Picture Perfect

I don't have an eloquent way of summing up everything that has happened in the last 10 days in words but I have lots of pictures. So in this post I will be telling you my story through pictures! I hope you enjoy.

Blessings,
Julie

 Pictures from the Refugee Vigil held in George Square. We lit candles and held signs for the refugees.
 

At Proms in the Park in Glasgow Green. It wasn't an American Prom but a type of concert with a symphony and some other choral groups and soloists. 

My flatmate Amanda and I are standing next to this Glasgow Green Man on our way to Proms in the Park. 

Visiting St. Andrews and Perth for the weekend with Sam's placement. We went to the beach and got to try out golfing on the putting green. I pretended like I was a famous golfer!

This is Sam and I at the beach. She is working at St. Pauls which has a lot of drop in programs for kids of different ages. There were 8 kids ages 15-17 that came on this trip. 

We got ice cream at this amazing ice cream shop and ate it next to the ruins of this cathedral! It was spectacular and the boys ended up getting two tubs of 24 scoops of ice cream, which we then had to help them finish. 

A view from the path along the water. Absolutely beautiful and the sun was shining all day!

On our drive back from St. Andrews to the cabins we were staying in Perth we crossed over this bridge and saw this view!

A Piece of Home

The last few days of orientation have been less crazy but just as interesting. On Saturday we took a trip with Lynn our site coordinator, her husband Rory, and her colleague, Noel to the Falls of Clyde and New Lanark. New Lanark is a place where Robert Owen had a cotton mill and all the workers lived on the property. It was one of the first factories that cared about its workers well being. We went on a beautiful hike (hill walk) through greenery to the Falls of Clyde. It was so nice to get out of the city for the day and to explore. The hike looked exactly how I’d picture Scotland would be. It had rolling hills with sheep, and there were parts of the walk that were under the trees, next to the river. It made me think of Oregon and reminded me of home, which was really nice.

On Sunday we split up and went to the church services at our respective placement sites. I went to my placement site, which is Gorbals and they were having a Baptism. It was the most well behaved baby I have ever seen. After I went out to lunch with my minister, Ian, and two former American volunteers, Paul and Gail. They had volunteered here in Glasgow for five years and now they’re back in town for a few weeks to visit. It was also nice to be around some other Americans and hear their stories about their time here.

The week continued with meeting more new people and learning more about Scottish culture and how the Church of Scotland works. Then on Monday night we had dinner at Lynn’s.  Noel made Indian curry that was absolutely delicious.

Me eating my first real Scotland scone at the ICafe where we are currently using internet. 

Tuesday I got another feel of home here in Glasgow. I went on a run to find a park near our flat. It was a huge park with tons of different pathways to explore. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going, but I ended up finding this path next to a river. It was covered with trees, and you could hear the water rushing next to the path. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and could envision myself back in Eugene running next to the Willamette River through the trees. Although I am having the most wonderful time it is nice to know that even being half way around the world I can still find pieces of home in this city.

Fr. Greg Boyle and the roomies. (Left to right: Me, Laura Kate, Fr. Greg Boyle, Sam, Amanda)

Tuesday night we went to a free talk at St. Aloysius’ College. Fr. Greg Boyle SJ was speaking about Homeboy Industries, the largest gang prevention organization in the United States that he founded. They now have 10 social enterprises running in Los Angeles, California.  I read his book, Tattoos on the Heart, a year ago and loved it so much that when I found out he would be speaking here I really wanted to attend it. He exceeded my expectations! He is a phenomenal speaker and a lot of what he said gave me insight on this coming year and the work I will be doing.

One of the things he said that stuck with me most was that “if you think you can save people you will burn out.” He told the audience to just walk alongside the people we are working with when doing service and don’t try to save them. It was also interesting because he said Homeboy Industries doesn’t help people that don’t want their help. He was hilarious but also sincere and at times during the talk I had tears in my eyes. If he ever comes to speak near where you live, I highly suggest attending.

He also challenged us with the question of “how can you help the wounded if you do not welcome your own wounds?” He suggested, “we blur the line between service provider and service receiver.” The last thing I will leave you all with is that we all “stand in awe of what the poor have to carry, not in judgment of how they carry it.”

Blessings,

Julie

My view walking back from work across the River Clyde

The first of many hard days to come....

Disclaimer, this post was written on Friday but I have not had internet until today so I am posting it today and it refers to Friday. 

