Written by Ruby Linn | Huddersfield, England
“After deciding I didn’t want to go to university, I spoke to some family friends at Big Church Festival who recommended Lee Abbey and suggested I look at the exhibition stand. After doing so, I applied and in October 2023, I joined the House team. I was challenged in many ways, from learning to live independently despite moving from my mum and cat to living with 60 people to hearing God’s word more frequently and people’s interpretations of that.
“My first year was tremendous. I made some true strong friendships and learnt hard lessons which I will take with me. I spent a lot of time socialising, going to the community kitchen and lounge, my friend’s rooms, or to community activities where I made many sweet memories.
“After it had been a year, I was supposed to leave. In some ways I was ready to- saying ‘goodbye’ to friends I could call family was overwhelmingly painful. However, I felt like God was telling me to stay. He had more for me here and I had more to give and serve. So I applied and was accepted for the Beacon Administrator role. The Beacon team is very different from House. As the Beacon Administrator, my role is split in half between admin and activity instructor. There’s been so many opportunities to learn new skills, like leading sessions of climbing, zip wire and archery to name a few, or plan and carry out the Sunday school sessions. These moments have been so valuable.
“Change can be difficult to manage (a lot of my life it’s been something I’ve resented) and it happens so regularly here. I spent the first months of the second year wrestling with God specifically on ‘why did He want me to stay when there are moments I’m dissatisfied and hurting?’. Yet after learning to grieve the ‘what was’ in the midst of trying to make the most of where I am, I can truly say I am so grateful to be here and have found (at least some) of His intentions for me here.
“Being in a somewhat intense environment where everybody you work with has a main focus on God causes you to stretch and grow in so many ways. For instance, there was a specific battle that had plagued me for years and I thought (1) it was not affecting me as much as it had and (2) it would never go away. Nevertheless, after completing one of the discipleship courses and months of praying, God broke through in such noticeable ways that, even though the situation hasn’t changed, God has graciously made me new and the person I arrived as is not the same person who will leave.”
