Tigers and Bulls

It's been a while since I last posted anything. I've been on a couple trips since the last entry, one was to Leicester, home of the Tigers, and the other was to Birmingham, home to the world.



Leicester
I went to Leicester right after the English Summer conference, and my time there was meant to be relaxing and rejuvenating. And rest assured, it was indeed both of those things. I stayed with some students in their house and was introduced to a wide variety of comedy, most prominently was The IT Crow, not Monty Python. I really enjoyed my stay in their home and they went above and beyond to make me feel welcome! I went and enjoyed a few nights out with the students, getting to learn more about them and their lives! One of the more notable things is that it seems almost all of them are getting married! My first day in Leicester was spent at a place called Alton Towers, a theme park about an hour or more outside of Leicester. One of the guys is getting married shortly, in August, and they decided to take him there as a party of his stag party. We rode roller coasters and all sorts of other rides. This would make it the third marriage celebration I have been a part of since I have been in the UK. I also toured around the city a little bit with a couple of students, Matt and Andy. We went to a small museum/ art gallery and to a small shop for some coffee. In all, my time there was very relaxing!



Birmingham



Birmingham was perhaps one of the more busy places in my trip, mostly because of what all was involved. A Navigator couple, Tom and Judi, took myself, and two Connect workers (Navigator Interns) from Leicester on a Cross Cultural Tour through Birmingham! What an incredible experience that was! We visited Mosques, Hindu Temples, and Sikh Gurudwara's.

Birmingham has one of the largest South Asian populations in the whole of the UK, and as such, has an incredibly diverse community. Tom and Judi brought us into their home and introduced us to their friends and took us on tours of the different places of worship. This experience was invaluable as I was able to learn a lot more about religions I knew very little about, and was able to remove a lot of my ignorance towards them. Tom might tell you that my favorite part would have appeared to be all the good food we got to eat...and he wouldn't be far from the truth, but I still stand that it wasn't the highlight, just a really great bonus. Sparkhill, the area we stayed in, is nicknamed the Baltis Triangle, known for it's Baltis restaurants and South Asian cuisine. All of the people we met during our time showed us great amounts of kindness and hospitality. Hospitality is something that is very important to the South Asian community, and if I am being honest, something that the Western community could pick up. The Sikh's believe in a form of selfless service called Sewa that puts the needs of others and their community at the forefront of their thoughts. Visiting their Gurudwara, as long as you come with your head covered and in respect, gets you unrivaled hospitality.



Sanctuary

Sanctuary is a church service put on by Tom, Judi, and a friend of theirs. It is a church where members of the South Asian community may go to learn about Jesus in a place that doesn't remove them from their culture. The service is focused around South Asian culture, in a way that helps them to better understand Christ in their cultural context. As such, the services are different than most, but I really enjoyed my time there. They offer up prayer to anyone who asks for it. The service is held in the cafe of a much larger church, though once set up is complete, you were never know the place was a cafe. The service I went to spoke on Psalm 23 and how Jesus is our shepherd, again helping people to understand Jesus as the Son of God and helping people to see God as our Heavenly Father. After the services are complete, there is a meal. This again flows through the South Asian love for hospitality and community, and is an important part of the Sanctuary church service.

Your Prayers

I just wanted to thank all of you who have been reading this and who have been praying for me. The last few weeks have been filled with God's glory and revelations for me, which in turn has involved some movement by the enemy. Your prayers have been greatly appreciated and have helped to keep my journey in the UK a safe and exciting one! I am currently in Edinburgh again, visiting with friends I made in Scotland, as well as a friend from back home (pictured bellow) while I ride out the rest of my trip here. I look forward to seeing all of you in just over a weeks time! Stay tuned though, this blog will not end with my trip! I hope to fill you all in with details on bible studies and student stories as well! Take care everyone and God bless you and keep you all!



Pictures of England

Pictures of Scotland