Here is a photo of our deaconate on an day away at All Souls. Mandy is like a child and cannot sit still and pose well for photographs! Oh how we love our Senior Minister. :-)
Thursday 23 July 2009
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Going in the right direction
I had a very good week at 'fat club' this week. My weight loss efforts are going very well. I think cycling 10 miles a day to work and back a few times a week helps.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
Sad Times
The academic year with work came to an official end tonight. Despite the rain washing out our BBQ plans, we had a lovely fun evening. (if you are on facebook the photos can be viewed here.) It has been my first year overseeing the GAP Team and I have enjoyed it so very much! With four out of the team of nine going back to their home overseas and one moving abroad for a year, it is sad to be hit with the realisation that I will not be surrounded by this awesome bunch of people each week. They have been a great team and I have shared much fun and laughter with them all. Obviously there will be a new team in September, but the reality of part of my job has kicked in; I am spending a year with these groups of people, investing and helping them to grow in themselves and their faith, for them to move on! I know obviously that is what a GAP year is all about, but last years bunch are all still local and I still see them. It may be years before I see the international members of the 2008-9 team again. Sad times...
Monday 20 July 2009
Is It Just Me...?
I am going to try and write this without causing offence or confusion! I am writing this post as a single Christian girl. Obviously Christians and non-Christians read this blog, so it wont make sense to everyone! But I would welcome any feedback.
Having faith in God is a massive thing for a Christian, and to be in a serious relationship with someone who doesn't share that can be tough and is generally not advised to make life easier. Over the years that I've been in adult relationships I have been with non-Christians, the longest relationship was two and a half years, so it was a serious length of time. I speak from experience about how a match like this does not work very well. Everyone is different and I do not wish to tar people with the same brush.
Having faith in God is a massive thing for a Christian, and to be in a serious relationship with someone who doesn't share that can be tough and is generally not advised to make life easier. Over the years that I've been in adult relationships I have been with non-Christians, the longest relationship was two and a half years, so it was a serious length of time. I speak from experience about how a match like this does not work very well. Everyone is different and I do not wish to tar people with the same brush.
People have given me so much advice over the years and I'm slowly beginning to realise that I should have listened! This isn't a rant to say that people are not listening to me, I just need to get some things off my chest! I am starting to share more and more about my experiences and how I personally believe that God would want to see us in equal matched relationships, faith-wise. I was always warned about not hurting the other person. If we decide to start a relationship with someone we don't think is right, but will 'see how it goes' and then God challenges us on this, then we will damage the other person and warp their view on God when we decide to not stay with them. Of course not all relationships work out for a whole variety of reasons, but I made this mistake when I was a teenager and I see people doing the same thing when they are adults. I have a friend who has heard from God this week that she needs to be single; so she is going to end her relationship with her non-christian boyfriend, just like that! No doubt this will break his heart as he has no idea or empathy for the reasons.
I had quite a heated discussion earlier today with a Christian friend who didn't think that what I had to say was fair. We were talking about mutual friend of ours who is entering the same dilemma. We agreed to disagree, but I do not want to see this friend hurt, or for her to hurt the person she likes.
More and more of my Christian female friends are getting bored of waiting for 'the one' and settling for long term relationships with non-Christians. I have to battle quite hard sometimes to not join them in this choice. After all, they have someone to go home to at the end of the day. But they do not have someone to stand next to in church, pray with or understand why they do certain things. I will honestly say that I would like more than anything to find myself a decent partner, but I am trusting that it will happen in Gods timing. It is not an easy choice, but I personally believe it is the right one. I do not want to settle for second best when it is someone I aim to spend the rest of my life with.
Wednesday 15 July 2009
Film Review
I was so excited to see this film, hence the reason that I got tickets for it on opening night! I was sensible and picked up tickets on Tuesday after work, so this made me and my Dad quite smug on Wednesday by-passing the ridiculous queues to go straight to the screen. There was obviously lots missing and parts changed from the book, but this comes with producing a screenplay version. The usual brilliance of creating this world was done really well. I have read mixed reviews, but as an H.P fan I found it literally magical! The detail that goes in to everything is amazing. The effects made everything very believable.
