Lots of walking

It's been great that Jenny and Roland's kids have been off school for the first two weeks of our trip (so still off this week). The kids have been able to get to know each other and have been having a very good time. We're especially enjoying the extra space.
It's good to be staying outside the usual tourist area. When we came last time Jenny and Roland were staying in the centre of town where all the tourists gather. Now they live to the east of Cusco, closer to San Jeronimo. We get a few funny looks, 9 Europeans wandering round with 2 Peruvian girls clearly part of the clan! But people are very kind to us, and cope with my stuttering efforts to communicate in Spanish!

Having said that we did go into Cusco centre on the first Sunday we were here. The idea was to watch an Independence Day parade. Unfortunately (though there are usually parades on Sundays, and Jenny found notice of parades on a website) there were no parades. Still we had a good time wandering round and taking pictures. Not much had changed since we were last there. It was interesting to see McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks in the main plaza. There we the usual plethora of people trying to sell stuff to tourists, or get you to go on their tour bus. Since we were last here red, opened topped double-deckers have been added to the tourist sightseeing fleet! We did our own little tour of the three main plazas, found a chocolate museum (yum) and stopped for an ice-cream before we came home.
The bus rides remain entertaining. Fitting 40 people on to a bus the size of an old VW Camper is fun! To be fair the busses have improved a lot recently. Most of them are bigger now, and actually designed to be busses! Kids under 7 go free, so Bekah is still free. "Dos y dos" is a phrase I have learnt quickly. It means "2 & 2", two adults and two children. A ride for the whole family costs two soles (about 50p).

Over the last week we have been doing a lot of walking. The scenery is breath taking continuously.

Even pictures like this can't really convey the scale of the mountains around the city in the valley. I took this picture on a walk to San Jeronimo market. It took perhaps an hour to get there. Last Saturday I was left at home (asleep) while everyone else went for a trip to Saksaywaman (look it up!) and spent a long time walking and looking at wildlife. When I finally woke up a walked up the mountain behind the house (not all the way up). And that is where we went yesterday afternoon and evening. It is quite a height, and again went no higher than I did previously. But we had a lot of fun with a little camp fire and marshmallows.

On our way up there!

Up there!

The view from up there!

The views only got better as the evening closed in and the stars and city lights came out. The temperature difference is remarkable between day and night. As soon as the sun goes in the temperature begins to plummet from over 20C to very close to 0C. Our little fire was very appreciated.

Toasting marshmallows

The view of Cusco after the sun disappeared

There are lots more pictures on my Facebook page. Hopefully that link will work. If not you will have to find them yourself! There's lots more to say, but I will save that for another time I think!

Adios!

Peru Take 2

Well, we have arrived safely in Peru for a second time. 4 years ago we nearly got stuck here because of an Icelandic volcano doing is stuff. I'm wondering what adventures await us this time.

Apart from our first flight from Heathrow leaving 1 hour late, giving us a bit of a run in Madrid, the journey was easy and the kids did really well. I had forgotten just how in-a-continuous-state-of-construction Cusco is, perhaps now more than ever!

I had also forgotten just how thin the air is here. You really have to try hard to breathe! You suck in a lung full of air and you end up only half full. We'll need to spend a while going quite slowly I think.

We did of course arrive in the middle of life at my sister's house. Friday night is kids cell night. They had around 30 kids plus theirs and ours in the front room for craft and Bible story, memory verses and teaching. I loved landing in the middle of it all and that they didn't even think about cancelling because we were coming!

It is also great to see the cousins getting on so well. Our kids always have with Sammy and Ben, but Hilda and Katy are now part of the family and it is fantastic to see how well our kids have added them in. Jenny said yesterday, "You wouldn't have thought Bekah and Katy had just met".

We're looking forward to the rest of our month here. I will try and add pictures and posts regularly.

A quick update from the Hawthorne household.

A quick update from the Hawthorne household. I'm short of time so it will have to be quick!

