My Story

     I’ve put off writing this entry for a long time, just because I didn’t know what to say. Some wise friends of mine have been encouraging me to tell my story, the story that led me to London. I just never knew where to start. I see now that God has been leading me there all my life, but the pieces never came together until now. 

     I’ve loved England since I was very little. Back then it was the place where stories came from. It was the place where people spoke with a lovely accent and where kings, queens, and castles still existed. It still is. 

     As I got older I began to study English history and read English literature with more purpose as the pieces of one story became intertwined with another. I began to memorize the royal lines and the stories of the hardy men and women who tried to make England a memorable and influential isle that belied its size. I read English novelists, poets, and playwrights that gave voices to those whose voices weren’t being heard, or who simply wove an interesting story for the sake of art and entertainment. Most of my favorite actors are English, so that led me to study their theatre history in a more engaged manner; as an actress, it’s important to study the greats, and most of them come from England (our own theatre history doesn’t go back that far). 

     I remember thinking when I was younger, “could I ever move to England?...NOOOO, I would NEVER be brave enough for that!” Ha. I don’t feel like bravery has much to do with it. Not from myself, anyway. I feel called there, and when God calls you everything else comes into place. 

     In January of 2011 I began my Masters in Theatre at Regent University. I realized that this was the last leg of my education, and I needed to decide where I was going to go once I graduated. I had to use my degree, and Virginia Beach, VA would be very difficult place to make a living as an actress. So I turned over the usual possibilities in my mind: Chicago...no. New York...no. Los Angeles...no. Then I felt that still, small voice whisper an option I hadn’t really considered:

     London. 

     That was the only city I felt a peace about going to, and I wondered why I’d never considered that before. It’s in ENGLAND, after all! And what better place to pursue theatre than the West End? One can reach several auditions in a day thanks to their handy-dandy tube system, and there’s plenty of work because the theatre, television, and film industries are all thriving in and around the city itself. So, that’s when I started looking into moving to London.

     I was given the opportunity a few weeks later to actually visit London myself with my British family (dear friends of mine from church) who were going back to England that summer to visit their family. We’d always talked about my joining them to visit England, and the time had finally come! Visiting England that summer only confirmed my growing desire to move there. It was everything I thought it would be and more. It was home. 

     So I began to pursue applications for London drama schools. To me, that seemed the natural option after getting American training. I passed the preliminaries for each one, and was even asked to fly to London for an audition at RADA, which I did. However, I did not get accepted to any of the schools, so I took that as a sign that God wanted to move me on in life...I’d been in school long enough. 

     After that I didn’t know what to do, I just knew that I had to get to London somehow. I knew I was being called there, but to what? Work visas had become even more difficult to come by in 2012, so that was a problem. Then, I had a conversation about all of this with the wife of one of my old pastors and she mentioned that YWAM had a performing arts team in London. I had considered YWAM before, but I had no idea they had a performing arts team! So I looked into them right away, and immediately had to blink back the tears that sprang into my eyes because of how perfectly their vision matched my own. 

     TABOO Arts (so named because of how Christ has become taboo in today’s culture) is situated in Notting Hill, London -- a place that holds more artists per square mile than all of Western Europe put together. They understand that London is the key to Western Europe, and it (along with the rest of Europe) has been largely ignored by many Christians because they assume that they are already Christian nations, or at least have access to good churches. 

     Wrong.

     After the Age of Enlightenment, many frustrated missionaries abandoned Western Europe in favor of bringing the Gospel to the East, and to unreached locales. Of course that’s important, and VERY necessary, but the assumption that Europe has no need of missionaries has led to a desperate need in that part of the world. There are hard hearts there, but also cries for help. One of most effective ways to reach such a society is through something they’ll recognize and accept: the arts. Enter the TABOO Arts team, and several others like them sprinkled across Western Europe. 

     As I studied more about their team I was struck by how relevant they are! My teammates participate in everything from art galleries, to music cafes, to the Notting Hill Carnival and the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics! These are like-minded Christians that know how powerful the arts are as tools to share the Gospel. This team is making an impact in their community, shining as a light in the darkness, and using the arts to do so! Needless to say, I’m excited to join them. My teammates are incredibly kind and have made every effort to make sure that I have everything I need to join them. Even early on in the application process they were constantly looking for ways to come alongside me in prayer. I couldn’t feel more blessed! 

     I’m only a day away from the move, and I still can’t believe it. The doors flew open for this job, and it’s doing what I love in my favorite city in the world. I’m going to act. In London. And tour Europe with our performances. And make a real, effective effort to reach the lost in one of the darkest parts of the world. *pinches self* Again, I couldn’t feel more blessed. This post is too long already without me sharing every single step that’s led me to London, but that’s a summary of it. I hope it’s been encouraging! God provides everything we need. He prepares us completely, right down to the last detail, which for me included getting the first clean bill of health that I can remember and heading overseas with British Pounds in my pocket from some generous friends. He cares about the details, friends. Not only does He care about them, He plans them. What an awesome God we serve, and I can’t wait to share about all that He does in London!

Until next time, 

Cheers!