Life or something like it....

Black Diamonds and Big Cities

On Monday, we had our first day off...well, we really didn't have the day off, but we are able to tour the local coal mine and get an actual tour down in the mine. We got to wear all the garb that coal miners usually wear. It was much heavier than I thought it would be and after the 45 minute tour, I was very happy to return it. Here are some great pics of our team with our coal miners garb and some others from the Museum... Here's Jake with some giant statue....random, I know...
After our coal mining experience, we were able to have a movie night with some of the girls from the youth group. I feel that I am beginning to get to know the girls better and on Saturday, I am taking a group of girls up to Cardiff to tour the Museum and go shopping. I am really excited about the opportunity to get to know them even better.
The family that I am living with is wonderful and I really feel a part of the family. I am learning, however, that this culture is SO much different than home. I will give just a few examples...
1. Lunch is called "dinner" and Supper/Dinner is called "Tea"
2. Their vocabulary is really different.... examples: "Cheeky"- sarcastic
"fab"- fabulous
"lush"- really cool or stunning
"trainers"- tennis shoes
"posh"- a party
"Jumper"- sweatshirt
"faggots"- meatballs
"fag"- cigarettes
"chips"- French Fries
"biscuits"-cookies
"squash"- fruit juice
"crisps"- Chips
"Ta-da", "Cheers"- Good-bye
"gutted"- disappointed
"wicked"- extremely cool
3. They drive on the left side on the road. At first, this was hard for me because I would always try to get in the driver's side.
4. They drink hot tea with every meal and inbetween every meal.
5. They are really into recycling...I mean, they are really serious about it. I accidently threw out a cardboard box..yea, I only did that once.
6. There are no plugs or light switches in bathrooms and you have to turn on the hot water heater to get any hot water to take a shower.
7. They are very laid back...When they say to be somewhere at 7:00, everyone arrives 7:30.
So, those are some fun differences that I have learned.
Also, I was able to hang out with one of my other teammates, Jake and we went to the capital of Wales, Cardiff. One of the funniest things that I saw was the store called T.K. Maxx. It was EXACTLY the same store as T.J. Maxx that we have at home, except that it was called T.K. instead T.J. Crazy, huh?? We were able to go to Cardiff Castle. We didn't get to go inside, but I did get to take a pic of the outside.
We got to go in this awesome Welsh shop that had all these handcrafted swords and stuff. We had to take pics of it of course... Here is Jake as King Arthur or something...Guys and their swords....weird..Here I am with my Knight in shining armor...enough said. Hehe!
Anyways, that is all for now. As for prayer requests, please continue to pray for influence in the schools as we do assemblies over the next two months. Also, Unity among the church is needed and joint leadership is needed as well.Pray also for missionaires here and their relationship with the church leaders here. Please pray for team unity, health, and for continued focus on God's will for us while we are here. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Love you all!!

posted by *Rach* @ 2:42 PM 6 comments

Just another day in Pontypridd.....

Well, here are my other teammates minus Renee in this pic. We are having a great time working together. I have FINALLY adjusted to the time change of Wales, but that has not stopped us from going full force into all of our ministry adventures. We have been working at the schools this week, doing assemblies with songs and stories for the kids. Last night, I went to my first "kid's club", which is basically like a youth group meeting for all different ages.Here are some pics from our club last night....
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I was able to meet some girls from the neighborhood around the church. They were so sweet and friendly. However, I am becoming more and more aware of how much the Gospel is needed here. Most of the children do not have any knowledge of the Bible and I can tell by their actions and words that they are searching desperately for someone to love them and make them feel accepted. Please pray for the ministy that I feel God has placed on my heart to reach these children for the Lord.
We were also able to explore the town over the past couple days, which was great fun. Renee and I learned that Ponty is full of HUGE hills and after getting lost and climbing ALL the way to the top of a mountain, I have discovered that my calf muscles are going to be in great shape by the time I return home! Even though we did get lost, the view from the top of the mountain was gorgeous and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures...as you can see!
Here are pics of some of the girls that I will be working with this summer. I don't think that any of them are Christians, so please be in prayer for their salvation and for me to be a witness for Christ. I hope and pray that God will use me in mighty ways for His kingdom this summer and please pray that I will be obedient to Him in all that I say and do.

I am confident that God has great things in store in Wales and I am excited to see His hand at work in the lives of His people. Look for more updates soon!! Love you all and thanks for your prayers!

posted by *Rach* @ 7:34 AM 7 comments

Toto, We definitely aren't in Kansas anymore....

Well, as you all probably expected, I finally arrived safe and sound in Wales. ( This is the Welsch Falg above..) I was up for the first 48 hours straight and the jet lag was rough. But I think that I am finally adjusting to the five hour time difference. The other five interns are wonderful and God blessed our time together at our training at Bethelwoods.
Four of the interns are staying on Pontypridd (which is actually pronounced pont-y-preeth) working each at different churches. Here I am with my dear friend, Renee, who is also my team partner for the summer. She just graduated from Erskine with a degree in Chemistry and is heading to grad school in the fall.
After our 8 hour plane ride, which by the way, was very cool because each person had their own TV in the seat in front of them and I got to watch movies for the whole trip...very nice!! We arrived in London and borded a bus to take us to Cardiff, Wales. We finally got to Cardiff about 4 pm (England time) and then had to take a van another 30 mintues to get to Pontypridd. Needless to say, we were all VERY tired of sitting!!! We met one of the main missionary family, the Howards, and they were kind enough to take us in and feed us before we had to go and help lead youth group. So, you could say that we hit the ground and started running, but I am not regretting a minute of it.
The family that I am living with is absolutely WONDERFUL!! They are so dear and been so helplful to help me adjust to this new culture. Their daughter was so sweet to give up her room for the 2 months and I have been very humbled by their generosity.


After Youth Group, the kids took me and the other interns to experience our first "Fish and Chips." Renee, who was in Wales last spring, had already sampled them once before, but I do have to say that the Welsh know how to make some GOOD French Fries. We had to document this event as well...So, here we are at this little Welsh shop, eating the best greasest fries ever!!!

After finishing the delicious fries, we were standing around outside and I noticed a police man walking down the street. Now, he looked very different from the police in the U.S. We had been told that we had to very careful about taking pics of people and needed to ask first. So, I asked one of the other adults from the Youth Group and he thought that it was so funny that I was fascinated with the policeman and his outfit. So, they let me take a picture with him...so here we are with our police officer friend...nice hat,huh??

The scenery here in Wales is beautiful as well. I cannot get over the rolling hills and farms...pretty amazing. I am reminded of God's creation everywhere I go. Here is just a glimpse of what I get to see every morning when I look at my window....and around town. Well, I promise to write more as soon I get time. Please be praying for our group that we would be united and be bold in our witness for Christ. Pray for the schools that we will be sharing in that the Word of God would be impressed upon their hearts. Pray for the hearts of the children and youth that we are working with, that Christ would open their eyes and their hearts to his love and forgiveness. Thank you for your prayers and support and I can feel your prayers. I miss and love you all!

posted by *Rach* @ 11:30 AM 10 comments