New Lunch Club

Hi Blog Readers :)

Thought I'd better be a bit more pro-active in keeping my blog updated and since I'm having a quiet Sunday night in, this seemed like the best opportunity! 

This Wednesday myself, the other first years (Kate, Katie and Dave) and Carlie started a new lunch club in a school in Deptford. We went in not expecting to not have too many students come along, we hadn't had a chance to advertise personally. The school did an announcement over the PA, but we still only expected 10 or so students.

For the first 5-10 minutes there was only about 4 students and it was beginning to feel reallyyyy awkward. A teacher, who turned out to be the headteacher, said she'd "go round up a few more". She returned with a queue of about 50 students!

I was hurriedly typing their names into the register on Carlie's laptop and absolutely in awe of the number of young people walking into the drama studio! By the end, there were around 58 students in the drama studio, (with some turning up too late to come in) - all joining in the games and the "boogaloo". It was absolutely incredible to watch, particularly as I was stood by the door watching it all from slightly afar!

This term I've been so amazed by the work God is doing in schools, both lunch clubs that I'm involved with have around 50 or so students turning up and even though it's manic and crazy and loud, it's incredible and so exciting to be reaching so many young people on a weekly basis and spending time with them in such an informal, fun way! 

I'm so excited for the next week and Ghana is now just two weeks away!!! 

Blog Soon readers

xxx

24 Hour Bounce

The Statistics:
24 Hours
1 Bouncy Castle
8 Team members
6 hours of bouncing each


The Mission:
Bounce for 24 hours, whilst selling cakes and allowing people to throw foam balls at us.


The reason:
Ghana sponsorship


The personal mission:
Silence (12 hours)
Blackberry fast (24 hours)


Total Raised
Approx £1000 and still counting. 


What I learnt-
Silence isn't always golden
Prayer and caffeine will get you through any level of tiredness
How to break a door down
Pray's are answered, just sometimes at the very last minute
Signing "I need my phone on me, in case I get stabbed when I walk home", isn't easy!
Sponsorship and support comes from the most unexpected places
30 minutes is a longgggg time to bounce
12 hours is a longgggg time not to talk for
24 hours is a loonngggg time for a  Crackberry addict
I have the most incredible team (and honorary team members) 
Any episode of One Tree Hill will have more drama in it then anyone's actual life. Fact. 
It doesn't matter how tired, stressed, achey I am.. seeing my sister will make it better. 
Bouncing will hurt your arms 
To re-read any rotas... 1/2 an hour at 6am then 1/2 an hour at 7 am. Killer.
Barbados isn't in Spain. (Ok, I knew that.. but Kudos to the team member who didn't)
Never being able to sleep well is actually a blessing sometimes


Highlights- 
Co-ordinating a Gaga inspired routine at 2 am
Worship songs at 4am
The double countdown at the end, with my gorgeous team
Zoe's joy at understanding any of my "sign language"


To Summarise-
A 24 hour bounce is killer! But, despite the exhaustion, last minute stress and aches. I had an incredibly blessed weekend with team Lewisham and am still totally in awe of the generosity and blessing I have received whilst trying to gain sponsorship not just for Ghana but for my enitre year out.


Gods provision totally blows me away, pretty much on a daily basis right now.
I want to say a HUGE thank you to Team Lewisham (Including Phillippa) for putting up with my bossyness for the last few weeks, and letting me have this as my "baby". You guys rocked- and an immense amount of gratitude to Phillippa, Davina and Andy for bouncing even though they aren't going to Ghana. Seriously so much love.


& I cant express my thanks enough to those who sponsored me, came down to support us, bought cakes, baked cakes, bounce with us and yes.. even those who threw stuff at us.


In total we raised around £1000 which has made an incredible dent in the amount we needed to raise for our trip to Ghana, and has taken away a lot of worry!


Thank you
and Blessings


We'll be leaving for Ghana on February 14th, so excited!


xxx


P.s. A special mention to Team Abrahart for my congratulations poster and my cake! Love always!


P.P.S. photo's will be on facebook as soon as I'm back in London 

My First Term- recap!

