My Year With Ignite

I know a lot of people will be asking this in the coming weeks, and I also know that it will be nearly impossible to give a full answer to everyone who asks. So I will try to answer this question and as well as any others I can anticipate.

How was your year in Wales?

I find it nearly impossible to answer this in a simple sentence. How would you sum up any past year of your life? There have been many ups as well as downs, I've learned much, and made many friends. Some things I wish I could do over and some things I wouldn't change for the world.

What did you do over there?

I interned with a youth ministry called "Ignite" based just outside of Cardiff, Wales. I worked in a variety of situations and with a variety of different people and groups.

I worked in the office with menial things occasionally, but I also wrote a number of devotionals, as well as a study on the subject of prayer.

I got to play with babies every week at a moms and tots group. This group, though it met at the church, was made mostly of non-Christian moms from the neighborhood of Tremorfa. There were moms from many different nations, languages and religions. Poland, Sri Lanka, China, and the Republic of Congo to name a few. I enjoyed playing with the little ones, as well as talking with the mothers. Even though there was often a language barrier, I found that if you ask any mother to talk about her child or ask her to teach you something in her language, they will open up to you in other ways as well. One lady has told me about her struggles to find time for anything outside of working and taking care of her daughters.

I helped run Sunday School in this small church in Tremorfa. Despite the church itself being so small, and most of the members being seniors, there is usually a large amount of children who show up without their parents to learn about Jesus. I also got to teach dance a time or two to these kiddos!


I helped run a couple of youth clubs during the school year. One in Tremorfa and the other in another part of Cardiff. For my American friends, a youth club is basically like a youth center/youth group, where we open up for an hour and a half each week and tell the kids about Jesus, and play around with them the rest of the time. We've done things like sports, baking, nail polish, dance nights, karaoke and quizzes. It was great to be able hang out with these kids and get to know them better. While I didn't get to witness any of our youth come to Jesus, I know that seeds were planted and that it's just a matter of time and Jesus for their salvation to come about.

I spoke at a nursing home every month or every few months, sharing with them what God had been sharing with me. I would bring in my violin and play some of the old hymns that we all love. It was often a challenge to come up with things to speak on, but then I'd find a way to shift what God had been teaching me to fit their situation. My last talk was on the topic of "God's not done yet."

I went to the church plant that Gary Smith (my boss) pastors, and I helped lead worship when I could. Sometimes it was every week, sometimes it was a few months spread between, but it's all about being available, right?

Now that's all that I did on a weekly/monthly basis. I also helped run events and courses for young people to help disciple them in their walk with God. At Ignite, it's not just about bringing kids to Christ, but rather walking with them after they've said "the prayer" and helping them along their Christian walk.

Did you learn anything while you were there?

I learned loads, but it can be difficult to sum it up in one post. In practicalities I learned how to do some of the legal things that it takes to do youth work. I've learned some more about the details of how to put on an event.

I've learned that the power of prayer is stronger and more vital to doing ministry than I had originally thought. I've learned that teamwork can mean the difference between chaos and order. I've learned that I apparently don't have a very telling face, so I need to be quite clear about myself so that people don't think I'm always angry ;)

On a faith level, I've learned that God will come through if He says He will. He was able to not only cover the cost of my moving to Wales for a year, but He did it with plenty of time to spare, praise God! I've learned that He really is my Rock and when things were difficult, I knew that He was the only thing that will never change in my life. I learned that God is really a huge part of my life, and even when I was in secular settings where people really don't expect you to talk about God, He was almost all I could talk about. It wasn't until I was in those situations that realized how much I rely on God and His Word to guide me through life. He wasn't just a topic that I tried to push, but a part of my everyday life and conversation. I didn't even realize just how much I trusted Him.

