First of all, I had an incredible birthday last Friday. We all went to The House of Commons, which is an English tea room downtown. I had tea and a REAL scone (not one of those overly sweet triangular ones they sell at Starbucks) and jam and cream. I even met the owner, who used to live just south of the Lake District in England. It was great to hear an English accent after so long. I went to the Dry Bones picnic that afternoon, which is my f
avorite event, as I have mentioned. Later that night we went to support Zach, one of the Dry Bones staff, as he played and sang at a coffeehouse called Solid Grounds as a fundraiser to fight human sex trafficking. And he also randomly sang me happy birthday, roping everyone in the place into singing to me as well. One of my fellow interns, Jenny, even baked me a cake and brought it out with candles flaming in the shape of the number 20. I have never felt so old. Something about being in my second decade freaks me out. Anyway, it was an awesome day, and I think it ranks as my Best Birthday Ever. I only wish I could have seen my family as well, but my parents sent me a package with sweets and my sister sent me a card with photos of my nieces; can't get much better than that while I'm away!
My English birthday tea
Madison, Mark, and I are working with a youth group this week that didn't go up on the mountain; they're what we call a "city group" and they are one of two we will have this summer. We've been doing a bunch of stuff like picnics, movies, OJ Saves (older homeless outreach), and the Turf Tour, and tomorrow night we are going camping with them and some of the friends we've met here this summer. I'm really excited because I love spending time with all these people and because I haven't been camping in years!
So this week we have a total of three interns and one staff member up on the mountain with a completely different youth group, three of us interns and two staff members working with the city group, and the other three interns and two staff members doing city stuff separately before the mountain group comes down. It's taking all this separation from my co-interns and staff friends to make me realize just how attached I am to every one of them already. They are so willing to love in the way of Jesus that it inspires me to do the same. For me, it brings a new meaning to spurring one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24); it is as if the faith in which the love is lavished is the catalyst for my loving on others, and then perhaps this makes others want to love others, and so on. I don't even know if that makes sense, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.
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