You say tomato, I say tomahhhhto....

Hello to all my wonderful supporters!

Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog and keep up with my experience in London. I've appreciated all the e-mails and letters from everyone!

Since I've been a bit behind on my blogging below are my entries from January and February. I'm heading off to Scotland to visit a friend in the morning, so when I get back to London, I will be sending out my March up-date.

In the meantime, here are my wonderful supporters and some prayer requests:
April Supporters:
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 1st in celebration of Marian's birthday.
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 17th in celebration of Chuck's birthday
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 21st through 27th in honor of Dana Olson's last week student teaching in Chuck's classroom in April of 2008.

Prayer Requests:
- Praise to God for King of King's Lutheran Church (my home/sending church) and their continued support to me through out my year in London. They had their budget meeting in March and passed to continue to support me financially through the end of my time in London :)
- Direction as to where God wants to lead me next year.
- Love, care, and well-being for my students, as they now have a two week break from school (Spring Break).
- Safety as many of my coordinators travel for their "holiday". Some are flying as far as California and some drove back home to Scotland.
- Thanks for all of my lovely supporters (THAT'S YOU!!!)

January and February "Across the Pond" Newsletter:

You say tomato, I say tomahhhto
At Springboard, we focus a lot on the pronunciation of the sound(s) each letter makes, as this helps all students read faster. As I was teaching one morning, I went to get my youngest student out of his year 1 class, which is equivalent to Kindergarten. This particular student loves my American accent and always wants me to say words such as sweetie, as I pronounce it “sweedee” and he pronounces it “sweetee”. On this particular day the first thing he says to me is, “Dana, I can tomato! I don’t say tomahhto anymore!” As it’s pronounced “tomahhto" in British English, and I pronounce it “tomato”. How cute is he!?


January: Time For God Conference in Wales
During my year of service in the UK, I get to attend three different conferences throughout the year through my receiving organization in the UK, Time for God (TFG). Because all of us have graduated from university that were sent through the ELCA’s Young Adult in Global Missions (YAGM) program, TFG wanted to give us a more in depth experience at the conferences we attend, so they have placed us on the TFG+ program. The TFG+ program focuses on vocation, community, faith, personal spirituality, and growth and development. Each of these topics let us look back into our past, focus on the present, and glace at our future.
During the conference, I got the chance to meet volunteers that are serving in the UK and come from all around the world! This was exciting, as some of my new German friends tried to teach me a few words and phrases in German, but I continued to forget the pronunciations and most of the actual words. Good thing I’m starting to become REALLY good at English. There was also worship every evening of the conference, which included all the volunteers, and an optional early morning worship service, where only a few volunteers attended. It was incredible to see and hear different languages praise God! We all speak a different tongue but have the same heart. Simply amazing!
Our days were filled with breakout sessions discussing the topics: vocation, community, faith and personal spirituality, and growth and development. We also had some free time to explore the Welsh countryside hiking and checking out our beautiful surrounding of the rolling hills.
It was wonderful to have a change of pace and a chance to think about and journal all that I’m experiencing on this side of the “pond.”


February: Celebrations
Ecclesiastes 3 says for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven, and trust me February was a time of excitement and celebration. Four of us six Springboard volunteers celebrated their birthday’s, Chinese New Year was celebrated with new friends from church, weekends with friends that visited from other placements, and one of the most exciting days I’ve ever been apart of, my older brother, Ryan’s, wedding.
Although I only got to participate in celebrating three of the four birthday’s (due to being in Minnesota), each had a little twist of it’s own to make it special. Blesilda had a gathering at our house where she made delicious Filipino chicken, noodles, and vegetables. For Christi, we took her out to Pizza Express, which is a classier version of Pizza Hut. And for Amanda’s birthday, a bunch of friends from church and a few volunteers went out to dinner at Nando’s, a Portuguese chicken restaurant.
I got the privilege to ring in the Chinese New Year with some students from China that I met through my church. There were many different dishes, such as: squid, Chinese steak, popchoy, duck, sweet and sour pork, and of course, green tea.
At the beginning of February, Traci, who’s placed at a church in Brighton, and Elayna, who’s placed at retreat center on a boat in Tollesbury, came to visit. I showed them two of the school’s I teach in, Camden Market, and around Peckham. Beckah, who’s placed at Bath Abbey, also visited for an evening and Edwin and I showed her Camden Market as well.
And last, but certainly not least, a celebration to go down in the books: my brother’s wedding. I flew back to Minnesota, in the middle of February, to be a bridesmaid in Ryan and Stephanie’s wedding. It was hosted the night of February 26th at the International Market Square in Minneapolis. Not only did I get to watch my older brother marry the girl of his dreams, but they also asked me to do a reading to make their ceremony more personal to their lives. It was a special honor to be given this task, as a wedding day is something to be remembered always.