Family

We're are all well which is a great blessing. Helen is well settled in now as a Lunchtime Assistant at school. Rebekah has told her friends, "That's not 'Miss'. That's my mummy". So all Rebekah's friends call her Rebekah's Mum! We've just had parents' evenings and the kids are all doing well. Reuben especially academically is nearly two years ahead of the national average in all his subjects. They have a good group of friends each too. Joshua is about to take his Year 6 SATs. The school are putting him in for an extended maths paper, so we will see how he gets on with that.

We spent bank holiday Monday with Helen's parents in Kent. It was a lovely sunny day so ice cream definitely in order. They were both in fine form too.

(If you like the dress Helen is wearing ask her - she made it herself!)

Meanwhile I've had a birthday recently. 37 seems a lot older than 36 for some reason. I don't feel especially wiser but I do feel a little creekier! As usual Helen invited a whole bunch of people over, and some of our friends from church got together to buy me a Kindle. Most appreciated!

Church

Church continues to be a blessing. There are a few new faces about as ever. We've begun a Christianity Explored course on a Sunday evening as part of our Connected series. We've been a little disappointed that not more people have come, but delighted with the few who have. 

Meanwhile our morning series is in the book of Romans. Some of the audio from the sermons is up on our website: www.sjwrbc.org

The website is having an overhaul at the moment, so watch this space. The new one is coming together bit by bit.

Church Anniversary

This year is the church's 187th anniversary. We would love to see you if you are able to meet with us on Saturday 25th May, from 2pm-4pm for a Thanksgiving reception with Geoff Gobbett speaking. You would also be welcome to join us on Sunday 26th May for our Anniversary Service, "Church; It's Not What It Seems" with Dick Lucas preaching for us.

Please do pray for us. Pray that our love would abound in knowledge and depth of insight. And praise God for his continuing faithfulness over such a long time.

 

A bit late for 2013!

Not managed to post since November, so lots to catch up on. I'll keep it brief I think!

Family

We had a good time at Christmas, popping in on Beth and Mark and the girls, my mum and dad were there too. Then we went on up to Welshpool to Ruth and Tom and family. Really encouraged to see how they are getting on in their new church.

A quick game of Settler of Cattan at Granny and Grandpa's house

Over Easter we've been with my parents in Dorset. It is good to go back to there and spend time out of London relaxing. I do enjoy London immensely but the beauty and rest of Dorset is always welcome.

The kids are all doing very well at school. Josh is about to take his year 6 SATS. The school are looking to put him in for level 6 maths which is quite an achievement. Reuben continues to do very well in a class with a large number of children with really difficult issues (even for our school). He also continues to be football mad! Rebekah meanwhile has settled extremely well in reception and remains far too cute for her own good!
Helen is now working at school as a Lunchtime Assistant (dinner lady!) which is going well. It can be very hard work, especially when others are off sick, but I have a feeling she is fast becoming a favourite in the playground!
I think we are slowly getting a little more sleep, which is good. The kids do still get up a bit at night, especially Bekah, but they are all sleeping well more often (as am I).

Dorset
While we were down in Dorset I took the chance to visit a couple of churches I haven't been to before. Sunday morning we went to Grace Baptist Church, Dorchester. They are a very small church and wondering what the future holds for them as their minister is now 85 and retiring (again)! It is a tent making or missionary situation really. We had very warm welcome and were delighted to spend time with them.
In the evening I went to Chardsmeade Baptist Church in Bridport. This church is larger though still struggling in some ways. As with so many churches they have been without a pastor for sometime and recently declined in size. Again the welcome was very warm.

Church
We have had a really good time at church over the last few months. Our Christmas carols by candlelight went really well, and Connected (our evening evangelistic discussion night) has been quite a revelation! (More to come on this on my other blog adebtor.blogspot.com). Here's a link to our opera singers warming up for the carols! Meanwhile our Connected series "God on trial" dealing with six of the more common objections to Christianity had between 5 and 35 atheists/humanists joining us! We certainly had some robust discussions and it was a great delight to see some movement in a few of those who came most regularly.
Sadly we have had to say goodbye to Yoko. She has blessed us with her cello and piano and in so many other ways as well. She and her husband have moved back to Japan now. Meanwhile the Lord has brought other people along. The highlight this year so far has been a couple of people becoming Christians. A student from China who has been with us for a few months and a work colleague of one of our members. We are concerned for the Chinese girl. Her father was not happy that she wants to be baptised and then apparently became ill. Since she went back to China to see him (in Feb) we haven't heard from her.