Ok, so I've been pretty rubbish at blogging my first term. In my defence I've not had my laptop and no disrespect to my gorgeous host family... time to write an entire blog is pretty limited!! 
so... Now it's 2011. and I resolve to be better at updating my blog, sending out my newsletters in time and just generally making more of an effort to stay in touch. I got notepaper and envelopes for Christmas.. so once i've got some stamps I will be writing machine!! :) aha


Butt.... I decided to recap my first term as best as I could... 
If I miss anything I apologise now...


Induction week, training, intense, Horniman Museum, Brick Lane, "I saw the curtains and I saw the bright light and I didn't know how to deal with them", laughing till I choked, diet coke trips, walks along the canal thing, DLR, seeing the bus for the first time, Hazel Grove, meeting the Thomas', Lucy's chocolate cake, Samson and Delilah, reunited with my sister, Greek food. NomNom. Tate- I'm glad I didn't pay for this. Rose Theatre Exhibition. Youth Breakfast, Chris and Mike Freed's, reunited with everyone for Monday training, Trinity, Lefleatting, laptop breaks, sickness bug, fainting on Nat, The Devil wears Prada, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Milford Towers, Yell- sweet sports, Film and Feast- can't remember what we watched,  Youth Alpha Launch, Kensington, Emily's for pastoral meeting, cake, Danielles- "ha-ha road", getting reallyyyy lost, an old xlp-er finding us and directing us, Engage, train to Croydon, train back through Brockley,  Awkward Ostrich, Kentucky Iced Tea flavoured Vodka, Lucy's cooking Tuna Pasta om nomnom!, Piggy in the middle, Countless Whetherspoons breakfasts with Nick, "church time", Lucy's party, watching X factor with Jess, Watching X factor with Lucy- pretending to be an old woman, "sin bin" analogy- that didn't work out. Chipotle. OM NOM, Trafalagar Square, Walk home and chatting with Rach and Kate ,"mission accomplished", Fighting chance- first visit to a proper London cafe with Biddulph and Katie, epic trip home, week at home, Southampton, moving in with the Abraharts, pizza and X factor, Spoons with the girls, Assembly with Trinity- "this is just a made of story but God really made this decision, he chose to let his son die" "NOOOOOOO", Don't forget the lyrics, Boyo, Uxbridge- dancing round chloe's kitchen, vegetable soup, Blackheath Fireworks, getting lost in Eltham, Caro's- eye opener of the Church ;), Soups for the masses, THAT POD session, Maggies breakfast with Davina, Church Forum- "how old were you in 1986?" being perved on in Catford, Weekend away planning, FMEL, Church at Crystal Palace, pizza, Disney Trivial Pursuit, Assemblies, Chocolate stains on my face, Zoe's birthday, Nandos, "Happy Birthday Haywood", Harry Potter, Leicester Square, Royal Britannia shop, Chloe meets team Abrahart, "The Sex Talk", meeting Carlie, Georgia's birthday meal, Prayer for Lewisham, Focus Time, Letton Hall- Snow, Holy Spirit, dressing as a boy. Retreat day at the office, church meeting, Snow, snow fight on way home from Trinity, lots of snuggling and comfort eating,victory dance, tuna pasta bake for the family, taking an hour and a half to get to Shadwell, Christmas Tour Rehearsal, more snow, Greenwich Arts Showcase, feeding the 5000, Youth led service, youth taking over my house, prayer walking, leafletting, falling down the steps, Brockley Jack quiz, Christmas Tour rehearsal, Review, Katie's Knee, Cripple,  Winter Wonderland Wednesday, Christmas Tour at Trinity "the professor was Father Richard wasn't it?", Chinese with Zoe, Mike and Jo, Expect,  XLP Christmas drinks, Secret Santa helping the cripple, Catford-Euston, Euston- Trafalgar Sq- Trafalgar sq-Home... with a cripple! Christmassy day- 02 at 10am after 3 hours sleep, Christmas Carol, Winter Wonderland, Jo and Emma's party, miserable journey home, Christamas Yellm X factor Final- gripping Caro's hand until Matt won, Ghana Meeting, Christmas Tour Week- sleepover in Newham, burnt Pizza, Kidulthood, Liar Liar, early starts, matching jumpers, "Leaping Lizards... where ARE you going?", "it's an invisiblity cloak... can't you see?". Maggie Breakfast- Saying goodbye to Kerry, presents, more snow, really epic journey home.


Lovely Stuff
Oh hey 2011!!