In some of the courses that I did as a part of my internship, I learned things like different ways to read the Bible. Like, try brainwashing yourself with the Bible. It sounds bad to say brainwash, but if the Bible is the absolute truth, then is there a better thing to be brainwashed by? I was reminded to practice hearing God's voice more; to exercise my hearing "muscles". I learned about how to be a servant leader; to submit to Christ in all that I do and to let Him lead through me. I learned about the importance of having a mentor, "running mates" and mentees, when on your Christian walk.

On a more personal level, I learned more about who I am in Christ and who He's called me to be. I learned more about the Father Heart of God and how He sees me. I learned that it takes being vulnerable with people to make the best and deepest friendships. I've learned that God can answer even the silliest sounding prayers; God gave me some of the best friendships this year than I think I've ever had. I learned that it takes stepping out in faith and stepping out of the boat in order to walk on water with Jesus. I learned more about my own faith just by writing the devotionals that I wrote when I was in the office. And even in the last days of being with Ignite, I was reminded to look at the brighter side to life. Since I naturally tend to look towards the negative, it has been a challenge, but I think this skill will definitely help at any stage of life. We've been blessed with so much, why must we find clouds with every silver lining? Maybe not bulletproof logic, but you get what I mean.

I worked with a lot of great people while over there and it was surely an experience of a lifetime!

The Subject of Home

Last month I was having a rough time. The thought of going back to the States terrified me. You see, while I was away my parents and younger sister had moved away from my hometown and the home I'd known since I was born. They'd moved so far away that it wouldn't be possible to visit my old church and friends, even once a month. This left me with the ever present question of where to go when I get back to the States: move to my hometown or move near my parents?

At the beginning of last month, I was mentally kicking and screaming, digging in my heels wishing I wouldn't have to leave this place that I've come to call home in Cardiff. But due to legal reasons, visas and such, I must leave. My emotions were everywhere as I tried to get everything done that I'd wanted to do in my time in Cardiff, as well as trying to see everyone before I left indefinitely.

I had been intentional about not making plans for after Cardiff until I was back in the States. I'd felt like God had been telling me to not make plans for afterwards because it would distract from what I was doing in the moment in Cardiff. I wanted to finish well. So I didn't make plans. And that scared me more than a little.

For the last few months, whenever I thought about going back "home" I felt like an astronaut, floating above the planet without really knowing where I would land. I felt like, if I didn't know where "home" was then I would have no gravity to pull me back to earth. I was afraid that I would forever be one of those people who remained unsettled and was always traveling. For the creature of habit that I am, the thought of never settling does not sound all that wonderful.

People were always asking me those dreaded questions: So where will you go back to? What are your plans for when you go back? I know these people were all well meaning and they were asking in a caring way, but the idea that I had no answer for them or myself was very scary. I wanted to know what was next too, but I had no plans.

But then, a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that I had a peace about it all. I had been asking friends to pray that I would have peace, so I can only assume it was God who had given it to me. I was able to face leaving with a level head and not feel like a small child rebelling against the inevitable. I've always known I couldn't stay.

But just last week, my last week in my beloved city, I had a new thought. My sweet landlady and my dear friend had thrown me a surprise going-away party! I love surprises and I have a special place in my heart for all who came to wish me well. It was in this time of sad goodbyes that I realized: I'm not a traveler without a home; I'm traveler with many homes! I had been so sad about leaving that I didn't recognize that this sadness wasn't because I'll just be leaving this city, but rather, because I'll be leaving this new home and friends that had been made here.

I might not know where I'm going in this next year, but I know that I now have at least 3 places that I can go home to. I know that as a traveler, and a follower of Christ, I can go to any of these places and expect open arms to welcome me. I don't know where I will live in the future, but I know where I can drop anchor and those are places where I've lived in the past. As a traveler, I can expect that I will be having many houses/flats in the future, maybe all in different cities or countries, but then I will have homes there too. I can feel welcomed when going back.

I know that I will miss my home in Cardiff, and I'm already missing the dear people I've come to know there. I will continue to pray for those I've met who have not met the Lord yet, and I will pray with those who are already my sibling in Christ. I'm glad to now know in my heart that Cardiff will always be another place that I can call "home".