Warning... this is going to be looooooong. Eeep.
15 - 21 January 2012
The official beginning to our internship. It was SO wonderful seeing the other interns arrive today. We were called into the dining room for an unbelievable supper and evening. The table was laid with beautiful green and white tablecloths, green glass-ware, stunning plates and cutlery, candles. Everything was laid out so beautifully, and with such love – which of course always makes things even more special. Jonathan started the evening off by reading a passage from the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia: ‘Prince Caspian’. The four brothers and sisters (2 girls, 2 guys, just like us, oddly enough!) return to Narnia, but they don’t recognise it straight away. And then they begin to discover it is the place they used to know, and the walk about finding old swords, and jewels: familiar things. He spoke about how this is going to be our time of remembering – of remembering that we are royal, of remembering that we were created to be in relationship with God like Adam and Eve were – walking together in the cool of the day. Throughout the evening we were served, loved and welcomed into the community. So many overwhelming words were spoken over us; our hearts were encouraged and made safe – secure in the knowledge that we have been awaited here, and that we have nothing to prove, no reason to perform. We were given so many gifts! A set of watercolour paints, paper and paintbrushes from Papa Ken (who’s going to give us some watercolour lessons, what a privilege!) and Ms Linda. A beautiful box each (to store some treasures in from our time here), with a note inside, and a ‘stone of remembrance’ from Justina and Jake. A collection of books and journals from Chris. A special individual present for each of us (Holy Spirit inspired!) from Molly (I got a beautiful antique key!). SO overwhelmed with gratitude and joy! We ended the evening with a really special, sweet time of prayer. We are HOME. Whoohooooooooo :o)
“Ella... lovely daughter of God, queen of heaven. No one knows the risk you took to walk into this season, except the one who has whispered your name and called you to come closer than you have ever been. You are in a secure and sheltered place for your heart to take flight.
Be filled with joy indescribable, He has planned every moment of this season. You are ready.
We love you deep...
Johnny and Mel”
To try keep this short, here are some of the highlights of the rest of the week...
16 January 2012
We started Monday with an intro to the schedule we’re going to more-or-less follow over the internship. It’s helpful to have that basic guide, so we get into the rhythm of life here more quickly. Routine (when it’s not rigid and forced) is such a good thing :o) We got given ANOTHER present today... a Holga camera for each of us from David. We’re going to be learning lots about photography from him. David is an AMAZING photographer, and it’s such a privilege to be able to learn from him. We’ve even had a new darkroom set aside on the farm just for these adventures in photography. I love what the Holga box has to say:
“A Holga camera is a study in imperfection, and to use it is an exercise in breaking free from dependence on technology, precision and uber-sharpness. The slight softness of the images, uncontrollable vignetting and peculiar light leaks create a partnership between you and your Holga. These “flaws”, accompanied by your creative choices, result in a quasi-serendipitous form of art. A Holga stretches out visual perception. Using a Holga adds another facet to the way we see the world. We notice more things, and thus we examine and evaluate their status. A Holga is an educator teaching us a new visual vocabulary with which to describe our world. A Holga is a rule-breaker. To use a Holga is to utterly change the terms of reference most people use to interpret photography.”
We went for a walk to begin taking some pictures with our new Holgas, and I LOVED the crisp winter air, and the beautiful, stark trees all around us.
Monday nights are my nights to help Martha get supper ready, and I love the time I get to spend with her in the kitchen. Martha is able to make every moment beautifully homey, and it’s so easy to feel at rest in her presence. After a great supper, a few of us went for a drive to a place called Cook-Out for milkshakes – FREEZING idea, but very yummy :o) And a few of us girls ended a lovely day by watching Beauty and the Beast together in our cute upstairs lounge area.
