Interview

So today I had my interview for The Message Trust for a place as a Reflex Intern in Manchester. The position includes working with another young woman about my age in a female prison with 18-25 year olds, and also occasionally working in a team in the young offenders male prison, helping in alpha groups. The female prison is in Styal prison. The average week would look like this:

Monday- Discipleship with older women (21yrs up)

Tuesday- Discipleship with young offenders (18-21yrs)

Wednesday- Office day to prepare sessions, resettlement work also done on wednesdays

Thursday- Workshop 'Life Skills' sessions. Working on the young offenders wing, doing arty creative workshops helping them to look at a variety of life skills.

Friday- one to one sessions with vulnerable women

Sundays once a month- Reflex run the service.

I am very excited about this opportunity, and really would like the position. The job appeals to me in many different areas, working with broken women using both my creativity and my theology teaching. Working in a pair day to day but also having the support system of The Message Trust as there are daily prayer meetings with everyone together. Having the flexibility of having taster days in other sections of The Message Trust, for example the social action work they do in Manchester council housing estates. I really want this opportunity, it is much more than I though it was when I first applied, and I am now excited about it. However I know I was not the only application for this job, so please pray that God will guide Hannah and Simon (the bosses of reflex) to make the right decision.

If this is where God wants me, this 'job' is after all an internship, and so it is not 'paid' rather they give you an allowance of £100 per week. Most of you know that this is not sufficient to cover my living costs, especially in a city like Manchester. So I am expected to raise monthly support to help 'keep' me. I would really appreciate your prayers over this too. I know that God will provide if this is where he wants me.

I will find out next week if I have the job!
Thank you!

Coming to the end....

So it is just 3 weeks left until I leave Salta.. Or should I say 2 weeks and 5 days.. and just 3 weeks and 2 days until I arrive in the UK (I have a couple of days in Buenos Aires and a couple of days travelling!) And I'm starting to become very volatile in my emotions, one minute I am longing to get on the plane and come home at this very minute and the next minute I'm almost crying at the thought of leaving this all behind!

Despite this I am ok, and I'm making the most of my last few weeks here in Salta. I leave here at noon on the 9th of April, taking a 16 (ish) hour coach to Buenos Aires. So my last Sunday in church will be the 3rd of April. I have organised to talk to the youth on the 2nd of April, my last youth service with them, I have been given the theme of Communion, so it will be interesting what I will do, in order to make it interesting (the youth really cant concentrate for very long).

My time in the rehab centre is really great, I've really built up some great relationships with the youth there and have been able to challenge and encourage a few of them in life situations and with God. The school in the centre is still getting going, and is having some problems in that the kids are finding it really hard to sit down to listen and learn, the school is running creatively and to the kid's different levels with classroom assistants etc. but it is still hard to keep their attention.

The carpentry workshop which runs in the rehab centre has really gone down well with the kids, and they all love making something with their hands, carving, chopping, sawing etc.. They all have their own projects that  they enjoy, ranging from carved coat hangers to benches, from treasure chests to bread bins! They are beautiful works of art which many of the kids have dedicated to their mothers, carving 'para mami' in their projects. Its one thing that can keep their attention for hours.

My Spanish work is going well, and I am now studying the subjunctive. I am really hoping I get to finish it before I come home, and so far it looks like I will be able to.

My mentor got back from Europe this week, it has been 3 months since I saw her, and it has been so good spending time together again. I've missed having her around in Salta, though we have been in contact throughout her travelling.

I still haven't heard from my applications in the UK, but I am hoping to in the coming week(s).

Prayer Points:

1. To make the most of my last 3 weeks in ARG, and for opportunities to share more of my faith.
2. For clarity and wisdom for my preach to the you in 2 weeks.
3. For the youth in the rehab centre to settle down more in classes and be able to learn.
4. Give thanks for the creativity of the youth in the rehab centre.
5. That I will be able to learn and retain the last few classes of the intermediate course.
6. Give thanks for the safe return of my mentor and for the next weeks we have together.
7. Pray that I would be able to find work that I enjoy soon after I get home.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, very much appreciated!

One month to go!!

I’m back! Sorry for the delay (as per usual) Last week I was in the far North east of Argentina bordering with Brazil. It was a little holiday with 3 other striders with Latin Link, we had to cross the border in order to renew our visa, and thought we would visit the Iguazu falls while we had the opportunity! They were amazing! Kilometres of falls and breath taking views.. I took 400 photos in 2 days! We spent one day on the Brasilian side and one day in the Argentinian side. The day on the Argentinian side of the falls I spent with my friend Naomi who is working in Cordoba, a province 8 hours south of mine, for the majority of the day we didn’t talk. (I know you are going to find that hard to believe...) We were either stunned to silence, busy taking photos, or posing for photos! It was a brilliant week, and a nice time speaking English and relaxing a little.

Other than my holiday to Iguazu , it is all change at the rehab centre, I started back today (there were two bank holidays here this week for the 4 day carnival) and we are all busy as there is now a new primary school in the afternoons for anyone who didn’t complete their studies (very common here) so there will be teenage mothers, olders adults and other teenagers who either cant afford a normal school (this school is free), cant afford childcare (free childcare included) or won’t be excepted into a normal school (all ages welcome). So this is really great news, also it is totally government funded, down to tea and bread for the afternoon snack! All of the teachers will be supplied by the government too. So we are all busy with the youth from the rehab coming at 9am and staying until 2 and half of these kids are staying on for the school in the afternoon, the other half either go home or attend a different school. The school finishes at 6pm. I will be continuing with my 3 days a week in the foundation, Tuesday Wednesday and Friday, and will there 8:30am-6pm on Tuesday and 8:30am – 1:30pm Wednesday and Friday.

My classes of Spanish are continuing, and I am coming to the end of the Intermediate course. I am very proud of what I have achieved; it is hard to imagine how little I knew when I arrived! I still have quite a bit to study this month as it I am studying the Subjunctive side of grammar, which is.. hard! Also I am worrying a lot about not being able to keep practicing my Spanish in England, in one week with my friends talking English, I forgot a lot of my Spanish, so I really don’t want to be spending months with no Spanish! If you know any Spanish Speakers in the North West please let me know!

As I now have just four and a half weeks left here in Salta I am starting to look to the future, in reality I just do not know what I want anymore! I am looking at many different options both here and in the UK, I have sent my CV off to a few jobs in the UK now. In the short term I am returning to the UK on the 13^th of April and spending at the very least until Christmas there! So don’t worry I will not be arriving and turning around again straight away. 

Prayer Points 

1.     Give thanks for the opportunity to spend time with English friends and relax 

2.     Pray for the new school, that the new teachers will fit in well with the Christian ethos. 

3.     Pray for my Spanish that I would be able to complete the course, and find opportunities to keep practicing in the UK. 

4.     Pray for my future, that God would guide me and give me wisdom to make the right decisions.