Today was the first difficult day. When thinking about what it would be like to be here I knew that I would miss my family and friends but I didn’t think that I would have this hard of a day in the first week we were here. We have been with people and around people for 12 days straight due to orientation in New York and now this and we have been learning all this new information, meeting tons of new people and it has been great but it also has been overwhelming and a bit of a people overload, even for an extrovert like me. Today started off learning lots of new information about the Scottish government and politics and it was fascinating. They have multiple different levels of government and this time in their history is very interesting because they had a very close vote between parties of if they were going to leave the UK or not. By the end of the day I was exhausted and cranky and really just wanted some alone time.

I ended up going for a run. I ran down to the River Clyde and ran along it for a while trying to sort out my thoughts. I came across St. Andrews Cathedral. I walked inside right as they were staring adoration. As soon as I sat down and started praying my emotions let go and all my frustrations and worries and homesickness came out of me. As soon as I had had a good cry I started to feel better. I was able to thank God for the opportunities I have had and the many things and people I have experienced just in 4 days of being in Glasgow. I was able to go to confession at 4:30 and I knew that I had not stumbled upon this church at this exact time by myself. Then to make this alone time even better the hymn we sang at the end of adoration was won written by St. Thomas Aquinas who was an important saint at the Newman Center at Oregon. I smiled to myself and it let me know that everything will be ok. The adoration ended and I talked to this lovely elderly man who had grown up in Glasgow and gave me lots of ideas of historical places to go see as soon as he figured out I had moved here. By the time we were done talking 5:15 daily mass was starting so I stayed for mass. It was exactly what I needed today and I realized that I m not alone even if it sometimes feels like it. God loves me and he is always walking with me wherever I go.

I have shared one of my favorite poems with you all and it happened to be hung on the wall at Amanda’s parish when we went to visit on Thursday. It has been a recurring poem in my life so I thought I would share it.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

Blessings,

Julie

Arrival in Glasgow!

When I got on the plane on Monday from New York to Glasgow I was tired from traversing the trains to get tot the airport but I was excited to arrive and meet our new Scottish roommate, to start living in Glasgow, and to begin learning about our work placements. The three other girls I am in Scotland with are Laura Kate from South Carolina, and Sam and Amanda from Ohio. They too were also just as excited and we took pictures in the plane with bright smiles! When we arrived in Glasgow at 7:30am on Tuesday we were greeted by Lynn our site coordinator, Fred a colleague of hers, and Iona our new Scottish roommate. We drove to the flat and breathed a sigh of relief when we unlocked the door to a 5 bedroom flat. We picked our rooms, had tea (the first of the seven cups I had that day), and chatted. We ended up walking around the city trying to keep ourselves awake but we were “flagging”, as they say here, meaning we were exhausted and it was very obvious. We ended up going to dinner at Lynn’s house with her family with food made by John, my work placement supervisor. He is a wonderful cook and dinner was lovely except that by the end of it we were all falling asleep at the table.

The day was finally over and we were going to sleep in our new rooms. The next few days flew by and were just as busy as the first but we weren’t sleep walking this time. On Wednesday we got to go on a scavenger hunt around the city center. We had to ask people walking by what certain things meant and we had to take some pictures with wellies (rain boots), a courgette (zucchini), and a car boot (trunk of a car). It was an exciting day and we also got to sit in a committee meeting and eat lunch and meet some people from the Church of Scotland Priority areas committee.

A Statue outside of the GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) 
 

Pictures from the Glasgow City Council Building

On Thursday we got to visit work placements. We went to St. Pauls, which is Sam’s parish. We went to Gorbals Parish, which is mine and got to have lunch and then in the afternoon we went to Amanda’s parish, which is called Carnwadric. We met so many people and they were all so hospitable. We are all very excited for our placements. We will be going to the other two placements on Tuesday. Arriving in Glasgow could not have been better and I am learning so much about the priority areas and how the Church of Scotland works.

Blessings,

Julie

Orientation Week

I cannot believe how fast this week has gone and how it is already our last full day together at orientation. The week flew by so fast that this post will have to encompass all of the things I learned and experienced here at Stony Point with my fellow YAVs.

view of the Hudson River after taking a walk near Stony Point center.

The first thing I loved about Stony Point is the food. The community that lives and works here make all the food from the produce in the gardens that they have. The vegetables are juicy and bright colored and the amount of different salads I have had this week have blown me away. So thank you to the kitchen staff and farmers of Stony Point for giving us delicious meals; I will be missing the fresh ripe vegetables in Scotland.

a view of the Stony Point grounds

We learned a lot of things this week while sitting for hours in the auditorium. Although the room made me somewhat sleepy and antsy, the many things we learned and listened to while in the room amazed me. We discussed cultural competency and acknowledging the biases we have. We became uncomfortable and talked about how to always be aware of the center vs. the borderlands and how we can avoid jumping back and forth. As a group, the Scotland roommates and I decided that we plan to constantly remind ourselves to stay uncomfortable with our biases so that we are always aware of them and trying to change them.

