Act of kindness

I was in work today, i was only in til 1:30pm to cover the morning. A woman came in with her grandson and she wanted to buy him something nice for Christmas, she settled on a lovely little Timberland outfit which one little boy was modelling the night of the fashion show. We started to tell her about this and she said that she had heard about the fashion show through a friend of hers and asked me how it went. I told her that it was a fantastic night and that we raised quite a bit of money for Uganda but that we still had a bit more to raise for the school to be opened in February. We talked for a while and she showed great interest in our trip to Uganda during the summer and wanted to hear about that. It was great talking to her as I love sharing my Uganda experience with people. As she was leaving she opened her purse and handed me £10 and told me to put that towards the fund. I couldn't believe it. This was a total stranger handing me money, I couldn't thank her enough and I actually felt a wee bit emotional (it doesn't take much!!). It was just such a lovely thing for her to do and it really made my day!

Also today, Scotty text me this morning when he got into school as he always does, but this wasn't his usual "good morning" text, all it said was "I might be going to Botswana". Now surely that has to win a prize for the most random text! lol I haven't heard too many details about when and where exactly and for what reason they are going, but what I do know so far is that it is with an organisation called "Dreams and Teams", and they have a link with a school in Botswana. I think it is class that he wants to go and that he is excited about it, especially because of his recent interest in church etc. Obviously I have been praying every day for Scott and i can finally see my prayers being answered bit by bit!

Love love love!

More updates and ramblings...

I don't know if you have read "The Shack" by William P. Young, if you haven't I would highly recommend it. It kind of takes a while to get going but please persevere with it as it is one of the best books I have read in ages. It made me think about God a wee bit differently, which you will understand when you read the book.

I am surrently in the middle of week 9 of university, only 3 more to go then the dreaded exam in January. I am feeling a bit more prepared this time for the exam as I have really tried to focus myself in classes and take proper notes instead of my usual day dreaming and scribbling random sentences on a page! Hopefully this will all pay off in January.

I also found out that I am going to Uganda again next year which I am sooo looking forward to. This time we will be away for 3 weeks and it will be a smaller team, I am looking forward to that as it will be a change from last year. The fashion show went really well on Saturday night and alot of money was raised which is going towards the Uganda fund. Everyone looked so well and the boys got a few laughs from their dancing and goal keeping skills! I have to say that the wedding dress I was wearing (it was the one that looked like a meringue!) was gorgeous, but was quite hard to walk in and I have no idea how a bride could sit down in it to eat her meal! I loved wearing it and I did feel like a bride with the veil on but I really don't think that it wiuld be the style I would go for (you can breathe a sigh of relief now Scott!) It was a fun night and it was all for the kids so it was worth it all!

Oh and on a final note, just to make you all that wee bit jealous, it's 5 weeks on Saturday til we go skiing!

Love love love!

Half way

Lastnight was the half way mark for Alpha. I'm still really enjoying it. As the weeks go on it's clear to see how everyone has come out of themselves and are more comfortable speaking in the group. I have felt so blessed throughout the past 4 weeks, i love listeneing to other people's opinions and I love hearing people's stories. I love that people feel comfortable in sharing some of their life experiences with us (John and I).

I have definately learnt alot myself. Sometimes I think it is so easy for a Christian to let on that they know it all, but what I have learnt over the past few weeks is that no one has all the answers and it is so important not to pretend that you do. People respect you alot more when you hold your hands up and just simply say "I don't know".

Lastnight we were talking about Prayer. During the talk at the start the point was made that the best way to pray is to stay true to yourself, not to try and impress God by using all the big words that you don't understand, God knows your heart and He knows your prayers. Praying is like a conversation with God, just speak to Him the way you speak to your friends, that's what He wants. Alot of people, when they hear prayers from the front of church, think that they are never going to be able to pray in that way. But it is so important that we don't compare ourselves to other christians. We don't have to impress God, there's absolutely nothing we can do that will make Him love us any more that He does and I love that.

In other news...my Hutch got engaged to Mr. Wylie on Thursday and for the first time in my life I get to be Bridesmaid...I'm soooooooo excited!! Love those guys!

That's it for today

Love love love!

Oh the weather outside...

