Last Post for Christmas

Christmas Eve is almost upon us so I'd better get in a last little post before the new year. It's my last work day and like many of you, I'm trying to tease out the motivation to tie up some bits and pieces it would make sense to do before the break. And of course the crazy, commercial British Christmas means I also feel like I should be running around doing (& buying) things right now. Every year, I decide that one year I'm going to escape to a small island and just celebrate the real Christmas. Of course I always a) forget this plan by the next year & b) have to admit that I'm looking forward to all the food and merriment you can fit into the fridge in this household. 

Seeing the Light

It was Monday when I started this post... I was thinking about the fact that next Monday we'll be within touching distance of a Christmas break. All those is favour, say 'Aye'... Thought you might say that. On Sunday I had my last church presentation before Christmas. So on Monday I turned my attention to writing Christmas cards and packing the little gifts I give supporters at this time of year. I now even have that mild sense of achievement at having actually posted some things. Yes, life is pretty rock and roll right now...

Making the Call

OK, so I am going to let you into a secret about raising support. The hardest task is ringing up a potential supporter and asking if they'd be interested in knowing more about how they could support you financially. The aim is not to convince them to support you over the phone but to find out if they might consider this. If so, you arrange a time to meet up and talk about it. The very sensible and indeed ethical idea behind this system is that when you do meet up with such people, they know you are raising financial support and are happy to talk about this. There are no nasty surprises, no ulterior motives. So the theory is great and I totally agree with it. It's just the putting it into practice I struggle with. 

About the Blessing

For me the problem with blogging is that I feel all I have to share is my emotional state from the previous week. And when it comes to support raising, I generally only have too states: freaking out or being amazed at what is happening. Today I actually feel quite balanced on the emotional scale, which is odd but also kind of nice. Maybe it's because I've been here 3 weeks and I'm adjusting... or maybe it's because I have no big presentations this week. I'm mostly meeting with individuals and catching up over dinner or coffee. I can do eating and drinking, that's quite alright. And I would say it's mostly meeting up with old friends and getting to hang out... but then you might think, I'm not working hard enough.

Still Panicking, Still Praying

In case you read last Friday’s return to blogging and are wondering how things went with my first presentation – they went very well. By Saturday I felt that quiet confidence again and on Sunday I actually enjoyed sharing what’s new with TWR. Since then I’ve spoken at two more groups and I have another one around the corner. There’s been plenty of answered prayer this week and I’ve even had a couple people decide to start supporting me, which was beyond my expectations at this early stage (massively encouraging!)

Powerpoint, Panic & Prayer

So the blog is back. Why? Because I am back on the road in the UK visiting my supporters and speaking at churches about my work with TWR. A year of full-time work with TWR has gone by and I am passionate enough about this ministry to stay on for another year. So it’s a good time to see people back here and share about what’s been going on - both in TWR and in my life over the past year. I’m also hoping to gain a few new supporters who will join the team that fund my salary at TWR. This is what makes it possible for me to do my job.

Adieu!

So I've come to a decision... the blog needs to be put on pause. Even trying to do a post every fortnight is not working right now. Once I get to writing, I enjoy it and I know it's often quite therapeutic. But with the full-time working week and the various travels it is currently too much of an albatross around the neck. I'd rather make a decision to put it on hold than let it wither and die. 

The Good Fight

Two weeks' ago I'd just arrived in Romania. And for the second time this year, I felt a bit like I was gatecrashing a conference. Last time it was the theologians from central and eastern Europe, this time I was learning from the people working across Europe to combat human trafficking and care for those who are exploited in the extreme. So far my work has taken me to some interesting places and I'm reminded of the sense that I'm in a phase where -  in terms of what I'm learning from others - I'm getting far more than I'm giving.

Thoughts of the Week

This is likely to be a bit of a mish-mash of collected thoughts based on the week just gone by. It may be the case that this post is of more therapeutic value to me than anything else but I'm discovering this to be characteristic of the blog... so nothing new this week.

...And 4 Weeks Later

On Saturday I managed a decent amount of the day fasting and attempting to power down my thoughts and make more room for God. Then I started feeling pretty rough. A fortnight ago I wrote that I got sick again. Another 2 weeks later, I realise it's more accurate to say I'm not sick again, I just haven't gotten totally well yet. So that brought my day of fasting to an end. However it also brought my Sunday plans to an end and led to a self-imposed, 24-hour silence. Whilst my vow of silence was for medical purposes, I think I can say, this led me to some more quiet reflection and prayer on Sunday. 

2 Weeks Later

OK, so I got sick again, I kid you not... My Lent resolution continues to be a challenge, although I have to admit not this is not just 'cos of a couple more sick days. Still, as I am on the up this afternoon, I have had a look at the diary and am seriously considering taking a full day out at the end of the month to actually do it - fast and pray. Not totally committed to this yet but hoping that by making it public, this might help push me along.

Time, again

OK, so I'm writing this out of sheer determination because I said I'd blog once a fortnight and decided this was a realistic and helpful goal. What was I thinking?! I lost half of the past week to one of the dreaded flu-like lurgies that's been going round Vienna since, like October (it's March now, can we please be healthily, happily dancing around meadows instead?) And I'm madly trying to sort stuff out so I can leave the office tomorrow eve and head away for a few days off. So the combination of the past few days of feeling rough + the coming few days of being away seems to have compressed everything I need/want/must get done into today. I'm trying to keep a clear head and not get stressed about the little things. Hard as it is to believe, most of the above need/want/must do's are actually not really matters of life or death urgency...

Since I'm now on the subject of time, it occurs to me that my Lenten resolution to set longer periods of time aside for quiet, for time with God, has also been put to the challenge. At least two of the chunks of time I set aside and specifically blocked off have not happened because I wasn't well. I've tried to make sure I haven't lost them completely, I've tried to catch up or re-schedule them but it doesn't feel as if it's quite worked. I hope and even pray that my Lenten resolution won't disappear. I guess in a fortnight I can let you know how it's going. It also occurs to me that as I have many people who support me in prayer, this is a request I should be sharing. I can't guarantee that in two weeks' time I'll be satisfied with how things have worked out but the point of this resolution is not to tick off sessions but to hear more of God's voice in my life. So perhaps it is really worth writing about...

Back on the Blogging Horse

Ok, so I actually managed to return to Vienna in November and start working full-time at TWR on a one-year contract. Amazing! Not what I had imagined would be possible when I left for the UK last summer. I feel really blessed to have supporters behind me and unexpected gifts that have made this possible. Thank you, Lord.

... And then somewhere in all the adjustments of getting into full-time office work with new tasks and a new schedule, the blog got lost. I even wrote a post before Christmas I think, which never got posted - oops! Sorry for the huge gap. And thanks to those who have encouraged me to get back on the horse (for the one friend who has actually seen me ride a horse, please excuse the bad choice of metaphor).