A bit of History...

Hazel is a women who I work with every Thursday afternoon. She is the founder of Charis House and someone I've grown to admire deeply. While working with her I often get frustrated that she lives in a world without schedules. There is no time other than the present and her office upkeep is a reflection of this. My very first task with Hazel was to "organise and manage" her file cabinet. It was a tedious job to say the least, and after I'd finished I just wanted to sit and have a chocolate. Instead, I was offered a cup of tea and an opportunity to learn a bit more about Hazel and how she'd come to be living a life filled with a daily ministry to a group of women often marginalized and sent away by many other organizations.

It wasn't until I traveled with Hazel to a church's Tearfund supporter meeting that I learned the complete history of Charis House. Hazel tells a wonderfully entertaining story about how she had been making a birthday cake for one of her children when a women appeared at her doorstep. Abused, hurt, and living in a generally empty lifestyle this women needed a home. Hazel called her church. Her church had no answers or solutions. Hazel was frustrated with this answer and began complaining as to the lack of the church's help in situations that seem so obviously in need of a sharing of God's love.

I really like how Hazel describes this story and I won't really be able to do it accurately, but she says that it was because of the birthday cake that Charis House began. When Hazel was little, her mom made a big fuss over birthday cakes and Hazel always had a beautifully decorated and tasty cake on her special day. Hazel admits she is less skilled at cake making than her mother, but she's always tried to do the same for her children. The homeless women at Hazel's door said to her, "I've never had a birthday cake." Hazel says it was at this moment that she stopped complaining about the church and realized, she was the church. She opened her home and Charis House began.

Currently Hazel and her family live in a flat in Charis House. This means that while most other staff go home at the end of the day, Hazel is always there. There is an amount of privacy, but Hazel lives her life alongside the women at the refuge. On special occasions, Hazel and her family share it with the women living at the House at the time. On Christmas, we all shared a meal together. Every Sunday evening Hazel and her husband join any willing residents to a time of fellowship and prayer in the Dining Room.

It's because of Hazel's willingness to live in the moment that she is able to just flow along in the situations she's faced with daily. The women I have meet so far are all wonderful individuals filled with a desire to do what they see will help them to survive. Hazel has created a home for women who often enter the house with hostility towards a world that they feel they've never belonged in. During my short time here, I've learned that Hazel has a lot, a LOT of patience towards each of these women. She is able to look at each one as an individual and not just another teenage mom or alcoholic.

I ask for your prayers for Hazel and for all the women living at the House now. Currently the House is filled with a group of women that I truly admire. There is a single mom, just recently escaping the abuse of an ex-husband. A young, gypsy traveler and her daughter, rejected by her family and learning how to live in one area for more than a month at a time. A wonderfully talented mother of four who daily fights a battle with alcohol and its temptation to escape to it yet again. A women running from an old, abusive partner where she spent the entire first four years of her daughters life camping in tents all over the UK. I ask for prayers for each of these women, who despite having these past experiences are able to live together at Charis House and have Saturdays where we all sit together and laugh over a dinner.

God's Peace over these last few cold months of winter.
With love from Buxton : ) Aubrey

Charis House Christmas

CHRISTMAS!!! The Christmas season puts so many people in such jolly moods! There was tree decorating and multiple school nativity plays Charis House children were in. It was interesting to be a part of a charity during Christmas. People are so generous and the community surrounding Charis House gave so much to the women and children in donations both financially and with really nice Christmas gifts.

Christmas Eve was a night filled with reunions. Many old residents come back to the house on Christmas eve to share in a meal, exchange cards, participate in a Christingle service, and even see St. Nick. The Christingle service was lead by one of the staff and aimed at all the children that were there. It is a tradition to place a candle in an orange and tie a red ribbon around the orange. The children then used tooth picks to put the fruits of the spirit on (in gummy form) and stick them
around the candle in the orange. The orange represents the earth and the candle is the light Jesus brings to us. I'll have to say I was a bit nervous trying to help around 15 small children light candles whose bases where not flat and also had toothpicks poking out from all directions. But, there no one was injured and the House didn't burn down. With the lights turned out and only the candles lit, Charis House children, new and old residents, and staff joined in singing "This Little Light of Mine" and it was simply beautiful.

