Well, I have been back in the United States for 2 weeks, back on East Coast Time, unpacked (gently unpacked, because my bags are always kinda packed and ready to go 😉) and caught up on laundry and gardening and mail. Kinda.
Some things feel back to normal now and some things feel strange. I was immersed in the Scargill culture for 6 weeks. That was the longest time I had ever been away from "home". I can honestly say I never felt homesick, even though I thought about it often.
So now that I have had time to digest it all, would I do it again? YES. Would I recommend it? YES.
Here is my summary:
1. My first observation: the first thing I did when I got into my car at the airport to drive home was to lock my doors. It was the first time I had done that in 6 weeks. I quickly realized that America has developed a culture of FEAR. It comes from the Media. Fear sells. Watching the news, reading public opinion, even listening to people talk; we are afraid of each other. I wish it were different, but I think it is true. Not only that, but we actually entertain ourselves by watching violence on so many different levels. I do not want to exactly bury my head in the sand, but I do try to control what I allow into my mind as much as possible. And that is my choice. I experienced Scargill and the area around it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park to be an oasis of peace and calm. I felt perfectly safe the entire time I was there.
So would I recommend it to anyone wanting to go on an extended Sabbatical? Absolutely.
Scargill is an authentic Christian Conference Retreat Center (Centre) and a very safe place to be.
And I know there are many other similar places around the world, including in the USA. You just have to look for them. Good people are everywhere. We must seek each other.
2. The next observation is that traveling, especially traveling to another country, opens your mind up like almost nothing else can. You are exposed to different cultures, different language, different ideas, different opinions, different methods, different foods, etc, etc, etc. I have done quite a lot of traveling, but never staying somewhere for 6 weeks, to get really immersed...to feel less like a tourist and more like a member of a group. I think I am changed. I hope for the good. I think I listen better now, I think I am more objective now. I hope I am more open to people who don't look or sound like me. I realized in a new way that the world is big and America is just one piece of the pie. There are wonderful people everywhere in the world. And they don't all need to be like me. So my advice to anyone who can, is to GO! Travel! Experience new things!
3. My view of the CHURCH is bigger now. Not everyone worships the same way. Or sings the same music. And that is OK. I want to continue to visit other places like Scargill House in the future. To learn to live with open hands. To walk through open doors.
4. England is beautiful and if any of my friends from the USA want to go, I seriously would be willing to go with you. There are many beautiful villages to explore, and easy walking trails, and kind people. Scargill offers programs year round. You can go as a guest for a few days, or if you are interested in going for an extended time (on a Sabbatical) like I did, you can contact the good people at Scargill and start the conversation.
Here is the link to the Scargill website:
https://scargillmovement.org
Here is the link to look at the programs that are currently scheduled:
https://scargillmovement.org/programme/
And there are many other links on their website to read.
Feel free to contact me if you want to ask me anything about it. I brought some brochures back with me that I can share with you.
my email is: NewAudreyKincaidBrendel@gmail.com.
And thanks for reading my blog. And for your prayers and encouragement to me.
To my friends from Scargill, thanks for your hospitality to me while I was there. I will never forget you. I hope to return to Scargill. And I hope to travel to some other Christian retreat centers in the UK in the future. And I hope to continue to blog about this adventure called LIFE and "What in the world I am doing here!"
So, till next time,
Deep Peace of Christ to you,
from Audrey Brendel in North Carolina, USA.
