December Newsletter.

Well here it is December and all is swell in London. It feels that now I have some pretty great relationships with the young people both in the schools and at my church. Just this week, I was riding the bus home and it was soon taken over by a horde of young girls from the Harris Academy that had just let out. As I was moving over to make room and pondering how on earth I was going to be able to squeeze out the door at my bus stop, I received a tap on my shoulder followed by, “Miss, I remember you, you taught my class about Mother Teresa. You were my favorite.” Meeting the young people outside of school has been the most amazing confirmation that XLP does make a difference. This girl remembered who I was and what I said…..young people DO listen!
This month, the Southwark team has started teaching RE lessons in the schools, as referred to in the above story. Re, religious education classes are required by the British government but many teachers want to tackle these religious topics themselves. I feel that this is one of the most important things that XLP does. So Wednesday mornings we teach about the life and social action of significant leaders in the Christian faith. So far we have focused on Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. It is great to see these heroes of the faith and see that even people of humble backgrounds through Christ and a lot of hard work can change the world.
Last night was the Greenwich Art Showcase which is like a huge talent show for the young people in Greenwich, another Borough like Southwark..not as awesome though. Each school that the Greenwich XLP team works in was represented by one maybe two acts. We had many singers, dancers, a violinist, an amazing electric guitarist, and a whole rock band. It is a great event because it brings the whole community together, families and friends come out to support their young person. The whole night was pretty amazing. There are three such showcases, Greenwich, Southwark, and Lewisham and then a South London showcase for the finalists from the first three. Southwark Showcase is next semester after Christmas so our turn to shine is fast approaching.
My friendship with Christina has grown over the past month. I eargley await Tuesday afternoons so that I can see her at the XLP bus club. Last Tuesday we talked about our families and it was amazing with how much she told me, it was great to have that trust. She has 1 sister and 2 brothers and all of them have different dads and Christina didn’t meet her dad herself until she was 8 years old, she is now 11. So we talked about growing up without a father and how that made life difficult for us. Christina says that to deal with her anger and sadness she likes to create art, mostly painting. Art does wonders for the young people here in London. Please continue to pray for Christina and her relationship with both her mother and her father.
This month on the XLP bus, we had a trainer (tennis shoe) design competition. Each young person was given a blank picture of a trainer and was expected to design a shoe that they would want to wear. Not only was it great to see the creative side of these tough 14 year old boys but it gave us a change to sit down and talk with them. Its hard to interact when they are glued to a computer screen. The winner was given a 20 pound gift certificate to a local shoe store. Needless to say, they really got into it!
And I have had a great time outside of all this youth work and have spent numerous days exploring this beautiful but huge city. Last Saturday a few friends and I, Jazz, Lydia, Celia, and Sean went to the Natural History Museum and saw lots of awesome stuff. The rocks and minerals and gemstones were my personal favorite. But among our fellow XLP workers our group has been labeled the nerds…. If the shoe fits.? On Thursday Lydia, Jazz, and I went walking along the south bank of the Thames at night and saw all the Christmas lights and decorations. It was so beautiful. Lots of funny pictures resulted from that night.

And for Christmas, I will be able to do some traveling. The official plan, it has changed so many times, is to go home with my friend Kitty, to Bristol and to spend the holiday with her family. Her mother said she was very happy to have me and even bought me the train ticket herself. The two of us might also travel to Bath which is only about 40 minutes away, as well to visit out friend Polly, also an XLP worker. So I’m really excited about the Christmas Break! Thank you for all your prayers for those of you who were praying about my Christmas plans.
That’s about all for now. And by church youth are amazing. They rock my world, you could not get a better group of young people. Ghana is fastly approaching in February. Please pray for me as I am again fundraising….An update for Ghana is in the making. Thanks again for your continual love. I miss you all.
Julie