Romans 12:9-13

Don't just pretend to love others.
Really love them.
Hate what is wrong.
Hold tightly to what is good.
Love each other with genuine affection,
and take delight in honoring each other.
Never be lazy, but work hard
& serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble,
and keep on praying.
When God's people are in need,
be ready to help them.
Always be eager to practice hospitality.

First week in Hoddesdon, England.

Hello friends, family, and random blog creepers,

I have now made it officially one week in Hoddesdon. It's been a busy but great week!

For all of you who havn't heard....I got detained, yes as in held at the airport for 7 hours. Now, this was great and terrible. Great first of all because I got to cross off "get arrested" of my bucket list. Also great, because in about 6 months, it'll be a really funny story. Terrible because it was scary and I had to get interrogated.

After my warm welcome, I took a few days rest and then started full force into Young Life. My very first day on the job, we went to Thorpe Park, which is an amusement park, and it was a great time to meet some of the kids and get to know a few of them...and obviously ride some rollercoasters. That's what's up.

On friday, we had a pre-camp party for the young lifers who were going to camp, Mexican fiesta themed and everyone had to wear mustaches. I'm sure all you hipsters out there will love that part.

The weekend, I spent in Hertford with Jack and some of my wonderful Hertford friends. It was good to seem them, hang out and go to church. On monday we had campaigners (a bible study), which was good too. The kids got to make videos on how God has impacted their lives, great to get them thinking and good time to get to know them better.

Yesterday (tuesday) which is our usual club night we had a special event...MATTRESSTASTIC! Yes, it's every bit as wonderful as it sounds. Games with mattresses, including twister, blindfolded walks and a mattress toss. The kids got covered in everything from paint to baked beans; the night then finished off with a bonfire. It was an amazing night and the kids really had a blast. There are some great pictures of the event that hopefully will be put up on fb soon.

Even though it's been a very busy first week, I've had plenty of time to already fall in love with Hoddesdon. The young life here is different than anything I've seen, it's really unique and incredible. The young life kids are fantastic, energetic, and very involved. The work that God is doing here is so evident and he is clearly changing lives through it. I'm honored to be a part of it for 3 months, and hopefully permanently!

Psalm 150 v 1-6

Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise him with dance and banjo;

Let every living, breathing creature praise the LORD!
Hallelujah!

“It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself.”
— John Piper