Hey'a!

I can’t believe another week has passed.  And then I remember September is nearly here and I’m even more amazed.  We’re quickly coming to the first anniversary of our move here and I can hardly believe that!

We started (and finished, as I remember) last weekend with a good bit of studying.  Well, I spent a lot of time studying and Mark spent a bit.  That’s one of the perks of being a rare genius.  Anyway, we both took our theory exam for our UK driver’s licenses on Monday afternoon and passed with flying colors.  Now we have some driving lessons, which Mark started this morning and I start tomorrow, before we get our official licenses.  We have until the end of September before we have to have them (for insurance renewal), so we’re feeling pretty good.  If one of us passes straight away, we’ll be happy enough.  It’s really strange to have to learn to drive again after doing it for 14 years.  It’s also weird that there’s anything I’ve been doing for 14 years.  Ew.

Random pic #2. For real.

Sunday morning Mark and I met some friends in Belfast at CFC, Robin Mark’s church, for their morning service.  In the whole time we’ve been here we’ve never managed to make it up there.  So we were looking forward to that and weren’t disappointed.  The pastor’s wife (I don’t like referring to her only by that, but I don’t remember any names!) did the teaching and it was really good.  She was teaching on unity in the Body and it was really challenging.  Exciting, too, hearing someone so fired up about real, deep unity; the kind where you deal with the difficult stuff so you can work together and speak well of one another and mean it.  Like I said, it was challenging.  We’re likely to head up there on occasion just to get a bit recharged.

Other than that, this week has been full of bits of this and that.  Some babysitting.  Sewing.  Catching up.  Learning new songs.  Laundry.  All the glorious stuff of normal life.  We’re planning our retreat next weekend to try to get some plans in order for the autumn.  Mark and I are both internally inspired to put some more things into play than we had going last year and we want to take advantage of that momentum.  There’s so much to learn and so many ways to spend our time supporting good stuff already going on.  But we feel our time of quiet observation is coming to and end.  God is moving and we’re super excited to move with him.

My new crush.

Mark and I were in town doing a prayer walk this week.  We were praying for wisdom and discernment and all and I was impressed by our need for Joy.  Not that we don’t need more and more wisdom and discernment, but I think Joy will break through all kinds of barriers that knowing how to do things “right” won’t.  Pray with us, that we will be filled with Joy, and then the boldness to be joyful in front of people.  Can you imagine Joy taking over Newcastle.  Sheesh!