Preparing for the Unknown Whilst Facing the Unknown...

This week has been quite an interesting one for me. On Wednesday I found out that I was being made redundant. Before I get showered with sympathy and concern (which I do appreciate) I am fine. It was not unexpected and I had already had the conversation that if someone needed to go I would be willing to go first due to the whole Slovenia situation. I am very grateful that God has give me peace about the whole situation. I am sad to leave because I will miss the work and the people but I know that God has a different plan for my future.

Cleaning Roman pottery

For those who have wondered what an indoor archaeologist does, this is my office! I have been working here for 3 and a half years and although I have experienced many ups and downs, good times and bad, it will be strange not to go back.

I know I was leaving already and I know that this change was always going to come but it feels and is more definite now. I don't yet have an end date but knowing me there will be tears!

So what does this mean for Slovenia? Well as I say this was expected although I had hoped to be able to stay on until I left. That being said I am hopeful that things will speed up a bit. I am totally dependent on God's timing and I know that He is in control. I am still fundraising and it is now more essential than ever that the finances come through so that I can go!

Lidija and I in Slovenia

On a happier note, yesterday I got to spend the day with Lidija Novak who has been in England at a conference in Leicestershire. I was able to show her and her friend Sharon around St. Albans and catch up with the latest news from the church in Ljubljana. It was a lovely day and I feel blessed knowing that I will be spending more time with her and her family when I move to Slovenia. The ladies group from the church had sent me a card with blessings, encouragements and prayers as I prepare to be with them. It is such an encouragement to feel part of the church there before I have even arrived!

Please keep praying for me especially in light of my latest news. I don't know the future but God does and I know that this is all happening for a reason.

24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Staying Rooted...

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)

As a teenager I was blessed by being able to attend a CYFA camp in Colwyn Bay, North Wales every summer. One year we focussed on the book of Colossians and some of the leaders wrote a song based on the above verses (if you know it I bet it's stuck in your head now!) Over a decade has passed since then but I am still encouraged by the song and the verses every time I see them. This morning at church these verses were the basis of the sermon and I was reminded again how important it is to stay rooted in Christ and in His word. I started writing this blog post this afternoon and was thinking about how I am looking to the year ahead and the challenges I face. As I will mention below, my specific focus will be on the Psalms but I didn't manage to finish what I was writing before I left for church this evening. It was just so fitting that the passage we were looking at was Psalm 1 and that the sermon focussed on the importance of meditating on God's word. At the start of a new year it is so important to be reminded that we need to be rooted in and meditating on God's word.

I'm not really one for making new years resolutions but as we come into 2018 and I look forward to all the changes that will be happening in my life I have been thinking about how I can improve my walk with God. I have been reminded recently that if I don't do things in this country then I probably won't do them in another, I need to cultivate good habits now so that I can take them into my new situation. One of my long standing personal challenges is making time for Bible reading and prayer. It's not that I don't want to but somehow the busyness of life takes over. In blunt terms, I faff. At Bible College faffing became the word of the week because I used it so often. I faff and I use up my time in often unproductive ways. I don't make the time I should for meditating on God's word and now this is also extending into not taking the time to learn Slovene. Both of these I know are vitally important!

Over the years I have tried to develop habits and ways of making sure I spend time with God and in His Word. Some have lasted, others haven't. This year as a resolution of sorts (although I hope it will become a long lasting habit) I have decided on a new tactic that will help me address both the issues of reading God's word and learning the language. I was given a lovely notebook for Christmas and so have started each night writing out a Psalm (or a portion of one) firstly in English and then in Slovene. I'm only a week into the year and I'm not going to say it's easy but I can already see the benefits of spending more time than I have done on a part of the Bible I've so easily skimmed over in the past. Writing it out, for me, helps it to soak in and lets me dwell on the words. Repeating it in Slovene allows me to see a comparison of the languages and helps me get used to the language. Reading and writing have always been therapeutic activities for me and this combines the two. I know I need to do it for longer than a week for it to become habit but I am praying that this year I will spend more time with God. I give permission to anyone to check up on me to see how I am doing with this!

I know the year ahead will provide many challenges and probably discouragements but I know that blessing comes from spending time with God and with his people. Not much has changed in the last month since my last blog post, I am still raising finances and praying for the funding I need to go. I was hoping to be going by March but things are quite slow. With God all things are possible and if it is His will to go in March then I know the means will be provided. In the mean time I will try and prepare myself spiritually for the battles I know lie ahead.