Songs

Just wanted to share a couple of songs that have been speaking to me recently. maybe you will like them.


21st Chapter - When Silence Falls


I wait in the silence to hear Your voice, just to hear Your call, 
And I’ll catch the intonation of each syllable as it falls. 
No-one can replace it, my words cannot attain it, 
Your love is boundless, without condition, I fumble for words to explain it. 
Warm me with your love, thaw my unbelief 
Lift me from the floor and place me back upon my feet. 
You renew my strength so I can walk and not faint 
My hope is in You, You have my heart and my faith. 


Where would I be without You? 
My skin crawls with the very thought of a world without You. 
And even if I die I know that I can’t be without You 
Cos the afterlife means that after life I'll never be without You. 
But for now I'll focus on the time on earth we share 
And when the silence falls... shh...You're there. 
Still waiting to care for any load I have to bear 
So in the silence of these moments my heart whispers these prayers... 


When hope is lost I'll call You saviour, 
When pain surrounds I'll call You healer, 
When the silence falls You'll be the song within my heart. 


Insecurities had me going insane, I've never been so lame, 
Your voice to me was calming like rain on a window pane 
Not lusting or a flirt, never putting others first 
What a brother didn't deserve You covered with Your loving words. 
You reached out and embraced me, without You I'm flakey. 
But now I'm a new man because Your love completely remade me. 
Ever will You be the song of my heart, regardless. 
Cos You were the light of life that got sparked in my darkness. 
In spite of all my failures and mistakes, my shame and disgrace 
You took my life and covered it with grace. 
I know that all my steps are ordered by You, 
And so I step with confidence because Your love is true. 


Matthew West - This Turnaround


This rock is tied around my ankle
This thorn is buried in my skin
I wonder why I have to struggle
But then again
If I wasn't drowning I wouldn't need you to save me
If I wasn't broken I wouldn't need you to heal me
You keep me broken

Don't let this river get lost in the ocean
Don't let this rock take me down, down, down
My heart is standing at the edge of the world
I need you
To help me make the turnaround

So many puzzles with no answers
So many questions with no peace
So many second guesses
But then again I guess
If I wasn't drowning I wouldn't need you to save me
If I wasn't broken I wouldn't need you to heal me
Oh Lord I'm drowning

Don't let this river get lost in the ocean
Don't let this rock take me down, down, down
My heart is standing at the edge of the world
I need you
To help me make the turnaround

I need you
I know I need you

Future

So this week it’s been pretty cool, lots of rain and not much sun, for me, its been quite nice, but everyone else is complaining of being cold! And we’re still in summer! Other than the complaining it has also meant that my room is starting to get quite humid and my health has suffered a little with the mould that has started to grow, but I will survive I’m sure.

Well the YWAM team has gone now, and their help was really appreciated, it’s been an easy week in the rehab centre with 10 extra hands to help with the cooking and with maintaining behaviour. It was also really good to get to know some of the women, they were really down to earth and friendly. On Friday I actually joined in with a carpentry workshop and while the others are making boxes, chopping boards and trays I made a key ring, quite a lot simpler but I enjoyed it all the same! (and they enjoyed watching me struggle as the last time I did woodwork was when I was 13!) I will hopefully take a photo of it to show you, at the moment it is in the rehab centre as I left it there for the varnish to dry last Friday.

Otherwise I have my exam marks, thanks for all of your prayers, it went really well and I passed every section. Grammar = 80%, Listening = 70%, Writing = 80%, Reading = 90%. Overall 80%. All in all it was 3 hours of exams and more hours revising so I’m glad that my marks are good, and I don’t have to re-sit them!

My ‘sister’ Sole is away at the moment in Buenos Aires working for two weeks, and so I was asked to take her cell group while she is away, which consists of four 16-17 year old girls. It went really well on Thursday and we had a bit of discussion (which is very unusual in the culture of this church) and were able to learn something new about Jesus (we’re studying the book of Mark at the moment).

On Saturday in youth we finished studying the book of Ecclesiastes by watching a 3 hour film about Solomon, it was really well made and quite a few of the youth came away saying that now they want to know what happens next. So hopefully they will be inspired to continue reading the Old Testament!

We are currently planning a youth camp to a little village outside the city centre. We’ll be taking tents and sleeping outside... I’m not sure If I’m excited about that.. but the youth are! They never go camping so it’s quite an adventure for them! I’ll be teaching and performing some dramas around the theme of Samson, as we will be reading about him over the weekend. Also will be teaching a few English games! So if you have and ideas let me know! So far I’ve not got a long list, and I have an hour!

I am now starting to look to the future and what God wants to do with me when I get back home, and the next year(s). My desire is really to serve in a Christian Charity that is working in Mission or Social Action projects, either on the ‘field’ or ‘behind the scenes’. For now I am looking in the UK, I have enquired about an internship with The Message Trust in Manchester that would be working in a female young offenders institute, which does excite me. However being an internship they don’t pay you, but give you an ‘allowance’ which would just cover food and accommodation.

