A Southern Thanksgiving Part 2

Previously on A British Methodist Abroad...
  I had arrived in Alabama, seen some sights, eaten some food and was in the car heading for Florida...

My adoptive Thanksgiving family

The great thing about David's car is that in the back it has reclining seats and a DVD player so travelling around was awesome.  I had time to watch Disney films I had never seen before and some old classics.  However, we arrived in Florida in the dark, and in time to eat (seeing as it had been a few hours since the last meal!).  Thankfully, David's parents had decided not to do a traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner (seeing as we had eaten that for lunch) and so instead we had beautifully cooked steaks with baked potatoes and salad.  After dinner provided the opportunity to watch another animated film (this time watching Brave - a film well worth watching if you've not seen it and enjoy animated films!) and, just when I was feeling it was time to fully unwind and go to bed, I was told it was time for another must-have American Thanksgiving experiences - Black Friday Shopping.  Black Friday shopping, for those of you who haven't had the delight, is the day when all the shops start their pre-Christmas sales encouraging people to buy a whole load of presents in one go.  For those in Britain, think January/Boxing Day sales - but starting at midnight on Friday. Because it was a must-have experience, I agreed to go.  If you have never been, and don't like shopping/crowds of people - DON'T GO!  It is always a bad sign when you are told we need to start with a coffee at 11.30pm just to see us through the evening!  However, I went with David (also not keen on the experience), Brittany his wife, Stephanie his sister and Wesley his brother.  We arrived at the first store at 11.45pm which meant queuing up outside with hundreds of others - apparently part of the experience - and then all rushing in when the doors opened.  I was impressed with how orderly people walked in in line - but once through the doors - it was every man/woman/child/baby (yes someone did bring their baby in a pushchair) for themselves (ok - so maybe the baby had someone looking out for them).  This first store was where most of our purchases were made (I say 'our' - I wasn't actually buying anything), however, we still had to go to two more stores and a burger drive thru.  It had got so late that I, yes you heard correct, even I, did not fancy a burger!  Finally, at 3am we arrived home laden with bargains and I was able to collapse into bed.  I had survived my Black Friday shopping experience - an experience I am weirdly glad to have had, but one I do not intend to have again!

On the pier

  The rest of Friday (after I had slept for a while) was, by contrast, very different.  It was relaxed, there weren't crowds of people, and it didn't involve shopping!  Instead, we went to the beach just a few minutes away from where David's family live.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  The sea was so blue and clear.  The sand was clean and fresh.  There was a pier (without any amusement arcades on it) to walk down where many people were fishing.  I had been warned that it may be breezy down at the beach and not quite warm enough for shorts - as it happened it would have been fine.  However, like a true Brit, I rolled my jeans up and waded in.  Those I was with felt that the water was too cold - but for me, it was no different to the North Sea off Frinton in the summer so was quite alright for paddling in.  I was also introduced to Dippin Dots, supposedly the ice cream of the future.  I'm not sure it beats a '99 but they were very nice.  Then, Friday evening, David's grandparents came and they said they'd bring some fried shrimp, locally caught for our dinner.  David had warned me about the quantity of shrimp that would be coming - but even I, in my wildest dreams, couldn't have imagined a mountain of shrimp the size we had that night.  And that was to accompany the fillets of flounder and the devilled crab that they also brought - it was amazing and so fresh tasting.  Sadly, I did not think to take a photo of the shrimp mound before everyone started digging in.  Friday night also saw part of my education - learning to play Canasta!  It is a card game that can get vicious - and bring out the worst in even the nicest people, but it was still loads of fun and I'll have to practice in case I ever get the chance of meeting up with them all again some time.

