Reminder to self

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Do not be anxious about anything  but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

 
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

I'm being challenged at the moment. Alot. Challenged in a way that hurts, tests me, pushes me out of my comfort zone and scares me. I think** God is calling me at the moment to stay where I am. Perhaps that doesn't sound that scary. But it is. This is the longest I've been in one place for probably a year and a half. To stay put is hard. I don't have any answers, what I'm doing, why, how, what, when. Nothing. Maybe I have too many questions and am questioning life too much, looking for answers and trying to keep busy busy busy. Maybe that's what I'm being taught, to slow down a bit. Maybe.

Actually maybe I'm having a bit of a Mary/Martha moment in time. Instead of trying to rush around doing everything I should be just focussing on God, listening to him, learning from him and relying on him instead of myself. Looking back on the last few months at least, there hasn't been that many moments when I've allowed myself to rest. Whenever there is an empty moment in my life I try and fill it with something, whether its to further my career or personal development or keep myself occupied. I haven't stopped very much, and maybe that's what God wants me to do at the moment. Instead of doing, I need to listen, be still so I can hear what He is trying to say instead of trying to catch it as I run past. 

when things don't go to 'plan', for the better.

It is interesting yet frustrating how sometmes the plans you made don't work out for whatever reason. It is even more interesting, and perhaps a bit more gratifying or satisfying when in hindsight you see and understand WHY those things didn't work out! Particularly when the delay between the two is small.

Spring is coming!

 I had one of those situations this weekend.  I had planned to go to newcastle to catch up with some friends up there, and as you may have guessed that didn't end up happening! I have a little bit of a reputation at times for not being completely prepared, or for being too laid back and not paying attention to departure times of flights/trains/buses.I was out with some work friends in Liverpool on Friday night, and when I got home I thought I should probably check what time the bus to Newcastle actually left (as I had already bought my ticket). Only to discover that when I had bought my ticket, I'd accidently bought a bus ticket up to newcastle leaving at 0745 on SUNDAY instead of Saturday! I didn't think it was worth the hassle of 5 hours on a bus up to Newcastle, a couple hours hanging out with friends to catch a 3hour train back...



Lady Lever art gallery in Bebington



The gardens at Lady Lever art gallery



Mersey ferries against liverpool

Muddy Mersey

Streets in Birkenhead

So I decided to stay in Liverpool for the weekend and was rewarded in many different ways. The sun came out!! On both days, though not for the entire day. Saturday I spent wandering around Birkenhead for a little bit where I walked to the ferry point and had a look around the Mersey river from that side. I now know where Birkenhead park is but I didn't end up there this time. Apparently Hyde Park in New York is based upon it. Then I went into Liverpool and wandered all around there as well.

Bombed out St Lukes church

I learnt quite alot of things that I didn't know previously. For example, I went to St Lukes church which was bombed during the war adn learnt about life during that period. The church is beautiful, but only the outside of the structure stands. The council bought the church and it is now used as a place of peace and serenety after the destruction of the war, with urban gardening inside. You can do as much or as little gardening as you want.

Down at Albert Dock there is the Maritime Museum, the Slavery Museum, the Tate Art Gallery and a fair few other things. I only managed to get through part of the Maritime museum, so will have to go back down there again to get through some more of them as they were all pretty fascinating. I learnt that three major ships that sunk within three years originally came from Liverpool - the Titanic, the Empress and something else that I forgot the name of. There was heaps of memorabilia from the different ships and tales of life during that period, particularly during the war.

The entrance to China town

However, the main reason that it was good in the end that I didn't go to Newcastle this weekend was that I found a church! First time lucky! :) I was googling 'liverpool, church, young adults' and came up with a few different options, two of which I decided to check out. One of them, the one I ended up at today had on their young adults page, the numbers of a few of the leaders of the various groups. So I sent a msg to one of them yesterday and got a few messages back from them, which was a promising start! It was raining a little bit when I left the hospital (where I'm living) this morning. I'm currently relying on public transport to get around, which is both good and bad. If you miss the bus on a Sunday though, you have to wait an hour for the next or catch a few buses to end up where you want. Luckily for me, when I ran to the bus, it was there waiting and I got straight on and managed to find the church straight away. Everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming and wanting to chat which was encouraging as well.

The message though, that was what really sealed the deal for me here though (as well as the friendliness!!). I found it to be really challenging, practical and beneficial as the stage of life that I am in. And I guess just following on from things I've been reading and learning this week as well. It all just seemed to fit.

It was on 1 Samuel 17, and about facing your 'goliaths' - the things that sap your hope, undermine your confidence, intimidate you. We have a tendency to only focus on the strength of Goliath and the weaknesses in our lives and then feel inadequate to overcome it. We need to take Davids' example, face our giant, raise up and conquer it, by replacing the giant focus with a God focus.

David's immediate focus is on God - he mentions God ten times and Goliath only twice, a factor of 5:1. We need to face up to the things that pull us down, keeping the focus on God. The armies of heaven are with us.

