A Little-Big Life Update

I've sort of fallen off the whole blogging train in the last few months, and there are a few reasons for that. In short: life has gotten really busy! Which is great. Time spent writing is something that I really enjoy but I don't enjoy anything more than spending time with people and making memories. And that's exactly what I've been doing. For those that would love to know where I've been and what's been happening, keep on reading... you know you want to...

Work  So, I now have a job! #adulting I'm working for a children's charity in Kent. A charity that I had the joy of gap-yearing with last year and really couldn't picture myself leaving. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to stay, working with some awesome people and doing some great work, for a few more months.  With my contract being only short term, maternity cover for a friend, I've been putting more and more thought into where I might like to end up career-wise and how I can focus on my path to getting there come June. I'm still not much closer to knowing where to go, but I'm thinking about it. I work part-time and for the most part this has been manageable for me. I've recently changed my hours around a little to suit my fatigue better and my body is currently adjusting to that. It's panto season! Which means all staff based in the same office as me have stopped their collective worship assemblies and their clubs to focus solely on being their inner wise men and shepherds. Amongst other roles I'm playing donkey this year, which is so much fun in a care-free yet humiliating way! I have completely removed myself from my comfort zone to be a part of panto this year and that's been so rewarding - I've reminded myself that I really can do whatever I set my mind to and sometimes, like panto, those things can bring more joy and make more amazing memories than I could've ever imagined! All whilst bringing the greatest birth story ever to so many children and teachers.

Home (Mon, Tues, Wed) The first half of my week, every week, is spent living in the town of my workplace. Here I stay in the spare bedroom of some friends of mine. In October I hit the one year mark of staying with these beautiful people and it's been great - I'm so happy I get to stay a few more months and I'm so grateful for their constant hospitality, friendship, and support. In this first part of the week I share my bedroom with a pretty cute roommate, Tortellini the Tortoise. The patterns on his shell are so gorgeous and he loves teasing Rupert (the cutest dog around) into chasing him. Rupert is a miniature labradoodle who's currently learning so much in trick training - prayers and cuddles are our favourites right now! It's safe to say I'll be back to visit both the animals and the humans of this household lots once I've moved out!

Home (Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun) The second half of my week is spent at my parents' home. I spend most of my time resting which can get really boring really quickly without a hobby or good Netflix series to watch.  Recently I've started getting into pyrography (burning pictures and words into wood) so that keeps me busy on days that I can't do much or make too many plans. I'm attempting to learn some Spanish in my spare time and really hoping to pick up my guitar a little more. If you're interested in my arty side of life, follow me on Instagram @amywaltersart or facebook.com/amywaltersart.

Mexico I'm off to Mexico again in April and this year I'm part of the Core Team Support Group which means I get to be a part of the wider parts of the trip - the beforehand stuff. I'm helping with the graphics and communication, with my most recent task being to write a letter and make a flyer to go out to all group leaders. In Mexico I will be heading up the Kids Team. I'm really excited to do this again, knowing that it will look different to the past couple of years because the sites we're building on dictate the way the kids club works. I'm already thinking about different games and activities we could do with the children and I'm ready to learn so much from them too. Whilst we're out there I will also be helping to run some prayer sessions/activities with a friend of mine. We have no idea how this will look but we're so excited to see God moving in everyone's lives! Dad and I have been busy fundraising for Mexico, enlisting the help of mum and Becca and a number of close friends! I can't thank you all enough. Our most recent success has been a craft fair event which we organised ourselves. With a little bit of knowledge and a whole lot of Facebook connections, the event was a huge success and raised over £800 for 2 great charities (of which one was ReBuild Mexico).

That about sums up where I am right now and what I've been up to. I'm ever-grateful for good friends (new and old) for their constant support and friendship - we have so much fun! God bless you all in this festive season, and may those of you who find this time of year tough find your hearts filled with endless joy and love, Amy xo

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Why Mexico?

- Tomorrow I'm flying out to Mexico with my family and some friends. In Mexico we will be building a house, along with a group of people from Plymouth. There will be 3 other builds taking place at the same time, being built by people from all around the UK. We will all be eating together, praying together, camping together and hearing about each other's progress throughout the builds. The building will take 5 days and we will also spend a day either side of the build in Mexico to set up and pack down camp, and to hand over the keys to the families. -

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"Why help people abroad when those on our own doorstep, in our own country, need help too?" The number of times I've heard this response to mission work abroad is countless. So I thought I'd write an open response to anyone who has thought about this question before or to anyone who has no idea how to respond to this kind of question but would like to. -