Right, It's the 28th October, i'm sitting in my living room looking out at the SNOW outside! It's coming down quite heavy in Moira. This is making me feel quite excited because it's a clear sign the winter and Christmas is on its way! Now I know that when people read this I will be slated for mentioning Christmas and that we should get halloween over first, but I don't even care! Was just reading Scotty's blog about Halloween and I have to say that Christian or not, Halloween is just something I have never bothered with! I never organise anything for Halloween night, prob the cinema or something. I'm not off uni so it's not a holiday for me. So I just look past it and think of Christmas. I just love the whole run up and the buzz. My dad and I have had a long running thing that we do (sad I know), we have a competition to see who spots the first Christmas tree (only the ones in homes count, not shops!), and also who can spot the first showing of the infamous coca-cola advert, (you know the one, Holidays are coming,holidays are coming!). I'm a child at heart.
Sorry to go off on a bit of a rant about Christmas. This year it will be particularly exciting because the day after boxing day we go skiing!!

Fun times.

Love love love!

Youtube

Can anyone tell me how to upload youtube videos onto my blog??

Alpha

Lastnight saw the first night of the Alpha course at church. John Mac and myself have been put together to lead a group and I have to say both of us are extremely happy with the group we have. We have a mix of Christians and Non-Christians which I am loving. I was quite nervous about it yesterday and when I arrived at church I had a real sick feeling in my stomach, but I prayed all day and I really couldn't have been happier with how it went. The format will be the same every week, there is a 20 minute talk at the beginning then we break into our smaller groups to discuss in a bit more depth and people are free to ask whatever they want and we will try to provide the answers...in about the 5th week there is even a wee residential!
The topic lastnight was, quite simply, "Who is Jesus?". Steve McCready lead the talk lastnight and i thought he did a great job, simple, easy to follow and in my opinion, answered the question very well using historical evidence that Jesus was an actual person, who walked on this earth 2000 years ago, not just this mystical figure who lives in the sky and helps people (which is what I thought when I was a child!) He pointed out that this evidence is also documented in non-christian history books. This is the sort of stuff that I would love to have heard when I was a non-christian. It makes it all very real and I think it is so powerful.
I think we got alot of the "big questions" put to us lastnight, eg, Why is there so much suffering?, How can an all-loving God condemn people to hell if they aren't saved? These are questions which both John and I knew would come up. Over the next 10 weeks of the Alpha course we are going to try and give some answers to these questions, but I do know that it's going to be hard and there are some things that neither of us are going to have the answers for. I'm really looking forward to the journey though, and I am really looking forward to learning more myself.
Prayer for the Alpha course would be great also!!

Love love love

Mistakes

I do realise that there are alot of spelling mistakes in my last post but the reason for that is simple...my nails have got too long and they keep pressing the other letters!!

Bad Blogger

Ok so there it is...another 6 weeks or so since my last blog!! I'm terrible at this!
So what's new with me? Well, i'm back at uni to repeat one of my modules, once i have, i can graduate. It's a European Studies module and I hate it to put it bluntly, but it has to be dome if I ever want to see the back of university life! Saying that though, i'm enjoying haveing routine back in my life. I love September when everything starts kicking off again, school, uni, Church life, cell etc. I may be one of the few people in the world who actually preferes autumn/winter over spring/summer! I love that we are soon going to be wearing our winter woolies and hats and scarves and all the rest of it. It's such a cosy time of the year.

Another exciting thing is that I have been asked to be one of the group leaders for the Alpha course which will be starting in chruch on 6th October *plug*
This is something which I am very excited about, but also extremely nervous about. I am excited to be a part of a great group of people who I will be working along side with for the duration of the 10 week course, I am excited that I may touch someone's life and make God real to them, I'm excited to form new relationships with different people and try to help them as they seek God. This is also why I am nervous. Christians know that there are some questions we just don't have the answers to. I'm nervous about being faced with one of these questions and feeling inadequate. I'm sure everyone who is going to be involved are being faced with the same fears. I'm praying about it though, I know that God will see me through and set aside my fears and replace them with a real passion to bring people close to him. So if you know anyone that you think might benefit from Alpha please give them the time and the date (6th October 7:30pm Emmanuel Church)

I really promise that I will try and be a better blogger from now on!!

