We are beginning to organise church visits to talk about our work in Nicaragua and organise all the little details that need to come together. We sent in our acceptance forms to Latin Link and it is encouraging to see that people can now donate to our work via the Latin Link website by typing in Stuart & Jodie Dennis where it asks you to find a person or project, here is the link for those who want to support us financially http://www.latinlink.org.uk/donate You can gift aid your donation to increase your support. We will be approaching some friends to support us as we need to cover two thirds of our overall costs, it is not something we relish doing but see it as an opportunity for people to partner with us in our mission work with and for God and His Kingdom. For those of you who pray, please pray that we will raise the funds necessary, I am not overly worried and do believe that the funds will come in but it is still quite an undertaking!
Last Sunday I led worship and celebrated communion at Bunyan Baptist and enjoyed doing so, it made me feel like a Baptist minister again even if I am not working as one at this moment! On the jobsearch front I had another interview with the back to work programme and have three seminars to attend next week to help me find work, I don’t hold out high hopes of finding work but I may learn something useful. I don’t think I will be offered workfare, that is more for younger people but even that would be something to do! Although for me I don’t think it is the best use of my time or skills. I am not sure what I think about workfare, for some young people it would be a good experience of the discipline of work but is there a danger some companies may use it as a free form of labour?
My home team Stevenage Boro did great holding the mighty Spurs to a nil nil draw on Sunday and earning themselves a lucrative replay at White Heart Lane to which I hope to go! C’mon Boro!!!!!
I read Thinking about God by Dorothee Soelle which is a good honest engagement with the big theological themes by one of my favourite theologians, I first read it about 1991 and it was good to revisit it and to see how often she mentions Nicaragua and her visits there, a nice wee coincidence!
This Shrove Tuesday we cooked up two batches of pancake mix and I was the “tosser”, I did pretty well, just a shame it isn’t an olympian sport! For Lent I decided not to give up chocolate or read a lent book (I read plenty of theology already!) but to go to bed earlier and get up earlier, more of a discipline for me as I am a bit of a nightbird!
I have started being more systematic in my study of Spanish grammar and going over some of my grammar books including spanish verbs for dummies!
I really enjoyed my guitar class this week and although I am still struggling I no longer want to throw in the towel which is progress!
I am feeling encouraged at the moment as we have received more unexpected offerings which helps us put some money aside for our Latin Link start up costs and deposit, God is good and so are his people! Off out soon street pastoring, thankfully tonight according to the weather forecast it isn’t going to freeze so don’t need to wear Jodie’s woolly tights this time and feel warm inside due to my reggae reggae sauce sausage tea and the support we have received in recent days! Go well love Stu x
