Happy Christmas! That's what I see and hear all over the country. I don't know if it's always been this way, but it's rare to find a "Merry" Christmas anywhere. I suppose I don't mind, but it's just one of those things that I've noticed is different about Christmas in England than in Florida.
I've been asked by many of the English what differences I've noticed in the Christmas season here as compared to the US. So far, I can't put my finger on too many differences, but will list the main ones for you here:
1.) The weather! It actually FEELS like Christmas here in Nottingham :) It hasn't really snowed yet, but there was a snow flurry once. I was walking to church that night when it started to flurry. I ran into the building with a huge smile on my face proclaiming, "Look everyone, it's SNOWING outside!!!" The response was "aww, poor Florida girl thinks THAT'S snow..." Well, it was enough to get me excited and ready for Christmas!
2.) Mince pies and Christmas Crackers. Everywhere I go these days...church, schools, shopping stores...there are mince pies and Christmas crackers! I was excited about mince pies at first, because I thought it was a meat-based pie. Boy howdy was I wrong! Mince pies, though sometimes referred to as "mincemeat pies," are made of dried fruits in a pastry. I think it's the fruitcake of England, honestly. I definitely prefer the Yule log as a Christmas desert! It's strange to eat a desert that is shaped to look like firewood, but MAN is it good. It's like a giant tree-shaped Little Debby...mmm! Christmas Crackers also hold a misleading name, since they are NOT crackers! You don't even eat them at all, sadly. A Christmas Cracker is a traditional cardboard tube wrapped in festive paper. Two people hold either side of the Cracker, and PULL! The package sort of explodes...and one of the two sides produces a small present for one lucky winner. There are also Christmas jokes and small paper crowns that shoot out. I guess it's a cross between Cracker Jacks and a wishbone!
4.) Christmas Carols. Well, there are a couple of differences when it comes to carols. First of all, some of the traditional carols (like "O Little Town of Bethlehem") have different tunes here! I was told that American colonists changed the tunes to be more receptive to harmonies. But another difference I've noticed in celebrating Christmas in this culture showed up during our after school club Christmas party last week. We had planned a game for the kids to compete against other groups in a yuletide version of "Name that Tune." They were asked to receive their Christmas carol assignment, run back to their team, and GARGLE the tune until their group recognized the song. Sounds like a great game, right? Well, the only hitch was that only a couple of kids in the club recognized even half of the songs on the list. My teammate David since this experience heard on the radio that 77% of the English haven't sang a Christmas carol in 4 years, and that around 46% of the British couldn't sing one Christmas carol if you asked them to. Can you imagine life without "Silent Night"?
I had the opportunity to spend a few days in London last week! The city was beautiful in its Christmas decor. Feel free to check out my pictures on my Flickr website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sisterhutch
Finally, I have a prayer request. Hope '08 (http://www.hope08.com) is a national effort to pull churches in the UK together for one year in events across the country. I've been going to meetings with local youth ministers to start our own youth effort in Nottingham. We're going to be planning a number of large-scale youth events throughout the year, beginning with our kick-off event on January 25. It has been VERY encouraging to meet with youth workers from 5 VERY different churches. Please pray that our unified efforts will result in some amazing events for kids in this area! I know that God wants to do something awesome in this city, so pray that we will allow God to use us however He can.
I pray that you will all enjoy your time with your family and friends this Christmas season! I miss you all even more during this time :)
Monday, 17 December 2007
Wednesday, 5 December 2007
The famous Cristabel
If anyone would like to receive an e-mail notice when I post an update on this blog, well...today is your LUCKY day! I just found an easy way for me to input e-mail addresses into my Blogger that will automatically send out a notice when I update. Just send me an e-mail at SisterHutch@gmail.com and I'll add you!
May I just quickly say that it's so much fun being a foreigner? Over the last week, I have been asked if I'm from Scotland, and if I am a Mormon missionary (which is pretty common of Americans in this area). Also, I've found out that "Crystal" isn't a very common name in England. One girl wrote down my name as "Cristabel," which was a more common name to her than "Crystal." Sometimes, being American makes me feel famous...mostly among young girls that are huge High School Musical fans. I guess they think that since I sound like everyone in the movie, perhaps I know them, or could at least help the girls meet the stars of the film.
Random thoughts, but there you go! I hope everyone has a lovely day. It's raining outside right now (big surprise) so I'm going to go fix myself a spot of tea :)
May I just quickly say that it's so much fun being a foreigner? Over the last week, I have been asked if I'm from Scotland, and if I am a Mormon missionary (which is pretty common of Americans in this area). Also, I've found out that "Crystal" isn't a very common name in England. One girl wrote down my name as "Cristabel," which was a more common name to her than "Crystal." Sometimes, being American makes me feel famous...mostly among young girls that are huge High School Musical fans. I guess they think that since I sound like everyone in the movie, perhaps I know them, or could at least help the girls meet the stars of the film.
