Christmas Holidays

We Didn't Buy the Figurine

One of the greatest gifts that I've received, over the years, are the strong  friendships I have with different people. Being a missionary kid, and later a missionary myself, I've met people from all around the world and some of the  friendships I've made with some of these people have become a big part of my life. I've written before, I think, about two of my closest friends, Theo and Judith.

Theo and I did our Discipleship Training School DTS together (as some of you may know) and we were on the same outreach team (to Brazil), and a little over two years ago, he married Judith. Every once in a while, I'll come over to Rotterdam, where they live, to spend a few days together with them. A few weeks ago, we made plans that I'd come down and spend a few days in Rotterdam with them between Christmas and New Year's Eve. One of the things I love about staying with Theo and Judith is the huge amount of fun we have together. I don't know what happens but we always end up lauging and having blast together. We play loads of board games (Settlers of Katan is a favourite), and we usually going somewhere together, like spending a few hours at a theme park and swimming pool, indoor ski-ing or something along those lines. Yesterday, we went to get some discounted Christmas Balls (for the tree) as is tradition with Judith's family. We all chose different Christmas balls that we liked and the put them into the basket Theo was carrying before they were put up to be voted on (to remain in the basket or be left in the shop). We got some nice Christmas balls. From there we went ice skating. I've only done it twice before and was rather nervous, especially as we were on a ice track that went in a circle. I enjoyed it for the most part, despite feeling rather hassled by the much faster skaters on both sides of me, the children who weren't looking where they were going and people skating the wrong direction (we were supposed to skate counter-clockwise, but people were skating into the flow as well).

Earlier today, we went shopping together in Rotterdam... which was a lot of fun. I've only been to Rotterdam a couple of times since I'm moved to the Netherlands a year and a half ago (almost) as I've not really had the need to come through, unless I'm visiting Theo and Judith or when I'm with my dad (as he lived here when he was younger). For those of you who didn't know, Rotterdam is one of Europe's largest ports... and some parts of the city are really old whilst the centre of the city has been totally rebuilt in the last seventy years or so. The reason for this is that the beginning of the Second World War, Hitler's Nazi government wanted the port of Rotterdam, as Germany was heavily dependant on the imports through Rotterdam's port. The Nazis didn't respect the Dutch government's choice of neutrality in the war and invaded on 10 May 1940. It took only a matter of days after the start of the invasion (along with the bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May) for the Dutch to surrender.

Love God Greatly: The Meaning of Christmas

Christmas Day. The day when Jesus was supposedly born on. A day I don't enjoy very much (please see the post: My Thoughts On Christmas for the reasons)... a day that so often gets blown out of proportion by the world we live in. Christmas has become a day to exchange presents (millions gets spent on Christmas presents each year), a day so many children look forwards to as a day to receive the items on their wishlists, a day to eat food and to spend with family and friends. So often, the 'real' reason for Christmas, the reason why Christmas is celebrated at all, is pushed to one side and promptly forgotten. The birth of Jesus.

When I was growing up, my parents didn't tell me that Santa was real. I knew that my parents were the ones putting presents in my stocking... they didn't want my siblings and myself to loose focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Over the last few years I've been thinking more and more about Christmas. I'm not really keen on celebrating Christmas for the sake of it. I'm 'celebrating' Christmas as a reminder of God's goodness.

My relationship with God is the solid in my life of traveling and change. I've moved around more times than I'd like to count in the last four years, but one of the things that haven't changed is my relationship with God. Even if my whole life keeps changing, my relationship with God will always be there. From time to time, I have the realization, anew, of what Jesus actually means to me. If he hadn't come to earth as a baby, all those years ago, he wouldn't have died and I, a sinner, wouldn't be able to have a relationship with the Holy God. It blows me away actually. Jesus is fully God, but at the same time, He's fully man. He knew why He had to come to earth, to die for the sins of all mankind (past, present and future generations), He had to take sin on himself to make a way for the sinner to be made right with God. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law of Moses and through His death and resurrection I can walk into the courts of the King of Heaven with my head held high. This is the greatest gift I have ever been given, and I will always be grateful for it.

God is the reason I'm in The Hague, serving Redeemer Church. God is the reason I'm alive and breathing. I love Him because He loved me first. That is the true meaning of Christmas: as John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Another Year Gone By

Taken on December 22, 2015

Today, as I celebrate my birthday I look back on the last year. It's been a year of many changes and much personal growth. I'm not the person I was 366 days ago and I'm not where I thought I would be... and in a way I'm grateful for that. I'm glad that things don't go according to the rough plans I had when I turned 23. I had hoped that I'd be back in England but God has kept me in the Netherlands and He's given me a love for my fatherland... to the point I'm really happy to stay put.

Last year, on my birthday, I was determined to return to England after my period as a volunteer at Youth With A Mission YWAM Heidebeek. I love England, London in particular. I wanted to go back really badly, though I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I just wanted to go back. Twelve months can do a lot to change perspectives. I still want to return to London but the desire isn't as strong. I'm in The Hague now and I'm happy here. Though the future isn't certain, I'm at peace with where I am and I know that God will open the right doors at the right time. He always has and always will.

Over the last year my relationship with God has deepened and I've learned to trust him more in my day to day life, and especially in regards to my future, but that's not the point of this post. I'm so grateful for my relationship with God. Having that certainty in my life is one of the biggest points of gratitude that I have. No matter what happens, God will never let me down. He's holding me in his hands and I can rest assured that he won't drop me, ever.

The year I was 23 has been a great year, but I'm looking towards this next year with great expectation for the great works God is going to do in me and through me!

A Big Surprise!!

On Saturday morning, I collected Caleb from Den Haag Central Station. He said that he was meeting a friend outside my place, which seemed a bit weird, but I didn't suspect anything. Looking back now Caleb's reason we needed to go to Rijswijk doesn't add up properly, but I didn't think much about it. So we went back Rijswijk. I decided to drop my sports bag  at home, whilst Caleb saw his friend. Aron (the youngest member of my host family) was having his party on that afternoon, so I assumed the preparation that Rebecca was doing during the days running up to Saturday was for that. When we arrived home I noticed that there were a few people standing in the kitchen, but I didn't think about it. When I walked into the living room, I was rather nicely surprised by a group of friends from church. Rebecca and Prisca had organised a surprise party for me and had planned it so well that I didn't suspect anything. Caleb knew about it, as did my father. When we were on the bus Caleb was in contact with Prisca about where we were. Aron's party was the perfect alibi to cover my own surprise party. I didn't get any photos of the party as no one thought to take any photos of the event.

