A Whirlwind Of Activity

(Tower Bridge)

I have decided this year that instead of proceeding with the addition of years on my birthday, I will embrace subtraction. Twenty-five here I come ;). Just kidding, 27 should be a great year. I only wish that I had been able to savour this past month, the last month of 26, a little more. Busy is not bad, but running past the roses without smelling them concerns me.

(Mel & I at Mr. Darcy's a.k.a Chatsworth)

Don't get me wrong. It has been a great month! My friend Melaney came to visit, I saw London in greater depth than ever before, and my older sister dragged my mother and I on a whirlwind, crazy, four day excursion to Crete, Greece. Late July and August are a time of holidays, so everyone feels more relaxed in their work. It makes sense to me, because I've been working in the school system. But it takes some getting used to, taking a holiday when your co-workers continue to work. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

(Mom & Kim shivering because Sheffield is SO cold :))

I hope I never get used to seeing God move. What I mean is, I want to be excited every time. This month has been chock-a-block full of opportunities to encounter God in large groups. We had a ministry called Ministering to Jesus come for a weekend. The woman's name is Jenny Mayhew and her heart is a call back to worship, the kind of worship that is without agenda, simply loving on Jesus. We spent three days focusing on different attributes of God and scriptures, all without saying a single word. There's music, but the opportunity to respond is in your heart. It takes a little while to get comfortable, but in the end it was really cool. God delights in being worshipped. And we are changed by Him. But you know that.

(Re:create Sunday)

The next opportunity was Re:create. Kate, our youth pastor, organised the youth of our church to be a force of change in our city. Friday night was worship and prayer, Saturday homeless outreach, treasure hunting, and clean-up, and Sunday fun in the park. We had our first salvation on the street, and I watched this sweet Jamaican lady who sings on the streets round up eight teenagers to tell them about the love of Jesus. It was great!

(Crete at sunset)

We also sent teams to Irkutsk, Russia and Soul Survivor. I can't wait to hear the testimonies, but I'll share one with you already. Dustin, the young professionals/intercession guy on staff went to help oversee the boys, and in the big tent meeting had his knee miraculously healed! I don't have all the details, but he'd been injured in an Ultimate Frisbee game a few years ago and hadn't been able to run. A visit to a physio-therapist here revealed that the injury had caused Dustin to walk in a way that had affected his muscles. He felt his muscles shaking and his trainers caused him to get a blister because his walking stance has changed. AMAZING!

Somewhat less amazing, but still good, is I've passed the written portion of the driving exam. The 45 minute practical looms, but I can do all things through Christ, right! Things like reaching out to international women who are asylum-seekers and refugees and doing volunteer speech and language therapy with the National Health Service. As the children come back to school for the Autumn term, we'll be starting to teach the children about their identity in Christ.

I'm grateful for the chance to re-examine the past month with you all. It's good to look back and remember what God has done when you're looking forward to the work that needs to be done. Thank you for all your prayers and support!! I keep all of you in my heart even though I'm far away. Heaven is forever.

J-