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There are people in the world who need help and there are people in the world who can help. In fact, I'm sure we could go as far as to say that everyone needs help and everyone can help. You see, the help we all require is different and relative. One woman needs help getting a job, whilst one woman needs help getting to and from her job. One man needs help with childcare, whilst another needs help and support after the loss of his child. Sometimes the help we require can be a long and seemingly never-ending list. Does that mean the list isn't worth denting? Checking some things off is surely better than none at all.  - What can you offer to someone who needs help? A friend is struggling to stretch their finances to the end of the month, could you bless them with a meal? Perhaps you are that friend that needs help financially, so could you invite a friend over for coffee and encouragement? Perhaps you are that friend that needs a shoulder to cry on and a whole heap of encouraging, could you smile at someone in the street to give them a warm and hopeful feeling that everything is going to be okay? Perhaps you are that person who needs a smile, could you bless a family with a meal? These small acts of love really do make the world go round. Not everyone can give everything, and not everyone needs everything but it becomes a beautiful cycle when we all give what we can to the people that need it. - There are opportunities around us every single day to help people locally and, occasionally, the opportunity might arise for you to help someone further afield.  A project abroad has a much bigger impact than the obvious: blessing one family with one house, blessing an orphanage with supplies and volunteers, etc. The 'help' reaches so much further. For the people who receive some help, they get a weight lifted off of their shoulders - an item ticked off of the list of things that they need help with. They feel loved and supported, and they feel safe. For the people embarking upon the adventure, they come home with a fresh new perspective on life, family, and what it means to be happy. They work towards helping a problem much bigger than they can imagine, empowering them to know that they can make a difference in people's lives back home too. For the people at home who have cheered them along, they get to see the fruit of their own hard work and support, which in turn encourages them in knowing that they are valued, needed, and that they have purpose. I could go on!  - Sometimes, no, all the time, the project is about the people. The people who need help, the people who give, the people who are inspired. The people. We're all people on earth in search of love and happiness, purpose and direction. So, let's get the ball rolling! Start helping out and start asking for help this week. - Why Mexico? To make love look like something for all of the people involved. - See you on the other side! Expect a picture-filled post in a fortnight's time! - Amy xo -

Lent / Love

Image Source: Google

This year for lent I've decided to do two things, and one of these makes me very happy indeed!
The not-so-interesting one of the two involves McDonald's. I've given up all McDonald's and alternative fast food outlets until Easter. That's the bit that tests my patience and self-control. Especially with these hot days - a Dairy Milk McFlurry and Fanta would go down amazingly in this unexpected sunshine! The second is as much fun for me as I imagine it is great for the people involved. Each day I'm sending an encouragement to whoever is on my mind. Be it a short and sweet message in the hope it gives them a reason to smile, or a longer and deeper message, encouraging them that who they are is great! It's the love within these messages that I think shows God's heart most. It's great to give stuff up for lent - to sacrifice something and work on making yourself a more patient and self-controlled being. But where is the love? Jesus died because he loved us. To quote a great children's Bible: 'it wasn't the nails that kept Jesus to the cross, it was love.' Surely lent should be about love too?
I've loved loved loved the responses that I've had from people - just a simple message and some thought from me has helped to make their day that little (or a lot?) bit better. I've slacked off a bit these last few days so I'll be sending a week's worth of messages tonight but that's an exciting task to look forward to.
Here's to a great Easter, and a love-filled lent in the days before, 
Amy xo

Deeper Than Music

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It's a Friday morning, a much-needed day off, and I would love to be told: "Open your eyes, it's the weekend, and great things are going to happen". But unless I scroll endlessly through Facebook memes and 'cute text quotes' to find my motivation, there's very little chance someone is going to know exactly what I want to hear. Except... this Friday I woke up with a song in my head: 
'Wake up it's a beautiful morning, the sun shining for your eyes... so wake up boo, there's so many things for us to do, things that we can do-o-o'
Surely, in other words, I'm waking up hearing 'open your eyes, it's the weekend, great things are going to happen' and more than that... 'it's a beautiful day for doing things together!' So recently I stumbled across this new way that God likes to communicate with me! And it's a way that I love; He definitely knows how to talk to me during the day when I'm tired and just not up for conversation. And He talks (sings) to me in a way I love to listen.

Image Source: Quote Fancy

M U S I C The thing with these moments is that they can't be forced. A song just pops into my head and then I notice it. A couple of weeks ago, I was hearing...
'Girl put your love on me, and I won't let you down, and we will be singing'
 ...over and over and over again in my head until I noticed the lyrics. It was in the lyrics that I could take this message even deeper. Deeper than the music. A quick Google search of the Bible led me to these words 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you' and 'the Lord your God is with you... He... Rejoice(s) over you with singing'. So, it's biblically sound - If I put my love on God, He won't let me down and He loves to sing with me. So I can forget these fancy words like 'forsake' and 'rejoice' and remember God's promise to a catchy tune: 'Girl put your love on me, and I won't let you down, and we will be singing'. So maybe your thing isn't music, maybe it's TV, art, or nature. Seek motivation in those things because they're in your language, you notice them every day naturally. As a tree goes through seasons, so do we - sometimes we need to let go of our leaves and after that we blossom. As a paint brush splashes colour onto a blank canvas, so can we - splashing colour into the lives of people who feel bare and empty. If TV is your thing, find motivation in those scenes you love! 