Then on Sunday, Caleb and I went to see our grandmother after church. We left straight after the service was done... it was a family reunion of sorts. Both of my father's brothers were there, so we sat in the restaurant of the care home my grandmother lives at. Its been a few years since I saw my uncles, aunts, and my cousin. I'm planning on seeing my grandmother when my father's here in January (I'm looking forwards to him coming!) and then on a regular basis after that. I haven't seen her in months because of the moving (and the price of public transport from Epe).

Love God Greatly

My Prayer Journal

A Revelation
As Christians we all know the drill, God loves me so much and that's why He sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. That was the greatest gift of all; its why God promised a messiah, a savior, to come and to save us. Something I've struggled with for years is how the word 'love' has lost its meaning. We know that God loves us... but is that head knowledge or heart knowledge? Have we made the connection in our hearts that God really loved us so much that He sent His son to die a sinner's death so that the orphans could become sons and daughters? Would you give up your only child so that you could adopt? When I think of God's love for me in that light, I think I understand a bit more. God wanted a relationship with mankind from the beginning. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were forced to leave the Garden of Eden, as punishment, God has a plan in mind to restore a relationship that was lost and I've seen this thread its way through the entire bible as I've read through from cover to cover.

One of my favourite books of the bible is in the Old Testament, called Leviticus. For many, its a book of rules that don't make sense in today's world, however this book wasn't written for today's world. I've read the book many times over the years. When I read it towards the end of my Discipleship Training School DTS, I asked God to tell me why He'd given the Israelites all these laws, many of which I didn't, and still don't totally understand. The answer came through straight away. God wanted a relationship with His people, however there was a problem. God is holy and the people weren't, so He made a way for the Israelites to purify themselves so they could enter His presence. However, because we all have a problem... we sin, and we don't stop when we become Christians. No one is perfect and God knows that. When He gave the laws to Moses He knew that the Israelites wouldn't be able to keep them perfectly all the time. So through the laws He gave He had an answer to the problem. He sent Jesus to fulfill the law for good, to atone for the sins of all humanity. When I heard this my love for God grew massively.

Conclusion
On a more positive note... thank you to everyone who answered my questions in my surveys . The first one will be open until Friday, 16 December 2016 and the second one will close around Saturday 31 December. If you haven't filled in one or both of the surveys, please do before they close because it'll be a great help for me to fine tune this blog space more. Click on the title of the survey form you haven't completed yet: Topics To Blog About and Blog Feedback. It'll be a huge blessing.

Official Member

An Amsterdam Canal

Official Member of Redeemer

Yesterday was also quite an important day for me. I officially became a member of Redeemer International Church, The Hague. I don't know what my plans are after the internship finishes but I felt that it was important that I make sure I put my roots down whilst I'm, in case I do stay longer (something that I'm heavily leaning towards at the moment). Over the last few years I've never bothered with becoming a member of the church I was going to because I knew I had other higher priorities... like outreaches and stuff. Redeemer is the first church I've become a member in my own right. Its a big deal for me. I feel like this is where I belong. I'm still not sure what's happening after my year with Redeemer is done but I'm talking with God about what my next step is going to be.

Work

Office work is still busy, I've been helping sort something out for the Sunday school registration and preparing the January Newsletter that gets sent to everyone in the church. I'm not going to be in the office until mid-January (once the office is closed after Christmas) due to having some time off and going to England for Impact Training. So I've been working on getting the newsletter done before Christmas in thirteen days time... it'll get sent out right before the New Year begins. I've also been doing some stuff with the church's social media websites (so posting photos and captions on Instagram, Facebook, etc). I'm enjoying my work. When there's an odd job or errand that needs to be done, I'm usually the one who ends up doing it. Though I am learning not to take every task on, otherwise I'll be overwhelmed.

Caleb

Family

About six weeks ago (roughly) I heard that my father and brother, Caleb, had booked their tickets to the Netherlands for two weeks. Caleb wanted to work and papa wanted to see both my grandmother and myself. However, soon after this, my dad had an accident, he did something to his leg and couldn't walk. He waited until right before the flight to make the decision to change his travel dates (he's coming in January; more will be announced at a later date) as his leg took ages healing. So Caleb traveled to the Netherlands on his own and arrived six days ago. We made plans and then spent some time together in Amsterdam. We met up at The Hague Central Station and then went through to Amsterdam for a few hours. Caleb really loves Amsterdam and couldn't wait a week to go. So I had to rearrange some plans so that we could do this. He's really grown up now (see the photo below) and towers over me when we're standing next to each other (I don't think he's finished growing). I felt safe with him when we were walking through the streets of Amsterdam. We're going to be spending some time this weekend and we're also planning to see our grandmother, so it's going to be a super busy few days that we're together.

Feed back!

I've written a survey to tailor my posts to what you'd like to read about. So far, I've only had one response and I'd love to have a few more from you... so if you have a few moments, please take the time to help me out, by clicking here. The reason I'm doing this is because I would like you to have the space to say what you'd like to read on my blog... its a bit tricky trying to predict what you want to read without help and if you don't write anything on the survey, I won't be able to tailor my posts.

Friday!!

Nieuwe Kerk in the Sunset

Its a case of the same old news. I don't know what to write here. My life at the moment looks like it did every week since I moved to Rijswijk. My life has become normal, too normal and to some degree, rather boring. I love working at the Redeemer Office, and I love living with my host family but my life is running in monotone right now. There's no huge drama happening beyond my forgetting things at home when I head to work, almost missing my bus, or the internet not working properly. I can't help but reflect on my life in Uganda.

