A Day Late and a Dol..er Pound Short

I realize that the title of this fortnight's blog may seem a little negative or depressing, but it just came to me, so I went with it.  It really is in reference to the feeling of being behind before I even start.  Let me explain.  I've been waiting nearly 6 months to be a fully functioning children's pastor in Sheffield, England.  Now that the torch has been passed - Sunday was my first official day in charge - I've had a new revelation of the amount of work to be done before it's running semi-smoothly.  I know I should be taking life one day at a time, and inevitably I will, all I have is one day at a time.  However, I once again am fighting with the desire in my soul to be good at things on the first go around.  How God must laugh!  He takes delight in me you know.  And in all of you. :)

Thanks all of you delightful people who prayed for the staff planning retreat and prayer days.  They went really well and I'm really excited about vision for the new year.  ACC Sheffield will be focusing on prayer, evangelism, and community this semester, and on reaching out to the mission field that is the city and the United Kingdom.  This will include things like weekly "treasure hunts," community meals after the weekly Gathering, and a specific time of prayer and fasting.  I'm excited to see what God will do!

At the retreat I got to present some vision for the children to the team!  Yay for children being given the opportunity to be as spiritually mature as they can be for their age, for teaching us adults how to worship, and for just being kids in all the joy of the Lord.  This week in Launch Pad (kid's slot) the kid's learned about God speaking to them through dreams.  The kids have been learning about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, and this week was the Flight to Egypt.  I loved their high energy, but it was a challenge to keep their attention for the hour and fifteen minutes.  Aren't first times always such great learning experiences?  

(New Year's Hogmanay with teammate Julie)

Kind of like the first time you lock yourself out of your house in a new country...  A lot of doors in the United Kingdom lock behind you, so you want to be sure that you have your keys with you.  On New Year's Eve, there was a bit of snow at the top of Crooke's (the hill where I live), and it had covered the spider webs.  The effect was so fantastic that I wanted to take a photo.  So I walked into my house, took off my gloves, set down my bag (keys and mobile inside), and took my camera outside.  The instant I pulled the door closed, I knew I was in trouble.  Oh no!  You'll be glad to know that my house cannot be broken into; I tried for 20 minutes before walking back into town and calling my housemate.  Ah, small, joyful cultural differences.  I'm sure I will learn many more in the days to come.

  (Isn't the spiderweb pretty?)

I really enjoyed reading all of your e-mails and little updates about what's going on in your lives!!!  And thanks for the Christmas notes and encouragements.  It's amazing how God uses a simple phrase to speak to where you are.  For everyone who's off to World Mandate Waco, have such a good time!  I'll be in Germany this year for World Mandate Berlin.  I'll be chatting with you all soon. 

Lotsa love,

J-

British Vocabulary Lesson #2

Plasters - Band-Aids

Rubbish - Trash

Squash - Fruit Juice Concentrate

Biscuits - Hard Cookies

Creche - Nursery/Young Children's Class