Summer Bar-b-ques and other events...

So summer is offically here! It's nice when it's not raining (which seems to be less as of recently) but the weather can move in pretty quickly.

While I'm not running just yet, the knee is making good progress, and I am walking now with no limp. Yes, it's the little things I appreciate these days :-) Over the next few weeks we're coming to the end of the Alpha course and moving on to bigger things for summer. We had the Holy Spirit day last Sunday, and I must say it went rather well! Kate (one of two DNA students and a youth volunteer) did wonderful work at creating discussions on "who is the Holy Spirit?" and "what does the Holy Spirit do?" The comments from the young people in both groups were fantastic, and in some small way we are starting to see some payoff from this course. We have two weeks to go before we finish this round, and I am already thinking of how to run the next one sometime later this year.

Next week on Thursday we have a youth leaders night. There are a few churches here who are sending youth to Soul Survivor this year (the big summer Christian youth conference) and it has been on my heart to gather as leaders to talk and pray about youth ministry in Bognor Regis and to plan out a day when our young people can meet up before the whirlwind of Soul Survivor hits.

This past Tuesday we had a night out to see The Cross And The Switchblade, the story of David Wilkinson and Nicky Cruz. While the events took place over 40 years ago, the message is still really powerful and relevant.

I am really blown away by how far north we really are. I was standing outside last night at about 10:15 and could still see the last light of day fading in the sky. There is still pretty good light at 9pm! It's funny cause I get weird looks from the locals who are used to longer daylight hours.

Overall, I'm doing ok personally. I knew this first year would be a challenge, but there are times where it is more than I expected, and I wish I could convey more to all of you back home what it's really like (both the very good, and the moments where I want to tear my hair out at the stress and frustration). I do miss all of you, and when I do think of you it is with a smile (sometimes in public while walking down the street by my self and suddenly catch that I've got a big silly smile across my face at some random memory in my mind :-)

I hope this entry finds you well!
Paul

A short update...

So last Wednesday I went to see the specilaist for my knee injury. I wasn't expecting much (I was walking fine without the crutches, and aside from not being able to run, stairs are a minor problem, but generally I'm good).

After a bit of poking and prodding, the Specialist said it looks like I tore the ligament in my knee. So I am now scheduled for an operation to have a tiny camera stuck into my knee so they can see the extent of the damage. While it is nice to be on the NHS (National Health Service) receiving free treatment, the waiting leaves something to be desired. My operation isn't untill November 27th.

By then the knee will most likely be healed, but I'm sure they want to see what the scar tissue is like. The ligaments inside the knee (or any joint for the matter) keep a certain tension. If the tension becomes too loose, then the knee can't function right and there could even be problems later on with scar tissue or arthritis. So I'm sure if I do wait till November, there will still be something to look at in my knee. At this point I am praying for total healing, or at the least an opening to go in for the operation sooner than November. After the operation, they will decide if knee surgury or anything else is needed.

Please be praying for my knee. I'm trying to not let it affect me, but it is a bit hard to take that my summer events here are limited by the physical condition. The whole turn of events is quite a surprise, comsidering I thought I was doing very well.

Other than that, I spent the day at Alton Towers on Saturday (it's a theme park kind of like Six Flags Great America, and while it's not on part with Great America, it was fun to be there). My friend Rex is getting married this Saturday, so a few of us took him out to have some fun at Alton Towers.

Sunday we had a speaker and band come from Hillsongs church. Hillsongs church is a fast growing movement out of Austrailia, and over the last few years they have produced some quality christian music. It was different from our usual sunday morning experience, which was refreshing I think for most people :-)

This week we look forward to the Holy Spirit day for our youth alpha course. Sunday (yesterday) we had a break from the course to listen in the main service with the young people, and I heard one of them comment that she really liked the speaker and actually wanted to listen to him. This rallied her boyfriend to sit in the service as well :-) I'm very excited by those kinds of comments, and I hope this next week more walls can be broken in how the young people view church. Please keep the youth alpha course in your prayers.

Thank you for your prayers! I hope you are enjoying summer and sunshine wherever you are.
Paul

Summertime Fun!!

So after (what feels like) many days of rain, the sun seems to be up for more sunshine! (although it is amazing how fast the weather can change here! I rarely go out without a light jacket or my umbrella!) This past week was the half term break, so the young people were off of school (some of them went away on holiday with their families) and the uni students have all but reached the end of the year. So I had a lot of time on my hands to say the least. Which was kind of nice, really.

Just over two weeks ago I was out with some friends who are attending the university of Chichester, and it was their last real night before heading off for the summer. So we decied to make a day and a night of it, which was packed with silly fun (mini golf, a few games of pool, dinner and a bit of cranium, one of the craziest board games). It was a late night and about midnight we got the crazy idea to go over to the skate park near the seafront. I had the wonderful idea to run around on the half pipe. What seemed like a silly idea didn't end up so well as I twisted my knee and damaged the ligament that runs along side my left knee cap. Ouch.
My friends were real troopers. They prayed for me right there at my request (I thought I had dislocated the knee again, and I was not thrilled at the thought of going through that again). After resting a bit my friends got me up and helped carry me to a taxi and back to my flat. At this point my friends could have just left me at the comfort of sleeping on my couch, but they insisted on staying with me the night. I was sad that such a fun time was topped off with an injury (a very silly one at that!) but I am still very thankful for friends who carried me and took care of me under the frustrating and painful circumstances.

The next day I went to the ER (A&E as it's called here, for Accident and Emergency) and as I thought, they took x-rays, said I had done some streching or maybe tearing of the ligament and that I would need crutches.

Two weeks later I am walking without the crutches and I am due to see the specialist again tomorrow to find out if there is any serious damage (I don't think there is at this point, but we'll see what the doc has to offically say).

So that kind of slowed me down a bit. I am still playing drums and I've been asked to play drums for cousins of one of my friends here (It's nice because it's a bit of a different atmosphere to play in).

Last Thursday I went bowling with some friends from church and while the leg was a bit of a handicap the first game (I think I managed a 55 the first game!) the second game I scored a 144. One of my best games in a looooong time. I was out done by my friend Pat by two pins. My glory was stolen! :-)

The youth alpha course has continued to go well (thanks for your prayers!!). We are six weeks in and have about 4 more to go. The young people are bringing very good questions and this next Sunday we have a real opportunity to pray for them there and give them an experience that could change their lives. Please pray for the Holy Spirit day to be a success and that God would be speaking directly into their lives.

Overall church life is exciting as we head into summer. I am finding more and more personal challenges, but at the same time I am thankful for the friendships and the trust that is being built. It's a surreal experience at times of being so far from home and the "usual" life that I was used to. Living in England can be close to life back home at times, but it can also feel very different. All in all though, I am enjoying it and am looking forward to more adventures.

Till next time!
Paul