Birthday Fun!!

So last Wednesday was my 27th birthday. Kind of funny to think, I'm already 3 years shy of 30!

The day was really good though. One of my downstairs neighbors prepeared breakfast for me. We had Crepe's (french pancakes). It was a good start to the day. The weather was FANTASTIC and I spent a good part of the day out in the sun. Throughout the day I had texts on my phone from friends here wishing me well and I even had a few cards. I now have a nice collection sitting on the mantle at home, and I even got a b-day box from my folks, which was a lovely touch. I went out that night with a few friends and had a nice time chatting and relaxing near the beach. Other friends are talking about taking me out at some other time to make up for missing the day (most of the university students were away on break).

As nice as the day was, I must admit I did have twinges of homesickness as I remembered past birthday's, and I wished that ALL of my friends could have been here with me to celebrate.
This week I'm heading back in to the swing of things as youth and uni students return back to Bognor from different places around the country and the globe (we had a few youth go to South Africa for a missions trip).

As life continues to move forward here, I am still thinking of home. Been dealing with homesickness, and trying to keep focused on the bigger picture. While I would love to be home in Oak Park comfy and secure, I also know that God has something here, and I don't want to miss it.

Yesterday, James, one of our young people met me for breakfast. James has recently returned from America to visit his parents there. After breakfast, James and I went to pick up a couch that he had purchased earlier that morning. It was quite funny, cause neither of us have a car, so we had to carry the couch half way through town to get it back to James' place! We got a number of odd looks to say the least!

Thank you for your prayers. Please keep praying for me to stay focused on God and to find my peace, strength, hope and comfort in Him.

till next time!
~Paul