New Beginnings!
Hi all, thought I'd actually post in the blog I'm supposed be updating regularly! Its now Tuesday afternoon in Malpas, Newport, so I've been here nearly a week so about time for a blog entry I think.
I moved into my new home on Wednesday last week, into my new room, which is a little smaller than my room at home but does have a double bed which makes up for it. Bob and Jan (and of course Gareth - hereafter known as G!) are brilliant and I'm basically a fourth member of the family.
St Mary's is a lot different to St Mike's but that's not really a bad thing - there's a real sense of community about a smaller parish church and its something I've noticed before in Abertridwr and in Bargoed when we've gone to lead worship and things and its really wonderful to be part of something like that. Everyone is really welcoming and so it's been really easy to settle into my different roles here - I've just come from a meeting to plan something called SMASH which is a kind of Children's Service or Afterschool Club run by St. Mary's which was great, really constructive and I was accepted straight away in my role in helping arrange and co-ordinate that.
David Parfitt - my boss and the vicar at St. Mary's, is great to work with and suprisingly, especially as I'm normally quite slow to really open up with people, we're already getting on really well. I think we share the same sense of humour and also our faith and our love of God unites us. Catharine, the associate vicar, is also really approachable as well as Frieda, who is our NSM (Volunteer) Curate.
My average day (so far) starts at 8.30 for a quick look at the daily readings and prayer with Catherine and David, and then a few hours in the church school, acting as a classroom assistant, helping children read and just really building relationships with children in order to gain opportunities to get them along to SMASH and our other activities for children/youth. Then throughout the week I'm involved in different activities like planning for Time for Praise, our informal service on a Sunday, and 24-7 - our youth home group - or Youth Club on a Thursday evening, Worship Group practises, Home Groups, and Alpha. I also have Friday from 12, and the whole of Saturday off, and I've marked out Monday after our weekly staff meeting as my "creative day" for just worshipping God, reading and of course writing songs.
Tonight I'm off to Choir, as I've been strongly persuaded by the choirmaster who is in desperate need of tenors (some things never change). Then I have a Youth Meeting to plan out this Sunday's Time For Praise which is to be led by the Youth.
I thought I'd just leave you by talking about my walk to church each morning. I walk up a footpath from the front of the house and through an area of parkland, which is right up in the side of the valley, and over the bushes you can see the whole of Newport City Centre, and some of the port and the sea - it's beautiful - I really need to take a camera so I can get a good picture of it to show you, and then I walk, but mostly run because the slope is quite steep down through some woods, jumping over branches and dodging treetrunks. But everytime, sometimes twice a day I walk this route with my mp3 player on, God seems to touch me and fill me up for the next set of activities I'm going to be doing to serve Him. Its amazing, just the wonder of His creation through man, and then running and jumping in praise - I'm constantly finding myself lost in worship especially with the Chris Tomlin song "Enough", which really just seems to fit with being away form home and the familiar and my family and friends.
All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough
You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
And still more awesome than I know
You're my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You're my coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know
More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can see
You are more than enough for me
Chris Tomlin - Enough
Thank you for your love and prayers, and God Bless!
J.
I moved into my new home on Wednesday last week, into my new room, which is a little smaller than my room at home but does have a double bed which makes up for it. Bob and Jan (and of course Gareth - hereafter known as G!) are brilliant and I'm basically a fourth member of the family.
St Mary's is a lot different to St Mike's but that's not really a bad thing - there's a real sense of community about a smaller parish church and its something I've noticed before in Abertridwr and in Bargoed when we've gone to lead worship and things and its really wonderful to be part of something like that. Everyone is really welcoming and so it's been really easy to settle into my different roles here - I've just come from a meeting to plan something called SMASH which is a kind of Children's Service or Afterschool Club run by St. Mary's which was great, really constructive and I was accepted straight away in my role in helping arrange and co-ordinate that.
David Parfitt - my boss and the vicar at St. Mary's, is great to work with and suprisingly, especially as I'm normally quite slow to really open up with people, we're already getting on really well. I think we share the same sense of humour and also our faith and our love of God unites us. Catharine, the associate vicar, is also really approachable as well as Frieda, who is our NSM (Volunteer) Curate.
My average day (so far) starts at 8.30 for a quick look at the daily readings and prayer with Catherine and David, and then a few hours in the church school, acting as a classroom assistant, helping children read and just really building relationships with children in order to gain opportunities to get them along to SMASH and our other activities for children/youth. Then throughout the week I'm involved in different activities like planning for Time for Praise, our informal service on a Sunday, and 24-7 - our youth home group - or Youth Club on a Thursday evening, Worship Group practises, Home Groups, and Alpha. I also have Friday from 12, and the whole of Saturday off, and I've marked out Monday after our weekly staff meeting as my "creative day" for just worshipping God, reading and of course writing songs.
Tonight I'm off to Choir, as I've been strongly persuaded by the choirmaster who is in desperate need of tenors (some things never change). Then I have a Youth Meeting to plan out this Sunday's Time For Praise which is to be led by the Youth.
I thought I'd just leave you by talking about my walk to church each morning. I walk up a footpath from the front of the house and through an area of parkland, which is right up in the side of the valley, and over the bushes you can see the whole of Newport City Centre, and some of the port and the sea - it's beautiful - I really need to take a camera so I can get a good picture of it to show you, and then I walk, but mostly run because the slope is quite steep down through some woods, jumping over branches and dodging treetrunks. But everytime, sometimes twice a day I walk this route with my mp3 player on, God seems to touch me and fill me up for the next set of activities I'm going to be doing to serve Him. Its amazing, just the wonder of His creation through man, and then running and jumping in praise - I'm constantly finding myself lost in worship especially with the Chris Tomlin song "Enough", which really just seems to fit with being away form home and the familiar and my family and friends.
All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough
You are my supply
My breath of life
And still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
And still more awesome than I know
You're my sacrifice
Of greatest price
And still more awesome than I know
You're my coming King
You are everything
And still more awesome than I know
More than all I want
More than all I need
You are more than enough for me
More than all I know
More than all I can see
You are more than enough for me
Chris Tomlin - Enough
Thank you for your love and prayers, and God Bless!
J.
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