One down!

Hello all! This week was markedly less busy than last week. I started back working on my papers and finished the one for my Church and Social Ethics class. It is entitled "The Anabaptist/Mennonite Peace Ethic: From Inception to Current Practice". I will finish my second paper by mid-week. It is coming along nicely. I feel I have struck a nice balance between work and enjoying the sites in and around London.

The theater was the activity this week. I took in two shows with some friends. On Friday, Emily, Chris, Tim and I went to the Globe for a performance of "Macbeth". We got the cheap (standing) seats in the yard, but then we got to interact with the actors as they came through. "Macbeth" is a gory story, and this performance had plenty of blood. I would not want to see it at

night. Creepy. Saturday morning Sam and I waited in line to get tickets to a performance of "Enron". The show is a dark comedy/drama about the rise and fall of the company. Though it got rave reviews in London, with which I would agree, when the show opened in New York, it wasn't well received. I can't imagine why? So it was a chance to see a show I can't see back home.

A week from tomorrow, I'll be headed back to the Czech Republic. It is amazing how fast time flies. This week holds more paper writing and perhaps more traveling. Your prayers continue to be coveted. Love and miss you all!

Study Holiday

Whew! This past week has been jam packed with all sorts of wonderful adventures. It began with another ash cloud delay which prevented the rest of the EMS-Lancaster group from joining Rachel and me in Bristol, so unexpectedly we had three days of free time in the city. We spent Monday catching up on episodes of Glee and doing some shopping. Tuesday was filled with visiting the docks of Bristol, known for their involvement in the slave trade, as well as attending Evensong at the Bristol Cathedral. Our last day in Bristol, Wednesday, Rachel and I travelled to nearby Bath. We visited the Jane Austen Centre and saw the Roman baths. In the afternoon we walked around a multicultural part of Bristol and met with Mike who works with Urban Expressions a church planting organization based in the UK. While we were in Bristol, we stayed with Stuart and Sian Murray who were wonderful and gracious hosts and provided us with all we needed during our time. Thursday morning Rachel and I left for London.

The remainder of the EMS-Lancaster group had arrived in Brussels and crossed the Channel that day and we met them in London. After lunch and discussion about faith and politics in Post-Christendom with Jonathan from Ekklesia, the group relaxed for the afternoon. Some of us went for a walk at the nearby Kensington Gardens before meeting the rest of the group for a light supper. Friday was our fullest day. The class traveled to East London to meet with Juliet and several members of Urban Expression teams to discuss the definition and structure of church in a Post-Christendom setting. After that, the group rode the Tube to Westminster to see Big Ben and the Abbey. We attended Evensong at Westminster Abbey and had a chat with one of the priests afterwards about his call to the ministry and how he views the role of church in England today. Then we walked from the Abbey to Buckingham Palace and through Hyde Park and then stopped for supper. A part of the group chose to walk the back to the hotel and by the end of the day

everyone was tired. The lightest day was Saturday which began with a visit to the London Mennonite Centre where I showed them around and gave a brief history of the organization. From there Ann went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the remainder of the group rode the London Eye. Just a warning, do not ride the London Eye mid afternoon during unseasonably hot weather. It is like a greenhouse. Nevertheless, it was a good experience. Sunday was my last day with the class as they went to various churches in London before heading down to Bristol to make up the part of the course that they missed. The week was a wonderful time to discuss Christianity in a new way and hang out with a bunch of awesome women, and Steve (the instructor) too.

My papers are nearing completion and I would appreciate your prayers as I transition back from holiday into working again. Prayers for my job search are also much appreciated. Until next week...

Outside London

You all get a special treat this week. I'm posting the blog one day early! The reason being that early (3 am) Sunday morning I'm leaving to go to Bristol for the week. I'm piggybacking on EMU-Lancaster's cross cultural to the UK. I'm picking up another participant at the airport tomorrow morning and then we are taking the bus down. The topic of this cross cultural meshes nicely with my research topics and I am excited to participate.

Speaking of research, I received the rough draft of my first paper back on Thursday and spent Friday revising it. It needs another 10 hours or

so or work and then I'll be ready to hand it in. So close...

Today, I went with a friend, Tristian, on a day trip to Oxford. We took the train up and spent the afternoon on a walking tour of the city and university. I was amazed at how intermingled they were. We had wonderful weather and the tour was fun and informational.

Please pray for my time in Bristol this week as well as for continued guidance for my plans and job situation when I return home. Blessings!

FYI: The pictures are of All Saint's College and the Coat of Arms at the Divinity school

A Relaxing Week

Let me begin this week's post by wishing Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother. I love you so much and I am so blessed to have you as my Mom!

