don’t have sleepover for Year 5 girls to celebrate birthdays.
It was 1.30 am before the house was quiet!

Today was a good day for catching up with people.

I met this afternoon with Malcolm from Gillingham YFC. Good to meet up and hear the exciting things that are going on in this excellent centre. This week coming they are having Nomad for the week which I hope to get to see.

Later in the day it was great to have a visit from Emma who drove down from Manchester. Emma was on the team a few years ago and we have sonce become good friends. She is also one of those top people that support me in my role in YFC. It was a real treat for the children to see Emma as well – as the pic shows!

Here’s hoping for a great weekend – an England victory I hope!!!

The YFC team meeting yesterday was great as we looked at a variety of exciting things going on. We also got to celebrate Roy’s 50th!

The highlight of the day was raising over £600 for the new building from people at the BBQ to see Super Stevie Jones have his goatie shaved off. Well done Steve!

Others in YFC are doing a variety of sponsored events to rise money. If you wish to sponsor the YFC marathon runners for the badly needed new building, you can do so here.

We also need more young people to volunteer for our year out teams, espeicially our sports teams – if you know any young people that would be good here click here to find out more.

An unexpected wireless signal, so I thought I’d take advantage of it – be rude not to!

Awesome today because the conversations I have had today have been amazing. People in YFC centres are doing exciting things, have great plans, are seeing God move, and are ministering sacrificially in demanding circumstances. Through this they are not only experiencing God’s working but also God’s love.

Humbling today because I experienced the love of God (which produced a tear or two in my eye)through the love and actions of 2 wonderful little children, Jessica and Timothy, the children of Paul and Nia who’s house I am staying at this evening.

When I arrived here, Jessica and Timothy asked me to sit down and cover my eyes and then hold out my hand. They placed a money box in my hand and told me to open my eyes. As I did, they said ‘this is for your work’.

These two lovely children have been tithing from their pocket money for the last few months, and putting 10p each into the ‘God box’ to give to me when I next visited to go towards the 50% of my salary that YFC workers raise. They have saved £10 for my work.

Such an awesome, humbling, experience of the love of God expressed through the love and action of two little children. For once I was truly speechless.

I’m off to Swindon, Bath and then Cheltenham tomorrow where I will be staying with friends Paul and Nia.
On Thursday I will travel from Cheltenham to Head office at Halesowen, then to Coventry and Rugby before heading home on Thursday evening.
No time for blogging over these few days – but would appreciate your prayers for safety on the rods and stuff – cheers!

We done enough to win the group!
Two great goals.
It wasn’t pretty – but we don’t want to peak too soon!
Unbelievable – Rooney back and Owen goes!
Bring on Ecuador!

It’s been a good day so far traveling a little around the East End.

It was cool to meet up with Gordon this morning and chat mission and stuff with someone else who understands – thanks.

I then caught up with Liz and Paul from Transform Newham to hear of the exciting things that are happening there – like 350 people coming together for a day of prayer. I love Newham – don’t what it is about the place, but it grabs me somehow!

The day will have the perfect end if England win tonight – time to set up the big screen in the garden again!

The Work of the People is a fantastic resource which I have found by accident.

There are great video loops, films and visual liturgies that can be bought and used in worship.

I’ve just noticed they are doing a half price deal of $150 for unlimited downloads of everything – a very good deal as release at least one video each week at around $15. It’s a shame I spent all my money this month but that’s life!

All the resources look good, I particularly found the ‘Love is …’ video incredibly moving.

Before the day ends remember the day
Remember …
61 today.
house arrest for over 10 years
no crime committed
won elections with overwhelming majority with 82% of sets in government in 1990
she was not given her rightful place but imprisoned.

Remember …
61 today
no cards
no friends
no family
not even a phonecall

Remember …
Evil happens when good people do nothing

Free Aung San Suu Kyi

The weekend was a good one.
Laughed a lot.
Drank a lot.
Laughed more.
It was great seeing friends.
Learned a bit about preaching.
Gave in the final assignments.
Disagreed a lot about the centrality of preaching. It still seems to me that we acknowledge its a poor way to deliver information, and yet we do it anyway because that is what we do. I still think we need to re-address the balance and do away with the preaching slot totally on some weeks and experience God and learn more in different ways.
But – that’s a rant for another time.

Tonight was the last SEITE session of the year at Chatham.
It’s a great feeling to not have to write an essay or read a book for a few months.

It’s quite sad as well as a few of our group are leaving.
Life continues.
The old goes, the new comes in.
I hope we keep in touch.

No-one other than fellow students will be interested – but the photos of our end of term production are now in my flikr album. If you’ve come here looking for the photos the link is in the right hand bar if you scroll down a bit.