One of the things I miss the most about my life in Uganda is the unexpected, unpredictability of day to day life. I never knew how things would play out over the course of the day. I would never know how exactly my day would play out. I never knew how long it would take me to get a reasonable price for the boda boda (motorbike taxi) to wherever I was going. I always knew that people would want to talk me, about a couple of things, but I never knew who, when or what about. I miss Uganda, I miss the life I had there, though at the time I didn't want to be there. I've thought about going back to Uganda, many times over the years since I left. Maybe one day I will but at the moment I don't know what I'd do there. Maybe when my parents return there I'll visit them there. Uganda will always be in my heart and a part of me will always want to return there.

Maybe, hopefully, the next post will be a little bit more interesting than this one.

My News

December, the last month of the year and one of the busiest (in my eyes). With Christmas around the corner and the church office has kinda into overdrive to finish off the last minute jobs of 2016 as well as prepare for the new year.

Various Christmas activities are being prepared, like a ladies tea morning on December 10, and present wrapping on the same day for a charity that works in Amsterdam. The service on Christmas Day is also in the works. I'm not going to be with my family this year so I'm glad that we're going to be busy on December 25. It's the second Christmas I won't be with my family... I was in Brazil over Christmas of 2012 and flew out just days beforehand... (last year I was with Hannah in Paris; she's in South Africa now). Thankfully there's such a thing as Whatsapp and Skype, so at least I'll get to talk to my awesome family over the holidays. Since I'm not going to be in South Africa, I've got nothing planned for my time off... except packing for the January impact training block and a visit to the hairdresser's (don't fear; I won't do anything crazy).

The Weekend

On Saturday, we had a workshop for the people who have been working with the Sunday School groups. It was really good, but very long (it started at midday and ended just before 6pm). It was great meeting a number of people who are involved in the various Sunday School groups). Then on Sunday, after church, we had the youth group's Sinterklaas game. Everyone brought presents and then we used a dice to dictate what action needed to be taken. In the end everyone had at least one if not two presents, which had were unwrapped during the process of the game... it was a lot of fun. We've got one more meeting before the end of the year.

My brother, Caleb, is arriving this evening for two weeks in the Netherlands. He's going to be working for most of the two weeks but we're planning to meet a few times whilst he's in the country. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's been a long time since the two of us were able to do stuff together. We're very alike, Caleb and me. He's eighteen now and is a good foot taller. I'll be sure to put a few photos up here as well as on Instagram whilst we're together (if I remember to take any photos whilst he's here).

New Year's Challenge

As we approach the end of 2016 (believe it or not, we've got less than a month to go!), I would like to take this opportunty to suggest a New Year's Resolution to you. If you love photography and want to challenge yourself during 2017, why not create an account with Blipfoto? I've written quite a lot about Blipfoto  and my love for this amazing community over the last few months. Since I joined in January 2014 my photography skills have improved a lot, despite mainly using a smartphone to capture and upload my daily photos, and these skills continue to improve. I really hope that you'd join me by taking up this 365 challenge. It won't hurt to give it a try. If you decide to take up the challenge, you can find me by searching for the_nomadic_one. Once you've created an account Blipfoto has designed Android and IOS compatible apps to provide easy uploading straight from your smart phone. I hope to see you there!

Survey

I must say a huge thank you to the people who filled in the survey I made last week (you know who you are). I'm going to leave it open for responses for another week or two, so if you'd still like to help me out by quickly filling it out, just click here and you'll be redirected to the survey. It shouldn't take more than between five or ten minutes of your time.

I'm planning to write the next post over the next week or so... stay tuned for more news on how life as an Intern. Its hard to believe I've been at Redeemer for about three months now! Time is flying past!

As I sign off, I wanted to just say thanks for taking the time to read this post and I want to wish you a happy holiday season. May God really bless you in this time!

Looking Back, Looking Forwards

Looking Back

November finishes today. I can't quite believe where the last month has gone. Its been a month of highs and lows, of travel and adventure, of normal life. November's seen a new US president elected into office. At the beginning of the month I went to England for the Prayer Days in Sidcup as well as for Impact Training. The weeks that followed my return has seen me find a rhythm again.

November has also seen me battle with my mental health and my weight. Both weight loss and mental health are too complicated to be written about in short. Some of you know that my battle with depression didn't end when I left boarding school, I've had a number of times when it would surface and I had no one to go to for help. So I battled on my own. After the last episode I promised myself, and my parents a few months later, that if it happened again I'd get help. So I did... I've had help. I also written a number of posts about my weight loss and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle; I know I'll write many more before my time is done, so be warned!

Looking Ahead

I'll share one thing that I've been looking forwards to over the last few months. Now, I've written about my love for Outlander in numerous posts since I watch the first episode of the first season. Another series that I've been hooked on for the better part of this year is a History Channel series (the first of its kind on this particular channel) called Vikings. This series is a historical account based on the that follows the story of a Viking ruler, king and hero, Ragnar Lodbrok. The series starts just before he raids the Monastery at Lindisfarne (situated on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the northeast coast of Eangland) and follows Ragnar's journey as he goes on to become leader and king. The story also branches out to follow the stories of two of his wives, Largertha, the sheildmeiden and Aslaug, a princess who claimed to be daughter of the Valkyrie, Brynhildr. The series also follows the lives of Ragnar's brother, Rollo, and sons (Bjorn Ironside, Ubbe, Hvitserk Snake-in-the-Eye, Sigurd and Ivar The Boneless). I don't want to ruin the series for you, if you haven't seen it... its been something I've been looking forwards to since the end of Season 4 Part 2.

A Spot of Ink

Over the last few weeks I haven't been writing in my journal as much I would like. Things have been quite busy and I haven't had the energy to write down what I've been up to, or how I've been feeling. I think I didn't like the idea of having a sore left hand and wrist. Interesting fact that most people don't know about me or don't realize; I am left handed (and I'm dyslexic; I have written a post about having dyslexia a few years back, click here to read that). I am going to have to sit down, at some point and write a few really long entries (the subject of these entries are between me and my journal). Writing helps me process my life and figure out the way forwards. Writing helps me keep my mind clear from confusion, on the most part. Sometimes I look back at various entries that I've written in one the journals I have with me. I've had to leave journals in England and Uganda and one day plan to have them all in one place, if I ever settle down and a fixed address for more than a few months (having my own place is still a dream I have). Once I get my own home, I'll have to ship my books to wherever I end up living long term as its too expensive to keep shipping my large collection of books and journals as I travel.

