on the road again...

What We're Reading/Viewing

A good deal of a Book of Hope internship is spiritual formation through book study and Biblical input. These are some of what we're digesting...

A Tale of 3 Kings - A great allegorical study on leadership, working under different types of leadership, and integrity in leadership. Kind of kicks you in the pants in a good way.

Barbarian Way - Encouraging believers to live an adventurous life for Christ and with Christ.

Nooma - Video series that brings across spiritual principles in postmodern fashion. We're hoping to go through these and the parallel study guides that go with them.

Scallywags and Mateys!

One of the terms we have used to designate our group here is "Scallywag". Upon meeting my interns, I felt a strong calling come over me that we must come after the order of pirates...and we have...and it's stuck. So, what better way to embrace your pirate-hood, than to take a little break walking around Toys-R-Us in search of gear. And yes, to those of you who were wondering, Toys-R-Us is just as obnoxious in Britain as it is in America.

A note on posting...

I spend quite a good deal of time updating my posts and laying out pictures in posts, and then previewing them multiple times to make sure they are posting correctly. But, inevitably, they post all crooked and crazy-like, IT DRIVES ME CRAZY. Which reminds me of that Fine Young Cannibal song. Plus, FYC comes from this area. So, i'll post there picture here for old times sake. And I'm sure it will post crooked.

Monkey's and Oatcakes and Beasts, OH MY!

When I get to talk to folks back home, they often ask how I am doing or what I am doing. Well, in general, Michelle and I spent a good part of September training our interns on Book of Hope, BOH presentations, history, you name it. Plus, our interns went through Missions classes and UCB orientation as well. But other than that, it's been alot of bonding and getting to know the area of Stoke-on-Trent...here's a bit about that...

Monkey Forest

For anyone who knows me, they know I am strongly passionate about certain things, and strongly DIS-passionate about others. Monkeys is one of the latter. I hate monkeys. Make me a t-shirt, 'cause I'd wear it proudly. But nonetheless, I am open to whatever is required to give my "kids" a fun-filled internship and experience with Book of Hope. In comes "Monkey Forest"...Britain's sanctuary for free-roaming primates...just a couple blocks from where I live...and a tourist site for all to see.

I learned a lot about Monkey's that day, with much help from the strategically placed signs.

All in all it was a random day...

Oatcakes

Italians are known for great pasta, American's for Cheeseburgers; but Stokies are known for their Oatcakes. That's right, a pancake like crepe made out of oatflour that you stuff with salty cheese and a bacony-ham thing. It's good, and a legend - the place we went to was affectionately named "Hole in the Wall". Here, you can queue (that means line up) outside a hole...in the wall...and receive your hot, salty goodness. This city is historically known for its Potteries - the place where all the fine china is made. But in reality, it's the oatcakes that keep people coming back! Kinda.

   

Mow Cop

Britain boasts some of the most renowned historical sites. Tourists come from far and wide to view famous paintings in museums, stand where famous people had their head cut off, or walk where famous poets coined their verses. In Stoke-on-Trent, we have a different scenario...a castle...that is not real...but instead fabricated...by a random man...as something pretty to look at in his backyard. And so, I give you MOW COP CASTLE. Of course, cheesy tourist sites lend themselves to cheesy picture opportunities.

Indian Food, Phase 10, The Two-for-One, ASDA and Mary Poppins

While Papa Randy was here, he took us out to Indian food, where we got a really large naan (Indian flatbread). Yummm. We also take turns in evil combat over a card game called Phase 10. It's ruthless I tell you. One can also find our crew down at the Two-for-One having tradtional English fair...fish and chips or pies...at only half the cost!

Or you might look for us at ASDA, Walmart's grocery store branch in the UK. Very similar to the Walmarts back home, complete with smileys everywhere, long lines, and hords of people...except, they cary lots of Fair Trade items...a lot. Finally, we had a chance to take in some Mary Poppins on the stage in Birmingham, England, about an hour away. It was fun, except for all the songs that are still stuck in our head.























The Beast

We also got to do all these fun things while riding around in our gas-guzzleing deisel SUV. We lovingly named it "The Beast". The Beast did not stay with us long as it was not very fuel efficient and too large for British roads.

Other than the above, there's not much to do here, because everything shuts down at 7pm. :(

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomater...

Well, it's been around 8 weeks since I've been here and I never introduced my interns to you! How rude of me. Soooo, without much delay, here's the bunch, from left to right: Shaun, Beka, Jesse, and Nathan. We find Beka quite brave being the only girl among a bunch of lads (that's British for "guys").

Shaun hails from Liverpool and is our honorary "Scouse" (that's slang for a Liverpoolian. He keeps us laughing as he is the youngest of the group ;). Shaun has been to Florida and randomly has been to my house with Leah Fuller when I was not there..hmm...odd.

Beka comes from Rugby....yep, you guessed it, the birthplace of Rugby the sport. She is taking a "gap year" (year off from schooling), to decide the next step, whether it be university or other avenues. She's interesed in journalism and has fit in real nice with the news and current affairs department of UCB. Again, she will be awarded a medal of honor at the end of the term for having to deal with the boys!

Jesse is from Manchester, but just recently finished a degree in Geography at Cambridge. He's done some radio work before, so some of this is old hat for him :). He also has secret dreams of being a master Par Cour artist (hehe). http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VK8P9GyPGDM

Nathan is from Essex near London. He is our intern with much "dramery" as he calls it. Nathan is currently producing a film "Bend it Like Beka" where he will detail the life of Beka the Baller as she puts soccer lads to shame with her master skills. Well, not really, but when bored, it's fun to think about.

Our "kids" are part of a dual internship with UCB and Book of Hope...currently they're focused on doing the radio side of things. So, they literally spend their days working for a Christian radio station in various departments. We also have some fun...occasionally...see the next blog. :)