I haven't updated this blog since I
first began working at Ridley.
Believe me when I tell you that is
no coincidence.
I'm not sure which of you receive
the Grace Notes from church and which don't, so here's an
abridged copy of what I sent in this
week:
The
last two months in London (Yes, two months already! Time flies.) have been so
full of opportunities to learn, share, and serve that it’s difficult to know
where to begin. I’ve completed training, found a church and a library, learned
how to navigate public transport, begun work in the East End, and even made a
few friends.
Some
of you are aware that initially I was going to be the only female worker at
Ridley Christian Centre. Thankfully, I am now one of three women working at the
Centre. London City Mission has hired a full-time female missionary for Ridley
who is passionate about reaching out to mums and tots in the neighborhood.
They’ve also placed another gap-year intern who I live with at the hostel there.
This is a tremendous blessing, as it means I don’t have to walk around London
alone, I have a friend to share work experiences with, and the three of us have
a lot more opportunities to do women’s outreach without becoming overwhelmed.
Forest
Gate, where Ridley is located, is an incredibly diverse area of east London,
and we have a diverse team to match. There are four English people from various
backgrounds, a Bulgarian man, a Pakistani man, and an American. (Yours truly.)
In addition to youth clubs, community drop-ins, door-to-door outreach, and
serving the local congregation, we’re working on starting a mothers group,
girls Bible study, and food bank. All of this while the church that meets at
Ridley finds a new pastor. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be involved, but
there’s definitely potential for exhaustion. Please pray for the people of the
neighborhood to have open hearts and homes. Pray for endurance and
encouragement for Sammy, Yordan, Ilyas, and Ali especially, as they have very
full plates. Pray also for Eli (pronounced “Ellie”), Philippa, and myself, that
we would have wisdom in reaching the women in this area and maintaining
relationships with them that are based on genuine friendship and a desire to
share the Gospel.
Corrie