On another note, of which I should write about, yesterday afternoon I went to the gym for the first time in a while. I've not gone to the gym because I haven't had the energy to go (over the last few weeks I've been exhausted). I haven't had the willpower to make myself go. I have wanted to go to the gym, but I was able to talk myself out of going, much to my regret, at the moment. Yesterday, when I woke up, I didn't give myself a choice about whether or not I'd be doing any exercise and thus I went after church. I'm glad I did, as I enjoyed myself, but my muscles are complaining loudly every time I move, which is quite rewarding (and painful) as I know that I did good. I am going back this afternoon and I'm looking forwards to it; the muscle pain not so much, but it's worth it. I'm planning to go as often as I can over the next few weeks. Its very important for my mental and physical health that I fix on my sights on going to the gym on a daily basis between now and the new year (with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day; when the gym is closed). It's also going to be my New Year's resolution for 2017 (I'm writing it here now to help keep myself to it). I need to keep pushing on towards a fitter, healthier me.

Thankfulness

The Council Went And Trimmed A Tree On The Nieuwe Kerk Grounds

In the spirit of thanksgiving (I didn't celebrate it yesterday but I love the idea of being thankful for what I have), I thought I'd do what so many others are doing and write about being thankful.

So often we look at what we don't have, the things we want to have and we tell ourselves that we'll be happy if we have that one item... however, once we get that item, the happiness is short lived, as we realize that the happiness and contentment is actually hollow. The item we thought would satisfy the emptiness inside doesn't actually do that, once we've got that item, we put it in the stockpile and set our eyes on the next item. Everyone looks to a different thing or combination of things to fill the emptiness inside when, in truth, Jesus is the only one who can do that. Yes, I do know Jesus as my personal savior and friend, and one of the biggest pieces of wisdom I've received in my life is to be grateful for what I have, instead of looking at what I don't have. I've also been in the process of teaching myself, with help (of course), not to compare myself to those around me (something that's easier said than done, especially when you live in a world where materialism is such a big thing)... and to give thanks for what I do have, rather than complain to anyone who'll listen to me, about what I want to have but don't.

Christmas Decoratios

I have many things to be thankful for. Parents who love me. Amazing siblings. A living relationship with the living God. Enough money to live. Friends around me. An awesome office team, my blog, Blipfoto and the list goes on.

God knows my needs before I do. I'm so grateful that he's been providing for me over the last several years. There are some people who think I'm crazy to be living like this, but to be honest, I can deal with crazy. My whole life has been crazy if you compare it to the lives of my generation who grew up in the west. However I don't do comparisons very well. I'm different, I'm unique, I'm myself and that's all that matters. That's another thing that I'm extremely thankful for that.

I remember one time my parents asked me to write a list of fifty things I was thankful for. I don't have that list anymore but as I worked down that list, I remember coming up with a hundred items rather than fifty. That's when I realized that I should be grateful more... its a choice and I've chosen to be grateful for life and all I have.

A Quick One

The Sunrise Yesterday

The days have been getting noticeably shorter. Its been getting light after I walk out the door in the morning... a few months ago, it was light long before I got out of bed. A not so noticeable change is that the temperature has dropped into the single didgets but feels like its stabilizing at a temperature where its too still too warm for snow, but cold enough for a jacket and warm shoes. I've decided that I would like to see a good amount of snow this year, which means that the temperature needs to drop about six or seven degrees before there's any chance that'll happen. I am praying for this!

Its been very windy over the last few days. I haven't enjoyed this because I've wanted to bike to work more but because of the strong winds, which makes biking very dangerous. I don't want to get pushed into the path of a bus or a tram because by the wind.

Office work is going well. I've been sorting out the social media aspect now that the Sunday School material has been downloaded. This basically means organizing who's in charge of posting something from the different events through to the social media platforms that belong to the church (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). I started an excel spreadsheet a few weeks ago but it was a bit obsolete so I had to do something with Google Calendar and then update the spreadsheet. It's all very interesting but rather fiddly... thankfully the windows software I have to work with is quite straightforwards. I haven't used my computer in ages as its still not working properly.

Random Splurge

Blip for November 20th, 2016

Youth Group
Last night, the youth group met in the church office (it was second meeting of the month since we meet every two weeks; so roughly twice a month). We had a meal together, played a game and one of the elders shared about the importance of being involved in a church. I'm really enjoying being a part of this youth group and being able to help Rhodé and the other leaders out. Whenever I think of the teenagers, I have to think about how important this age group is and how they're all forming their ideas on life and where they stand in their relationship with God. By being a part of their journeys I can at least be able to point them in the right direction. To be totally honest, working with the youth group is one of the highlights of my internship. I'm really grateful for the relationships I've been able to build in the group.

Visitors
In about three weeks, two very important people will be coming to the Netherlands for a visit. These two people are my brother and my father. They're going to be here for two weeks and I'm really looking forwards to being able to spend some time with them, even though my brother's most likely going to be working over that period. Its an incredible answer to prayer because I still haven't decided what I'm going to do over Christmas and New Year's, so having them come and visit is an early Christmas and birthday present (for those of you who don't know, my birthday's a few days before Christmas, though I won't tell you when exactly [if you know, I'd ask you not to mention it]). I still haven't decided what I'm going to do for these holidays (I've still got a few weeks to decide; though there is a chance I don't do anything for the time I'm off), but at least I'll have seen my dad and my brother (I do wish I was seeing my mum and my sister too, but we don't always get everything we want).

Blipfoto for November 17th, 2016

Projects
I'm still working on my embroideries. These two are completed and were the ones I've spent the last nine months or so working on. I had hoped to get them done earlier but I either haven't been bothered or I didn't have the time. I've started on the next one (which I haven't added here, but do head over to my Blipfoto Journal, the extra photo for 17 November 2016 is the beginning of the next cross stitch).

I'm also still doing Some Lines A Day; for those of you who don't know what this is, every day I write a few lines about that day. The idea is that each book has the space to do this for five years. So by the end of the five years (31 December 2020), I'll be able to see what I've been doing on a particular day over the span of five years. Its quite a commitment as I have to write something down each day. At the moment, I've been writing a summery of the day on my iPhone and then when I've got time, I'll copy it over into the book, which is definitely a job for a rainy day. I'm really enjoying it, like the habit of taking a photo every day and uploading that onto Blipfoto, which I'm still doing. In January 2017, I'll have taken a photo every day for three years (its been quite a commitment; if you want to read more about my thoughts on Blipfoto, click here).

