Nomad Online

Walking to our flat from a doctor’s appointment, I give my husband a quick call. We talk.

“Hey, did anything come in the mail for me today?” I ask towards the end of our conversation.

“Yes…”

“Yay!! It’s a scarf. A red scarf with white sheep on it!!”

I spotted it on Amazon a couple of days before. It was cheap, colourful and the print was slightly bonkers. I was so happy it finally arrived.

“Oh no,” he groaned.

Chasing my first London story for Nomad today.

Headed out to Waterloo Station. There was a day centre for the homeless on Webber Street not too far from there.

London City Mission runs the centre. For more than 180 years, they have taken the Gospel to the “least reached” of London with love and practical care. They are the marginalised and often forgotten. The homeless, the migrants, the poor.

This organisation says to them, “You matter to us, because you desperately matter to God who created you in His image.”

When a cholera epidemic swept through London in the 1840s, more than 200 missionaries from the Mission stepped into London’s slums to pray with suffering families, share the gospel with them and hold their hands as they died.

Missionaries from this organisation have been caring for people existing on the margins of society ever since.

I was thankful they said yes to an interview.

Met up with a new friend for coffee. It was lovely spending time with her. I invited her over to our place next time.

Back home, I applied for a volunteer position with one of the smaller local agencies assisting refugees and asylum seekers. I prayed they would give me a chance and interview me.

Just when I started to feel despondent, I received an email from our son’s school. They are gearing up for Children’s Mental Health Week and were encouraging parents and students to get involved.

Quoting the following passage:

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

the email stated the theme this year was “Finding Your Brave”. During class, students were going to reflect and discuss what it meant to be brave in everyday situations and study inspirational people in society and in history who lived with courage.

The school hopes these lessons will encourage all students and staff to be courageous and take action when needed.

I fell in love with them a little bit and was thankful for the timely reminder not to get discouraged.

Off to the Tate Britain today, dragging a reluctant teenage son with me!

It was the second last day of a comprehensive exhibition of William Blake’s work and I thought it would be good for our son to see what the fuss was all about.

A poet, painter, printmaker, Blake was considered quite mad by his contemporaries. But history has a way to turning mad men into geniuses. Some recent critics have even gone as far as stating Blake was the greatest visual artist Britain had ever produced.

Me: So, what did you think?
Him: It was whacky! Very surreal.
M: Did you enjoy it?
H: Yeah, I found it bearable.

I guess that would have to do.

Nourishing noodles after church. Our son loves ramen, so we headed to a local ramen place for lunch.

We heard a challenging sermon about forgiveness today. Our minister stated Christians should be forgiving people because as Christians we are forgiven people.

He suggested if we Christians were unforgiving, we may not have fully grasped our own fallen nature before God and how much we have been forgiven. Unforgiving Christians may be unforgiven people.

Yikes!

It’s so easy to hold on to bitterness and anger when we’ve been wronged. So easy to have long memories that dredge up painful encounters. To fixate on revenge or carry that grudge a little longer.

There is a term in Korean called “Han”. It is the result of an infliction of a wrong so painful and great that it cannot be forgotten but endured, sometimes beyond the grave. I come from a culture that holds on to pain.

Today, Jesus told me to let that go. I was told to forgive the wrong doer, even if they’re not sorry, even if reconciliation is impossible, because I have been forgiven much.

We are to forgive people again and again. It is not optional, but a command.

Met some really lovely women today. We opened the Bible to the book of Romans and discussed what the passage was telling us. It was my first London Bible Study.

On the crowded bus ride back to our apartment, a kind man offered me a seat. I wasn’t sure if I should take it, but he insisted. I thanked him and sat down.

I am finding so many small instances of care in this big city.

In South Kensington again. This time I tried the Lebanese café around the corner from the station exit.

I enjoyed it very much!

The place was an explosion of mismatched patterns and colour. From the fezzes on the walls to the colourful chairs and shapes on the floor, the café’s decor cheered me up enormously.

I scoffed down their big breakfast, drank their coffee, and vowed to come again. Next time with family in tow.

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Project 2020 is a weekly roundup of images. It aims to capture moments of joy, pleasure, and thankfulness that are found on any given day. It’s an attempt at remembering the good things and being grateful for them. Thank you for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful day.