A whole year later!

I'm not quite sure how it's possible that I'm already writing another blog - because that mean's that another week has already passed! 

Its been a strange week as Smile's new gappers flew to Uganda on Tuesday, so my time there and all my friends there have been on my mind even more than usual this week. I'm so excited for all the new gappers as they begin their adventure, but also can't help being a bit jealous that they get to spend the next 9 months with some of the people who I love and miss so much. I know they'll have an incredible year. It's hard to believe how much has happened in the past year. This time last year I was four days away from flying to Uganda, and I had absolutely no idea that I would now be doing youth work, let alone doing it on the Isle of Wight! Its so exciting that God's plans are so much more than we can ever ask or imagine.

Some of my lovely friends in Uganda
just because I love them so much and have been thinking about them all week! 

I've had a few lovely long distance conversations this week. I got to chat to Lawrence (from Uganda) on skype, had a couple of phone calls with Terry (from Uganda) who is expecting a baby this weekend! And today I spoke to Clare (my sister/another gapper from Uganda) on skype from York where she has just started at Uni.

On Monday we had our weekly YFC prayer breakfast and team meeting in the morning and then I spent the afternoon being social with some others from YFC which was lovely. I got a very early night (8.30!) as I had to get up at 5.30 on Tuesday morning, to catch the 6.25 ferry to Lymington for a day of lectures at Moorlands - which is near Christchurch (which is near Bournemouth). It was a long but brilliant day. We started the day with chapel which was great and then we had lectures on two separate modules -  'church doctrine' and 'youth and society' for which we had our first essay set.

So having had such a long day on Tuesday, I treated myself to a lie-in on Wednesday morning until about 10 as I was meeting someone at 11 to chat about my work at church. This Sunday I'll be running our first Sunday morning youth group during church which I'm really excited about!

I was invited out for a coffee (although I didn't actually drink any coffee!) in the afternoon which was lovely - so many people have been so friendly! The family that I'm staying with had friends over for dinner (one of whom just so happened to be the same person that I went for a drink with!) so that was good fun.

We had health and safety training on Thursday morning (which was made much more exciting by the presence of cake - which didn't last very long!). I spent the afternoon writing an essay, which meant that I was a bit brain dead when I arrived at church council in the evening!
I spent a decent amount of time today sat at my desk and this afternoon I finally finished my first essay (yay!)

Essay writing

Thank you so much to everyone who prays for me.
This week please can you pray...
- For Smile Uganda and the new gappers as they begin a new season.
- For the youth group on Sunday morning.
- That I'll continue settling in and building friendships.
- That God will use me.