Blipfoto for November 21st, 2016

Office Work
I've spent most of this morning finishing off downloading the Sunday School material. I've downloaded slightly more than I needed to, just to give myself some breathing space the next time I need to download the material. Its a slow process because I need download the material from the website, and then sort it out, before uploading it onto the server so that the teachers can access it. I then have to delete the folders I was using to sort out the material before moving it to the server. I'm glad that its about as down as it will be for the next few weeks.

Reunion
Something interesting came up the other week. It looks like there may well be a reunion for my Discipleship Training School DTS at some point during the spring or early summer of next year (now by this, I mean the DTS I was a trainee on, between September 2012 and March 2013... the DTS that took me on outreach to Brazil). I don't know when exactly the reunion is going to be. The dates are still being organised to suit as many of the group as possible. Its going to be weird seeing the people who had a big influence on me; though most of whom I haven't seen in about four years (by the time the reunion takes place it'll be four years since my DTS ended). I'm looking forwards to seeing where everyone is in their lives now. I've kept in contact with a few people from my outreach team and from the school, but it'll definitely be super strange seeing everyone after so many years. I'll be sure to plan a post in about how it goes, along with photos... so keep an eye out for that during the next eight months or so (as I said, the date still hasn't been picked so it could be any time between April and June 2017).

News

Right, I don't know what to write about. I've rewritten, restarted, this post three times now. I don't know what you want to read about, I don't know what you want to hear about. I find writing about my life quite hard to do now that I live in Europe. My life in Uganda was far more interesting than it is these days.

Nothing much changes from week to week, so my posts tend to look very much like the previous posts I've written. Writing about the weather isn't a whole lot of fun either. I also don't see the point writing about what I think of US presidential elections (despite the face that I didn't get whole lot of sleep over November 8; thanks to the uncertainty of who'd win) or some other topics along the lines of politics. I'm no politician. I also don't think you'll be interested in reading any of the conspiracies I believe are true.

I've been wanting to write about other stuff, but for some reason I end up writing about topics that get me into trouble with some of my readers. I know that if I didn't have an audience to write for I'd still write here. I have thought about starting a YouTube channel to document my life in a different way. However, when my computer stopped working six weeks ago (or there about), I got a very clear answer to that (as I want to use my own computer to edit my footage). Maybe once I get my computer sorted out I can the software, but at the moment that's not happening.

Internship
The internship is still going well. I've been busy downloading the Sunday School material, as well as organizing the accommodation for the Connect Conference in Sidcup that starts today. I'm not going but I've spent the last few months working on making sure that there's accommodation available for those who want it. I've also sorting accommodation out for the Academy trip to England in January.

Yesterday we went to Josh's new house. Josh is one of my colleagues. As an office team we helped laying the flooring down in his new place. It was a good deal of fun but I ended up scratching up my hands. The crazy thing is that Josh lives in the village I lived in when my family and I lived here in the Netherlands ten years ago. The whole place has changed so much since I left. I have a funny feeling that the two houses we lived in have been knocked down and are being rebuilt as new houses. In a way I'm grateful that the houses aren't there because of the memories. I would add some photos but my iPad isn't letting me add or edit photos to my posts, thankfully the first photo of this post is in place. Anyway, I'll write again next week, with hopefully something more interesting than today's post.

Radical :: Tea

What's Left Of My Stash of Green Tea In The Office

I'm writing this post whilst I'm waiting for some Sunday School material to upload to the NAS (in other words, the file server). Its a slow process and can get quite frustrating. So I tend to try to keep myself distracted with various things, like quickly updating my Blipfoto Journal... yes, I'm still doing that on a daily basis (and I used the same photo as I did here).

There's some small changes that I've made over the last months. The changes aren't drastic, so no worries on that front. I've written about my love of coffee over the last few months. I still love coffee and I doubt that'll change any time soon. However, I've been struggling falling asleep at night for a while now. Its not because of I haven't been tired, I've been roling into bed exhausted but unable to sleep because my brain is on overdrive. Before I can rule out an overactive mind, I wanted to rule out my caffeine intake, or at least reduce it to a point that the probability that my sleep problems aren't still hanging around because of my love for coffee.

So, my plan of attack, over the next period of time, is that reduce my coffee intake to the point where I'm only drinking a cup first thing in the morning before I leave for the office. This step is to prevent a caffeine induced headache from hitting me at some point during the rest of the day. This type of headache is nasty. After I get to the office, I resort to drinking strong English tea with a little bit milk, or its green tea. I know there's caffeine in normal tea but not nearly caffeine as in coffee. I do miss drinking as much coffee as I did a while ago, but to be honest, I'd rather get enough sleep at night to functionally normally. I'm one of those humans who happen to need more sleep than the average person. This is down to the fact my brain takes forever shutting down at night, thanks to being overactive (the base reason I need so much sleep), and as you expected caffeine has a negative effect on my brain when I want to sleep... so, for the moment, I'd rather give up my coffee for the sake of my health. I do really enjoy drinking tea. Its got a different taste to it than coffee does... its taken a while getting used to the smell of tea. For some reason, I haven't liked the smell of wet tea leaves. I still don't, which is why I don't use loose leaf tea.

Now you're probably wondering why I'm writing this, why I'm sharing this with you. I've written about coffee a number of times in the past, but I've never written about what I think about my tea intake and what I think of tea. Its part of my journey to become a new and more radical person. My coffee intake, my exercise, what I eat. Its all part of becoming the person God wants me to be.

Trailblazers

Saturday Morning's Sunrise

One of the aspects of my internship is working with one of the Sunday school groups... the oldest group that meets on Sunday mornings during the service is called Trailblazers. Trailblazers is for the 9-11 year olds and is made up of a varying group of youngsters, from a varied assortment of backgrounds. Most of these kids speak English or Dutch with a few speaking both languages. Yesterday was my second time on the job, so to say, and I really enjoyed it. I'm glad that I can help out with Trailblazers, like I enjoy helping out with the youth group and the various projects that fall under the rather broad title called admin.

