So, one of the things I do  (early on a Sunday morning) is help teach 9-11 year old girls in Sunday school.  At the moment we are doing Hebrews and some important truths from this, alongside workplace sunday, gave me some important perspective this weekend.

I have on my list of 30  bible verses to remember, Colossians 3 v 17 – yes, I did remember where it was from.  I haven’t yet learned it though exactly.  But in the morning at church we were thinking through the difference between the old and the new covenant – pretty tough stuff for kids.  The way our discussion went was thinking through the difference between us trying to obey God well enough,  therefore being in relationship with him; and us being forgiven, therefore being in relationship with him because of what He did for us, not what we do for him.

There is always a tendency to think “I need to do this…” or “if I do this or am involved in that or don’t do this or that” then we will be good Christians.  However, the reality is that no matter what I try to do on my own I will never be good enough anyway – and God’s promise or covenant of forgiveness to me is a gift – a free one!  And we can be sure about this promise because it has already been accomplished!

One example (a bit of a stretch but from the mind of an 11 year old).  If someone in school asked to borrow an apron for a costume and I promised to bring one in, but then when I got back I couldn’t find one – I would have broken my promise.  But if I know for sure there is an apron and promise to bring it – then that is like God promising to forgive us, because he already knows that it has been done through Jesus!  At least she grasped that forgiveness and being made right with God is a promise that has already, and will forever be kept!

So – the link from this for me to workplace sunday, was the freedom.  I am not bound by rules and regulations, that I would never be able to keep anyway –  but I am freed by Grace to live for someone who has sent me free!  So, this does mean that I may want to be involved in this or that, and do this or don’t do that –  but not because I have to, but because I want to! Anyway – that is something I find hard to always express at times and feel that the verse from Colossians really helps with.   So – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3v17.

Well, it is Monday and my week started off with the right perspective.  I hope I can continue to view my work through God’s eyes and see it as being for him.

Gran in London: tentative hospitality (No.1)

There is something nice about preparing your home for a guest coming to stay.  Even though it can be stressful tidying up the extreme amount of dishes (we really are extreme in that arena) and trying to cover up the mess of decorating, it is so satisfying when it is all ready and you feel it is at a standard worthy of the guest’s arrival! Maybe a little sad, but I do find it a nice feeling.  The finishing touch being able to fold up the guest towels on the freshly made bed – ready!

Even in the current mess of our home I felt we were able to pull off some level of hospitality for Raymond’s Gran when she came to visit this weekend.  There were no recipes experimented with (as there are only 2 dining chairs) – but we managed with our late night snacks of cheese on toast!! The hospitality is something to build upon, but the weekend was a success overall I feel.

The main plan for the weekend was to attend Prom Praise, which is when the All Souls Orchestra takes over the Royal Albert Hall for one night only – with a choir of around 150 people – for a fusion of the classic proms and worship!! It was a great night and I think we were in the best seats in the house!! Check us out..

On route to the show.

Arrival in our box

Taking in the view from the box

The Royal Albert Hall ceiling.

Sign of a good night out…a cheeky BK on the way home. Shocking.

So – that was that.  It was a great night.  And the rest of the weekend was pretty fun too.  A proper afternoon tea in Harrods (only birth grandchildren not grandchild-in-law), church, a couple of London markets, dinner by the waterfront – in Greenwich and at London bridge, and some sunshine!! It was good and I hope Netta had a wonderful time (as that was kind of the point of the trip and kind of the point of hospitality!!).  Our next guests are also family – my mum and sister arrive on Friday.  So – needing to pull some ideas out of the bag and defo try a recipe I think!! It is important to be hospitable to family though – as they are often the ones we just be ourselves with (which is fine), but often ourselves are lazy and not always the nicest!! So effort is being made!! Keeping up the standard.

So, that is proper hospitality no.1 done.  We don’t have a visitors book but we plan to take a portrait of each guest (beware).  The first attempt was painful for the subject while the photographer experimented – but the result was acceptable for an amateur (I think).  The lesson learned was the importance of engaging your portrait and making them feel relaxed.  Still a work in progress.  Here it is, capturing a grandmother laughing / smiling at her grown up grandson!

Guest No.1: Netta

“Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.”

A.S.L.A.N –  a great character from an even greater children’s (really not only for children) series by C.S.Lewis.  But also, A.S.L.A.N – All Souls Local Action Network – which is the team that does a tea run every Saturday morning for the homeless (as well as sandwich making and entertainment evenings!).  Therefore, today’s blog is about knocking some hours off the volunteering goal.  However, I am really aware that as I blog about volunteering it may seem a bit – here’s what I do – but it is just to raise a bit of awareness and let you know about what’s going on, in what may be your city.

So, for my first volunteering blog I thought I would start with shedding some light on something that I already do – which you may or may not have heard me talk about before.  You may even have been lucky enough to have joined Raymond and I on a tea run!! If not, don’t wait to be invited – you’re very welcome any time!