17 January 2012
After worship this morning (we worship together for half an hour every morning Monday to Thursday, is that not the most fantastic thing you’ve ever heard?! :o) ), us interns and most of the staff met with Jonny and Mel at their house, and they went over the community values with us. we did a similar run-through at the beginning of the summer school – and I felt now, as I did then, just how good it is to be in the spacious boundaries of the Lord. It reminded me again of Psalm 16:6 – “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places”... The community values and boundaries create such spacious places for us because we know that we’re safe here – our hearts are safe, and no hiding or walling in of them is necessary. Jonathan closed off this time by sharing this idea with us: God and His presence is like the ocean. Think of all the people you see coming down to the beach – you get people sitting on towels, enjoying the sun and the sight of the sea close-by. You get the kids splashing in the shallow waters. The older kids playing a little further out. The body-boarders and surfers, enjoying the power of the sea, the excitement. The paddlers. The fishermen who know the sea so well, and go out every day. The divers, finding new treasures in its depths. Everyone comes to the sea with different needs, and each of them are fulfilled by it. We are all at such different stages, needing such different things from the Lord. But He is more than able to be exactly what every one of us needs. Jonathan asked us to think about what it is the Lord was wanting to be for us in this season, or what He was wanting to show us. We shared them with each other... the first three words that popped up for me were: “adventure”, “deeper” and “lover”. When I thought about each of these more later, and pulled them apart together, I discovered that for me in this season, the essence of each of these is “dependence”. I think Father is going to be teaching me all about letting go, letting Him have His way, letting Him direct my course. Completely. New for me! That’s scary. But SO good!
After lunch we had what I am sure will become one of my favourite times of the week – music with Molly :o) We did some more of what we started over the summer – some “active listening” to pieces of music: spending time listening to fantastic compositions, and allowing our minds to paint pictures, scenes, colours and feelings for us. When we share what we’ve been thinking, it always amazes me how many similarities will come out, from such a diverse group of people. The extraordinary power of music!
I had my first experience of Costco today, with Martha and Sydnee. Oh my goodness. I thought Walmart was large. It has nothing on this. For South Africans: imagine combining Game, Incredible Connection, Checkers Hypermarket, Dischem, Mr Price AND Mr Price Home... and then feeding it steroids. Literally. It’s a ENORMOUS warehouse affair, with almost everything coming in bulk only. Overwhelming. Glad nie my gunstelling plek op die aarde nie!
Anyhoo, after that interesting experience, I was rather relieved to return to the peace of the farm for supper, and then partake in the unparalleled JOY that is farm family night :o) This happens every Tuesday night, and includes all of us living on the farm, and then those who are part of this family, but who live a little further away. Jonathan explained to us newbies that every Tuesday, there will be worship, communion, and a word shared... but every week different people sign up to do each of those things, so the weight of seeking the Father’s heart for this community is always shared by us all. Tonight Jake and Justina led worship together, and Martha brought communion. I’m going to LOVE Tuesday nights. I love how responsive this community is to the Hoy Spirit, and how ready they (we :o) ) are to adventure together into His beautiful presence.
18 January 2012
This morning after breakfast, worship (8:30 – 9) and God time (9 – 10), we four interns had the privilege of hanging out with Papa Ken in what he’s been told should be called his “man cave” :o) With some good coffee in hand, we settled in to drink from the well he has been cultivating so faithfully for so long. I am always reminded that we are lucky enough to be interns here in this beautiful place because of the dream that was in his heart, and the sacrifices he and his lovely wife Linda have made to see it come to be. They are off to Norway soon, to speak at a YWAM base there – and we are praying that God does extraordinary things through them :o) We got to hear an extraordinary story from one of Papa Ken’s friends about a time when he was obedient to the voice of the Lord, even though the request seemed like an odd one... and the fruit of his obedience was so wonderful. I am challenged again to be more reliant on the Hoy Spirit, more readily directed by the Father.