Image Source: Pinterest

Find your thing and explore it! Discover what keeps you going, what motivates you, and what your language is! If you want to hear from God, ask Him to reveal things to you in your own language, and then forget about it! Things will just pop out at you in the middle of your weekly shop, during your drive to work, or any other time of day (or night). Roll with it and enjoy the ride. Okay, that's me done rambling for today...
"You are the music in me... To hear your voice, above the noise, and no, I'm not alone. Oh, you're singing to me"
Amy xo
(Who doesn't love a Disney finish!)

One Month On...

Where am I now?
I moved out of my first home a few weeks ago, and moved in with another family. And today I moved into a new room in this house! A constant adventure :)

I'm officially no longer the newest person to join the office because we had a lovely member of staff start working with us today.
I'm feeling totally blessed with my job, my colleagues, my temporary home, my friends, RE:FUEL worship night events, etc.
I'm extremely upset about what is happening in Calais right now so I'm constantly looking out for what I can do to help practically whilst helping to increase the awareness of the awful things that the media are not circulating.
I'm excited for a mini adventure soon to a European country with my sister early in 2017!
I'm hoping to do a bit more photography between now and Christmas - my camera hasn't been used for such a long time.
I'm thinking about my future shipping container home - I've constantly got my eye out for genius space-saving ideas and a piece of land to build upon (if you've got some land you'd like to lend me whilst I build it, I'd be ever so grateful!). 
I think that's about all for now! Loads of love,
#bethelighttonight
Amy xo 

How To Fly The Nest

Image Source: Google

'T o   F l y   T h e   N e s t' - (Of a young bird) leave its nest on becoming able to fly. 1.1 informal (Of a young person) leave their parents' home to set up home elsewhere.

Having moved out almost a month ago, I've gained some fresh wisdom on leaving the nest. It's an adventurous task and one I chose to see as something really positive. I'm writing out some of my experiences in this post partly for your benefit but mostly for mine - so that I can look back and show my kids what I was up to! 
P a c k i n g: I began scribbling down a list of things I needed to pack just a few days before I left. Once I'd 'finished' the list I went to bed and woke up with 20,000 more items I'd forgotten to write down! It was a weird process deciding what I would need and realising how much stuff I use throughout the week. It was also the perfect opportunity to leave, at home, the stuff that I didn't use all that often, making my new room so much less crowded and easier to tidy! I packed my stuff into beautiful boxes which have become my storage in my new room. Eliminating the idea of 'living out of a suitcase' for a year!

T h e   M o v i n g   I n   D a y / W e e k: I met my host family on the Thursday, moved in on the Sunday, and started work on the Monday. I really had no time to panic, I had jumped in at the deep end and started to swim. All that was new was an adventure for me! Everything that got thrown at me that would usually make me panic, I chose to see as a new adventure: an opportunity to embrace something new. I chose to get excited and rejected worry; I was leaning fully on God.
This first week started very differently to my first week at my internship last year. This year I knew who I was and I went straight in as myself, not as shy as before because I know that God has chosen this place and season just for me. Last year I was constantly scared of not being 'liked' or 'accepted' that I cowered away so only a select few got to know me. I've learnt that that doesn't allow freedom to reign. So this year is a whole new ball game.
E n j o y i n g   T h e   R i d e: Two weeks were spent 'enjoying the ride': I made new friends, met loads of exciting and influential people, realised amazing connections, and embraced new activities. I tried a bit of an assembly ready for my first 'full assembly' in my third week. I got stuck in with after-school clubs and loved helping S in the office with the admin and organisation side of the charity. Totally content with the blissful journey I was on, I felt at 'home' already. 
(M e e t i n g)   K e y   P e o p l e:
You hear all of the time that a big life change shows you who your true friends are... But what if a big life change brings you key people? I'm still back in my 'hometown' every weekend seeing my good friends and making great memories. I have made use of the internet and kept in touch with so many friends. But I've also been blessed with some key people in my new town who are keeping me grounded. Big life changes don't eliminate friends, they add new ones!
A   S p a n n e r   I n   T h e   W o r k s:
Week three and four have thrown various things at me. My adrenaline levels have dropped causing the re-introduction of my high levels of fatigue and pain. I've visited the doctor about a problem that has progressed in my knee and been referred for an MRI. My amazing host family and I have come to the joint decision that it isn't right for me to stay here for now, so I will be moving out this weekend.

