Change, Daily Bread and Valentines Day

Hello people of the internet!

So this week I'll be nearing the halfway point of my placement which doesn't seem right to me!

Since I've been here we've gained two new girls and said goodbye to two more mature ones. The most recent new girl came on Tuesday, when I got home I said hello to her then was told I needed to move out of the room I was staying in and move into a different one to make room for this lady. Anyway she's doing well, she is still going through detox though so often suffers from fits and stomach pains.

I had to move rooms again on Friday night because one of the leaders was away so I needed to watch one of the new girls. The first night I was in her room she asked if we could pray, I of course said yes, I started praying and she stopped me and said 'No you say a line of prayer then I repeat' (English is her fourth language) 'I know it's childlike but I like it. It's how I learn.' I thought it was beautiful, this girl who just over a month ago had been destroying her body with heroin and other drugs now knew Jesus and was eager to know Him more and learn how to draw nearer to Him. It's such a privilege to journey with these women and see how God is revealing Himself to them more each day. Stunning.

In other news I am pretty certain I have gained about a stone since being here. I'm ok with that.

All the food we eat is donations from Sainsbury's. We probably get on average over a thousand pounds worth of food a week donated to us by Sainsbury's which is amazing when you think about it. When Betel began they could go for days without food and then someone might give them some cabbage and potatoes or something, but it's somewhat different now - we are lavishly blessed and provided for. And all the girls know it too, their gratitude of God's provision of food is so evident.
Food however can also be a difficult subject: The other day, one of the leaders was leaving to go to India for six months so two gorgeous looking cakes were brought home! They looked amazing! But when we looked at the box and saw that there was a percentage of alcohol in them they had to be thrown in the bin. To many this may not sound like a big deal but for some reason this really shocked me (partly because I was in the mood for cake and those particular cakes looked absolutely incredible.) but the thing is, even a small percentage can be enough to cause some of our recovering alcoholics to fall off the wagon - which can actually be a matter of life and death.

Another food related issue which has come up a lot this week is a sad one. When people are leaving a dependency of one thing they can latch onto something else like food or control over what they eat. Betel try to avoid employing people or having interns who have struggled with eating in the past; this is such an intense environment so even emotions and attitudes that haven't been a major problem for years can resurface when a person is surrounded by the things which used to hold them captive. There have been times in the past when the fridge has had to be locked because of problems with binge eating, other times when locks have had to be taken off bathroom doors to stop people from trying to vomit after mealtimes or eat toilet paper instead of food and other times when the girls have had to have every meal 'plated up' with a measure of food and would be disciplined if they didn't finish. You're not really even allowed to speak negatively about yourself here. You may think it seems incredibly harsh but the thing is when one person is dealing with something like that, because you're living so closely with people - low self-esteem and issues surrounding eating can somehow be contagious among a group of people like this, people who are still recovering from extreme brokenness and addiction. In the past this kind of thing has become an epidemic so extreme precautions are taken.

The reason I have gone into detail about this is because for the last few days, some of the leaders and I have found traces of vomit on a few occasions when cleaning the toilets. Like I say, these things can escalate very quickly. Please be in prayer for this situation as things could get bad. Thank you.

Now, let's move onto something more cheery.

Valentines day!

Valentines day was actually very special for me this year. And no, fear not, there is no news on the relationship front, (Dad, you can put the bat down), it was special because at Betel it is celebrated as unconditional love and surprise kindness day (perhaps not the catchiest name). It is a day when you go out of your way to show surprise random acts of kindness to people and you are to expect to hear from God and see His love in an unexpected way. It was really cool! Such a blessed day! Though there were many great things about the day, my favourite random act of kindness of the day had to be this one; we were on our lunch break at the community center and a lady said 'Oh you're from a charity? I have a few clothes I can spare you if you want them?' Betel always need clothes, they're always bringing new people in and usually these people come in with nothing but the clothes on their backs so donations are always appreciated. We were expecting a small carrier bag or something.

We expected wrong.

This woman proceeded to bring out ten black bin bags full of good quality clothes, and three boxes of crockery. 

I think I will have to start implementing this version of Valentines day in the future

This week literally flew by, I have been challenged, stretched, exhausted and greatly blessed. 

I'm amazed at how quickly I've grown to love the girls here. The women here amaze and bless me everyday, of course they sometimes drive me insane too but the blessings far outweigh the moments of despair. 

This is a place that could melt even the stoniest of hearts. I was moved to tears in the car the other day as a girl pointed to a house and told me that that was where she lived when her addictions were at there worst, where she used to sell her body just to keep her veins topped up with heroin, where she'd had children taken away, where her partners had abuse her, where she'd go to bed and never want to wake up and where she eventually had to run away from. 

"You'd think I'd feel nothing but bitterness towards this city, it was where everything went wrong but I don't. That's how much He's saved me. I can look at that house and smile because looking at it reminds me of His power and grace. He can do anything." 

These words came from one of the most beautiful, joyful, loving young women I have ever had the privilege of meeting. God really can do anything. The longer I stay here the more I get shown that. I see His transforming work in people's lives here every single day. 

I don't mean to be arrogant but I think my block placement is the best one. Just saying ;)

This week, if you are the praying inclined please pray

• That the Lord will continue to provide me with strength, energy and enthusiasm for every task
• For the new girl on detox, that she would come to know Jesus and that her health will improve
• For those dealing with issues surrounding eating
• That regardless of how busy I am I will continue to be able to find time to spend time with God
• That I will be a blessing to the women here, even more than they are to me
• That I'll demonstrate and continue to learn more about sacrificial love and service

Thank you

God is good all the time

God is good and that is His nature

God bless you

Caris

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