I feel like I really need to blog. Not for any particular reason but I guess I haven't posted in a while and so much has happened recently. For one, a rare thing has occured in the UK in the past week...it's been properly sunny! Being outside over the last few days has been so lush and I'm so grateful that we've experienced this weather, not just to show Jords and Aspyn that the sun does actually exist in the UK(!), but because I love seeing everyone outside chilling and having a laugh together plus it's been a perfect time to get a tan (allbeit that mine at the moment is more fake than real...God bless Home Bargains!).
Recently, the interns, plus the Glenwood youth, were involved in the Ignite Hope weekend; an event which is all about social action and expressing God's love to the local community. It was the responsibility of the interns to plan all of the social action projects that were to take place in Llanedeyrn (where Glenwood is based) and we organised projects such as a car wash, a mass baking extravaganza and a Funday for everybody to attend. I was totally blown away at how many people actually turned out for the Funday - 400 in total - and that afternoon was so great, as it united the community and it seemed that people from Llanedeyrn were genuinely comfortable with being in the church. Winner! What's more, I loved getting to spend more time with the youth and to see them grow in confidence when chatting with members of the community of Llanedeyrn. Favourite story of the weekend --> several of the youth had been prayer walking (you guessed it...walking and praying) around the estate and had been asked to pray for a guy to win the lottery. They saw him the next day and he had won £3.50! I love how God cares about these seemingly little things in our lives and I am so super proud of both the other interns and the young people who served so amazingly. Fancy washing the badger anyone...? :P
Something that has blessed me way beyond what I ever expected recently has been mentoring. For a couple of months now, I have been mentoring one of the girls in the older youth and when it was first mentioned, I was so excited as this is something that I have wanted to do for such a long time. We've met a few times now and initially, I was really over - protective of it, wrongly feeling that what got discussed in these meetings was all down to me and that I had to be a 'super - mentor' and ensure that it was really great and fruitful for both of us. In true Rhi - style, I over -analysed and was concerned that it just wasn't clicking between us. However, the last few times that we've met, I have seriously had to resist the urge to have a massive worship rave at the bus stop whist waiting to go home. The last few meetings have just felt so much more natural and open between us and I know that this was since I made the decision to more intentionally pray about our meetings together and let God do the rest. The other day, I totally got reminded about how powerful testimonies are when we were both sharing our stories with each other. After I had finished talking, my mentee was like 'You know what you were just saying about that...I feel the same way now'. This was so great and I am so in love with the way that God uses us, even when we feel so inadequate, and I've been really challenged recently to not be overly analytical about stuff that I'm involved in because, at the end of the day, if God's been involved in it and it's in His hands, who am I to say that it went badly? If you've got a spare prayer going, I'd really appreciate it if you could pray that I'll have wisdom in the mentoring that I'm doing now and also maybe doing in the future and that I'll continue to trust God with it. Cheers :)
Without a doubt, the thing that we're all thinking about in the house at the moment is our plans for next year and I am so excited for all the stuff that my housemates are talking about and planning, arguably more so than for my own plans! There are days when I'm really aware that I haven't got long left in Cardiff and that kind of saddens me, because I've had a great year here and I absolutely love the kids and young people that I've been priviledged to work with, not to mention the other interns. At other times, however, I strongly feel that it is so right for me to move to Southampton next year and I know that it is going to be so much fun!! For one, if I had applied this year for the course that I will be doing, I wouldn't have been accepted because they have put the entry grades up and I really feel that I'm on this course for a reason. It's kinda funny that I'm actually not qualified to go to Southampton, especially as one of the main aims of Sixth Form is to get the right grades for uni but I know that God is bigger than UCAS and I'm more than okay with that and am so excited for what next year holds.
I've seriously loved this weekend so much :) It's been spent soaking up sun and being with people which is always great. Also, on Wednesday, I'm seeing Mumford and Sons, possibly one of the greatest bands ever! I'm so excited and so grateful to Lucy for giving me her ticket when I didn't get one...it's going to be so sweeeeeeeet :D
Thanks to everybody who is supporting me and praying for me - it means so much :)
Rhi xx
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Lead me to the truth
This last weekend was seriously amazing!