M o r e   A d v e n t u r e   A w a i t s:
Never a dull moment, I now have more adventures to get excited about!
* I'll be moving in with a colleague on Sunday night *
She is brilliant, has a lovely husband, a gorgeous dog, and a chilled out tortoise. I'll be staying there for a few weeks until somewhere more permanent is found for me.
* I'll be starting a course on youth mentoring *
* I'll be doing more assemblies with new people *
* We will start planning the Christmas Panto *
That's all for now!  A few ramblings about month number 1 in a new town,

Amy xo

The BIG Move!

So, I did it. I moved out.  ...sort of. Following a new job position, I have packed up and moved homes to a different town during the week. From Sunday night to Friday afternoon every week I will be at my new home, whilst coming back to see my family at weekends.

Image source: Google

If you were to tell me 5 years ago that this was coming I'd have run into my mummy's arms screaming 'please don't let me go!' In fact, if you'd have told me this 6 months ago I'm not sure that my reaction would have been too dissimilar from that! But still, here I am.
When I ponder how I ended up here, it's a pretty amazing story* (see the end of the post for the details). If you don't fancy reading the ins and outs of my 'adventurous' life then trust me when I say that so many loose ends have fused together this summer in an explosion of love, faith, and excitement!

Not only has there been a BIG move in terms of accommodation, town, and job, there has also been a BIG move of God in my heart and mind. I've felt so much peace, entirely God-given, and I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy this season after a few seasons of disappointment and grieving.
I have taken that leap of faith so now I am reaping the rewards and it's such a beautiful process. If you find yourself right now in a season of doubt, distress, and fear - fear not! For He is with you, He is laying the path out ahead of you. In fact, the path is already laid, slowly and bit-by-bit He is illuminating that path to you. Do you have the courage to take the next step?
NEVER let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. What's keeping you from playing the game?

Take it to God, ask Him for help, ask Him for the specifics! He's waiting to give you what you need, and He loves to hear you speak to Him. No prayer is silly! I prayed with my parents that I wouldn't see a spider when looking around my new home and bedroom last week. Lo and behold I saw no spiders, and my first 36 hours here were spider free! When one joined me at work today, I was totally cool with it and let him sit on the beam next to me all day! If that's not a God-given peace then I don't know what is! Keep on asking and keep on trusting! Keep the faith. You can do this; He loves and cares for you.
Here's to many happy memories and encouraging challenges and so much joy!


* the ever-so-slightly-longer-and-more-explanatory story:
Born Started going to summer kids camps every year as a leader's child Got a sister Went to nursery Moved house Started school Attended Girl's Brigade Went to church Became house captain in year 6 Went as a youth to the summer kids camp, in my own dorm Started secondary school Moved church Started youth group Helped out with school community production/panto (4 years running) Started doing more talks at youth group Ran a charity campaign at school resulting in a 1000 balloon launch Spoke in assemblies at school Got baptised Took my GCSEs Got a piece of art selected for exhibition Became an older junior youth leader (helping to run clubs) Took my A-levels Ran a summer youth camp (4 day event) Became deputy community captain Ran the community panto show set design! A year-long internship: kids and youth work Ran another summer youth event (one whole day) Started up monthly youth worship nights (June 2016 onwards) Approached by my new work place Moved out Started my new job
My new job includes: running after-school clubs, running assemblies, youth mentoring, preparing Christmas panto (inc. set design), planning and being a leader at the summer kids camp (week long), doing prayer spaces in schools (arty space + prayer).
If you have a look at what I've done and what I'm now doing, you'll see that so many of my skills and so much of my experience is being utilised this year and for that I am so excited! There's so much more I could mention too; many more of my interests and hobbies come into play in my job for this academic year.

Yay! Be blessed, 
Amy xo

It's time to shine

Orbit Advert 2016

I was really uncertain whether to write and explore this blog post, let alone publish it. But in that indecisive moment I saw a chewing gum advert. "It's time to shine" boomed out from the TV. So, here I am. *I have no idea what chewing gum has to do with shining a light, though?*

Basically, this post is about my face. Read on. Over the past year, in particular the past 4 months, I've seen a real shift in my thought patterns towards my face. To give some context and explanation I'm going to use some examples. 2015: *wakes up for school*, *sees face in mirror*, *can't bare to look*, *covers it in make up*, *checks out face in mirror*, *thinks 'decent'*, *goes to school* Late 2015: *wakes up for school*, *too tired to look in mirror and put on face*, *goes to school*, *gets asked if I'm ill because I look really pale*, *wishes I put make up on*, *feels sad*

Image source: Google

Early 2016: *wakes up for work*, *sees face in mirror*, *thinks I'm doing the world a favour by covering up those bags under my eyes*, *puts make up on*, *feels like that was a lot of effort*, *envies the majority of the male species for not needing make up*, *goes to work* Late 2016: *wakes up for work*, *doesn't even look in mirror*, *goes to work*, *feels happy* Where did the shift happen?! Somewhere in 2016 I stopped seeing my face for all its flaws and started loving it for what it is. I've got a young face - granted I still get IDed for Strepsils, and they triple check my ID in Spoons, but when I'm 50 and looking 30 I'll be glad of it! At least I don't look old enough to get stopped in the streets to take surveys yet!

