First Week....

I've officially survived my first week in the land of funny accents. I got VERY excited last night at church when I got to speak to TWO irish people, both of whom have connections to Irish Methodism and know people I know! Very exciting! I love it here and it's been such a learning experience already, I love the uni and the city and the people and I'm so happy. As soon as I got out of the car I had peace that coming here was the right decision to make and that has sustained me on the days when home feels far. I know that God has brought me here for a reason and it's exciting to see what that is and to watch it all unfold. WHOOP!

It's been an exhausting week - I NEVER go out (pubs and clubs out) at home except for birthdays etc and it feels like I haven't been in this week - probably because I haven't. So it's really shattered me and I had to convince myself to get out of bed for a lecture today - at flippng half ten! I'm so tired! Also starting to wonder if I could be coming down with Fresher Flu cause have sore throat and generally feeling miserable but I'm resisting so far! Haha! But it's been a good week, we've had some awesome times of banter in the flat and also really enjoyed ourselves out and about in York. We found a pub with a revolving dance floor - very cool! Not really my thing but I'm experiencing a culture which I haven't before which is fun.

It's also been an amazing week spiritually. Although at points this week I have felt low and lonely, there has never been a moment this week when I have doubted that God has brought me here for a specific purpose, that He has brought me here to reveal more of Himself and more of myself. I've never thought that He brought me here to provoke such feelings of lonliness or whatever, but rather, to teach me to lean more fully on Him. That has been cool in itself. What has been more cool is the way He has been doing that this week. He's highlighted to me the need for Jesus to be in these halls, in this uni, the need for people to speak hope and truth and life into those who inhabit these corridors, these lecture rooms. He's starting what no doubt will be a long process of teaching me what it means to be in the world but not of the world. He's been teaching me about standing against the crowd, going against the flow, living for Him in the places of darkness. The need here is so great, which also means the potential is so great- the greater the darkness the more obvious the light. The greater the need, the greater my inadequacies seem. This week, however, God has been teaching me that He is bigger than all of it anyway so it doesn't really matter. Very exciting!

Went to church yesterday twice - ironically, both sermons were on teh same passage and God really spoke through both of them! The first was an Elim Pentecostal, which I liked but can't see myself settling in long term - it seemed a little disjointed for my liking. The second was called St Michael Le Belfrey - which I really loved, they're very involved in alot of student ministry and stuff, and also a church plant in the local gym so we'll see where God takes me on that one. I also went to CU which was good, so all in all, it's been an exciting week. God is good!