Love Love Love

Another year older

Ok so what has it been, 2 months since my last blog?? I keep meaning to write but I always seem to forget! So much has happened in the last couple of months, mainly my trip to Uganda in July, which has to be (without sounding cheesy) the most humbling, thought provoking trip I have ever made.
Alain rang me on Saturday evening asking if I would get up in church on Sunday night and be interviewed about our trip, which i agreed to, even though the thought of getting up to speak infront of that many people scares the pants off me! I did my best but I couldn't help but feel a tad frustrated afterwards because of all the things I had in my head to say I hardly said any of them! I could have talked all night about my experience (my first in Africa) But i barely even touched on the surface. The whole time I was there I was just so aware of God around us. He was in each and every child that touched my hand, He was in the teachers who were so happy to see us there, I have never felt so surrounded.
I really feel so proud and so privilaged to have been a part of the building and I am definately going back..no questions. You really need to be there to understand why I am finding it so hard to describe it. I'm not going to talk a load of waffle trying to, so please come and ask me about it and I will happily chat to you for hours about it!
On another note, it's my 24th birthday tomorrow! Scotty and I are heading up to Portrush to his caravan for the day and we are going to try a apot of body boarding, then head out for a wee bit of dinner in my favourite restaurant...The Ramore Wine bar!!
I will try to blog a bit more frequently from now on...i never stick to any routines in the summer!!
Love love love!!

A little bit of clarity?

I'm sure if you read my last post you will have realised that i have been slightly frustrated with things of late...work being the main thing. Some of you may know that I have been applying to join the police. I got word back last week there that I was unsuccessful yet again. I had completed the Initial Selection test, and the successful candidates go through to the next stage. The pass mark for this test was 52...i got 51. Gutted isn't the word! Although I have been having thoughts that maybe the police isn't for me (I thought this before I heard I hadn't been successful) and so my thoughts turned to jobs that I think I would want to do, a job that I will enjoy, and one that I think I will be good at. I have found myself back at a thought I had when I was a youngster...Beauty Therapy. This is something I have always wanted to do, but then I went to university to do languages so it never entered my head again. Now that I know I don't want a job using languages (what a waste I hear you cry!!) i needed to get my thinking cap on as time is rolling on and I aint getting any younger or richer!! So in October 2009 (good things come to those who wait eh??) I shall be enrolling in the Roberta Mechan College of Beauty and I don't think I have been as excited about anything else! I think I would be good at this job, I think I will really enjoy it and in the future i hope to open my own salon...so for your future spray tan or waxing needs i'm your woman!!
One other thing that has been brought to my attention is a comment Scotty made on a recent blog about marriage being on the cards soon...i'm still waiting for that!! haha (get a move on Scotty!!) xxxxx

Rant...Contentment

Do you ever have one of those days when you just feel like crap but have no real reason to? I'm having one of those days. I don't know why. I feel that this may be a bit of a sour post, but hey, blogging is about truth isn't it? I realise that a few posts ago i was writing about my happiness...how ironic. I find it so wierd how one little thing can bring down your whole mood.
I'm at a point in my life right now where i really have no idea where i'm meant to be, what i'm meant to be doing, or more importantly, where God wants me. I know i don't want to be in retail all my life (i'm in no way knocking those who make their living this way, i'm just saying it's not for me). Pastor Phil was speaking about contentment on Sunday evening, something i feel i need a little bit more of at the minute, not in one particular area of my life, in fact, a little bit in every aspect would be great. Philippians 4 v 11 says, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances"....Sometimes i wonder to myself, is it possible to ever be completely content with everything in your life? Like i mean EVERYTHING? These are just my own thoughts, stupid as they may seem. This is written in the study part of my Bible under the above verse...

"Are you content in any circumstances you face? Paul knew how to be content whether he had plenty or whether he was in need. The secret was drawing on Christ's power for strength. Do you have great needs, or are you discontented because you do not have what you want? Learn to rely on God's promises and Christ's power to help you be content. If you always want more, ask God to remove that desireand teach you contentment in every circumstance. He will supply all your needs, but in a way that He knows is best for you."

Injections = Nightmare!!!

Last Thursday i went to get the first of my injections for going to Uganda. I was rather nervous as i have a slight (and by slight i mean enormous) fear of needles. So i went into the wee room which was tiny, sat down on the seat and started answering all the necessary questions about my health etc... Then the part I hate...the nurse went over to a wee table and started fiddling around with the needle, getting it out of the wrapper etc (I know its wierd but when this is happening i can't concentrate on anything else!) So over she comes and gives me my first injection in my right arm...my foot is shaking like nothing else and she is jibbering on in my ear about random rubbish as she is trying to distract me! The first injection really wasn't that bad, i was getting another one in my left arm aswell so i thought that if that one was anything like the first one i'd be landed! So in goes the second needle and i feel like a pins and needles sensation in my arm, not really pleasant...then i turn to my mum (who i had with me for moral support!!) and I say that i'm not feeling too well. Next thing i remember i'm lying down on the seats with mum right up at my face with a cold towel trying to bring me around! I fainted! haha Mum later told me that when i started to black out my eyes rolled in my head and my mouth dropped to one side and siezed up then i had a full on siezure! Talk about drama! It took me about an hour to come round and when i got home i slept for the rest of the day! I can sort of laugh about it now but i think i really scared my mum and also the nurse who thought i was having an epileptic fit.
Now i have to get 4 more injections...lets just hope they run a bit more smoothly than the last 2!!