The point I'm really trying to get down to is that just a year ago I had so much dislike for my face and now I'm full of love for it! It's a fabulous feeling. From an artistic perspective I still love, love, love plastering my face in make-up and subtly contouring it into a different shape, adding eyeliner and finishing with lipstick until I reach Barbie status.

I absolutely love the 'imagination, life is your creation' line in Barbie's song. Life is all about imagining and creating! And something great about make up is the opportunity to imagine and create art on a real life face - it's art that moves and speaks.
I found very little freedom in forcing myself to wear make up every day, however. It became a time-consuming, mundane, unimaginative experience every morning. I was starting the day conforming to what I thought pleased others: a face with the least amount of flaws possible. But what I really owe the world is a happy face! A face that beams joy and light. At the moment I'm happiest without make up on when I'm out and about. I feel more myself and I'm without the added worry that an itchy eye will cause a smudged wing. I wish I knew the perfect formula for what shifted inside of me. I can only pinpoint it to an amazing God who created this face in the first place and an encouraging friend who speaks truth from her lips. She tells me I'm beautiful until I believe it, helps me to love myself when I'm not feeling it, and shows me I'm great when I don't see it. If you're fortunate enough to have one of these friends, hold on to him or her! Perhaps you are that friend to some people - keep going. If not, I'm telling you right now, yes you the one reading this, that you are beautiful in every single way! You were created by an almighty creator who doesn't make mistakes. You are amazing.  Read it until you believe it. It's true. You're so stunning. On Saturday night last week I went out to a party. With it being a party, we got dressed up, and I decided I was feeling creative. So I did my hair and make up. As soon as the make up was on, I wanted to take it off. I'd made the art, created something new, loved it, and then wanted my real face back. The face I had been wearing for the last 3 months was now hiding!  Upon returning from the party I was so happy to wash my face! It was one of the best feelings.

Saturday night's 'artwork'

Clean face, happy face

Please don't get me wrong here: if you wear make up and it's who you are then that's awesome! We love that about you too! If you don't wear make up and don't enjoy doing make up either and that's who you are, that's great! We love that about you too! See, we're all different. It turns out that wearing make-up isn't for me, in my life, right now. Contrary to what I thought it isn't even part of who I am. I'm much happier now that I've been encouraged to fall in love with my bare face. I think that's about it for now,  Amy xo

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Image source: Google

"If at first you don't succeed, fly, fly again" Someone asked me recently why I long to have children when I'm older. At that exact moment a young girl, about 2 years old, wobbled passed to run to her dad whilst giggling the cutest giggle. "See, how could you not want one of those?" I exclaimed. He replied that in reality kids are messy, annoying, stressful, dependent, and require a lot of effort and sleep sacrifice. I was stumped for an answer back to that. I left feeling a bit hard done by God that I was aching for something that could cause me so much stress for, supposedly, very little happiness. This guy doesn't have children himself and isn't against having children, he was just talking through some of his factual observations. As I processed this confusion for myself I was blessed to be spending the day with the most adorable 3 year old girl, F. Granted I didn't have to wake her up, wash her, get her dressed, make her breakfast, pack her a lunch, and keep her happy on the drive to the event all before 930am. But I did get the blessing of looking after her throughout the day! It was one of those blessings that you look back on and realise just how amazing life can be! The joy that F carries is indescribable because it is an untainted joy from God! I've recently found myself stuck in bed, in pain and too tired to do anything. I turned to trusty Netflix and found myself some encouraging films to watch. As tempting as those chick-flicks are, there's nothing that beats a U rated film featuring children who have such a strong spirit of determination! They are not tainted by the world.  Paper Planes, as pictured above, was one of the great films that I found - about a boy who keeps pushing on even when his dad loses interest, especially when his dad loses interest in fact! Kids use what discourages any normal adult to instead fuel them to strive for more! It's so beautiful!

Another film I found was called 'An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars'. I highly recommend this as a feel-good and motivating, yet easy-to-watch film - perfect for those days in bed where you cannot fathom doing anything beyond sitting and watching, and even that proves a chore. This film, about a girl who faces every stumbling block at once but triumphs and finds true friendship, is oozing wisdom. Children are full of great things - take some time to draw it into your own life - it's refreshingly fun - how would you feel if you suddenly start to find children's activities bring you the joy they brought back when you were young?
And that's why children are great - they're the closest they'll ever be on this earth to being who God made them as. Perfect. Children are the closest to perfect! Why wouldn't you want to hang out with them?!

