I know it's been about four months since I've written on here, and I promise to write more from the heart by the end of next week, but for now Im just going to throw out here a column I wrote for our church newsletter semi-recently. It's basically just an update of what's going on now that I've started here, which sets out the basics of what I do day to day relatively well. I'll explain some terms in parentheses, but other than that, this is what I wrote for my church here.

Hey y'all!

Well, I have now been serving here in England for a little over a month—time sure does fly! It seems like it was just yesterday that I arrived here in Egglescliffe and began meeting all of you wonderful people! Nevertheless, I am happy to be able to say that I have settled in nicely, thanks to the hospitality of the Johnson's (with whom I am living) and the warm welcomes of everyone here at St. John's (the church I am stationed at).

It didn't take long to get plugged into the ministry here and organize a consistent schedule that would enable me to build relationships within daily commitments. Throughout the week, my days consist of volunteering at events at the church (P.I.P.S--preschool group, Encounter--students from the school come to the church and we have 'activity stations' for them that relay biblical truth, Coffee Morning--what it sounds like, Sunday Kids Club--sunday school, etc), teaching R.E. (religious education) Lessons and leading worship clubs (I've  been teaching kids a Fruit of the Spirit each week through games, stories, videos, etc in about a 20min time slot) at Egglescliffe Primary C of E (a Church of England elementary school that's five min down the road), speaking at school assemblies at the Comp school (a high school), planning with Sylvia (the vicar/pastor and my wonderful mentor at the church at which I am serving) , and attending a variety of local youth events. Even in the short time I have been here, I have seen the Lord work in the relationships I have built with the students and teachers at Egglescliffe Primary. I see trust building and hope to use that to help bridge a friendship between St. John's and Egglescliffe Primary.

This lovely truth manifested itself in the last Encounter meeting that we had a couple of Friday's ago. A few of the older years from the primary school came to the church to engage in a day of learning about the Fruit of the Spirit. Sylvia taught from the Word about the characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit, we had worship, then the children were free to explore through the different activities that we provided around the room. It was an afternoon of fun and learning as they played music, created crafts, expressed their worries, and listened to stories. The students were so interested and well-behaved, which is simply a testament to the planning team that worked so hard to put this event together. The teachers were so pleased at the success of this event—they are still talking about it in their classrooms! I was proud to be a part of such an edifying afternoon, and I can't wait for more!

With such a great start, I can only imagine what incredible things God is going to continue to do in St. John's and in the community of Egglescliffe. I am excited about the future, and can't wait for upcoming events such as our “Light Up the Night” party (it was like a Harvest Festival) and our Movie Night! The youth and children of this community desperately need Jesus; please pray with me that we as a group of believers—as St. John's Parish Church—may be a source of light and of love in this community and that these events that we are planning will be edifying and bring glory to the Kingdom of God.

Thank y'all so much again for so kindly welcoming me into your home; I am so thrilled and honored to be a part of your family!

        -Alexa Spence

And so it begins.

I've never blogged before. I write about my life in a personal journal rather frequently, but I have never felt the need to publicly share my life--especially on a social media platform. I'm generally a private person, but when you're traveling 4,839 miles away from home and a whole slew of people who love you are making it possible for you to get there--you should probably update them about what's going on in your life. And to all you who are supporting me just by reading this and praying for me, this is just as much for you as well...and I'm flattered that you consider my meager blog post worth your precious, precious time.

In case some of you need reminding, or maybe you are just totally in the dark, I am moving to Northeast England in September (September 7 at 11:30am to be exact) to work with a ministry called UK-USA Ministries for at least one full year (for more info on them, visit www.uk-usaministries.com).

How did this develop? Well, I truly believe I was simply born with a sense of adventure and wonder. Since I was a child I have imagined traveling the world, running through lily-filled valleys, trekking the African savannas, climbing the highest mountains, exploring ancient ruins, encountering the beauty of historic architecture, and eating the most interesting foods along the way. Maybe it is Disney that poisoned me, or maybe it inspired me. Either way, somewhere along the way I developed a craving to go. 