These films appeal to all ages and the cinema audience was evidence of this. All ages, families, groups of young people, etc. The film is well worth putting a few hours aside for.
Sunday 12 July 2009
Sunday Mornings
Between my youth duties and deacon duties I am rarely 'just in' a service these days. This morning I was in the support role of youth leadership. On a rotation one leader prepares and the other leader sits in the session and gives help or comment where necessary. One regular girl was in the group today; she is the kind of young person who you secretly, deep down, do not miss when they are not there! She is very loud and has issues with concentration. (To be fair there was a lot of listening this morning, and after a late night I was also struggling to keep up with what one of our lovely volunteers was talking about!!)
We were talking about people being perfect and how no one is perfect. Of course, one bright spark piped up with the classic 'Jesus was perfect'. Naturally, no one disagrees with this...except 'K'. She decided to take on the whole room. No matter where this mixed bunch of young people were in their faith and walk with Jesus, they all jumped on the defence of Jesus being perfect. K had totally missed the point of the gospel and why Jesus had to die. She did not even want to listen as she was sure she was right that "God couldn't be perfect as Jesus must have been crucified for doing something wrong". I tried my best to interject, but she wouldn't listen and spoke over everything. Her best friend and the rest of the group kept trying to explain to her the reasons, but she is currently (I shall work on this!) set in her thoughts.
I took a moment to appreciate how everyone else in the room reacted. Even the ones who were bored and didn't want to be there took the death of Jesus for what it was. Even if I get downhearted by their perhaps slow progressions into living wholeheartedly for Jesus, I know that they carry with them the core values of the faith.
Saturday 11 July 2009
Tanzania
Oh my goodness, I have FINALLY done it. here is a write up of my trip to Tanzania!!
On the 11th of May four of us from n:flame flew to Tanzania with a team from Grassroots. I really did not know what to expect from this trip, it was my first time to Africa and taking part in this type of mission work. Grassroots, along with many other initiatives, run a child sponsorship project in a town called Mbeya. They have a team of local staff who work alongside pastors and volunteers in villages across Mbeya. When a child is sponsored they get appropriate education, clothes, a regular nutritional meal and all medical provisions. Grassroots go out to Tanzania every six months, and the main purpose of each visit is to interview new children to enroll in the programme. The local team identifies children and families with the greatest need during the time in-between visits.
We interviewed each child and parent or carer with a translator. I was very nervous to start with, but soon got stuck in. We had a standard list of questions that we ran through with each family. The questions ranged from how far the family had to go for water and what the health of the child was like. It was heartbreaking at times to hear what some families have gone through or what their current situation was. A lot of children have to care for siblings while the adults go to work. It is also very common that Grandparents look after young children due to parents no longer being around; this can either be from illness/fatality or abandonment.
Language was a major issue with the children, but we soon found there were so many things we could do that needed no words. The children we worked with in each of the villages had very little, but they never stopped smiling. They were content with the simplest of things. One of the biggest things that stood out for me was how they enjoyed being taught games by us, which sometimes only involved sticks and the dusty ground. They made use of what they had around them, no demand for the next best and most expensive toy.
We were able to take demonstrations of water cleansing to some of the villages. Such a simple method is able to prevent diseases that can be found in the water. Most families will have to walk to a well or communal tap for water, to have a tap outside your house is a luxury. This water then has to be boiled to make it safe to drink. The short version of the method is that a large water bottle can be half filled, shaken for sixty seconds, filled right to the top and left on black corrugated metal in direct sunlight for twelve hours. The UV rays then kill all the bad bacteria. It is so simple, but will help people to have clean water to drink.
This trip showed me how much we take for granted in the West. I visited a family of seven children with one adult carer. They lived in two bare concrete walled rooms with no toilet or electricity. Two of the older children slept outside at night with no mosquito net. As malaria is most commonly contracted via mosquitoes, this was very dangerous for them. Most families have very little; many of the children we met were in threadbare clothes. They won’t get bored of what they have at home, as it is all they have! Toys are very rare. Children played with anything they can, such as pieces of broken bikes and litter from the street.