The interns, plus the Glenwood youth, were involved in the Ignite Hope weekend; an event which is all about social action and expressing God's love to the local community. It was the responsibility of the interns to plan all of the social action projects that were to take place in Llanedeyrn (where Glenwood is based) and we organised projects such as a car wash, a mass baking extravaganza and a Funday for everybody to attend. I was totally blown away at how many people actually turned out for the Funday - 400 in total - and that afternoon was so great, as it united the community and it seemed that people from Llanedeyrn were genuinely comfortable with being in the church. Winner! What's more, I loved getting to spend more time with the youth and to see them grow in confidence when chatting with members of the community of Llanedeyrn. Favourite story of the weekend --> several of the youth had been prayer walking (you guessed it...walking and praying) around the estate and had prayed for a guy to win the lottery. They saw him the next day and he had won £3.50! I love how God cares about these seemingly little things in our lives and I am so super proud of both the other interns and the young people who served so amazingly. Fancy washing the badger anyone...? :P
Recently, as part of our Leadership Academy, we had a session on our identity in Christ. Now, what was totally ironic about this was the fact that, over the last few weeks, I've really been struggling with this. For a long time, I have periodically felt really rubbish about myself and I am so aware that when I stress or freak out, the first thing I do is become self critical and overly sensitive. In the first two terms of my internship here in Cardiff, I rarely felt like this which was great and I totally thought that this was something that I'd grown out of. Then I came back after Easter. In the last few weeks, there have been times where I've felt really low and down about myself and my abilities. It's kinda sucked if I'm honest.
However, I'm learning something massive at the moment. So often we rely on our feelings and use them to dictate who we are and our identity but I have been totally challenged to make a sometimes difficult choice and to believe what God says about me. Memorising the Bible has never been the most appealing thing in the world to me but I guess that I'm now realising how important it is to know truths about yourself when you're feeling rubbish - because let's face it, we need to decide to believe God and to trust Him with our self worth if we are to truly follow Him. My favourite at the moment in Isaiah 43 4 which says 'Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for your life because you are precious to me. You are honoured and I love you.' I've decided to keep learning Scripture because you can't beat what God has to say about you!
In other news, I'm seeing MUMFORD AND SONS(!) at the end of this month!! Massive thanks to Lucy who gave me her ticket after I couldn't get some for me and a friend - blessed me so much and cheered me up totally last weekend! Loves <3
Thanks for reading this and also to everyone that supports me and prays for me - much appreciated! Love to y'all ;) xx
The interns, plus the Glenwood youth, were involved in the Ignite Hope weekend; an event which is all about social action and expressing God's love to the local community. It was the responsibility of the interns to plan all of the social action projects that were to take place in Llanedeyrn (where Glenwood is based) and we organised projects such as a car wash, a mass baking extravaganza and a Funday for everybody to attend. I was totally blown away at how many people actually turned out for the Funday - 400 in total - and that afternoon was so great, as it united the community and it seemed that people from Llanedeyrn were genuinely comfortable with being in the church. Winner! What's more, I loved getting to spend more time with the youth and to see them grow in confidence when chatting with members of the community of Llanedeyrn. Favourite story of the weekend --> several of the youth had been prayer walking (you guessed it...walking and praying) around the estate and had prayed for a guy to win the lottery. They saw him the next day and he had won £3.50! I love how God cares about these seemingly little things in our lives and I am so super proud of both the other interns and the young people who served so amazingly. Fancy washing the badger anyone...? :P
Recently, as part of our Leadership Academy, we had a session on our identity in Christ. Now, what was totally ironic about this was the fact that, over the last few weeks, I've really been struggling with this. For a long time, I have periodically felt really rubbish about myself and I am so aware that when I stress or freak out, the first thing I do is become self critical and overly sensitive. In the first two terms of my internship here in Cardiff, I rarely felt like this which was great and I totally thought that this was something that I'd grown out of. Then I came back after Easter. In the last few weeks, there have been times where I've felt really low and down about myself and my abilities. It's kinda sucked if I'm honest.
However, I'm learning something massive at the moment. So often we rely on our feelings and use them to dictate who we are and our identity but I have been totally challenged to make a sometimes difficult choice and to believe what God says about me. Memorising the Bible has never been the most appealing thing in the world to me but I guess that I'm now realising how important it is to know truths about yourself when you're feeling rubbish - because let's face it, we need to decide to believe God and to trust Him with our self worth if we are to truly follow Him. My favourite at the moment in Isaiah 43 4 which says 'Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for your life because you are precious to me. You are honoured and I love you.' I've decided to keep learning Scripture because you can't beat what God has to say about you!
In other news, I'm seeing MUMFORD AND SONS(!) at the end of this month!! Massive thanks to Lucy who gave me her ticket after I couldn't get some for me and a friend - blessed me so much and cheered me up totally last weekend! Loves <3
Thanks for reading this and also to everyone that supports me and prays for me - much appreciated! Love to y'all ;) xx
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