Dear Friends,
Thank you to those who have been in touch to ask me to add others to the
mailing list and welcome to those who have joined us!
Well done to the eagle eyed who spotted my mistake yesterday in forgetting
to attach Mohammad’s biography to the email, it is attached today!
Just to let you know that Anita is struggling with her internet access at
home so they is not likely to be a News Sheet this week but hopefully these
emails will keep us all up to date for the time being.
Lou continues to be busy with out young people. She has been hosting a
weekly worship session, Holy Unplugged, via Whats App as well as doing a Tribe
session on Sunday morning. Last weekend she did some training with the Young
Leaders and tomorrow is planning her first Friday Night Youth session via Zoom!
Here is a reflection that Angie found on line from someone in China as they
are further ahead of us in this process
I just got this message from a friend of a friend who is an expat just
emerging from 7 weeks of lockdown in China:
´We are just finishing our 7th week of E-Learning, seven weeks of being
mainly housebound and seven weeks of uncertainty. We are healthy, we are happy,
and we are humbled.
We are allowed to move around freely now with a green QR code that we show
when we get our temperature taken. You get your temperature taken everywhere,
and it's just become part of the routine. Most restaurants and shopping centres
are now open, and life is coming back to our city.
As we watch the rest of the world begin their time inside; here are some of
my reflections on the last seven weeks:
1. Accept that you have no control over the situation. Let go of any
thoughts of trying to plan too much for the next month or two. Things change so
fast. Don't be angry and annoyed at the system. Anxiety goes down, and you make
the best of the situation - whatever that might be for you. Accept that this is
what it is and things will get easier.
2. Try not to listen to/read/watch too much media. It WILL drive you crazy.
There is a thing as too much!
3. The sense of community I have felt during this time is incredible. I
could choose who I wanted to spend my energy on - who I wanted to call, message
and connect with and found the quality of my relationships has improved.
4. Appreciate this enforced downtime. When do you ever have time like this?
I will miss it when we go back to the fast-paced speed of the 'real
world'.
5. Time goes fast. I still haven't picked up the ukelele I planned to
learn, and there are box set TV shows I haven't watched yet.
6. As a teacher, the relationships I have built with my students have only
continued to grow. I have loved seeing how independent they are; filming
themselves to respond to tasks while also learning essential life skills such as
balance, risk-taking and problem-solving, that even we as adults are still
learning.
7. You learn to appreciate the little things; sunshine through the window,
flowers blossoming and being able to enjoy a coffee in a cafe.
To those just beginning this journey, You will get through it. Listen to
what you are told, follow the rules and look out for each other. There is light
at the end of the tunnel.´
Finally, thanks to those of you who kindly sponsored my running effort this
week, a great encouragement as I pass the halfway stage.
Every blessing
Steve