The Christians we met had the most amazing faith. They have so little but you didn’t hear them complaining. We learnt very basic Swahili words over our time there, and we were able to pick words out of prayers. The most common words were ‘thank you Jesus’. It made me think about how much I constantly ask for from God.
If the opportunity arose, I would very gladly go back and help with this project again. It was a blessing to be able to get involved with something that opened my eyes to the poverty people on God’s earth face. £3.50 is nothing to most of us; it is part of the cost of a bottle of wine, a McDonalds or a pack of cigarettes. I was amazed with how little money makes such a big difference to people.
I am very thankful to everyone who supported this trip through prayer and also financially.
On the 11th of May four of us from n:flame flew to Tanzania with a team from Grassroots. I really did not know what to expect from this trip, it was my first time to Africa and taking part in this type of mission work. Grassroots, along with many other initiatives, run a child sponsorship project in a town called Mbeya. They have a team of local staff who work alongside pastors and volunteers in villages across Mbeya. When a child is sponsored they get appropriate education, clothes, a regular nutritional meal and all medical provisions. Grassroots go out to Tanzania every six months, and the main purpose of each visit is to interview new children to enroll in the programme. The local team identifies children and families with the greatest need during the time in-between visits.
We interviewed each child and parent or carer with a translator. I was very nervous to start with, but soon got stuck in. We had a standard list of questions that we ran through with each family. The questions ranged from how far the family had to go for water and what the health of the child was like. It was heartbreaking at times to hear what some families have gone through or what their current situation was. A lot of children have to care for siblings while the adults go to work. It is also very common that Grandparents look after young children due to parents no longer being around; this can either be from illness/fatality or abandonment.
Language was a major issue with the children, but we soon found there were so many things we could do that needed no words. The children we worked with in each of the villages had very little, but they never stopped smiling. They were content with the simplest of things. One of the biggest things that stood out for me was how they enjoyed being taught games by us, which sometimes only involved sticks and the dusty ground. They made use of what they had around them, no demand for the next best and most expensive toy.
We were able to take demonstrations of water cleansing to some of the villages. Such a simple method is able to prevent diseases that can be found in the water. Most families will have to walk to a well or communal tap for water, to have a tap outside your house is a luxury. This water then has to be boiled to make it safe to drink. The short version of the method is that a large water bottle can be half filled, shaken for sixty seconds, filled right to the top and left on black corrugated metal in direct sunlight for twelve hours. The UV rays then kill all the bad bacteria. It is so simple, but will help people to have clean water to drink.
This trip showed me how much we take for granted in the West. I visited a family of seven children with one adult carer. They lived in two bare concrete walled rooms with no toilet or electricity. Two of the older children slept outside at night with no mosquito net. As malaria is most commonly contracted via mosquitoes, this was very dangerous for them. Most families have very little; many of the children we met were in threadbare clothes. They won’t get bored of what they have at home, as it is all they have! Toys are very rare. Children played with anything they can, such as pieces of broken bikes and litter from the street.
The Christians we met had the most amazing faith. They have so little but you didn’t hear them complaining. We learnt very basic Swahili words over our time there, and we were able to pick words out of prayers. The most common words were ‘thank you Jesus’. It made me think about how much I constantly ask for from God.
If the opportunity arose, I would very gladly go back and help with this project again. It was a blessing to be able to get involved with something that opened my eyes to the poverty people on God’s earth face. £3.50 is nothing to most of us; it is part of the cost of a bottle of wine, a McDonalds or a pack of cigarettes. I was amazed with how little money makes such a big difference to people.
I am very thankful to everyone who supported this trip through prayer and also financially.
Sponsorship - http://grassroots.org.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42
Flickr - www.flickr.com/photos/17893410@N03/sets/72157618794961009/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=80406&id=512698717&op=6 (only accessible if you have facebook)
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