The extent of my cotton picking exploits

  On Saturday, we had another short visit to the beach, this time going to the area where the original Jaws film was shot which gave me an opportunity for another quick paddle (keeping a look out for any fins - but as I heard no spooky music I guessed I was ok) before loading up the car and heading to David and Brittany's house back in Alabama.  The one stop off we made on the journey (apart from to get food) was to pick cotton!  Alabama is a huge cotton growing region and there are just fields of it.  Just as we may get field after field of oil seed rape in Britain, so here it seemed as though every field had cotton growing in it.  So, making sure no-one was watching, I did jump out and pick a piece of cotton.  And I tell you, those plants are prickly and they are low down - I would not want to be doing that every day.  Thankfully now they do have machines to do it, but one could appreciate how hard the work was that slaves, and then other manual workers, had to do.  Once again we arrived home in the dark.  However, the next day I could see what a lovely small town it was, so peaceful compared to Atlanta.  Saturday night saw us finish putting up the Christmas decorations (now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas season has truly begun) and then Brittany gave me an education in great American reality shows.  We watched Teen Mom, Sister Wives (a show about a Mormon with 4 wives), Ink Master (a competition to find the best tattoo artist) and Breaking Amish.  I do feel I should have brought episodes of The Only Way is Essex and Come Dine with me just to repay the compliment!

  Sunday provided my first opportunity to see a bit of football (soccer to my American friends) since I arrived.  I was able to see the last 15 minutes of Liverpool v Swansea (a riveting 0-0 draw) before it was time to go to church.  After going to the very large Decatur First UMC (which I am loving) there was something quite comforting about going to Seale UMC which had about 30 present and, when sharing the peace, there was time and opportunity for people to go and speak to everyone - and say more than just 'peace be with you'.  It really felt more like a community than some more tightly structured church services can.  And then, after church, it was time to head back to the city, back to Atlanta.  But we did go via the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  However, to read about that, you will have to read the final instalment of this mini series!

A Southern Thanksgiving Part 1

Hanging moss in Alabama

Google Map of my trip

Since Tuesday I have travelled 718 miles (according to Google maps and not including local travelling at each destination), I have travelled within three different states (Georgia, Alabama and Florida) slept in three different beds, watched 7 and a half animated films (thanks to a DVD player in the back of the car), been in small towns, seaside resorts and returned to a large city, I have eaten a variety of foods (all good) and made new friends along the way - this certainly was a first Thanksgiving to remember.  Due to all the memories I want to share from this, I will write it in a 3 parts, just so you don't have to spend all day reading it, and I can tell you all a bit more about each event...

  The great thing about being an exchange student from a foreign country is that there is always someone willing to adopt you for holidays to help you experience their native culture.  I was fortunate enough to have made friends with David in one of my Candler classes who was just such a person.  What made it even more remarkable that he and his family were willing to take me in was that just prior to my visit they had had a family bereavement - in fact the funeral was while I was staying.

The spot where Jefferson Davis was sworn in
on the steps of the capitol building

Jefferson Davis

Graves of Hank and Audrey Williams

  So he picked me up on Tuesday morning and we made the drive to Millbrook, Alabama.  From our base in Millbrook we ventured into Montgomery which is the state capital of Alabama.  It hosts the site where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the first president of the Confederacy in 1861 and also Martin Luther King's church.  Montgomery is also the burial place of Hank Williams (country music singer) and I'm told that no trip to Montgomery is complete without a pilgrimage to his grave.  While staying in Millbrook we also went to Fort Toulouse, site of a French fort from the French-Indian war and also an American fort used during a war with the Creek Native Americans.  This was also my first experience of seeing moss hanging from trees, giving the forest a beautiful, yet also enchanting feel.  My final experience before Thanksgiving was apparently an Alabama must - to the Bass Pro shop.  This is an outdoor shop like none in Britain.  It really demonstrated the difference in culture as not only were there clothes and utensils for the outdoors on sale, but there were fishing lines and guns as well.  This is definitely an area where people feel at home outdoors and hunting and fishing are a way of life.  Needless to say - I did not buy a gun!

