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| Happy Birthday to ME! |
Hello my fabulous blog followers!
I'm writing to you from Fort Worth, TX on the third and final leg of my furlough. I have been so blessed by my time in the States. I have been able to visit friends, family, and supporters, rest a bit, drive a lot, hike, hear what God is doing in the US, help my sister buy her wedding dress, see my nieces and nephew, and observe some fireworks. And, things seem to be running smoothly in Sheffield in my absence. Where do I even begin?
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| Fabulous Fourth Fireworks |
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| At the Met with my Sis-in-law |
I landed in New York on 30 June. When my sister-in-law picked me up from the airport, I tried to get into the wrong side of the car and had to remind myself a time or two that she was in fact driving on the correct side of the road for this country. From the Metropolitan Museum to Highline to Coney Island Beach, I saw a lot of NYC with my niece and sis-in-law. A definite highlight was watching the 4th of July fireworks from the roof of a building close to the Empire State Building. To top it all off, I met a guy in the building where my brother's church meets from Liverpool of all places. He was a recovering alcoholic, and I hope my sis-in-law's and my words about Christ's love will ring in his heart through the coming months.
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| My lovely niece |
After I left NYC, I flew into Colorado for a few days to see my grandmothers and to collect my mother for our road trip to Austin, Memphis, and Mobile. Whilst I was in Colorado, I had the privilege of appearing on a local Bible study television program. I was the first woman to appear on the show, and I got to share about Sheffield and the amazing things that God is doing in the UK. What an adventure we embark on with God! You can check it out if you like. Grassroots Television Aspen, Serving God, John Chapter 11.
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| This is the gigging boat (that's spearing fish) |
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| I caught the little one in the middle |
That week was a bit of a whirlwind week that ended with a road trip to Austin, TX for my friend Vicki's wedding. Vicki and I used to lead lifegroup together when I was at Christ Fellowship. It was a beautiful ceremony, and God even brought rain just before to cool off the air from 104 degrees to 86. Praise the Lord!
The next day we travelled to Memphis where I got to see my sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew. They're getting so big! My niece and nephew that is, not my sister and brother-in-law. We even went to the zoo and had some famous Memphis barbecue, before heading down to Mobile to see my older sister. It was my first time in Alabama, and I went shrimping and gigging with my sister and her fiance. The kids loved the beach, and I got to see my sister purchase her wedding dress and experience some of Betty Mullek's famous trail mix.
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| On the shrimping boat with Evie and Grandma |
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| 'I like this sand stuff!' |
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| Independence Pass, Colorado |
At the end of the trip, my mother, grandmother, and I crawled into the car for one last long road trip back to Colorado. It crawled up to 116 degrees in Tulsa, rained and thundered in Kansas, until we finally alighted on Denver where I got to check in with one of my supporters at REI. It was lovely to be back in Colorado and to see some of the church members that I've known since I was a little girl. Coincidentally, it was their week for Vacation Bible School and Thursday night was Mission's Night. When I offered to help, they asked if I would speak, so I was able to share with the kids about Sheffield and God's heart for them and for their lives. The theme was, "Pandamania: God is Wild About You." It was a great experience and reminds me why I love to work with kids.
Meanwhile in Sheffield...our training school students and staff went on an outreach trip to Musselburgh (pronounced musselboro), Scotland. They spent three days sharing Jesus on the streets and praying for healing. What a great class and we are excited to have 8 students joining our current 4 during the Autumn term. We've also had a construction team over from Antioch Waco. The team took their holiday time to install our kitchen, stage, sound desk, and disabled toilet in the new building. We even had our first service in the new building on 21 August! I'm quite excited to see what God will do in this building in Sheffield. Taking new ground for the Kingdom! Please continue to keep Sheffield in your prayers this summer. :)
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| Our new building for our first service |
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| My friend Zeida and her handsome sons |
I would heartily appreciate your prayers as well. God has blessed my with a place to stay and an automobile for at least the first two weeks of my time in Fort Worth. I've had the opportunity to meet with some of you, to say thanks for touching the lives of people in Sheffield through me and for partnering with me in this venture, and to update you. Thank you all! If any of you know of a car available for the first few weeks of September, let me know.
Please continue to pray as I'm looking for some new partners to add to my prayer/support team both on a monthly basis and from special gifts. I'm needing $400 a month and am looking to cover visa costs and a car to the tune of $6,000.
If you know of anyone who might like to hear about Sheffield or if you would like to hear more, please let me know. I believe that God has people in mind that can touch the people of Sheffield through me. Please help me believe for those connections! I hope to spend some quality time with some more of you soon. Thank you for reading my blog, for caring for me, and for your prayers. I feel them every day. HUGS!!
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| Look, Sheffield isn't the only place they do cutlery art |