I used to see fun, then I saw a plain slide, and now I see adventure again! #childmindsarebetterthanadultminds

I can't see that hashtag catching on, but maybe adults having more fun with the mundane will happen one day! Is it only children who can make a house out of a cardboard box? I don't think so! Until next time, I'll be chilling in my cardboard box house, Amy xo

Moonlit Adventures

Since the last time I wrote (which was my A>Z of Thanks) I've spent my days trying to be more positive. I can feel a shift happening and I can feel that the more I focus on the positive, the happier I feel and the happier I feel people are feeling when they are around me. I had gotten myself into this negative spiral of being unhappy which was I felt was making other people feel unhappy so I was more unhappy, etc. My usual tact to making myself feel happier is to lift someone else up, do something for them and see them happy - that's what fuels me! So seeing people unhappy and thinking that I was always the cause and feeling like I couldn't do anything to help was de-fuelling me to the max! Little did I know that I needed to start with me and start working through some negativities: Why does it upset me? Can I do anything to make it better? Is it worth worrying about? Being open with myself about my feelings has meant that I can feel happiness a whole lot more and I know a lot more about what will make me happy! That is something that I never want to lose.

Image Source: Google

On Thursday night I sat in the car as mum drove me passed the edge of the beach on our way to visit my sister. This was a spontaneous trip and one that required very little energy (my family are quite forgiving on days when I'm in a lot of pain and have just a small amount of energy, thank you guys!). As we drove passed the sea wall, I pictured what lay behind: A long strip of pebbles that turned into soft, fine sand further down the beach; the sea lapping at the shore line, rolling pebbles back and forth; the sunset reflecting off everything that it could: the sand, the pebbles, the sea, the boats. I couldn't help myself and I exclaimed to my mum 'do you know what I really wanna do one day?!' *pause* 'I want to sit on the beach with some friends as the sun goes down and wait until it's completely dark before going for a swim!' She thought I was crazy, and so did I... until last night.  Yesterday I played golf with some friends to celebrate JP's birthday. We chose the driving the range as the activity for the afternoon. 

Photo credit: MT

Following our little golfing experience we headed back to my house for fajitas and profiteroles before we were due to meet more friends at the pub at 8pm. It was here that someone exclaimed we should go to the beach after we've been to the pub. Initially I was not game, I definitely wanted sleep more than I wanted an adventure. But it was JP's birthday after all and he got the final say. The pub gathering was a lot of fun! It was poo-stories-galore! With a nurse and a nursery worker sat around the table with us, we heard of some interesting experiences. As the pub gathering drew to a close, we said our goodbyes, hid JP's car, and continued laughing as we went our separate ways. For some, they headed home. For the 6 of us, the night was just beginning. The sun had set and the moon and stars were out. A quick drive down the road, whilst singing along to All Sons and Daughters, landed us at our nearest pebbled beach. There are no words for what happened next! It hit midnight and we went swimming, in the sea! The water was warmer than expected, calmer than anticipated, and more fun that I could ever describe! The only light source, bar a couple of dim streetlamps, was the moon's solid reflection on the water. Thank goodness MS decided not to swim. She grabbed our hoodies and keys as the tide came in and moved them out of the water's path. If you've never been swimming in the sea at midnight, or when it's dark for that matter, do it! Add it to your Adventure List, or your Bucket List, or every single list you ever make. Just make sure you do it one day!

Post-swim selfie

We dried off and drove off, but we weren't going home just yet. We went up onto the hills and sat in the cars, in the quiet. Processing what had just happened and enjoying the calm euphoria that had overwhelmed us all. Amy xo

A Heart For Adventure🛩

Picture source: Google

Recently I've discovered that I have a big passion for adventure! A huge longing to explore new things, new places, new skills, new people.
It explains why, when sat at the job centre last Monday morning, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. There are so many things that I love doing and so many things that I have the skills to do. Sometimes these don't cross over, at least not for now, and that's more than okay. So I've spent the last week sorting out and discovering what I love and what I'm good at. With there being so many options, I don't want to end up stuck in once place forever, doing the same thing day in and day out. Every day of my life is destined to be an adventure.

Picture source: Google

It turns out that I love travelling. It's not something that I've never thought about in such depth before but it's definitely something that I love. From my trip to Mexico to build a house, to visiting my grandparents in France, to spending the day exploring new parts of a familiar beach - I love it all.
Just a few days ago a special friend took me out to London for an adventure to celebrate my birthday. All I knew was that I was to be at the station for 9.15am and that I needed to pack the usual items for the good old British weather - suncream, sunglasses, a raincoat - you get the idea.

