A Week in the Life...

Right.

I’ve been here for a month now, and I can safely say that I now understand what the word ‘work’ means! I have been beyond busy (or at least it feels like it!) in the past few weeks, and I’ve finally managed to sit down and write this. Phew!

I’m currently sat in the intern office (can you believe I’m in an office? That I have an office? I feel all grown up...) writing this to you, and trying to remember everything that’s happened over the last few weeks. Maybe a quick overview of a typical week would be a good idea?

A Week in the Life of a Going Public Intern

Sunday (because that’s when the week begins here in Cardiff)
At Church on Sunday, I will either be in the worship band (playing bass, though I still don’t have one of my own...) or I will be in with Noah’s Ark (2-5 year olds; they’re so cute!), which I will be leading on my own for the first time in a couple of weeks. Yikes!

In the evening, I help out with Hot Chocolate out in the Scout Hut behind the church building. Basically, it does what it says on the tin (and a little bit more). We serve hot chocolate to the kids off the estate, and they can play pool, table tennis, table football, guitar hero, dance mat, etc. Its a manic two hours, but I can see how God is blessing the kids on this estate. I’ve also been trounced at table tennis and table football for several weeks now, but I do fare slightly better when it comes to Guitar Hero...

Monday
Mondays begins with the 9am staff meeting at Church, followed by our intern meeting, and various admin tasks that need to be taken care of. Once a month we’ll have staff breakfast (bacon rolls last Monday; they were delicious) and we’ll fellowship together for a bit longer than usual. Never thought I’d be part of a staff meeting – it’s like I’ve suddenly become an adult!

Once a month (though soon to be fortnightly) I spend Monday afternoon taking part in the Love a Granny (and Gramps) project. A team of us will head into two local old people’s homes and run a service for the residents, and spend time chatting with them. Last time, us new interns were introduced to the residents and asked to talk about ourselves a little bit. The result? They want to hear me play my violin for them! Eek! They are all absolutely wonderful people, and to spend time worshipping with them, getting to know them and just generally being a friend to them is an amazing opportunity. God’s really blessing them all, and I feel blessed being able to meet them.

Tuesday
We run a lunchtime CU in a local school on Tuesdays, and it’s the one project where all of us work together. The kids at St Teilo’s are absolutely brilliant (if a little crazy sometimes, but then I can’t really comment, can I?) and so eager to learn about God. There are roughly thirty kids or so in each session we do (years 7-8 first session, years 9-11 second session), and we play a couple of silly games with them (Sion did the cream cracker challenge yesterday and almost vomited trying to beat one of the kids!), and do a bit of worship and teaching. Mr. Sellers, the RS teacher, lets us use his classroom and brings doughtnuts/cookies/brownies each week and is a fantastic support. I’m down for teaching next week with Rhi (one of the other interns), which I’m slightly nervous about... (hint: that was a cheeky prayer request!)

On Tuesday afternoons, I head down to the Gate Arts Centre (run by Glenwood Faith Community) to help out with a club for local unchurched kids. Every week is different at the club, and local people come in to do different things. The first week was street dance (epic fail for me!), then we had African drumming (it was AMAZING), after that a DJ workshop and some artwork (I was covered in paint. Literally covered.) and then yesterday we had a drama workshop in which I was an old lady on a bench who had her sweets stolen. It’s great fun, and the kids are amazing to work with – they’re so funny and cheeky.

Wednesday
In the morning I have prayer and study time – time to spend worshipping and chatting with God, and also catching up on the work I need to do for the various projects I’m involved in and for the training days on Thursdays.
Early afternoon on Wednesday I meet with my mentor and we go to a local cafe/bar to meet and chat about how things are going. My mentor Caroline is absolutely lovely (she and her family had me over for lunch last Sunday; it was delicious) and we have quite a few common interests too (books, lots of them!)

Wednesday evenings are very hectic. Early evening I help out with G-Pod, a sort of Rockclimbers (only without the gunge) for unchurched kids off the estate. We are currently trying to get through the entire book of Mark in eleven weeks – quite a challenge! My favourite part of G-Pod is ‘Rockstage’ – the memory verse set to the tune of a hit from the charts. This term its Mark 10:45 to One Direction!

Immediately after G-Pod is Small Group, where we eat and chat and look at a passage from the Bible together. It’s fantastic to be meeting with others from church, getting to know them and praying together.

Thursday
Thursday is Training Day (yes, the capitals letters are necessary; it is that important!) for the interns. We’ll worship together, interview someone from Glenwood Faith Community about their testimony, and then get stuck into the Bible. We’re currently working our way through the Old Testament – tomorrow is Abraham and Moses – and I’m learning so much more. We’ve been challenged to look for Jesus throughout the Old Testament, and it seems stupidly obvious now that I’m looking for it!

In the afternoon is track training – most of the interns are on the youthwork track; I’m on the creative track – where we look at developing our gifts and using them to reach others that we meet. I’m hoping to do a lot of writing and acting as part of this, so I better make sure my pencil and paper are at the ready!

In the evenings, I head over to one of the partner churches to help out with N:Gage and N:Counta, a kids’ group based on the Girl’s Brigade curriculum (but boys can come too). We’re looking at courage and the life of Paul at the moment, and I was simply covered in mod-rock last week as part of the artwork they were doing! I love that despite the age range (7-17 year olds!) all of them connect with what they’re doing and get something out of it. They’re a really fantastic group of kids.

Friday
On Friday I have the dreaded General Service (joking). Others are involved in admin tasks, or cleaning, etc., but I have the wonderful task of helping to produce Going Public’s newsletter! It mostly involves chasing people up to get their articles to me in time, and willing emails to appear in my inbox...

In the afternoon, I help out with Youth Band. Last week I had a quick tutorial in how to do sound, and it is now mildly less confusing than it was before... (I won’t be doing it on a Sunday anytime soon!) I also often take the girls out to learn the songs without the rest of the band. This coming Sunday the youth band are leading worship, and I’m looking forward to seeing them there. There’s just something special about young people worshipping – leading worship – and this group in particular just have something about them.

Saturday
Sleep? Shopping? Reading?
My day off. Phew!

So that’s my typical week.

Exhausted? I am!

But it is absolutely incredible, and I’m loving every moment of it – so far. I have no doubt that there will days in the weeks to come where I will be absolutely fed up with everything and want nothing more than to go home and be pampered by my parents... but God has blessed me immeasurably here in Cardiff, and it is through Him and His strength that I can carry on.

Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen. (Ephesians 3.20-21)

Before I love you and leave you, two more things.
You may remember that last time I mentioned that I hadn’t yet got lost? And that pride comes before a fall?
I got lost.
I caught the wrong bus and ended up about a mile from where I needed to be and had to walk back, hoping I was heading in the right direction...

Also, I now support Wales in the Rugby World Cup. Even if England had won and were facing Wales in the semis, I’d still decide to support Wales. It would be almost suicidal to support England here in Cardiff...

One last bit of wisdom: never run in heels.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers.

Blessings,

Debs xxx

goingpublic.org.uk