You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.
Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.
O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name. Psalm 44:4-8

Goliaths try to come and steal our happiness. We need to then need to magnify God, make him the biggest thing, the centre stage, doing whatever it is to get our hearts singing again and worshipping God. (Might I add that I am missing my guitar like CRAZY right now....)

It is incredible how a little bit of refocusing on what is actually important can completely change your mood. I am blessed.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Sorted!!

After much debate, delay and deliberation.... I have now got a complete itenerary for the remainder of the year!!! This is probably the best planning I've done in ages!!

November
29th - Fly Manchester - Malaga (Spain) and then catch a bus to the town where I am doing some volunteer work. I'm here until the 11th December - accommodation/board included with the work.

December
 11th - Fly Malaga - Manchester

13th-22nd work at the hospital here in Manchester (yet to find somewhere to live)
22nd/3rd Go to Felixstowe with Aunty June
24th-27th Shoreham for christmas with Uncle Arthur and Barbara
 27th Fly London-Amsterdam, spend the day and night there (yet to find somewhere to stay). explore amsterdam
 28th Fly Amsterdam - Prague (somewhere to stay sorted!). explore prague in snow
29th Fly Prague - Dubai and see Sam!!!! :)
29th-13th Explore dubai
January

 13th: Fly Dubai - Beijing - Shanghai - Sydney arriving the 14th at Kingsford Smith Airport Terminal 1 at 9.30am!!

beyond that is Ilana's wedding on the 5th, Sam coming to visit Aus at some point in Feb and all my in betweens are another blank slate!!

Edinburgh and the Lakes

The last few weeks have flown by in a bit of a blur with some busy weekends exploring both England and Scotland. I've been getting more involved with couch surfing and cannot begin to describe or explain how awesome the people I have met through this organisation are, and how many incredible situations and opportunities it has provided me! Get into it.. www.couchsurfing.com :)



On the weekend of the 13th I headed up to Scotland and Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival where I got the chance to meet up with Mary Beth - a friend from America I made last year while on a contiki tour of North Queensland. We found many things in common and have kept in touch and I thought it was more than coincidence that we were going to be in the same continent at the same time so we had to catch up. She has been travelling through Ireland and Scotland with her Mum and as it was her birthday a couple of days previously I was spoilt with an amazing dinner (celebrating her birthday) at this little Italian Restaurant in Edinburgh.



Last weekend I stayed locally within the Lakes District. On Saturday I drove down to Lake Windemere to catch up with James a guy I had met a few weeks back at the Newcastle CS event. It was his birthday and there were a bunch of his friends that came up for the weekend. On the drive down there I stopped through a few little villages including Grasmere and bought some famous Grasmere gingerbread. Was yummy! As I was driving down, James informed me (when I was half way there) that we were going to camp the night.... no prewarning so I had no sleeping bag! He was lovely enough to give up his for the night. I thought I would be pretty cold but it wasn't too bad sleeping on the floor of the tent. The main problem were that 2 of the tent's occupants (on either side of me) were snoring.... sort of limited my getting to sleep just a bit!! With that group we did a really big walk for about 3 or 4 hours through the lanscape around the lake until we got to the viewpoint.





On Sunday I did some more exploring with Sam, who I met through running club. We went down to Ravenglass and caught the rattey train which is a bit like a thomas the tank engine train (previously used to transport coal or something I think) and ended up driving over to Kendal and explored Kendal Castle and a few other places along the way.

Weather in England (and Scotland) lately has been outstanding!! There have been so many sunny days, and at the times when there hasn't been quite as much sun - well, that happens during the week (where its all cloudy) and then the sun comes out to play on the days that REALLY matter - weekends!!! :)

I've been doing plenty of training - managed another lake swim and did my first Fell (mountain) run up and down Blake Fell which took about 1.5 hours. The running club I've been involved here has been great - such a diverse bunch of people from all different ages and walks of life. Extremely tough sessions, I'm loving it! In a couple of weeks I'm going to be doing a 10km race and there's the possibility of a half marathon if I am still around.

As always, my plans have a tendency to change... I decided last week that I would defer uni for this year. It was a decision I debated about for a while and felt that in a year's time I would be more financially stable and in a better position to work, study and afford to do so. In saying that, a week after I had made this choice to defer, I received all the paperwork from uni (sent the week before) which included the uni timetable (not available online)... It was for 2 days a week at uni. The thing that threw me was I had just been offered and turned down a flexible 3day position for 3 months in London!! So I was a bit umming and ahhing for a while. But ultimately I think I have made the right decision, for multiple reasons. Also, because it is Ilana's wedding in February, I now will be able to come back to Australia for about a month where if I was at uni I would really only be able to justify a week tops.

So now I'm here in Whitehaven for at least another month it seems. The last month has definitley flown by! The department here is great. They have just recruited the new FT dietitian (who I am currently filling in for), but she won't start till probably early/mid October as she needs to give a month's notice at her current job and the paperwork for CRB (police check) won't go in for another 2 weeks and that takes about 3-6 weeks to sort out.

At the moment my 'plan' for life doesn't particularly extend much further than the end of October! I've just been accepted to teach English for a week in Spain the last week of October so will be heading over there to do that. Other than that, time will only tell....