Well, yesterday I arrived early at church as I was able to get a lift into The Hague Den Haag (which saved me biking in or taking the bus), so I was able to help with the registration form for the group. At Redeemer, we have a registration process that looks like this: the parents will come in with their kids and will sign their kids in with whichever group their kids belong to. For the younger groups the parents will be given a card with their child's name on it... most of the groups will leave the service after a few worship songs and after the service the parents collect their children by handing this card in to one of the kids workers. Trailblazers' staff don't use the card; the parents will sign their kids in and then once the service is done, the kids are returned to the crypt, where their parents are enjoying tea, coffee and conversation.

Because we have a mix of English and Dutch speaking children, we do aim to translate the material either from English to Dutch or the other way around. So this last Sunday, I had the pleasure of translating from Dutch into English. I've translated for people before, though usually its been one-on-one translation... so this was the first time I've translated for such a large group of young people. I really enjoyed it. We were looking at the story of Jacob, when Jacob fought with God and God changed his name to Israel so at the end, the kids had a lot of fun founding out what their names mean. Some of them had no idea what their names mean, whilst others do.

Well, I gotta go but I'll write again later this week.

Greenwich

The entrance to Greenwich Market

I got back from England yesterday afternoon after a great week away. I flew over to England with a few other people from the office on Tuesday 2 November. There was a conference at one of our sister churches in Sidcup, England. So  A number of various churches came together to pray for a number of church plants that are being planned for the up coming season. We didn't end up praying for the better part of two days, we spent a lot of time worshiping God (the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity). I really enjoyed spending those two days being able to focus on God like that.

The rest of the group I came with returned back to Nederland the in afternoon of Thursday 3 November. I stayed on in England for another week due to having an Impact Training Block that started on Monday 7 November. I didn't want to to have two lots of journeys to and from the UK so close together. So between the end of the Prayer Days and the start of Impact, I spent the weekend with my cousin, Amanda, and her little family. I really enjoyed being able to spend time with her and her boyfriend, Jason, and her son, Taylor (and their two beautiful cats). On Sunday afternoon we went to Greenwich. Greenwich is usually known by the term Greenwich Mean Time GMT. Its a town on the River Thames, just across the water from London city centre and is the home of the Royal Naval Academy and the Royal Observatory. You'll also find the ship, the Cutty Sark, there. We went to the Greenwich Market, which is a lot like the market at Convent Garden... if you haven't been there its a collection of stalls in a small square. Its a lot of fun to visit.

The Great City of London is On The Other Bank

On Monday Amanda dropped me off at Broadstone Warren for the November Impact training. We had so much fun together... as well as having some testimonies and talks on the New Testament Book of Romans. We also had a lot of fun in our free time. The US election caused quite a stir (and very little sleep for some of us).

I had a bit of a revelation on the train home yesterday. When I decided to do Impact I kinda wanted to get it done with as fast as possible and then move back to England. I've wanted to go back to English since I moved to Holland in July 2015. However God has kept me here, but its been the last two months when changes have started taking place in my heat. I've come to the realization that The Hague Den Haag and where I live at the moment have become my home. The previous times I've flown to England it was a real struggle coming back to the Netherlands, however this time I was actually looking forwards to returning. Yes, I was sad I was leaving England but at the same time I was glad to be returning to my fatherland. I've come to see this country as home more over the last two months than in the year running up to my move to The Hague Den Haag. There are a multitude of reasons behind why its taken so long but its mainly been a heart issue. I wasn't in the right place before... and I know I wouldn't have been able to say that if God asked me to stay in the Netherlands for a few years, I'd have been able to do that. If I'd known I'd be in the Netherlands two years after I arrived, I probably wouldn't have come. So its a good think that I didn't know how long I'd be here for. To be honest, its a good thing I still don't that.

Words of Power & Distruction

Over the last few months, since I've moved to the city I've written posts that have been the spark that have burned the house down, so to say. People have been relatively shocked by what I written and what I've written as descriptions for my blogs on Facebook. One thing that I've struggled understanding is why people I don't really know, and don't really know me, seem to think that I'm accountable to them, and will call me out. I actually find this really annoying and to some degree, quite insulting. I'm going to just explain something that not everyone gets. I'm a very private person, but I'm also very talkative. There are things that I don't tell anyone, things that I'll never tell anyone about... and there are also things that I'll only tell people I trust completely and totally. These people have the right to talk into my life about my blind spots and about what I post... I'm not saying that I don't listen to what random people I don't really know, or trust, say to me about various topics, I just bounce what's been said to me past my trusted sources to see what they make of it.

On the topic of me being talkative, I'm an introvert (shock and horror, yes), but I know I can a bit of a chatterbox at time. If my brain is totally working and I'm hanging out with someone who I've clicked with, we'll talk for hours. The normal length for a call on Skype with my best friends usually last a minimum of two hours, and is usually brought to an end because one of us has to leave for work or another appointment (or bed). When I lived in Uganda, sleepovers with one of my closest friends would result in about two or three hours sleep and six or seven hours or nonstop talking. However, the introvert side of me does mean that I'm not the type to go to parties because I'm socially awkward and I struggle knowing what questions are "safe" to ask. I also need time alone to think and process what's happening in the world around me. I'm also a thinker. I think about everything that happens, and I tend to analyse everything that happens. I recharge alone and if I don't get a decent amount of time to recharge I really struggle not becoming short tempered with those around me. Its something I can't help, as its a part of who I am, like being very private about some topics. I'm trying to figure out how to write down how I feel about this, without causing too big a tidal wave.

I've been told that I've built a wall around myself to protect me from hurt. If that were the case I wouldn't be writing my thoughts down here. I'd keep it all to the pages of my various journals. However, this is my way to help you understand how my brain works and even though you might think I get defensive on various topics, the idea isn't to build a wall between you and me, it's also not because I've been hurt and I'm acting out of pain. I just don't appreciate people thinking they've got the right to let me know what they think on various things I've written about or said. I just don't appreciate being "attacked" about what I'm said, because they don't agree with what I've read, by people I don't know... no matter what I say, people still do it. Every time I write a post I wonder what the reaction will be, especially on the fire starting topics, like this one. Though I would prefer being contacted privately via social media or email, rather than having an open discussion in the comments section of the link post on Facebook.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

Random Happenings

October comes to an end. Autumn is in full swing. The temperature has dropped and I've started preparing myself mentally and physically for the coming of the cold weather, even though the temperature has started to drop noticeably. Having grown up in Uganda I really struggle with the cold, even after being here four years now. My body's thermostat is a little bit off because of I grew up in a country with an unchanging base temperature. I have gotten used to the weather over the last few years, since I moved to Europe but I'm still adjusting to the weather.

