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Hello, friends!
Hey look at me - I'm blogging again! I have had yet another streak of busy busy busy days. I love keeping myself busy, especially when I can see the results of my hard work. I really feel like the relationships I've been working so hard to build over the last year and a half have been growing even more than I thought possible! There's no feeling like having someone you genuinely care about asking you for advice, or feeling comfortable enough with you to vent all of their issues to you. I praise God for giving me these friendships and opportunities to share His love!

As for what I've been up to lately, here's a quick snapshot into my life:

Half term week
"Half Term" is a week in the middle of each school term where there is a week off of school. The girls in our after-school club (called "The Zone") always complain of being bored during half-terms, so Amy (my teammate/housemate) and I decided to offer a special edition of A2B ("Alternative 2 Boredom," our summer club) and host a different event each day of the half-term out of our home (want a tour of my home?). Monday was glass painting, Tuesday was cinema day, Wednesday was baking day, Thursday we had a special party night at our youth club, and Friday night we had a girly sleep-over. It was an intense week filled with tons of fun (and sugar), and was definitely worth it! The sleep-over on Friday night proved to be another step forward in building our relationships with the girls. We had a ton of fun playing games, watching chick flicks, painting nails...being all-around ridiculously girly.

A week in the local school
A few hours ago I was at the Nottingham Railway Station to meet up with 17 college students from Lincoln Christian College (Lincoln, IL). Every year during its Spring Break, LCC sends a group of students to Nottingham for a week of mission service with our team. This group has become such a staple to the team here in Nottingham that it is actually planned into the local school's curriculum! These 17 students, 2 adults that came with them, plus our team of 4 will be teaching every R.E. ('religious education') class at the local school this coming week - - coming face-to-face with literally thousands of teenagers. This week, we will become the first real, live Christians that many of these kids have ever met. We will give our 'Christian' perspective on a variety of topics, from abortion to animal rights, assisted suicide to pre-marital sex, world poverty to homosexuality, and everything between. We will tell Bible stories these kids have never heard, and will give our own testimonies about 'experiencing' Christ in our own lives. To some of these kids we will probably just be another homework assignment, but hopefully we will spark the curiosity of others while planting seeds in a really interesting field. Other than being in the schools this week, we will also host a Sunday night service at a local church, have a prayer walk around the town centre, invite every student in West Bridgford to a special cafe night (Thursday night), tour around Nottingham city, and take a short trip up to Warwick Castle! Man...it's going to be a busy week...and I couldn't be more excited!

And now, a bit of English culture for you...
One interesting annual event in England is coming up on the 13th of March - Red Nose Day. For the last few weeks charity shops, grocery stores and certain other shops have been selling red ball noses (yep, just like a clown's nose!). On Red Nose Day, people will proudly wear their noses around during the day, and will host humor related charity fund-raising events in order to support Comic Relief (a charity organization founded by a comedian in the '80s which raised money for areas struck by famine - now has raised over £600 million for various charitable causes). I just love me some British humor, and for a good cause no less ;)

...and yet a bit more English culture!
There are two commercials on TV that have really been making a buzz lately. One is for a credit card, and the other is for a chocolate bar. Very different products, but both making a splash with their eye-raising fun...you'll understand my cheesiness if you watch the commercials: Barclay's Card and Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar.

Thanks for reading! Until next time, I send you love from the other side of the pond ~