We've always joked about finding a boat train after one of our friends accidentally exclaimed 'all aboard the boat train' instead of 'all aboard the banter train'. My first surprise of the day was travelling by boat to our next destination. It truly was a boat train through the centre of London! What more could a girl want?! We enjoyed a sunny picnic in the middle of Hyde Park - that was the next part of the surprise! And laughed in the pouring rain. What's amazing about adventures like this is that you just have no care in the world about the small things - the water-logged shoes, the soaking wet hair, the lack of sunshine. None of it matters because what matters most is the adventure being experienced with someone you love by your side.
So no matter where I end up and what I end up doing, I pray that it's full of adventure. I want to leave a sparkle wherever I go and I want to go to many places, whilst always having somewhere to call home, some people to call friends, and Jesus by my side.

Picture source: Google

That's all for now, Who knows what's coming around the bend!?
Amy xo

Disability is not inability.

Background from Google. Words added.

This is what the world says: To be   b l i n d   means you can't   s e e. To be   d e a f   means you can't   h e a r. To be   m u t e   means you can't   t a l k. To be   p a r a l y s e d   means you can't   m o v e.
This is what I see: L i s t e n   up; being   b l i n d  brings super powers. S e e,  being   d e a f   brings super powers. D a n c e   in celebration; being   m u t e   brings super powers. S h o u t   it out; being   p a r a l y s e d   brings super powers. Some of these super powers have been scientifically proven, some are observations and ramblings. Those who are blind have heightened senses: touch, sound. This is much the same for those who are deaf: with greater sight, smell. Those who are paralysed can shout and do great things. Those who are mute can dance while others sing.
We. Must. Stop. Focussing. On. Our. Limitations. Although there is a big help in rehabilitation, we still need to see the good in every situation.
All of our super powers are different. I'm talking about those who can draw, those who can paint, those who can talk, those who can listen, those who can sing, those who can dance, those who can count, those who we can count on, those who... We can all create. We can all love.
Love yourself.
You're amazing.
You are doing amazing things.
You're achievements and goals are good, they don't compare to the aspirations of other people because they shouldn't be the same. You are not the same. No one is the same.
Realise that everyone is unique. See the good in each of your friends and celebrate milestones with them!
Speak truth. Do not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of the blind. Instead lift them up and rise with them.
In the same way we shouldn't dismiss young people for their age, let's not cast out old people either.
Take heart, have courage... He's living in you. - Dave Miller

Picture: Google. Lyrics: Dave Miller, Vineyard UK

Here's to living out a Kingdom life of love and encouragement,
Amy xo

Ref: Leviticus 19:14, Psalm 71:9

¿dónde está mi piña?

Emma Matthews' Photography

Hola lectores!  I'd love to say that I've returned from Mexico fluent in Spanish but, alas, that just isn't the case. So luckily for you my blog posts will still be in English*.
About the only phrases I learnt or used were:
Casa | House Baño | Toilet Me gusta | I like Hola | Hello Adios | Goodbye Dios | God  ¿dónde está mi piña? | Where is my pineapple?
That last phrase was definitely said the most within our ReBuild team. The story behind it is simple yet hilarious. Emma and myself were on site for kid's club. It was the first kid's club of the week so there were only a few children around before word got out. This meant that to start with we had more than one volunteer per child. So Emma and I stepped back and chatted to a lady from Amor. She taught us how to ask an older lad, who looked about 15, what school year he was in. Emma tried it out loud a few times before approaching the young boy and asking ' ¿dónde está mi piña? '. The confusion on his face scared Emma into asking again, this time she altered the intonation in her question. An even more confused look arose on his face as he realised she actually had asked where her pineapple was the first time. Much to Emma's distress we all found it extremely funny. Emma then learnt how to say sorry and the lady from Amor explained to the boy that she had played a trick on Emma. He laughed along too.
Over the next few days I plan to share some of my stories about my first trip to Mexico, my first ever mission trip, and my first house built by myself and an amazing team in just 30 working hours.
A little story that I've got to share upon returning to the UK is probably different to what you would expect. This afternoon I begun to upload my videos from the trip ready to make a few videos to show my friends and family. As I copied the files across from my SD card to my laptop I got a notification saying something along the lines of 'Your startup disk is nearly full, delete some files.' I stopped the upload of any further files and went downstairs to find my back up hard drive. As I was plugging the lead into my laptop, the entire thing shut down. It had been on 90% battery just a few minutes previously. Much to my disappointment, I couldn't get the computer to turn back on. In the back of my mind I was actually very much at peace with the situation. Still knowing where we'd just come from and how I hadn't missed my laptop at all, I felt all the more detached from the heap of metal I was once inseparable from. After over an hour talking to Keith from Apple, who happened to be extremely nice, I still hadn't seen light from my laptop. Considering I hadn't freaked out earlier now would've been the ideal opportunity, but I didn't. I didn't feel the urge to scream, to cry, to press random buttons harder and harder until something worked. I was level-headed and kept a conscious new perspective in the back of my mind the entire time.  As of yet my laptop is still unusable. I'm writing this from Emma's (thank you to my bestest friend in the whole world forever and forever, I love you) which she has lent to me for the next few days to get the Mexico film editing done. I'll be taking my laptop into Apple to be seen by an Apple doctor very soon but in the meantime I'm so thankful to God for keeping me calm and showing me the perspective I need since returning to my 'luxury' home after camping in a desert for a week.
Amy xo
*You can now translate my posts to most languages using the translate button on the right hand side of my blog page. 

