We want you to...

On the straight and narrow

... time is ticking away, we've almost arrived at the end of the first term of the course. We are amazed at what God has done in both our lives! I'm sure Phoebe feels pretty full after 10 weeks of listening and practising Kingdom truth and principles, and it is good that a break is coming up for Phoebe just to let things sink down and be absorbed.
For me it's quite different, working in Site & Facilities here has been really enjoyable, it's a totally different ball-game to the working in Maintenance at our church in Australia. At Hillsong the buildings are not older than 15 years, and that makes a huge difference, some of the buildings here are over 100 years old! Apart from that the climate is very different too... so guess what I've been working on for the majority of time? Leaking roofs, dripping gutters and blocked drains! A nice challenge I say. Apart from that I've been trained up by an Australian Cotton Farmer called Gordon (who flew back to Queensland today) to cut the lawn with the tractor in straight lines. I always thought those farmers on their tractors had boring and easy jobs driving up and down those fields in straight lines. I found out that it takes quite some skill and concentration to keep on the staight and narrow. My respect for those farmers just went up many many notches. Gordon said that the trick was to focus on a point straight ahead of you on the horizon and aim for that, that's when you'll find it's easier to keep course. Isn't that the same for our Christian walk?

My daily schedule is as follows:
8:00am breakfast
8:30am teamprayers
9:00am morning tea
9:30am work time
1:00pm lunch
2:00pm work time
3:30pm afternoon tea
4:00pm work time
5:30pm finish work
6:00pm dinner

I really enjoy team prayers, on monday and wednesday we have prayer time with our own department, on wednesday and thursday we have praise and worship and teaching/encouragement with the whole team. And on Friday we have a communion service with the whole team and the students as well.

The atmosphere here is great, you can really sense the peace and presence of God in this place (well that is if you take time out to sense it, when busy you'll tend to miss it). Apart from that there is lots of encouragement happening, and prayer is common! Another thing about this place is the coming and going of people. There are courses, retreats, teaching days, and healing services on a regular basis so many people come and go... also on team there is a big turnover of people. People are being discipled, trained and send out, which is a good thing!

By the way... it's getting colder now!

Random photos and chats

I caught the trees changing colour before they lost all their leaves. It was magnificent for a few days then it rained really hard and the moment was gone. NB: Must take camera everywhere.
The property is a heritage site and is in the top 6% of listed properties in the UK (think thats right) and is a great example of olden style architecture...plus it looks really cool. This is just next to where we live in the Oakhurst Cottage. If you go left through that black gate you are on Paradise Row

This little path is the sneaky back and quick way to classes in the main building at the end. I'm not allowed to go that way unless im with a staff member because some staff quarters backs onto it and its their private space. i have to make a confession that when im late...(ahem) i go that way. But i ask forgiveness afterwards! he he Not far from Pierrepont is the Little Pond made famous by another blog entry, and this is the walk there...Its pretty hey? This is where we met our first squirrels, and im pretty sure i squealed with delight. Obviously this is Phoebe writing.
And this is Little Pond. The sunsets have been amazing and moved too quick for me to capture the even more radiant colours, but its not bad. There is a path all around the pond and students and staff often come on prayer walks around it. Tim was running every monday night around it but its too dark after work now. He has to settle for indoor footy in the conference hall with the guys on team.

Today we had our first demonstration ministry in the Accident & Trauma class, and Jill Southern (Pierrepont Director), taught all about the effects of an accident on the human spirit. It was amazing and it makes so much sense that you wonder how come noone ever said it before, but thats pretty much what its like here. Two classmates volunteered and were ministered to while we were the intercession team and were picking up the how to's. It was an invaluable class for both the person being ministered to, and us! They got healed, and we learned that no ministry is the same, even if the accident is similar. Because everyone is unique and responds in their own way to an accident or trauma, and believes certain lies about themselves that are unique to them, or believes certain things about God etc. it was such a beautiful time of healing...we were all a mess. i really know that i know that i know that i am called into this ministry, and so its exciting when you are thinking, do this..or i think the person needs healing here...and they do that and you know you are in sync with the way of doing things. i have actually ministered on my own to 2 people so far, with a lead counsellor on a healing retreat, as part of our deliverence workshops which we did in groups in class, and as an intercessor during a 3 day conference. So I am learning heaps. This week conming we have Restoring the Human Spirit which i am looking forward to, and Healing through Creativity where i am hoping to get my hands on some clay, and then Freedom from Fear where Tim will join me in class...that will be fun. well, you know what i mean.

Yeah, but what do you do for fun?

Eat a lot in our main dining hall called Cedars, where they feed us 3 square meals a day which is why Tim is smiling. I love meal times...every day i sit with different people and have great chats
Play ping pong in the student lounge, or the new updated version, ping pong off the wall, over the rafters and back...have to create some challenges sometimes. There's a TV/VCR in this room a whole bunch of lounges, CD player and piano as well. This is where we have our worship nights and project the words onto the wall. Its a great place to hang out and lose a few hours...
We put on and take off our coats a lot which is one form of exercise. This the entrance to Cedars. We watch chick flicks and knit and chat and talk all the way through movies we know and cry just the same because we are all learning how to release our emotions!!! We have breathing lessons for an hour with Barbro who teaches singing in Sweden, and then after that we have our worship night after we have all warmed up our voices safely!

We go to The Bridge for cake and coffee and some Tim and Phoebe time. The cafe is really nice and they are starting to light the fires. They also sell art off the walls and have magazines and brochures from Pierrepont which is over the road. Its just starting to get popular with the locals.