Growing up in Colorado, we had a saying; March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Looking out the window here in Sheffield, I feel that saying doesn't hold true here. It's been so mild here so far. I've just arrived back from a holiday in Colorado. The International Conference has always been in the summer, and after four years, I longed to see the snow and to ski. I'll share more about that later.
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| Look - they have tea timers here! |
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| Christmas Story |
Last time we spoke, I told you about the amazing time we had at Re:fresh. Now Christmas seems far in the past. Though it was mere few months ago. We had a great time telling the Christmas story to women at the International Conversation club and rolling out loads of cookies. For our annual Carol Service, we worked with the Kids' LifeGroup, which is going really well, to plan a sort of pantomime. Pantos are very popular here in the UK and are similar to our melodramas. To be fair, most British pantos also include men playing women's roles, but we steered away from that. The panto was a huge hit! Herod stole the show with her evil laugh, and everyone was able to enjoy the fun that the children bring.
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| Christmas Biscuits |
God has brought a new family to our church as well. They are a fun and energetic addition to the Launch Pad. This season has seen many new faces. A team from Antioch's SERVE project has been here nearly 6 months. They have been invaluable in helping with the youth, the children, and with the Snowdrop Project. We will miss them loads! Other new faces have been seen at my LifeGroup. Since we started back after Christmas, we've had four visitors. Two of the visitors are Master's students from China. I hope to be able to get to know them better and to be able to say their names. It's exciting to have visitors; on Pancake Day we had 14 people crammed around the table. There nearly wasn't enough space for everyone.
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| Creche Cuties |
Other areas in the church have been lacking space for growth. Our creche (nursery) were meeting in a smallish room. With some shuffling, we're able to move the toddlers into a larger room. Which is very good, because we have three little babies getting ready for the creche and a new one on the way. I'm excited for the next baby dedication on 21 April! I'm also excited for the finish of the latest series we've been doing with the older kids. It's called 'Toolkit,' and the kids have been learning different responses to different situations. What to do when I'm tempted, when I lose, when life is unfair, etc. The kids seem to be getting it, and I hope they do. I can't imagine what tools I would have had if I had learned not to compare myself with others when I was 8, 9 or 10 instead of 27 or 28.
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| ATS Fundraiser Prep |
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying being 30. It has been an exciting year so far. Our School of Transformation class has been a joy to help lead. We're preparing to take our international outreach over Easter break. The class, 14 of us in all including children, will be visiting Lebanon and another Persian Gulf state. We'll be helping out at New Horizons Centre. They serve Bedouins and Gypsys as well as widows and orphans. Each student is needing to raise £1250 for the trip and we are more than halfway there. If you would like to support our trip financially or through prayer, let me know, and I'll send you the information.
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| Ski Aspen |
It's hard to believe that the trip is coming so quickly. I've just returned from a ski trip in Colorado. I really wanted to see the winter again. So, my friends Bex and Jess and my boyfriend David came with me to my parents' house. We had perfect conditions on the slopes, and it was great to see my parents, grandmothers, and the folks at Sonlight Foursquare Church. Now that I'm back in the UK, we the real work begins to get ready for the trip and for World Mandate Europe in early May. I'm sure I'll have pictures and exciting testimonies from both events! Until then...