Learn Not to Say Too Much

Imagine you're a 20 year old leader to children and you invest the next 25 years to working with children and youth... Then all of a sudden you decide one day that you need to retire/take a sabbatical. Church celebrates the 25 years of your volunteering with kids.  The original children that you taught are now old with their own children. Everyone shakes your hand to thank you. As this takes place each person says this: "There's one thing that you said to me that stuck with me..." "I need to thank you for one thing, you once said..." In that moment, what would you want that one thing to be? So, now, fast-forward to the end, discover what it is you want to stick, and then rewind and plan for that. Here's a phrase worth remembering and living by (or teaching by): "Teach less for more"

Image Source: Google

You have a limited amount of time that you can invest in a child's life. You can expect about 40 hours a year can be invested in that child. Decide ahead of time what it is you would like to invest into them. What love and encouragement you want to pour out, decide from now. - All scripture is equally inspired by God. - - All scripture is not equally important. - Jesus answered the question about what the greatest piece of scripture is, opening the idea that scripture is prioritised. - All scripture is not equally applicable to every stage in life. - Take a moment to have a look at... What are the truths that all children need to know before they are 5? Before they go to Secondary School? Before they go to University? For me, these truths would perhaps go along the lines of: > Before a child is 5 they need to know they are important and loved. They need to be spoken to with eye contact to communicate these ideas. > Before a child goes to secondary school they need to know their identity in God. They need to know the holy spirit is inside of them and that God goes before them. > Before a child goes to university they need to know God's grace. They need to know that they are forgiven, always. And they need to know how to forgive. Make decisions about where you're going to use your time and what you're going to teach. Decide how you're going to say it, creatively. An example used in this podcast is about a girl who was taught a phrase by her church leaders one week and applied it to her own life, in turn drawing closer to God. Phrase: "If you don't make the wise choice, you'll miss out on what God wants to do" So the girl is visiting a friend, they are shopping. Her friend picks up some pretty beads and begins to steal them. The only thing the girl could think of was that 'if you don't make the wise choice, you'll miss out on what God wants you to do'. She said these words out loud to her friend. The friend was so taken aback that she put the beads back in the pot. When they went to pay, the cashier was wearing a necklace made of those beads and as they were paying for their goods, the girl exclaimed 'your necklace is so pretty' and the woman behind the counter said 'here, let me give you some of those beads'. This, of course, stuck with the child because it really became true that she chose the right choice and didn't miss out on what God wanted to do.
I feel the same phrase can be applied to teaching kids. We must make the wise choices of what to teach so that we may teach less and the children may learn more, therefore, they will not miss out on what God wants to do. This can put some pressure on children-church leaders to get it right and teach the perfect balance of stuff. It's not about getting it right, it's about reducing what you teach so that some things actually stick. This light pressure can be good though as it encourages leaders to carefully evaluate the truths of the Bible in study and reflection before 'teaching' the kids. Decide what you're going to say. Decide how you're going to say it.  Decide to say one thing at a time. If you watch 3 x 30sec commercials, you'll remember the last one. Our brains are built to disregard information in place of new information. So we need to focus on what it is that we want children to learn and stick to that for a while. Say that thing over and over again. There are certain truths and principles that you want to stick in their hearts and minds forever. Think of creative ways to go over the same ideas. Younger children love to be creative but some will be equally happy to sit and watch the same TV episode or film over and over again. This could be because it's filled with so much information that they forget what happens from the other times that they've watched it (just like watching 3 adverts and only remembering the last one). Perhaps we need to look at giving them less information each time, in creative ways, so that by the end they understand and know the truths that we are trying to teach to them.

Image Source: Google

"Teach more for less impact or teach less for more impact." It's not about how much different stuff they know it's about how well they know the important stuff that will help them through life and adulthood. We need to have patience with children. There's a great article on teaching so that children talk more. Some of the ideas it explores are the importance of questions and the need for patience when letting a child work through a problem on their own. See the full article here.

Podcast Information: OrangeBlogs - Orange Leaders - Teach Less Amy xo