If you are of a praying mind, please do pray for all the things mentioned above. God is very merciful and loves to answer our prayers as we offer them through Jesus. If you're not, you really ought to start! God is very merciful and loves to answer our prayers as we offer them through Jesus.

A Difficult Two Weeks

This is copied from/to my other blog adebtor.blogspot.co.uk and is my entry here for November.

A difficult two weeks
The last two weeks have been hard. A dear friend, a sister in Christ from our church, died very suddenly a week ago last Sunday. Below are two short passages I wrote. Partly to help me deal with what I was in the middle of and partly wondering whether I would post them on this blog. Having read them through again I have decided I will post them unedited  I hope they bless you as you read them, just as Hyasmine blessed our church and our family while she was with us.


Sunday 4th November - 9:54pm

1Th 4:13-18
13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. 15 For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

It's 21:54. I'm sat in ICU on the 4th floor of the Royal Free hospital. Hyasmine, my very dear friend & sister lies not far away, her brain inactive, her body supported by machines. Final tests are being done. Helen is here with Kate her closest friend & companion for 30 years. Tears flow. We wait for confirmation of the news we don't want to here. Hyasmine is in her early 50's. Through her the Lord has blessed our church & my family in ways too numerable to list here. It is enough to say that today 40 people ate the lunch she prepared with Kate. She collapsed having just finished preparing it. We ate knowing her condition was critical. We prayed seeking a miracle but knew this kind of miracle the Lord does not do often. Our sister has fallen asleep in Christ.

You might ask why I am writing a blog entry now. To pass the time? Perhaps more to avoid mulling on the reality that Hyasmine has fallen asleep. We have been at SJWRBC for 7 years. So have Hyasmine & Kate. They have sung with us, prayed with us. Hyasmine especially has taught our children. She has welcomed & befriended & cooked & cleaned. I wasn't going to do the list. I see her smile in my minds eye. I remember her voice & the hug she gave me last week as we greated each other.

To be honest the grief is yet to hit me. It will. Right now my concern is for Kate.

The church has come a long way in 7 years. Of all those at the church, Hyasmine has been one of the very few people the Lord has used most over that time. Now she knows in experience what Paul knew by faith, "It is better to be with the Lord."



Sunday 11th November 2:30pm

Ambushed by Grief

I knew today was going to be difficult. It has been harder than I expected. I was preaching in Greenwich, Devonshire Drive Baptist, this morning. It was already going to be difficult with the loss of Hyasmine still filling my mind. It was before that going to be harder. The reason - very sadly the pastor's son had died a month earlier. I was blessed to have the  pastor and his wife in the service. The first time they had been back to church since Alex's death. In a sense it made my job harder, but there was encouragement here for me. Even in their circumstances their faith is holding; God gives grace as needed.

What I was entirely unprepared for was the way grief ambushed me at the end of the service. Up to today my grief at Hyasmine's death had been sporadic and unsettlingly shallow. But as I finished the sermon grief ambushed me. I barely managed to announce the final hymn "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" before the tears began rolling down my face. I was entirely unable to sing. For a moment my shoulders shook and I simply sobbed. No amount of trying to get myself back together would stop the tears.

I had spoken from John 13 v 1 to 17 "The full extent of God's love". I had said that though life is often painful and full of questions we cannot answer we cannot question God's love towards us. With power over the universe Jesus decides to wash his disciples' feet, to serve as an illustration of what he is about to do. Still holding all power and authority he submited himself to death in order to come to each one of us and personally wash the grime of sin off our souls.

I may not have answers to all the questions in my head. I may not be able to stop the tears flowing down my cheeks, but I know the love of my Saviour. I know my sister is with him. I grieve but I have hope because of the love that Jesus poured out in action and in truth. My prayer and my hope is that today of all days my affliction may have been a comfort to others more afflicted than myself.

2Co 1:3-7
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.