Random thoughts, but there you go! I hope everyone has a lovely day. It's raining outside right now (big surprise) so I'm going to go fix myself a spot of tea :)
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Living life on purpose
I should have decided to be a missionary YEARS ago! I've been told my whole life that every Christian is a missionary, yet somehow...having an official visa with "missionary" stamped under occupation has made me live life differently. What can I say? I'm always a bit behind.
One thing that has changed about me is being conscious of living life intentionally. What I mean by that is attempting to build relationships with anyone I come in contact with. It's SO hard, but is turning into a fun game for me :) When I go to the local grocery store, I try to be in the same person's line (Sue is her name), and I try to frequent the same places at the same time each week (you can find me hanging out with "The Jacket Potato Man" in town center during lunch hour once a week or so...yummm!). It's fun to try to create quick, memorable moments for each of my unsuspecting contacts. I have to admit, it's probably easier in a different culture, because the moment I open my mouth, I hear: "Wow, YOU'RE not from around here!" followed by the imminent "why on earth would you move to England from FLORIDA??" conversation. Haha!
Other than sharing short moments with local shopkeepers, I'm trying to get involved in community work and clubs that have absolutely nothing to do with church. Over the next month, I'm going to be visiting homeless shelters, retirement homes, reading to the blind, working in a charity shop, attending a salsa dance lesson (yikes!!), and taking an improv comedy class. All of these things scare me, and put me WAY outside of my comfort zone. I think that mostly it's that good kind of scary feeling that often comes as a side-effect of extreme excitement! This is my way of trying to go to "their" turf, if you know what I mean. This isn't one of those "invite people to church" cultures, and if I can't get someone to GO to church, then I guess I have to bring church to them. So, here I am...trying to be the church. Even in the midst of a salsa dance lesson...I can't even type that without laughing!
Please pray for me as I attempt to get involved in these areas. I specifically ask that you would pray for my social skills, as strange as that may sound! I can be very shy at times, and am often an awkward wallflower when put in uncomfortable situations. I don't have time to be awkward! Building relationships takes time, and I really want to jump right in and get to know the right people at the right times.
I want to leave you with a challenge to do what I neglected to do for the first 24 years of my life! Dare to be bold, and dare to be a missionary in your city! Do something that scares you to death for the sake of the Kingdom :)
One thing that has changed about me is being conscious of living life intentionally. What I mean by that is attempting to build relationships with anyone I come in contact with. It's SO hard, but is turning into a fun game for me :) When I go to the local grocery store, I try to be in the same person's line (Sue is her name), and I try to frequent the same places at the same time each week (you can find me hanging out with "The Jacket Potato Man" in town center during lunch hour once a week or so...yummm!). It's fun to try to create quick, memorable moments for each of my unsuspecting contacts. I have to admit, it's probably easier in a different culture, because the moment I open my mouth, I hear: "Wow, YOU'RE not from around here!" followed by the imminent "why on earth would you move to England from FLORIDA??" conversation. Haha!
Other than sharing short moments with local shopkeepers, I'm trying to get involved in community work and clubs that have absolutely nothing to do with church. Over the next month, I'm going to be visiting homeless shelters, retirement homes, reading to the blind, working in a charity shop, attending a salsa dance lesson (yikes!!), and taking an improv comedy class. All of these things scare me, and put me WAY outside of my comfort zone. I think that mostly it's that good kind of scary feeling that often comes as a side-effect of extreme excitement! This is my way of trying to go to "their" turf, if you know what I mean. This isn't one of those "invite people to church" cultures, and if I can't get someone to GO to church, then I guess I have to bring church to them. So, here I am...trying to be the church. Even in the midst of a salsa dance lesson...I can't even type that without laughing!
Please pray for me as I attempt to get involved in these areas. I specifically ask that you would pray for my social skills, as strange as that may sound! I can be very shy at times, and am often an awkward wallflower when put in uncomfortable situations. I don't have time to be awkward! Building relationships takes time, and I really want to jump right in and get to know the right people at the right times.
I want to leave you with a challenge to do what I neglected to do for the first 24 years of my life! Dare to be bold, and dare to be a missionary in your city! Do something that scares you to death for the sake of the Kingdom :)
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Religious Education
Last week was AMAZING. I got to experience something like nothing else. Something that challenged me, and re-affirmed my presence here.