3:30am  The dreaded alarm goes off.  And, it’s true – I don’t want to get out of bed.  At all, not even sometimes.  But I do.  And although it may be cliché – I am at that point very grateful I have a bed (really I do think this, mainly out of guilt) and already start thinking about how I can flop back in to it.

3:45am:  Raymond and I get in the car and drive to central london.  This is one moment that I love driving along the embankment (either north of south of the river) and seeing the sights of our city in the stillness as down there it is pretty quiet at that time!  As you get on in to Charing Cross it is a different story, busy, cafes full of people after a night out.  It looks warm and inviting.

4:30am (approx):  We arrive at the All Souls clubhouse where both Steve’s are already there with the Bacon Butties on the go.  The smell…oh the smell.  

So it’s all go from then – making up the bacon butties, tea and coffee overloaded with sugar, sandwiches and treats loaded in to the van.  Then off we go.

5:30am: Our first stop is covent garden where our friends are waiting for us, happy for a hot drink, warm bacon roll and an invite to the entertainment evening and hot meal!  From Covent Garden we go to a stop around Temple where we give out whatever clothes / toiletries / winter items we have; then two stops around The Strand and we finish at Waterloo at 8:10am.

It was cold this morning, very cold and we were a small team as a few were away for Easter.  But it was good.  There were some good conversations, old faces, and some new ones!  And there are many different characters – quite a few arabic speakers, who Raymond has animated conversations with, and people from maths geniuses to philosophers (a lot of philosophying about random things!) to those who hate ketchup or love bananas! It is good people know where to find us and very interesting that lots of people join us, even if they did not spend the night on the streets the night before.  They may have been in hostels, b&bs or a small few in their own accommodation; but they find the social aspect of the tea run important and it offers some sense of community.  This was interesting learning for me when I started volunteering.

8:30am: We are back to the clubhouse to wash up and then head on, having already knocked several hours off our saturday!  Today I had to rush to work actually, so didn’t get to hang around but often we do treat ourselves to a rather large breakfast!! Last month it was cafe nero and treats – you can see I was a little happy!

So, that is a little insight.  There are probably many more thoughts I could share with you, and I intend to review a book called Stuart: a life backwards.  I would thoroughly recommend this book – especially to consider thoughts on the community that people who are living on the streets have with each other, and therefore the difficulties they face in moving in to a more structured and routined life if they are housed.  This is a challenge to our mindsets I imagine, it was to mine anyway!

My closing thought is on Aslan.  I do love the Narnia series, would love to re-read them (thinking I may make that my task on cornerstone week away).  But anyway.  It is Easter weekend and a wise woman (Arlette) posted a lovely story on facebook about our sins being remembered no more because of what Jesus did the first Easter.  This made me think of when Aslan says in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to Edmund after he betrays his family – “What is done IS done, there is no need to speak of it”.  Happy Easter!!

*Disclaimer – photos taken are from last month’s tea run but I did not get a chance to write the blog, as it was the same day we moved!!.  So, I was out this morning – but wanted to add the photos anyway!

Pirates of the Mediterranean (aka Explorers weekend away looking at Jonah) .

The Pirate Crew Leaders on the last day.  Looking not very piratey with our ‘fairytale’ actions.

Well, when I set myself the challenge of volunteering 30 hours before my 30th birthday – I didn’t exactly have in mind doing them all in one go with a bunch of around 30 kids!! This past weekend from Friday (5:30pm) – Sunday (3pm) was spent with the lovely 7-11 year olds from All Souls church as we went away together for fun and to look together at the book of Jonah in the bible.

Well, while I am not going to count these as my 30 hours volunteering (as I had just too much fun and think they need to be a variety of things – so will count a session of ‘normal’ czone on a Sunday morning!).  I am going to tell you all about the weekend.

It was such a privilege for me that my co-leader, Cassie, also came with me and so we had the year 6 girls (and one special year 5 who was the only one from her year so joined!!) who we have on Sunday morning.  It was great to spend time together, getting to know them better and them getting to know us and each other a bit better.  Some of these girls I had in my small group over two years ago – can’t believe how much they have grown up and are now the visible representation of a ‘tween’.

We were looking at the whole book of Jonah – 4 chapters and learning that God is a God who rules, rescues, forgives and cares.  Although we were looking at the story of Jonah and how he tried to run away from God (but couldn’t) and then how he was angry wIth God for forgiving the Ninevites.  We saw that so often we can be the same.  We forget that God can see and is in control of everything – we can’t run from him, and he cares and will pursue us!! Also – we need to care about others who don’t know him and that he loves each and every person as much as he loves me (I am not better than ANYONE!!).

So it was a great weekend and it was great to see the girls grapple with these issues and what they think is fair etc.  There was an amazing treasure hunt, lots of fun singing and walking the plank.  It was great and it is volunteering / serving that I love, week on week.  Sorry I can’t put any photos on of the kids (obviously) – but they had fun, were mostly covered in muck, and were very sweet!! It was a great weekend!!

And, if you want to join in, I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the rainbow song or not understand our fairytale actions in the photo above.  Here’s the link to the hillsong version!!  Sorry it is totally cheesy!! Ours was not quite so dramatic.