Listen: To the Individual
During my time in China, Jamaica, and England, I have had more time to observe how humans interact, and one of my observations is that people just want to be heard. This is also true of the U.S., and I’m assuming elsewhere in the world, and nothing new to society, as there have been various social action movements in the history of the world, in which large groups of people want to be heard. But as I’ve continued to tutor children and have come across new friends during my time in England there’s been a resounding cry to be heard as an individual person. To be completely honest, I thought these children and people were too needy for me to help them. But as I got to know and continue to get to these individuals, all they really need is for someone to take a few minutes and listen to what they have to say.
As I’ve searched the Bible for inspirational verses regarding listening to others, I couldn’t find any (who knows maybe there are), but I did realize something really quickly: God listens to us, no matter what the issue. In the Bible many people cry out to God asking for various things: winning a battle, healing a broken heart, and even blaming God for their problems. God doesn’t put His fingers in His ears and pretend to be doing something else, no, He listens to every word and can hear every tear anyone has ever spoken or cried. So instead of finding a verse to give me a reason to listen to others, I’ve decided try and imitate God. I know there’s no way to listen to each person and what they have to say, but to apply this idea and listen to the children and the friends I already know.
Think about it, sometimes I just need to talk about something out loud, kind of like thinking out loud, to come to the best conclusion for a situation. I don’t like doing this by myself, but rather with a friend, and how amazing to have friends who already understand this concept! Think of those individuals in your life that need to be heard and you can be the one to listen. Although God is the only One with the power to help with most situations, we don’t have to have any answers to listen. Give listening a try the next time you find yourself in a situation in which you’re not sure how to respond. Sometimes people just need to be heard.



February Supporters:
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 6th in celebration of Sandy’s birthday.
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 13th in remembrance on Marian’s 1st trip to Jamaica.
Laura and Andy Chapeau: 17th in celebration of Andy’s birthday.

March Supporters:
Laura and Nate Leckband: 10th in celebration of Laura’s birthday.
Michelle and Dan Taipale: 13th in remembrance of Don Johnson.
Kathy and Mike Obeidzinski: 19th in celebration of Kathy’s birthday.

CHRISTmas

The month of December accompanies the hustle and bustle of getting ready to celebrate Christ's birth. I enjoy the atmosphere of people shopping and trying to find the perfect gift for those they love, decorating the irreplaceable Christmas tree, and making the perfect cookies. Often the message of “Christ”mas gets lost in the gift buying, the decorating, and the making.... But when we stand back and look at the real meaning of Christmas (and forgive me because, yes, this will be cliché) it truly is CHRIST (imagine that?)! God has already provided for those He loves: the perfect Gift of Christ, the decoration of His children's lives with the joy and love of the Holy Spirit, and the making of a flawless sacrifice for all people to be brought back into relationship with Him. I have to admit that I forgot this message for a few moments this season. But even amongst the failure to remember the “reason for the season” God pulled my heart back to His many times this month. He's reminded me of the many things He's promised throughout generation after generation.



One of God's promises is that He reminded me of was that He will provide all that I need:

While reading 2 Samuel (and the story is also in 1 Chronicles), David was chosen by God and is appointed King over Israel. God speaks to David, through his servant Nathan, saying He will establish David's throne's forever. After reading the cruelty and disobedience David's heirs were to their enemies and to God, I was astounded that God still upheld His end of the “bargain”. When I went back and read in more detail this story in 2 Samuel 7, verse 14 and 15 say, “...When he commits iniquity, I will punish him... But I will not take my steadfast love from him...” (speaking about Solomon). All David had to do is to be obedient to God (yes, he was human and he did commit sins, but David did repent and still had to face the consequences of his sin) and God promised to establish his throne forever (which eventually Jesus was born through David's “throne”). And no matter what David's heirs did, God still kept his promise to David. In a way I kind of feel like David (except the whole “king, throne, and Jesus being my heir” thing). Being chosen and having God's promises of his provision. As some of you know fundraising wasn't an easy task for me coming out of a year of serving in Jamaica and not having enough funds to provide for the next year of service God called me. Before even leaving my home church, King of Kings Lutheran Church in Woodbury, MN, and many family and friends graciously sent monetary gifts to provide for the journey that lie ahead. Although I had half the amount I was supposed to have, I persevered into this year, trusting and knowing God would and will provide. While serving these past four months in London, God has provided what He has promised through unexpected avenues! First, Lutheran Church of Ascension's youth group near Chicago wanted to support a missionary in the YAGM program and I was chosen to accept their incredible gift not only financially but as a member of their close-knit community. After receiving a beautiful care package in the mail, I felt as if I was accepted into their community without ever meeting any of their members. Second, Christ Lutheran Church in Palatine, IL also wanted to support a young adult in the YAGM program and I was, again, chosen to accept their generous gift. I am still in shock of God's provisions and still trying to work out His faithfulness towards me. As in David's story, I have done nothing to receive God's favor, but am trying to live in complete obedience to His will for my life.


As I recall how God has provided for me before sending me and while living in London, I've realized the importance of Christ's birth is to everyone. Without Christ, God's promises would been broken. But with Christ, every promise God has given His children (there are many, just read the Bible) have come true!!

Remember the reason for the season: Christ!!




Supporters for January:
Chuck and Sandy Schollmeier: 10th in celebration of their wedding anniversary.
Violet Wilson: 23rd in celebration of her birthday.
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 24th in celebration of their wedding anniversary.


Prayer requests:
- Praise to a faithful God in providing all that humans cannot. Thanks that He is much bigger than any situation or worry.
- Prayers for the children we teach at Springboard. For them to be rested and ready to learn and start 2010 with the energy to soak in all that is taught to them. For God to provide each of the children with the material things they need and for the relational aspect they need and want from those around them.
- Prayers for the volunteers at Springboard, Time for God, and those serving around the world through the ELCA-YAGM program. For all the be rested and be energized to head back to their placements full of energy and zest for what God has in store for them.
- Prayers for YOU!! For those I've known since I was a baby to those I haven't met yet, but have started a relationship through Christ with. To use the knowledge of the nations with their families, friends, and co-workers to bring Heaven to Earth.





Don't forget that I love e-mail's and snail mail of prayers, encouragement, personal stories, and Bible verses. My information is:

E-mail: DanaEPO@gmail.com

Address: Dana Olson
7 Banfield Road
Nunhead
London, United Kingdom
SE15 3TX