I went into the classroom.
The West Bridgford School is a secondary school in the area that has opened its doors to the Fittros (CMF missionaries I'm working with) since they moved here about 5 years ago. WBS is where we host our after-school club on Thursdays, and where we will soon be hosting a lunch-time club once every other week. But this last week, my teammates and I were invited into their Religious Education classes.
Religious Education (known simply as "R.E.") is a standard course taken by all students in the public system which stresses knowledge about major world religions. They teach different aspects of religion (existence of God, forgiveness, life-after-death...) during different years of school. The section they were on this week was prayer. My team was invited into the class to give the Christian perspective. It was sort of strange at first, feeling like a caged animal at a zoo having people watch me carefully, poking around to study my reactions. I eventually got used to the stares, and tried to forget the knot of nerves welling up in my stomach, praying that I wouldn't be asked any question too difficult...or that I would answer a question in the wrong way!
Overall, the experience was wonderful. In one class, I was placed alone in a small group of about 11 13-year old students. They were told to interview me, and ask questions pertaining to reasons why many people don't believe in prayer. The kids were great - I got a few questions like "How amazing is it to live in Florida?" Then they asked the usual questions like: "How do you pray?" "Why do you pray?" "What can you pray for?" "How long do you pray?" "Where do you pray?" and then got into more difficult questions such as: "What if God doesn't answer your prayer?" and "Do you ever talk to God out of anger?" I was honored and delighted to answer all of their questions! As per my teammate David Fittro's advice, I tried to keep my answers as real, open, and honest as possible. I wanted to show those kids that God is a personal God. He isn't only my Creator, but He is also my friend, and having the chance to talk to Him is a HUGE part of my daily life. The kids in my group were literally shocked when I explained to them that prayer doesn't have to be this huge formal event (hands folded, head bowed, eyes closed, while reciting a memorized incantation), but that prayer can be anywhere, anytime, and about anything. I tried to compare prayer to the way we get to know our best friends, and how we learn more about people and grow closer to them the more we keep our communication lines open.
The kids in this culture are so far removed from Christianity. Most of the kids I've met in the schools don't just NOT go to church themselves, but they literally don't know anyone who does. Anyone they may come across in life that does go to church doesn't take it so seriously to the point that it effects the way they live their lives. When the Religious Education teacher asked the kids "Do you think prayer is important in the lives of Christians?" one kid raised his hand and said "I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't such a big deal to them."
I'm so glad to be a part of something that can help change the perception of Christians in the lives of some pretty amazing kids. Please pray for the team here as we continue to venture into places far removed from the empty Church buildings to be a light.
I went into the classroom.
The West Bridgford School is a secondary school in the area that has opened its doors to the Fittros (CMF missionaries I'm working with) since they moved here about 5 years ago. WBS is where we host our after-school club on Thursdays, and where we will soon be hosting a lunch-time club once every other week. But this last week, my teammates and I were invited into their Religious Education classes.
Religious Education (known simply as "R.E.") is a standard course taken by all students in the public system which stresses knowledge about major world religions. They teach different aspects of religion (existence of God, forgiveness, life-after-death...) during different years of school. The section they were on this week was prayer. My team was invited into the class to give the Christian perspective. It was sort of strange at first, feeling like a caged animal at a zoo having people watch me carefully, poking around to study my reactions. I eventually got used to the stares, and tried to forget the knot of nerves welling up in my stomach, praying that I wouldn't be asked any question too difficult...or that I would answer a question in the wrong way!
Overall, the experience was wonderful. In one class, I was placed alone in a small group of about 11 13-year old students. They were told to interview me, and ask questions pertaining to reasons why many people don't believe in prayer. The kids were great - I got a few questions like "How amazing is it to live in Florida?" Then they asked the usual questions like: "How do you pray?" "Why do you pray?" "What can you pray for?" "How long do you pray?" "Where do you pray?" and then got into more difficult questions such as: "What if God doesn't answer your prayer?" and "Do you ever talk to God out of anger?" I was honored and delighted to answer all of their questions! As per my teammate David Fittro's advice, I tried to keep my answers as real, open, and honest as possible. I wanted to show those kids that God is a personal God. He isn't only my Creator, but He is also my friend, and having the chance to talk to Him is a HUGE part of my daily life. The kids in my group were literally shocked when I explained to them that prayer doesn't have to be this huge formal event (hands folded, head bowed, eyes closed, while reciting a memorized incantation), but that prayer can be anywhere, anytime, and about anything. I tried to compare prayer to the way we get to know our best friends, and how we learn more about people and grow closer to them the more we keep our communication lines open.