Since it was Wednesday today, this afternoon was “project day” with Jake... which today meant that we helped paint the ceilings and walls of the new building project that is happening upstairs in the barn, where the art-room used to be. I love that we get to really ‘own’ this place; we get to look after it and love it and pour ourselves into it for the time that we’re here. It really IS home :o)
19 January 2012
This morning’s impartation time was with David. We spoke about how good it is to ask God questions, and wait on Him for answers. It made me think of Proverbs 26:2 – “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” We watched a FASCINTING dvd about the star of Bethlehem... a man who was just a lawyer (not an astronomer!) was fascinated by what had actually happened when that star appear – could it be scientifically explained? And it turns out it REALLY can! In fact, this guy managed to prove that God had written a poetic masterpiece in the skies, that spanned from when Gabriel met with Mary, to after the crucifixion of Jesus! Whoa. From a simple question can come a profound answer :o)
I’m going to love Thursday lunch times, because I get to have one-on-one time with Molly every Thursday. What a TREAT! Had a beautiful time with her today – so encouraging, so good for the heart :o) We spoke a bit more about the letting-go-and-letting-God thing: about how tough it is, but how GOOD when we can breathe deeply, and relax into His grace for us, and His direction. PHEW. And yay!
After the Thursday cleaning-the-farm family duties, and supper together, the girls headed out to MK’s house (beautiful wife of the afore-mentioned David!) for girls’ night. Yay! This is going to happen every second week, and we’re going to be reading bits of Anne Voskamp’s “One Thousand Gifts” together. I haven’t started it yet, but have heard a lot of good things about it, so I’m excited to get stuck into that! Those girl times are also going to be amazing for diving into spaces that perhaps we wouldn’t be able to throw ourselves into if there were guys around. Let’s face it, sometimes it’s just necessary to have girls’ night :o)
20 January 2012
We visited the nearby town Greensboro today (us 4 interns and Chris, our fearless leader). We hung out at Green Bean coffee shop (where I had the most DELICIOUS hot chocolate, yay!) and did a history book entry... we were instructed to create something that represents what the season we’ve come out of (that preceding the 8 months of this internship), as a way of building an altar of remembrance, but then being able to turn the page and start on a fresh sheet.
Whilst in Greensboro, we also stopped at the Carolina Theatre, which is where the CD release of the Helser’s new album is going to be held on 25 February. MUCH EXCITEMENT about that, it is going to be incredible! The venue is so beautiful too! Whoop whoop!
A few of us ended a fun day by visiting Awake church to hear a man called Steve Witt speak on ‘Creativity’. I really loved what he had to say... some highlights: When God sees nothing, when He sees a void or a lack of something, He isn’t disappointed or frustrated or stumped. Because it is out of nothing that God creates. That’s the place with the most potential! God is a God of disruptive innovation – He changes the surroundings. When the ark of the covenant (which housed God’s presence) was moved around between a few Philitine villages, it made an impression! In itself it was passive, but the presence it housed was certainly doing things! In the same way, we house the presence of God – and even when we passively enter spaces, the Presence inside of us should be disrupting the atmosphere around us. Isn’t that so cool?!
21 January 2012
After a good sleep-in (YAY!) we started the day with a drawing lesson from Justina (who taught us over the summer too). It was on shading, and we practiced really giving yourself time to look at an object before you start drawing it. Learning to really SEE :o) We had some great free time for the rest of the day, and then bundled into a van to head out to Concord where Jonny, Mel and the band were leading worship (they had been there that day and the night before too). We were given supper by some kindly ladies, and then prayed together before the service began. Melissa said she felt like the time was going to be like walking in an orchard, and helping yourself to the choice fruits hanging on the low branches: there was so much well-tended garden-space there, and it was going to be easy to pluck the beautiful fruit. When we walked back into the main hall, an artist had set up his easel, and his picture was of a heavy-laden tree, and he had all the fruits of the Spirit written out under it! What can you do in those moments but laugh, and enjoy the crazy wonder of the Father’s goodness in speaking clearly to His children?! :o)
At the end of the worship time, we gathered as a family to hand over the burdens we had carried for that church for that night, and to seal the work He had done. I love this rhythm that our family has! And on the way home we stopped for milkshakes at McDonalds... from the sublime to the ordinary, He’s in it all :o)
So much to learn here, so many ways to grow in... but WHAT an adventure! Thank you Father, my heart is full :o)