Overall, this week was fairly relaxing. I finished writing the rough draft of my second paper and sent it off to my professor yesterday. Now all I have to do is wait to see how many corrections I have to make on both my papers, but at least the bulk of the work is done. Whew!

Because it was a lighter week work wise for me, I was able to take in a few sites

around the city and hang out with some new friends I am making. On Tuesday, I took a walking tour of Old Town London and saw such sights as the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral. Afterwards, I met up with a few friends from church and we saw a play called "Ruined" about a woman trying to run a business in the war torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. Though it was a weighty subject, the time spent with friends was a wonderful diversion.

This weekend, Alan and Ellie Kreider, former directors of the LMC are in town and in addition to preaching in church this morning, they have provided many opportunities for the staff and current residents to gather together and reminisce. I am continually blessed by the relationships I have formed here with people at the LMC and the connections I have made with our guests.

What this week holds, I do not know. It greatly depends on how quickly I receive the corrections and comments back on my papers. However, starting next Sunday I will be spending some time with an EMU-Lancaster cross-cultural that is studying in the UK. I am looking forward to getting to know new people and seeing a different part of the island.

Thank you so much for the support you have given me. Please continue to pray for direction my job situation when I return home and in the fall, as well as for the staff here at the LMC. Peace to all of you.

Living in Twilight and other happenings

This week has been chock full of lots of wonderful things. I'm about finished with rough draft #2 and I've gotten to participate in several fun activities. Friday evening we had a cookout at the London Mennonite Centre, despite the threat of rain. It was a great chance for all of us to enjoy the garden. Later on that night, I went with several women from the LMC to a quilt exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I wish they would have allowed photographs in the exhibit, because the quilts were breathtaking, a good mix of history and art. My biggest event this week was the opportunity I was given to provide a short message during the Sunday service at Wood Green Mennonite Church.

I was asked to share a little of my story and where I see God moving in my life right now. I also wanted to share it with you all. Many thanks to my awesome prayer partner Bethany for reading it over for me. And if you are part of the Springdale congregation, I borrowed something from Pastor Mark. Can you discover what it is?

Grace and peace to you from of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. My name is Regina Wenger and I was asked this afternoon to share a little bit about myself and my journey here to Wood Green Mennonite Church. The first thing about me, and you can probably tell by my accent is that I am an American. I call the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia home. I have a wonderful and supportive family, group of friends, and home congregation. In December of 2009 I graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a degree in History, Secondary Education, and Bible. Instead of finding a job substitute teaching, I decided to spend a semester studying and serving in Europe.

Beginning in late January, my friend, Lena Risser, and I headed to Prague in the Czech Republic. I began taking two graduate classes at International Baptist Theological Seminary and we both started some service and relationship building on behalf of Eastern Mennonite Missions. At the end of March, Lena traveled back to South Korea to continue a ministry she had begun using her gift of music. For visa reasons and because the London Mennonite Centre has a fantastic Anabaptist library, I ended up coming here to London.

Now I could spend the remaining time I have providing you with more biographical detail or delving into my research topics, but that would undoubtedly be rather dull, I feel I have something more to share with you this afternoon.

Last Sunday, through a series of mishaps, Chris Adams and I wandered into a Quaker meeting. We spent almost an entire hour in complete silence. Since then, I believe God has been working at my heart. When I fly back home on June 17, I have no idea what I’ll be doing. I am a planner by nature, so to me this prospect is more than a little disturbing. It is in dealing with this concern that God has been teaching me this week.

Sometimes I like to listen to music when I write and this week I discovered the song “Living In Twilight” by The Weepies, and the lyrics spoke to the concerns of my heart. According to the dictionary, not only is twilight the period of time following the sunset or a series of young adult novels, but it can also be defined as a time of ambiguity and obscurity. In that sense, I am living in twilight right now. Not knowing if I’ll get a teaching job or what to do if I don’t weighs heavily on my mind. To me June 17^th is the nightfall of the complete unknown. It is this mindset that God has been altering for me this week. He is teaching me through the spiritual disciplines of patience and trust to step out into the twilight.

I am slowly learning to embrace the unknowns of my future. It is a day-to-day exercise in learning to trust God. While I know that uncertainty is a condition common to young adulthood, it is by no means exclusive to us. We all have moments in twilight. However, I am finding that as the night of my self-imposed deadline approaches, the light of God begins to shine more brilliantly. I am continually amazed by its vastness. I know that after twilight and the night, God will break forth in a glorious new way. But first, I have to let go of the previous day and enter into the twilight. Join me around the Lord’s Table and we can walk this journey together. (It was a communion Sunday)

Well, there you have it. I continue to covet your prayers in this season of twilight. Thank you for all that you have done for me and continue to do. Until next week...