The kids in this culture are so far removed from Christianity. Most of the kids I've met in the schools don't just NOT go to church themselves, but they literally don't know anyone who does. Anyone they may come across in life that does go to church doesn't take it so seriously to the point that it effects the way they live their lives. When the Religious Education teacher asked the kids "Do you think prayer is important in the lives of Christians?" one kid raised his hand and said "I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't such a big deal to them."
I'm so glad to be a part of something that can help change the perception of Christians in the lives of some pretty amazing kids. Please pray for the team here as we continue to venture into places far removed from the empty Church buildings to be a light.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Pictures from around Nottingham - - and the Goose Fair!
This is a slideshow I put together of mostly Goose Fair pictures. The Goose Fair is an annual event in Nottingham that happens every October! It's filled with hundreds of years of tradition, and was fun to experience.
If you want to see all of my pictures, you can click on the "My Pictures" link on the left side of this page, or go to www.Flickr.com/SisterHutch
Enjoy! :)
If you want to see all of my pictures, you can click on the "My Pictures" link on the left side of this page, or go to www.Flickr.com/SisterHutch
Enjoy! :)
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Two months down...
...10 more to go! I can't believe I've already been here two months. Well, to be fair, sometimes it feels like I've been here a few years, but at other times everything still feels so new. I suppose it's normal to take a while to get adjusted to a new culture, even if it does seem fairly similar to home.
So...what do I say after a two months of living in Nottingham, England? Where do I begin? Well, first of all, let me get the formalities out of the way. Yes, I'm doing well. Yes, I'm settling in nicely. Yes, I get along with my roommates and teammates...anything else I forgot? Oooh yes, the most common question I'm hearing from people at home can once and for all be answered: YES, I am actually enjoying the food! Apparently England doesn't have much of a reputation for being the gourmet capital of the world, but I am LOVING all of the different European flavours (look at how my spelling has changed!) and all of the Indian food as well. I think that India is to England what Mexico is to Florida...they have so many Indian restaurants, and all of the British restaurants offer some sort of curry dish. Quite interesting.
There are too many stories to share! Lots of interesting things have happened. I was chased through a mall once by a Middle-Eastern man asking if I knew what the Hebrew word on my shirt said (of course I did - I didn't go to Bible college for nothing!). I went to a pub one night to observe a debate on the existance of God (VERY interesting to watch!). I got stuck in "the loo" in a British house (there are always so many plugs, switches, and pull-cords in the bathrooms here, and I never can figure out how to use simple things like lights and toilets). I have had the chance to visit many areas of England already, including Warwick Castle, the house of a Duke and Duchess, the Peak District, and many cities and areas in the central part of England. This is a BEAUTIFUL country! I'm so used to living in the flatness of Florida, so the peaks and hills of England are breathtaking! Adding to the splendor of the countryside right now is Autumn. I've never seen a season like it!
Now - about the churches. I've had the opportunity to visit many churches in the area, all of different denominations. It has been interesting to see the way "church is done" in England. One of the churches we went to visit was celebrating their 100th anniversary, and another was celebrating 136 years! Isn't that amazing? Those two churches, however, are literally dying out. One of them had about 15 in their congregation - - ALL over the age of 65. All but one of the churches I have visited had what I would consider a REALLY small congregation. A couple of them are working on reaching out into the community, but I would say that most of these churches really struggle with looking outside of their own building. It's really sad to see. It makes me even more upset to see the community of Nottingham, realizing that the churches are FAR from being a reflection of the area. Nottingham is such an alive, rapidly growing, vibrant city! It is CRAWLING with University students, young families, and teenagers. When I look at 90% of the churches, all I see is a dusty old building with mildly tempered "ho-hum" personalities who love to remember their past glory days, but do nothing to re-live those times. The few churches in the area that seem to do well are the ones that really take advantage of the culture around it, and revel in reaching out to the needs of the people outside their walls.
As for my ministry here, my main responsibility lies in an after-school club held on Thursday afternoons at the West Bridgford School. My team, along with a local youth minister, prepare 2.5 hours worth of fun stuff for the students (Jr. and Sr. High age) to participate in. There's lots of games, food, and what is called "Square Time" where we sit and talk about life issues, centering around a Christian message. So far, the club has around 10 girls that come on a regular basis. We're hoping to grow this number in the coming weeks, and hoping to add a few boys to the mix!