Me at the Bass Pro shop

  Thanksgiving Day itself began early.  I was invited to go with David and his family to a men's breakfast held at, but not organised by, a local shooting club.  The scenery was beautiful and the food was pretty good as well - Conecuh sausage (an Alabamian delicacy), scrambled egg, grits and biscuits (more like a savoury scone in Britain).  Before we ate we prayed, they swore allegiance to the flag (I listened to the words and thought of the Union Jack!) and then they sang My Country 'Tis of Thee (which is to the tune of God save the Queen!) - all very patriotic and they told me that praying in public and swearing allegiance to the flag is now very rare.  After breakfast we went to David's in-laws for lunch.  While they were rushing around making all the necessary preparations, I had the opportunity to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which is a real Thanksgiving tradition.  There were casts from some of the Broadway musicals performing, pop acts, dancers and all kinds of acts to make it a wonderful carnival atmosphere.  With lunch ready we sat down together, all squashed in to make sure we could all fit, and enjoyed a dinner of smoked turkey, fried turkey, ham, mashed potato, dressing (a little bit like stuffing, but cooked separately), sweet potato soufle, and green beans, with pecan pie for dessert.  We didn't have long after lunch before David, Brittany (his wife) and I were in the car and off down to the Gulf Coast, to Navarre in Florida.  But for that, you will have to read part 2...

Heaven Bound

  I was invited to go this evening to a musical called 'Heaven Bound' performed by members of Big Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church.  It was a musical which has been performed every year for 82 years!  It was first performed in 1930 during the Great Depression as the church was facing severe financial pressures and was facing closure, but has continued ever since.  Members of the church I went to watch it with who first went to see it 55 years ago (!) inform me that it hasn't changed at all in that time.  The history of Big Bethel is also interesting.  The congregation started life as a slave church, initially they had to sit in segregated pews in the white church, but eventually were given a plot of land to build their own building.  After the Civil War, once they were freed, they built a new building just next door (where the present church still stands, although it has gone through a number of refurbishments and rebuilds).

  However, it was about the production itself that I wanted to share.  I wish I was able to have taken photos as it will be difficult to imagine without.  The setting for the performance was at the pearly gates.  It opened with St Peter and the angels all entering through the gates, Peter with the giant Book of Life.  One thing of interest was that Peter and the angels were all black people, decked out in white and gold.  It was refreshing that it wasn't the traditional Western images of angels that we usually see.  Then the rest of the performance consisted of stories of individuals on their journeys to heaven.  Each person came in, one at a time and told their story using a traditional gospel or African American spiritual song.  The singing was incredible - both the soloists and the choir - made up of the angels and all who had made it to heaven thus far.  Each person had a slightly different story - some were already decked in white robes and were people full of faith and triumphantly marching to heaven; whilst others were in ordinary clothes, facing the trials and tribulations of this world, some carrying heavy baggages, who persevered in faith and just made it, to be given their white robe and golden crown on arrival.  These songs were uplifting, the characters represented many people's journey through life, there was encouragement for all watching who may be facing similar trials.

  The production did also tell the stories who didn't make it.  Those people who were tempted by the ways of the world rather than the way of God.  I was pleased to see that there were far more people getting into heaven than not.  However, in each person's story, the character of the Devil was present, and in the case of the few, he tempted them away and they did not make it into heaven.  The songs which were sung, still had notes of hope within them, which then jarred with the stories being displayed.  But the stories also told of a man choosing wealth rather than helping the poor; and the story of a mother desperately praying for her children to turn back from their lives of gambling - and only one did.  In our churches we don't like talking about the Devil or people not getting into heaven.  However, what happens with regards to judgement after death, only God knows.  In the mean time, these stories provided the challenge to each person watching, to do all they can to resist the temptations which force us to live contrary to God's way.  The other clever aspect of this musical was that the character of the Devil was able to bring this to challenge to us by using humour.  It was funny and entertaining to see how he was going to try and lead people away from God's path, but as we laughed, there was also the realisation that there was truth in what we were witnessing.

  If you are in Atlanta on 8th November 2013 (the next time they are performing the production) then I would recommend that you go as it was a fantastic night out, a really well done production, great music performed by great musicians, and a real encouragement to make sure your life's journey takes you heaven bound!

Election Night special

Its 10.20pm, I have an 8am class tomorrow, yet I have not gone to bed - why?  Because it is election night - or 'Decision 2012' as NBC call it!