Prayer Points

1. Health that we can find a solution to the mould and that I get better.
2. That now the YWAM team has gone the kids won’t feel discouraged but empowered and will remember them for their faith as well as their friendliness.
3. That I can use the next 7 weeks as much as possible to advance in my Spanish.
4. For Sole’s cell group, that we will continue to have good discussions and questions about the Bible.
5. Thank God that the youth are enjoying learning about the story of Israel, and that they will continue to want to know more.
6. For the upcoming camp, that the youth will have fun, but also want to learn and read the Bible more.
7. The future; for wisdom in this area, that I would find the right opportunities and be guided to the right place.

Valentines Day

Hello! Its been a long week, with lots to tell!

This week the YWAM team arrived in the youth rehab centre. They are a team of 10 with people from Spain, Peru, Colombia, Brasil, Chile and Argentina. They have been doing a drama and devotion in our normal group times as well as joining in the workshops, (Woodwork, English, Gardening, I.T., and Cooking.) The kids have loved having them around, having chats, playing football and generally sharing their lives with them. It’s been good to see and be a part of. Please pray that the kids will be able to see something different in their lives, something that they too want.

I had a Spanish exam on Thursday, listening and writing, I haven’t got my mark back yet for writing but I got 75% for my oral, I actually got every question right, but took too long on a couple of questions. Shame! But just shows that when I listen properly I can understand everything! On Tuesday I have my grammar exam, please pray for me! This is the section that I failed last time and had to take again. My exam is at 6:30pm ARG time, 9:30pm UK time on Tuesday.

On Friday night I had a ‘Quince’, a fifteenth birthday party. Here in Argentina the girls become women at 15 and the boys become men at 18. So 15 is a big party for a girl, almost like the USA with the ‘sweet sixteenth’ parties. In the church here at this age you also are expected to have your confirmation. This ‘quince’ was a girl from the church called Gisel, she was dressed in a white ball gown style dress almost bride like. The party began with the ceremony where the pastors explained what a confirmation was, and then she said her vows and received a necklace to represent her pact with God. After the ceremony we had a dinner, three courses. Empanadas (mini Cornish pasties) then Chicken with rice and salad then ice-cream. After the dinner Gisel danced her ‘first dance’ with a boy from the church, a samba I think someone said! And then there was a ‘folkloric spectacular’ a traditional dancing show, where girls and a boy from the church were dressed in traditional dress. It was very well practiced and they were very good. Through the evening there were two bands, one Christian cumbia band (I can’t explain cumbia, its a genre of music we don’t have in the UK!) and the other the worship band from church. As the ‘quince’ was half ceremony half party we also had times of praise and worship through the night. Gisel presented her top 15 friends with a special present, of which I was one! And i had to go on the stage and light a candle for a photo with her! Then there was a kind of ‘throw the bouquet’ game where all the single girls (and me) had to go on the stage and pull a string from bowl at the same time, the girl who had the ‘15’ charm is the next to have romance, or something like that. The night in was really good fun but very tiring. It started at 10 o’clock at night and finished at 4:30am!! I left at 3 because I was absolutely shattered and most of the events had passed by then. It was great not just to go and be announced as one of her top 15 friends but also to see how this tradition plays itself out in my church.

God has been talking to me a lot this week, challenging me and strengthening me. Especially in the area of relationships, with people in my house, in the rehab centre and with people back in England. It is all very challenging at the moment but I am learning more and more about myself and about God. Pray for me in this area.

Photos

Check out my recent happenings with this link for some photos!!


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=273656&id=503367599&l=aba94357e7

Lunes 7 de Febrero

So this weekend I went to a Youth Camp with another 'Strider' with Latin Link called Alec. There we about 20 youth and 7 leaders. We had a great time playing games, chatting and generally mucking around!

One of the 'activities' which I loved, (but I would have liked it more if I didn't have to join in!) is that they had a rule that every time the youth pastor banged the pan lid you had to run to wherever he was and line up in your groups. There were points for the 1st 2nd and 3rd.. (100, 50, 25) that arrived and lined up properly.

This all sounds like a great idea, the YP used it to get everyone ready for meals, for announcements and worst of all.. to wake everyone up in the morning.. So you had to run out of your bed/tent in your pyjamas and line up.. It has to be said on Saturday morning my team lost because I refused to run outside to the street in my pyjamas.. (Sunday I put my alarm on before it went off and was ready to run!)

Other than this the teachings were great, all on Ephesians and the family of God, we had a great time with the youth, some christians some not. In my group of girls two became christians and are excited about carryon with the church, so thats very encouraging! Please keep them in your prayers, Cynthia and Luciana.

The only other thing I should probably tell you is that I won an award!! :D The award 'The incredible Hulk'... So basically on the saturday we had a game of tug of war. but with two ropes tied together to form an 'X' and with four girls, one girl per rope all trying to pass their line behind them.. The whistle was blown and I pulled as hard as I could... there was a scream and the girl opposite me flew towards me.. needless to say I won.. and now I have the title Incredible Hulk!! :D

Until next time!