The peacefulness did not last long because shortly after, Father Christmas came with presents for all. I had spent a good bit of time in weeks before sorting various Christmas donations and then wrapping them. This was a very jolly job and wonderful to watch as Father Christmas handed out all the gifts to wide-eyed children (and adults).

Christmas Day was a slightly more stressful event. I really enjoyed being at the House for Christmas, but it was much different than the usual family-filled and comfortable Christmases I am used to. One staff member was cooking the Christmas dinner for about 20 people. That's a LOT of roast potatoes and turkey! The decorations looked beautiful and sitting down with people of all sorts brought together for one dinner added even more color. For me, its hard to imagine a family not sitting for a meal at Christmas, but for the resident and her son sitting across from me, it was their first true Christmas dinner. It was a delightful time, but it was work. The house is filled with a lot of women that have a lot of needs, especially over holidays where there is emphasis on family or even for some, a heightened temptation to drink. There was the usual Charis House craziness in preparation, but also as usual, God just put things in place and we all were able to sit and talk and laugh for an afternoon. The menu was delicious and fancy! We had a starter a main meal, AND Christmas pudding.

So much energy is brought to the house when old residents come back. They share such stories and many of them are very thankful for the time they spent here. Among the old residents was Sioma and Jurmriah. Jurmriah has grown so big! Sioma is doing very well and is now living on her own. It's wonderful to see God give a family to those whose feel they need one. For one whose own family is a bit far away this year, spending the Christmas season among those who feel that Charis House is their only family was a memorable and pleasant time.

Charis House staff have told me since the beginning that the goal of the House is to run a family. It has been just this month that I've truly felt as if I have become a part of the family and not just the odd American observer. The women at the house currently are living together quite well. We have been working together the past month in a harmony that I hadn't experienced yet at the House. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of and has changed my perception of how much having a source of a family's love, support, and struggles can lead to a real appreciation of family life.

November has typically been a family oriented time for me. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and experiencing it here with my other family was absolutely amazing. Charis House celebrated its 14th year anniversary the weekend of the American thanksgiving. The celebration was a huge, all day event. Preparations had been underway the whole month. I spent a few Saturdays baking treats with the residents. I'm loving that there are lots of children in the House at the moment. However, this does mean that there is always lots of mess and even more energy, especially when baking.

The Saturday of the Charis House Open Day was a gorgeous day in Buxton. I won't say that a perfect blue sky never happens here, but it is a rare occasion. The day consisted of tons of stalls set up in the Dining Room to educate visitors of how big the Charis House ministry is. The Farm stall sold wood work projects, Community Support stall sold Christmas goodies that old resident's had gotten together to make, Charis House Christmas cards were sold, and resident, Beryl, sold her famous homemade Christmas cakes. My job was run the volunteer stall to show how visitors could help at the house for a day or even a year.

Charis House has been chosen as the Lord Mayor's charity of the year. The Lord Mayor of the Peak District had selected Charis House to be the source of all charity money raised during his term. This meant he came to visit on Open Day!!! And visit he did, even wearing his ceremonial outfit! He gave a short speech and then joined with the staff, residents, and visitors to have lunch.

After lunch there was a service of Thanksgiving. It was a time where residents, myself, and one of the directors all helped to share how Charis House had made us thankful. It was a moment were I felt myself seeing God so clearly in each of the faces in my family here. The service was short, but really moving. I'm including a story that one of the women wrote out for me to read at the Thanksgiving service. As with all families, there are always stories. It is really neat that here, a lot are filled with sadness, but that through God's blessings, Charis House can be a source of peace. Her name is Michelle and she came to the House after it was revealed that her abusive partner had not only been physically violent to her, but to one of her children as well.

"Before I came here I was frightened and I felt very alone. I didn't know anybody and I didn't have any idea what Charis House was about. But when I arrived, I walked through the doors and I felt a good, a warm, a happy feeling. I felt a presence. It felt like someone touched my shoulder. I thought 'Am I going loopy?' To me it just felt like God. From that moment I felt like 'You'll be alright now. Every things going to be alright.' I just glowed."

Hearing the stories of Charis House success was inspiring and really helped me to see how big the ministry has been over the fourteen years of operation. God's family includes us all and Charis House has helped me to see this every day. The day finished, of course we are in England, with tea and biscuits. I've posted a link to more pictures if you'd like to take a look. Happy Thanksgiving and Gods blessings over this exciting time of Christmas. Lots and lots of love from Buxton!