These Days...

Ahh, to be in England in the autumn... : )

It's lovely here these days. I find myself sprawled out on the grass in the afternoons and evenings just soaking up the sun and studying The Word. Little children run by and shout hello in sweet little accents : ) Or new friends pass by and invite me to this and that. Last night it was shopping so I went along and deepened friendships on the walk to Asda-- a store owned by Wal-mart!-- and back.

Last night Suzanne (Scotland) had a couple of us [me, Tabitha (Zimbabwe), Leticia (Brazil), Hot-Lin (Indonesia), and then Shemil (India) just sort of showed up and hung around : )] over to her room for tea so we brought our own mugs and sat about on the floor with warm, milky tea and interesting conversation. Some accents I can understand better than others, but everyone is so interesting! I've decided with certainty that I love having tea on the dormroom floor : )

Leticia (Brazil) is one of the greatest people I have met so far. We're becoming fast friends. Her heart for the Lord is so beautiful and she's wise beyond her years. We've decided to be prayer partners and hold one another accountable. I need to be in her room in 16 minutes for our first prayer time so I'd better hurry!!

We had a sort of church fair here yesterday, when representative from at least 30 of the area churches came here and set up tables and we got to go around and visit with them about their churches and get reading material and directions. One sweet lady named Skye even invited my friend Marge (Hasting, Sussex, England) and I over for dinner after church since Redcliffe doesn't serve meals on Sunday : ) She has a newborn baby, besides : ) So, next week I'm going with Leticia to Brunswick Baptist and then the Sunday after I'll try Skye's church which is a beautiful old cathedral called St. Catharine's. It's a Church of England (Anglican) church so that will be an experience in itself-- but one that I'm excited to have : )

Sunny (S. korea) has asked me to sing on the worship team for Wednesday devotions...

This afternoon one of my favorite (it's not nice to choose favorites, but I'm afraid I can't help it in this case!) people, Claire from Northern Ireland, ran up and down my hall calling us out to play volleyball and we struck up an informal game : ) I haven't played since Mrs. Goeden's gym class Snicker championships : ) But it was fun. The guys on my team were gracious and taught me all that I'd forgotten and jokingly voted me Most Valuable Player because I am so incredibly un-talented : )

Today is my baby brother's birthday so I miss him dreadfully...

This weekend I must think and pray about what classes to sign up for next week. By tomorrow afternoon I will have sampled them all...

My Abba reminded me of His love and care as I sought Him in the shade of massive Redcliffe Tree yesterday evening. Out of the middle of nowhere in Deuteronomy He brought me across a precious verse that I had completely forgotten about and told me it was for me : ) It was:
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He sheilds him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rest between His shoulders." --Deuteronomy 33:12

And I so I quiet the anxious voices within asking me where I'm going with this, what I'm here for, and just rest in being His beloved and being nestled between His shoulders as He carries me...

May you seek after Him with all your heart,
Leah <><