In the 8th grade, at a church event, I truly felt God calling me to a life of missions. Matt Papa was leading worship, and the lyrics of his song Here I Am, Send Me really struck a chord in my heart, especially the chorus:

Here am I send me 

I’ll follow wherever You lead 

I will tell the world that Jesus is the way 

Send me Lord here I am 

I offer my dreams my plans 

I will give my life a living sacrifice 

Lord here I am

As I sang along, I realized that I wasn't just singing the words; I was committing myself to something much greater. At that moment, I knew I was giving up any seemingly "normal" life. The life of the "American dream." The life that most people probably expected of me. I was sacrificing this idea in exchange for a much greater, increasingly crazier plan that God had for me somewhere else in the world. Overseas missions became my calling, though I had no idea how, where, or when.

Fast forward quite a bit: past high school, even through most of college. It's March 2014 and I am in the middle of my last semester of my undergraduate schooling. I'm about to receive a degree in Elementary Education (because I LOVE kids and know with my whole heart that no matter where I go in the world or what job I receive, my degree will benefit me and help me to be the leader that the kids I am placed with need). 

Unfortunately, I have NO idea at this point what I m going to do with my life post-graduation. I had been praying about it for YEARS: that God would give me a sign, open a door, and send me. But, as usual, I had less than two months until the time to make a decision and had absolutely no clue. Blind faith is something God really likes to test me on. 

Never mind that now, because It's spring break, and I had signed up to go on a 10-day mission trip to Northeast England with the college group at the church my family attends in Denison. Putting school and worries aside for a bit, I dove into an incredible experience as I served and encountered God through the incredible people of the Tees Valley. 

Throughout those ten days of fellowshipping with my team and the people of UK-USA Ministries, working inside the schools and churches, meeting lovely youth and students, and embracing the culture end beauty of the area--a piece of my heart anchored to that place without my knowledge.

As I returned to the normal day-to-day schedule that the US so kindly greeted me with, I begn to ponder more about God's calling for my life. Simultaneously, I reflected on my experience in England: the conversations I had and the needs that I saw and the lessons that God taught me. I thought to myself, "What was God's purpose I sending me there?"

And suddenly, both questions were answered with this response: "to serve in England." My heart agreed with this, and after weeks of deep, tear-filled consideration, my mind joined in agreement. 

Now I am obediently responding to this call. I have applied to serve with UK-USA Ministries, and they have graciously accepted me. I have friends there who are very anxious and excited for my arrival. At the moment, I do not know exactly where I will be assigned; I can be placed in a number of different towns within the Tees Valley. The ministry will carefully consider the strengths and personalities of each of us incoming workers, and place us with the team that they think we will most thrive in and will most benefit from our addition. With that, we will be assigned to a specific host home family, church group, and school that we will work with and build relationships with. This mysterious unknown is as frightening as it is exhilarating; but that just adds to the thrill of the adventure. No good story comes without anticipation, so I wholeheartedly welcome this as I hope you will too!

As for my finances, I am required to raise about $7500 for my entire year in England. This will cover everything from food, transportation, travel, and bills. I will be totally covered and taken care of with this. Fortunately, I only need to raise about $3500 by my departure on September 7.

So far, I have raised over $2000. I have been working full time at a coffee shop since May to try and earn as much as I can on my own. Thankfully, however, family and friends have been making generous donations to my cause, helping me profoundly to reach this lofty goal. God really has been providing, and I have no doubt that this money will be provided for His glory. 

I am thrilled to prepare for this exciting journey. This summer, I hope to update you all on my experience as I continue to prepare to go. I plan for my posts to be much shorter, with simple updates about the life of a barista/pizza girl, my internship at the church, and my fundraising status. I love you guys and greatly appreciate your support, prayers, and thoughts.

T-6 weeks until I fly away!

Anxiously,
Alexa