makes some sense. It also got me thinking.
"Unusual activity has been detected." Although I didn't find this statement true about sending an email, it is very true for me and what I am doing. Being in London is very unusual for me. Packing up parts of my life and fitting it in two suitcases to travel across the ocean for a year is unusual for me. Venturing to a place where I don't know anybody and finding my way around an extremely large city is unusual for me. Being able to see Buckingham Palace or Big Ben everyday if I want is unusual for me. There is a lot of "unusual activity" that I have taken part in since my journey began.
As unusual as all of it is, unusual doesn't mean it is wrong and my reasons for being here are not unusual. It is an experience, a learning process, an opportunity to do God's work. Jesus walked with, cared for, and spent time with the "unusual." He didn't accept the norm as the way to live, but rather did what was unusual to share God's glory with all of us. The unusual can be very good. Within it are blessings both clear and hidden. It can also be scary, with fear for the unknown. It can be exciting with the prospect of the possibilities and opportunities that could come. Unusual isn't bad, its just different. I think that with time, the "unusual activity" that has been detected for me will be my usual.
My google account, email, blog, everything, has been down for days. Me, being the technology disabled person that I am, couldn't figure out the very simple way to fix it. It senses unusual activity, it needs codes, it needs a cell phone number to send codes to, it needs me to verify my identity. How do you tell a computer who you are? If it knows who you are, how do you convince a computer that it really is you?
Eventually I was able to fix it. I think the "unusual activity" it was detecting was my being in the UK. I don't know how computers know these things, but they do. My google account had stopped working after I sent an email at work. The email was not unusual, but computers know where they are and my account was set-up in the US, not the UK. It is the only explanation that makes some sense. It also got me thinking.
"Unusual activity has been detected." Although I didn't find this statement true about sending an email, it is very true for me and what I am doing. Being in London is very unusual for me. Packing up parts of my life and fitting it in two suitcases to travel across the ocean for a year is unusual for me. Venturing to a place where I don't know anybody and finding my way around an extremely large city is unusual for me. Being able to see Buckingham Palace or Big Ben everyday if I want is unusual for me. There is a lot of "unusual activity" that I have taken part in since my journey began.
As unusual as all of it is, unusual doesn't mean it is wrong and my reasons for being here are not unusual. It is an experience, a learning process, an opportunity to do God's work. Jesus walked with, cared for, and spent time with the "unusual." He didn't accept the norm as the way to live, but rather did what was unusual to share God's glory with all of us. The unusual can be very good. Within it are blessings both clear and hidden. It can also be scary, with fear for the unknown. It can be exciting with the prospect of the possibilities and opportunities that could come. Unusual isn't bad, its just different. I think that with time, the "unusual activity" that has been detected for me will be my usual.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
I Have Arrived!
As I write this I'm looking out my window at another gorgeous London day! I'm not being sarcastic, I thought it was going to be cold, rainy, and windy all the time, but there has been nothing but blue skies and sunshine since my arrival last Thursday. I'm told this is very unusual and that it won't last long, but I'm enjoying every minute of their sunny and 70's weather!
I arrived in London last Thursday, the 6th, at around 11:00 in the morning London time. Since then life has been a whirlwind! Settling into the house, working at the club, working at the church, trying to get a lay of the land, sightseeing, getting over jetlag, and drinking more tea than I have in my entire life; the past five days have been crazy! They have been good crazy though. I'm still trying to take everything in, process, and figure things out. I've been working without a schedule as my supervisors and I have not had the chance to all sit down and figure it out, but soon enough I will know when I'm supposed to be where. I'm definitely enjoying it though. The work, the people, the sights, I think I'm going to have an incredible year!
I received a great welcome to London and so far the city seems amazing! The people have been extremely kind, patient, and willing to answer any and all of my questions. London seems like a great place to be. I even saw part of the firework show for the closing ceremony of the paralympics over the Thames River. It was one of the best firework shows I have ever seen and a great welcome! Everything has been wonderful so far and I'm hoping it will only get better. Cheers!
I arrived in London last Thursday, the 6th, at around 11:00 in the morning London time. Since then life has been a whirlwind! Settling into the house, working at the club, working at the church, trying to get a lay of the land, sightseeing, getting over jetlag, and drinking more tea than I have in my entire life; the past five days have been crazy! They have been good crazy though. I'm still trying to take everything in, process, and figure things out. I've been working without a schedule as my supervisors and I have not had the chance to all sit down and figure it out, but soon enough I will know when I'm supposed to be where. I'm definitely enjoying it though. The work, the people, the sights, I think I'm going to have an incredible year!
I received a great welcome to London and so far the city seems amazing! The people have been extremely kind, patient, and willing to answer any and all of my questions. London seems like a great place to be. I even saw part of the firework show for the closing ceremony of the paralympics over the Thames River. It was one of the best firework shows I have ever seen and a great welcome! Everything has been wonderful so far and I'm hoping it will only get better. Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)