One huge thing coming up for the team here is the possibility of putting together a cafe church/ministry for the local youth. There isn't any place in the area to keep the droves of teenagers out of trouble! From what I can tell, a place for the students to hang out after school is very much needed, and would have instant success. We are well into the process of searching for a building in a convenient location, and are putting together the business-minded details about starting up such a venture. This is something that is REALLY exciting to me! I've seen and heard about what a cafe ministry can do. It would be a perfect opportunity for us to build relationships with the local community, and to run a ministry out of something not as "scary" to a Brit as a church building. I think it would serve as a perfect bridge to building our ministry in Nottingham!
Well, there are so many more stories to share, but I don't want to write a whole book as my first blog! I will be posting more, on a more regular basis. I have pictures to share as well, so be on the lookout for that! Thanks for reading, and thank you to all of you for your support and encouragement. May God bless you and your families over in the colonies :)
So...what do I say after a two months of living in Nottingham, England? Where do I begin? Well, first of all, let me get the formalities out of the way. Yes, I'm doing well. Yes, I'm settling in nicely. Yes, I get along with my roommates and teammates...anything else I forgot? Oooh yes, the most common question I'm hearing from people at home can once and for all be answered: YES, I am actually enjoying the food! Apparently England doesn't have much of a reputation for being the gourmet capital of the world, but I am LOVING all of the different European flavours (look at how my spelling has changed!) and all of the Indian food as well. I think that India is to England what Mexico is to Florida...they have so many Indian restaurants, and all of the British restaurants offer some sort of curry dish. Quite interesting.
There are too many stories to share! Lots of interesting things have happened. I was chased through a mall once by a Middle-Eastern man asking if I knew what the Hebrew word on my shirt said (of course I did - I didn't go to Bible college for nothing!). I went to a pub one night to observe a debate on the existance of God (VERY interesting to watch!). I got stuck in "the loo" in a British house (there are always so many plugs, switches, and pull-cords in the bathrooms here, and I never can figure out how to use simple things like lights and toilets). I have had the chance to visit many areas of England already, including Warwick Castle, the house of a Duke and Duchess, the Peak District, and many cities and areas in the central part of England. This is a BEAUTIFUL country! I'm so used to living in the flatness of Florida, so the peaks and hills of England are breathtaking! Adding to the splendor of the countryside right now is Autumn. I've never seen a season like it!
Now - about the churches. I've had the opportunity to visit many churches in the area, all of different denominations. It has been interesting to see the way "church is done" in England. One of the churches we went to visit was celebrating their 100th anniversary, and another was celebrating 136 years! Isn't that amazing? Those two churches, however, are literally dying out. One of them had about 15 in their congregation - - ALL over the age of 65. All but one of the churches I have visited had what I would consider a REALLY small congregation. A couple of them are working on reaching out into the community, but I would say that most of these churches really struggle with looking outside of their own building. It's really sad to see. It makes me even more upset to see the community of Nottingham, realizing that the churches are FAR from being a reflection of the area. Nottingham is such an alive, rapidly growing, vibrant city! It is CRAWLING with University students, young families, and teenagers. When I look at 90% of the churches, all I see is a dusty old building with mildly tempered "ho-hum" personalities who love to remember their past glory days, but do nothing to re-live those times. The few churches in the area that seem to do well are the ones that really take advantage of the culture around it, and revel in reaching out to the needs of the people outside their walls.
As for my ministry here, my main responsibility lies in an after-school club held on Thursday afternoons at the West Bridgford School. My team, along with a local youth minister, prepare 2.5 hours worth of fun stuff for the students (Jr. and Sr. High age) to participate in. There's lots of games, food, and what is called "Square Time" where we sit and talk about life issues, centering around a Christian message. So far, the club has around 10 girls that come on a regular basis. We're hoping to grow this number in the coming weeks, and hoping to add a few boys to the mix!
One huge thing coming up for the team here is the possibility of putting together a cafe church/ministry for the local youth. There isn't any place in the area to keep the droves of teenagers out of trouble! From what I can tell, a place for the students to hang out after school is very much needed, and would have instant success. We are well into the process of searching for a building in a convenient location, and are putting together the business-minded details about starting up such a venture. This is something that is REALLY exciting to me! I've seen and heard about what a cafe ministry can do. It would be a perfect opportunity for us to build relationships with the local community, and to run a ministry out of something not as "scary" to a Brit as a church building. I think it would serve as a perfect bridge to building our ministry in Nottingham!
Well, there are so many more stories to share, but I don't want to write a whole book as my first blog! I will be posting more, on a more regular basis. I have pictures to share as well, so be on the lookout for that! Thanks for reading, and thank you to all of you for your support and encouragement. May God bless you and your families over in the colonies :)
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