This month has an interesting month for me. I've been able to see a few of my good friends from my Discipleship Training School DTS. I really enjoyed catching up with people who I haven't seen in months or even years. Seeing these people was one of the high points of this month. I've also had to make sure that I got time alone... so I've taken to slating it into my planner, Thursday for example was slated for Rachel Time, as I like to call itm but I had to make an exception (which I'll get to in the next paragraph). So that I don't go and fill all my time up, and forget to look after myself by getting enough time alone to recharge... normally this means spending time at home with my pot of coffee and my journal, or going to find somewhere to sit and write. However going out is harder now because of the dropping temperature. Its harder sitting on a bench writing in a thick coat, with cold hands (which is something I really don't like).

The internship is still going well. The various aspects of church life that I've involved in have been going well. The youth group has had two meetings (not including the time we went GO Carting), with a pretty large turn out. I also joined the Trailblazers staff for the first time last Sunday. I really enjoyed being able to help out and assist with other leaders with the lesson. I've also been able to sort out a lot of various tasks given to me by the other office staff. I also joined a life group last week, Wednesday, for the first time though I will be missing the next two weeks' meetings due to being in the UK for two different conferences.

I also went to Delft on Thursday to do some shopping and meet a friend. The shopping part didn't really work out because I had a few really specific items I needed to get for my trip to England next week and I knew where I needed to go but didn't know where these shops were because Delft is pretty much like a maze. Though I did have fun with the friend I met up with. Delft is a beautiful place. There's a lot of houses built into the canals, like in the picture (on the left) with doors on or just above the water line, the houses were build like this because back in the day, the cargo boats could unload easily... I've got loads of memories of when I visited Delft with my parents or with friends. Its a beautiful place and thankfully it's only about twenty minute bike ride away from my home. Rijswijk is situated between The Hague and Delft so its a good twenty minute to either city. Thankfully the weather has been cold and dry so biking has been really pleasant to do. If its really cold, raining or snowing then biking gets uncomfortable... I still don't like biking in the snow because of the risks.

October ends and November begins. 2016 comes closer to an end. 2017 is just around the corner. The days are going past and are getting sorter as the clocks have been moved back thus bringing the end to the Summer Time... the temperature are also dropping, slowly. Until next time.

Blipfoto

My Blip for 27 October 2016; Delft

One of the things that have come under a lot of persecution over the last 1,011 days is my habit of taking and posting a photo a day on a platform called Blipfoto. Every day since the 22nd of January 2014 I've posted a photo against the day I took it... and I've never missed a day. There have been days when I've not been able to post, due to travel reasons, or not having access to my phone or internet, but I've still taken a photo and written a description down somewhere, so I don't have to write a whole load. I love photography, and I find that Instagram doesn't offer the same pleasure that Blipfoto does as Instagram wasn't designed as a once-a-day photography platform. I still love using Instagram but I also love Blipfoto.

The persecution I've received over the years mainly took place back in the days when I lived and worked in Youth With A Mission YWAM. I'm not go to mention which base it was at or whether or not these people were YWAMers or not. All I'm going to say is that there have been some people who haven't always understood why I "had" to take a photo every day and post it on Blipfoto. They think I've gone and tied myself to something that I shouldn't have, thus allowing myself to become a "slave" to it. According to them I should stop posting a photo daily, for the same reasons why I should stop drinking coffee, because its not right for Christians to be "addicted" to anything. They've also said that if I don't have access to a camera I should just skip a day. It just shows how little they know me. For me to skip a day would be going the very core of who I am. I can't quite explain it, but I will give it a try. You could say that if I tried to stop with a project like this it would be like trying to make a waterfall start flowing backwards, up over the cliffs the water is fall over. I'm an artist and a traveler. Photography is one of my favourite mediums because I dont have to carry around loads of canvases, paints, brushes, an isle and turpentine with me when I go traveling around the place (maybe one day when I have my own place, I'll start painting again, but for now, I don't have the space for my artwork). Having my iPhone with me makes life a lot easier. All I need is my iPhone and some good editing software on my iPhone (I usually end up using Google Snapseed).

One of the biggest advantages of having Blipfoto is that it provides a perfect platform for the traveler to document their travels and keep the home front up to speed with daily life without having to write a whole host of emails to people on a daily basis. Not everyone has Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, so that makes it harder for those who don't use social media to follow the lives of those they're following. This is one of the biggest reasons behind my having Blipfoto. People, like my mum, who don't use the 'mainstream' forms of social media can see what's happening in my day to day life. On the other hand, its a huge commitment to posting daily. There's been days when I've spent the entire day in bed because I was unwell, and really didn't want to post a darkened photo of my room. There have also been days when I've snapped a photo mere moments before midnight struck because I'd been to busy to remember to take a photo (these days are few and are between).

I'll keep posting for as long as I am able to post so if you want to follow my life adventures, beyond my blog here, I'd recommend you check my page out. It would be awesome if you'd get an account too but only if you're willing to take up the challenge of posting a daily photograph yourself. It won't be worth it otherwise. Click here for the link to my blipfoto profile.

