Craig's Experience in Wales A personal documentation of my journey as an exchange student in Great Britain

I wanted to write this quick entry before I head off to bed. I got back from my first Bible study here at Swansea. It was through a group called the Christian Union. Referred to as the "CU" here, the organization takes on many of the same characteristics of Campus Crusade. I met a real solid group of guys there- about 8 in all. There also were 2 girls at the meeting. There were four leaders total and the rest were first year students. We went over John 20-36 and analyzed and discussed each verse and its implications. Oh man, it was so awesome. We walked into this satined-glass, midevil-architecture style building. To go along with the cliche - it was sooooo cool. I met one guy named Tim who was very pleasant. "So, Tim, when's your birthday?" asked one of the guys since it so happened to have been his birthday just recently. "July...." a brief pause. It gave me just enough time to think to myself, "there is no way it's the 28th". "The 28th," he said. You'd have thought that he just told me I was about to be a father. "NO WAY!" I said very loud as I slapped him on the shoulder. "That's my birthday, too!" He looked at me with an equally excited face and proclaimed with an exquisit Welsh accent, "Yep, It's the best day there is!" Now, if you know me, you know that I freak out at just about any little detail in life. I hardly run across anybody with my birthday, and to do so in Swansea, Wales at my frist Bible study... oh, boy. I felt, in some odd sense, that this was just the beginning of same incredible fellowship. During the study I just sat back and listened to their responses, their insight, and their input about the Scripture we were reading. "I can't believe I'M here," I thought to myself. It was so...well, fun.... to hear them say "Lord" and "praises" and "evangelism" and "Jesus" with those charming accents. I wish I could have recorded it. But oh, I will.. I most certainly will within teh next few months. I found out that they are sponsoring a missions week this upcoming week. They're having a bonfire on Swansea Bay in front of the uni. It's like an outreach type deal with games and things of the sort. I'm really excited for it. After the Bible Study, a few of us guys went to Woody's, this pub in the Student Village, for some drinks and to relax. This is where I had the opportunity to really talk with a few of the guys. I spoke a lot with a redhead named David who was excited about the perspective of creating a guy's accountability and fellowship group. He even initiated the fact that I could call him at any time I wanted to pray, read Scripture or just hang out. He informed me that the CU had a football (soccer) team and were in need of players. ," I told him that I would absolutely love to play. My Bible study leader, Will, is a door man at a local bar called Sin City and also at the pub Woody's. He's a husky guy filled with a lot of energy. I discovered that we have a bit in common as well. Then there's Sam. At the Bible study he really revealed his knowledge of the Bible, and displayed a deep passion for the Lord. "I've gotta get to know this guy," I thought. So we spoke at the pub, laughed a bit and talked about each other's lives. He invited me over to his place for dinner some time this week. He also said he'd show me how to surf. He took teh Switchfoot guys surfing a couple of days ago when they were here for teh concert. Which, by the way, was a really fun time. Needless to say, all this interaction was creating such an excitement within me. There were a few others that were there but I didn't have the opportunity to talk with - Tim, Martin and Steve. After about 45 minutes in the pub, we left and parted ways. I couldn't have been filled with more thanks and praise after I left that place. A group of solid Christian guys who play sports, love music, like to relax, cook, and joke around ... sounds like a crowd that I would fit quite well in. The Lord has been so good over here!! Not just in my life, but in SOOO many other people's lives that I'm coming into contact with. HAVE A WONDERUL NIGHT AND GOD BLESS, EVERYONE! Oh, here's a quick recipe from Craig's Throwing Things Together Cookbook: whole wheat pasta, a can of tuna, cut up three strawberries, one apple, two slices of cheese and a healthy amount of cucumber. Add a little bit of lemon juice. Don't put in Miracle Whip, etc. as a subsititue. It takes away the flavor of the fruit. Mix it all up in a bowl. Throw it in a tortilla or eat it out of the bowl. Yuuuummmmaaaayyy...... have a great weekend!