Rest and Fresh Air in Saltburn

I am now writing from a lovely house in the Saltburn countryside owned by the Breen family, my friend Maren's (another ELCA volunteer) host family. I decided to take a short holiday away from the chaotic and busy nature of London and come here to relax for a few days. It has been very good to get away and have time to think and explore the beautiful English landscape. Saltburn is a small little village on the Northeast border between England and Scottland. It is a sleepy seaside town of 5,000 people who take life at there own pace.

With it being close to the 3 month marker of my adventure here in England, I have been thinking about where I have been and where I still have to go. I think there are some solid things that I have learned about myself which I more or less didn't expect. The first one is being confident in a large, worldly city and not being afraid. God has really pushed me in this direction of learning sucessfully not only the culture of a new country, but also learning the language and culture of an inner city ghetto. It takes a lot to not be overwhelmed by it all and to be able to break up all of the activity into chunks that can be sucessfully processed.

With the curve of learning culture, God has encouraged me to build confidence in meeting and relating to people. Infact, as of now, I think this piece of my job I like most of all. I love to go over to people's homes and hear their stories. There are SO MANY stories to be heard and to be told. It gives me courage and hope not only in myself, but in humanity when I hear of all the struggles that people have persevered through in Camden.

As with each thing to be proud of, there is also a new hurtle to cross and an opportunity to grow more. I feel like those challenges have presented themselves a lot over these last few days while I have had time to be on holiday. The biggest thing that I have realized more than anything is the fact of London making me more tense and highstrung in my everyday life. There are many things in my personality that I think lead to being more of a "tense" person. However, I have really begun to notice, esspecially since I have been in the slow-life of Saltburn, the realities of how the stresses of London affect a person in their behavior and faith.

Thus, when I go back to London tomorrow, it will be time to start thinking about opportunities to breath and truly be able to "listen to God". One thing I admire so much about the slowness of life in this community is their ability to really "be" and to "listen" to what God is doing in their lives. I feel like I don't have the time in my job to really "be". Of course this is the difference between big city and small village life and I don't expect to carry on the life of Saltburn in central London completley. However, I think that we all could learn a thing or two about this slow paced life of a village. Perhaps we would be more healthier in the long run.

Thus, as Thanksgiving approaches for the citizens of the United States, I will give thanks for many things in my life. I give thanks for the way that God has challenged me and changed me over these few months and where my faith will take me and challenge me in the coming year. I give thanks for my family and friends who have supported me through this entire journey. I give thanks for the church and all of the things it has done to promote justice, peace, and the gospel in this world. I give thanks for the people of Camden and all that they have taught me about living life. Finally, I give thanks for a world, though imperfect and conflicted, that still harbors hope.