Where Home Is For Me

Over the last few weeks I can't help but think about what home means to me. A lot of people, when hearing I'm Ugandan by birth (though I'm not Ugandan by nationality), have asked if I miss 'home'. Home is a word that has kinda lost its meaning to me. I left Uganda four years ago, knowing that the chances were slim that I'd go back to Uganda, to live there long term. The reasons are simple. My parents left Uganda soon after I did. My mum and my siblings moved to South Africa within two weeks of me leaving and my dad moved at the beginning of 2013. When my dad joined the rest of my family, the house I'd spent almost 13 years of my life living in was rented out, and my parents moved all the furniture out. The dogs were given to a friend of a friend. The home I grew up in is no longer my home. Most of my friends have also left... yes, I do dream of going back to Uganda. I miss the life I had there. The drama and the excitement of daily life that I had there. In four years, I've only been back to Uganda once, almost two years ago, for just under a month. I don't know if I'll ever go back. Not only because I don't know what I'd do there, but also I don't have anyone to return to... now that my family live in South Africa. Maybe when my parents move back to Uganda I'll be able to visit more, but I don't know if I'd stay longer than just a visit. It depends on where God takes me next... after this internship is finished, as I'm still not sure what that step is. I've still got a few months before I need to know the next step.

Since I left Uganda I've been traveling for the last few years. Since I left Uganda, I've never stayed in one place longer than a year and three months. Its hard when people ask where my home is because my home is wherever I'm currently living at. The town where my parents live isn't my home. My time there was an extremely difficult time for me because I was waiting for the next step to become clear to me. I really want to settle down somewhere and put my roots down, but I want to put my roots down where God wants me to be... where I know that there's something for me to do without having a time limit hanging over my head. Everywhere I've lived (save for London) I've had a time stamp hanging above my head. Everywhere I've lived over the last few years I always knew it was temporary... hard as its become. I'm becoming tired of traveling around. I've become tired of knowing that I'm going to have to pack up all my staff after a few months, to travel again. I really want to settle down and have somewhere I can call home. Because of all this moving around, home is wherever I currently live, even though its not always got the feel of being home. I call that place home because I sleep there. I'll try to make the place feel like home by hanging different items about and unpacking as quickly as possible, because otherwise I'll struggle settling in properly.

Its also caused me to realize that my home isn't a house, a city or a country but four very special people, my parents and siblings. God has given them to me and I'm so grateful for the blessing they are in my life, despite them being so far away

Monday

The Nieuwe Kerk

Over the last weeks I've not been going to the gym as regularly as I would like to have, which is effecting the numbers on my scales. Its partially due to my gym time having gone down, as well not having eaten the right food. I've got my gym bag next to my left foot and am planning to go later today... and everyday this week.

Things are going well otherwise. The cold I had a few weeks ago has almost completely cleared up. The weather has beautifully dry over the last week or so. Thankfully I haven't had to bike in the rain since that awful Thursday when I had to bike the entire home journey in the rain. However, over the last week the temperature has dropped into the single digits in the mornings, which has made biking to and from the office (and the church; pictured on the left) rather challenging, especially first thing in the morning. I'm planning to keep biking every morning unless its raining or I know that I have to return home after around 21:00 (9:00pm). There's two areas on my route home that I'd don't feel safe biking through after a certain point. This is the city and every city has areas that aren't safe for female bikers to go through at night, and its not only because of the traffic. I'd rather stay safe than end up sorry for not being careful.

I thought I'd also take a moment to write about two books I've been reading over the last week. One is called Radical by David Platt. It's one of the best books I've read that looks at being Radical for Christ. I'm reading it for my internship... I've tried to read other Christian books but have found them extremely challenging because of the way these books are written; they're usually full of stuff I don't understand and can't follow the "logic" of the theoretical path that the writers follow. I'm really enjoying reading this book and will be ordering the second book soon.

The other book I've been reading, that you may already know about is Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon. If you haven't been reading my blog posts over the last few months, you'll probably not know that I've become a huge fan of Outlander (TV series, Season One's been on Netflix recently)... well, two months ago I got the book after discovering that Season One is based on the book of the same name... which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dragonfly In Amber is book two. Season Two is based on this book and I'm really enjoying seeing the parallels between Season Two and the book; as well as the differences. There are a lot of differences between the book and the series. Its funny how many changes were made to the series to make sure each episode fits in the time limit and the episode limit. Its quite an intense series of books to read, just like the series can be intense.

Graffiti

The Practice Piece

Things have been going great. We had staff day on Tuesday. I don't think I wrote anything about it in my last post. So I'll do that now.

The staff day in the Redeemer Office is a lot different to the staff days in Youth With A Mission YWAM. Because we aren't such a big group as at the two YWAM bases I've worked at. This meant that we were able to spend the morning looking our personal results from a strength finder test that we've all done over the last few weeks. We then had lunch together at a lovely little restaurant that's situation on a back street, before heading off to meet an graffiti artist. This man does large scale murals in different places where he's been asked to by the government. As a staff team we had an awful lot of fun learning how to use the pray cans. The canvas on the right is the practice canvas we used on. We spent a good hour and half or so learning how to use the cans to get the effects we wanted. We then went on to making our own pieces. It was great fun. I wasn't sure what I was going to do as I felt quite out of my depth as I'm used to using oil paints, which are extremely easy to work with if you know what you're doing. I've found oil a medium that mixes easy to get the effect you want. Whilst using spray cans you can't mix the paint so have to use the spray can that contains the exact colour you want to use. The paint itself does dry very quickly, the water based stuff doesn't take as the other stuff but it is a lot of fun to use.

My Piece of Graffiti

This is why I ended up doing something that I knew I could finish with the outcome I wanted. Thus, the Scottish flag. I've got strong Scottish roots and a deep love for the nation. Since I've been reading the Outlander series I thought that it would be nice to add a Scottish flag to my bedroom. I don't know what I'm going to do with it when my internship's over. However, I've still got quite a while before my internship's over. It's a nice addition to my lovely little bedroom at Rebecca and Martijn's. I've been really enjoying living at Rebecca and Martijn's place. I must say that its great having a place to stay with people who don't work at the office. So my work life and my home life are very separate now, which is something I'm really glad about. I can switch my brain from one to other with ease now. God has been so good!

I'm really enjoying my time here in The Hague Den Haag. Life in the city is rather busier than life in Epe ever was. I'm going to start to helping out with one of the Sunday School groups this Sunday, the oldest group; Trailblazers (the 9-11 year olds). I'm looking forwards to it. I've also been helping out with the youth group, which I've also been enjoying being a part of.

The next impact training block in England is coming up quickly and I'm looking forwards to it. There's a few people in the office who are going over to England beforehand for two prayer days in Sidcup, and I'll be going with them for that and then say on for the training block.