  Obviously I don't have a vote - and yet the decision made tonight is one which will affect my life, even after I return from the States, such is the power and influence of the American President in world affairs.  I have my preferred candidate who I hope will win, but I am just intrigued as to how it will turn out - especially given the close nature of the election.

  However, what I want to write about isn't the election, but the communion service that our church hosted this evening.  It was part of a national drive by churches (see www.electiondaycommunion.org) as a unifying move after what has become a very divisive campaign.  The service was led by the 7 churches in the city of Decatur and it was truly a unifying act.

  In the welcome to the service it was stressed that people voted for different parties, had different expectations and dreams for the future of this country, yet in Christ we are all one.  There was no sermon, just a time of silence in between each Bible reading to allow us all to meditate upon the words.  Crucially it meant that there was no opportunity for political posturing, or for any words to be misconstrued as such.

  The music was led on the piano rather than the organ so, as there was a large congregation, the sound was just beautiful.  The words that really struck me were in the chorus of a hymn.  They said:

"And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,

Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love."

  Whatever side of the political divide we are on, we must still continue to live in a way which will lead others to know we are Christians by the love we have.

  What was also good was that the ministers from the 7 churches all stood at the front during the Communion liturgy, even though it was only one of them saying most of it.  However, when we got to the recounting of the Last Supper story, they all said in unison "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said,"  At that point we all joined in with "This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me."  The same was done with the wine.  There was just something really powerful about the ministers affirming the unity between them in Communion, and also when we joined in creating the much larger unity.

  The decisions made tonight will have lasting consequences for the United States of America, for Britain and for the wider world.  However, in the midst of it all, we must remember that we are first and foremost children of God and so we must live within that unity, and then ask God's blessing on whatever follows.

Trip to the Mountains

I'm trying to catch up on blogging as it has taken a back seat over the last few weeks due to midterm paper writing.  However...

  I want to share with y'all (learning the lingo!!) about my weekend up in the mountains from a few weeks ago.  I was staying in North Carolina with friends of mine Amy and Tim and family (daughter and dog!).  Those of you with connections with what was the Newbury and Hungerford Methodist Circuit will remember that Amy was minister of the churches in Thatcham and Kingsclere for a year and Tim was minister in the Reading and Silchester Circuit.  Amy very kindly drove down to pick me up, and then drove me back at the end of the weekend as well (probably more understandable for her to be keen to drive me home!).  This really highlighted the difference in British and American culture as I would consider driving 2 and a half hours each way twice in a weekend a lot of driving, but Amy seemed to take it all in her stride.  It was definitely a welcome break from studying and from city life in general.  The season of Fall seemed to be reaching its peak (or fairly close to it) and so the colours of the leaves were beautiful.

  On the Saturday, after visiting Tim's college where he works, we journeyed back over the state border into Georgia and went to Brasstown Bald.  This is the highest peak in Georgia at 4,784 feet.  Thankfully we were able to drive most of the way up and then hiked the last bit.  After looking round the small museum in the visitor centre we climbed the last few stairs to the top of the lookout point.  It was a clear day and we could see into 4 different states (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee).  Looking out over the mountains and the forests was awe inspiring - and I could almost imagine living here.  But fear not British readers (or, I suppose, fear - if the thought of me living over here is an attractive one), I'm not actually planning on moving over permanently!!  

  On the way back to North Carolina we stopped at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard ice cream which was apparently a cultural experience not to be missed - and it didn't disappoint.  The range of flavours really was impressive - there was certainly more than a choice just between chocolate, strawberry and vanilla!

  On the Sunday we went to their local Methodist Church where they had a 'note-burning' ceremony.  This was to commemorate and celebrate the fact that they had paid off the debt on their new sanctuary building.  In just 10 years they had managed to complete the payments on their beautiful sanctuary.  It also meant that the building could be dedicated now that the debt was paid off.  It was great to be part of this celebration.

  After lunch on the Sunday it was time to make the journey back to the city.  But not before one more stop in the Appalachian Mountains to have a last look at the view!  All in all a great weekend, thanks to my friends in North Carolina!