We also learned about sexual misconduct and how to deal with sexual harassment situations. We learned methods to pray and take care of ourselves during our trying times of the year. We also were able to study personality tests and talk with our site groups about how we live, and the needs and things that make us tick in a living situation.

We heard multiple phenomenal speakers that all shared important lessons for the year ahead and we worshipped together. But my favorite part of all the learning was when we were able to go into the city and see different communities. We split up into 4 large groups and all went to different places. One group got to experience a mosque, one a Gurdwara where sikhism is practiced, one the United Nations, and my group went and visited Broadway Presbyterian Church.

a peaceful spot to pray

Broadway Presbyterian is right next to Columbia University in New York and it was a beautiful church. It had a few different levels and my favorite part about it is that it has a 4 star soup kitchen. The soup kitchen is set up like a restaurant. The guests come in and are greeted and seated. They are given menus to choose what they would like to eat for breakfast or lunch and then the volunteers actually serve them at the table. The pastor explained to us that they serve their guests with dignity because even though these people they serve might not have enough money to buy food or might not have places to live they still deserve to be treated as equals and treated with dignity and grace. It was wonderful to spend time at the church, hear some stories, and we were even able to help by painting and cleaning the room so that next time the guests eat they will be eating on clean tables and surrounded by nicely painted walls.

Here are some pictures of new people I have met!

selfies that happen when you leave your phone charging in someone else's room

my small group! The Manateam

So as you have read if you are still with me, that this week was filled with learning, new experiences, many many new friends, and uncomfortable realizations. This is just the beginning of what my year is going to look like. I have been so blessed to be here this week and I am so excited to leave tomorrow for Glasgow. I will try and make the posts shorter but I wanted to share everything this week!

Blessings,
Julie

Countdown to Stony Point!

In 6 days I will be starting my grand adventure in Stony Point for a week of orientation and then continuing onto Glasgow. I have found out that I will be working for Gorbals Parish Church, 20 minutes form the inner city in Glasgow. I will be living with 4 other wonderful volunteers who will be working at other parishes and centers in Glasgow.

I cannot believe how fast the summer has gone and how quickly this has come up. Back in June when I graduated it seemed so far away. Now that it is actually here my nervous feelings are starting to emerge. Over the last few weeks my feelings have gone through waves of excitement and being nervous. Today I am feeling nervous, probably due to my procrastination with packing.

I thought that packing for a three week trip was hard but now the thought of packing for a year is just daunting. Luckily the weather is very similar to Oregon and I know what to wear for living in Oregon. Other than packing I have also been preparing for our orientation. I have been doing personality tests, reflection, and reading the book On Our Way all to prepare!

These last few weeks have also been filled with lots of "goodbyes" and "see you laters." I knew saying goodbye to friends and family would be hard but now that it is happening I have come to appreciate my close friends and family, and all the people that have touched my life in both big and small ways. I am so excited for this next step and even though I am nervous I am also ready to start my post grad life.

So to my friends and family, goodbye for now, see you when I see you, and get ready to read about an adventure of a lifetime!

Blessings,
Julie

Fundraising!

Hello friends and followers! As you know if you have read my other post, starting in August I will be spending a year in Scotland volunteering with the Young Adult Volunteer Program. It is a program run through the Presbyterian Church USA. I will be working with underprivileged youth and protected adults.

One of the most important parts of preparing for my trip is building a group of support before I leave. During the more trying times of the year, because I know there will be some, I hope to rely on prayers and support at home. I am looking for any type of support you are willing to give, whether that is prayers, donations, letters, or just some good vibes sent my way.

For fundraising I have an individual goal of $4000, but I have a group goal of $8000. I will be living with two other volunteers in Scotland and close by to 3 others in a different flat. The $8000 is to help the entire group since we will be working together and supporting each other all year. This money is just a part of the funds it will take to send me over to Scotland and live for a year.

I'm so excited to start this journey after graduation! I want to thank you all in advance for any support you can give me. Even just a stranger's prayers will be helpful! The Holy Spirit works wonders!

Here is the information to donate if you feel so inclined:
Fundraising page link:
My ECO number is <<E210111>>.  ECO stands for Extra Commitment Opportunity.  This is an account in the Presbyterian Church where you can make donations to support me.  Here is my webpage for fundraising:http://www.presbyterianmission.org/donate/E210111/. 

If you would like to donate by mail I have attached the address and please write my name and my ECO number on the check.

Thanks so much! Cheers!

Address to send checks only:
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Remittance Processing
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700