Cell

At Cell Last night we did a wee exercise which was pretty class, it really made me feel quite good about myself and gave me a really good feeling! First of all, let me say that in my every day life, i try my best to be happy. I don't just mean happy on the inside, but happy on the outside aswell...i try to do everything with a smile. It's always such a joy to hear that this happiness has been noticed. Anyway, this exercise lastnight...we all had to take a page and write our names at the top, then pass them round the room and each person had to write something positive about the person whose name was at the top of the page...make sense? Good. Here is what my page said...

1. A rock.
2. Disciple.
3. Friendly, Charming, talented, beautiful smile.
4. Great laugh and easy to get on with. Someone that you're glad to know. Top notch person. Friendly.
5. Easy to get on with and good company.
6. V. Cool! Bring on Uganda 08!!
7. Excellent company - very easy to get on with - friendly personality. Poor taste in men, Scott's a balloon (just kidding) (John Guy!!!)
8. Very cheery! - Cheers everyone up!

Now I don't know about you, but when someone says something nice about you, i can't help but feel a real boost. Here I have a page of 8 things people have said about me and I just feel so happy that people see a joy in me. I don't in any way want to sound like I am being big headed, I just want to out across that me Joy comes from God. Before I was a christian (I have been a Christian again for over a year..lots of crap in between....later post maybe??) I had a real sense of something missing in my life, I was and have always been happy, but I still knew something was missing. When I came back to the Lord, it was literally an overnight change for me, i suddenly had this joy that i hadn't felt in a long time. I know that joy comes from God. There may be hard times and some serious testings in my life, but i still try to live evry day with a smile. My smile was noticed lastnight at cell.

True

"I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself, my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God..."

Last night at True Brother Thierry from the Monastery in Rostrevor came to speak to us about practicing the Presence of God...what a guy! I could actually have sat and listened to him all night!

I was really challenged by him in quite a few ways actually, but one aspect in particular was about prayer. He said that as a monk, every day has 6 seperate times of prayer. Oh to have that discipline! I struggle so much with this sometimes. I would love to be disciplined enough to set aside a certain time in the day to pray. I'm not saying that i don't pray...it's just that with me, it tends to be little and often, and at no particular time. In Mark 1:35 it tells us that "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." As Christians it is our desire to follow this example...so why do I and many others find it so hard? Busy schedules? Love of sleep? Laziness? I think if I am honest I am guilty of all 3 of these things. But I have been so challenged to set aside some time of my own to pray. I am going to try this for a week to see how I get on, I am going to set aside other things which I may think are more important and spend my time with God, talking to Him and praying to Him, and really try to practice God's presence. I shall let you know how I get on...feel free to join with me!

"What if we realised that all God desires is our faithful attention so He can share Himself with us? What if we discovered that we love because God first loved us? This and more comes from practicing God's presence.
These are the essentials of the practice of God's presence, what Brother Lawrence called the holy habit: We engage in a continual, silent, and affectionate conversation with our Father. We walk with God in faith, love, humility, and simplicity. Out of love, we strive to do nothingand think nothing which may displease Him. Calling God to mind at every possible moment, every opportunity, we focus our attention on Him and silently say, "Thank you Father" throughout each Day."

Just a few musings for a Saturday morning

Good morning! Right now i'm lying in bed...it's great! Most mornings when i have to go to work i'm up at 7...i don't like that much! So it's nice to just chill under the covers once in a while! Isn't it really funny how when you're a kid it's like world war 3 trying to get you to go to bed? I remember my mum and dad constantly joining forces to escort my brother and I to bed, Sunday nights were the worst...there was always that horrible feeling of having to go back to school in the morning! Oh how things change...i find now that most days, bed is what i look forward to. Not that i'm lazy, i just like sleeping! I actually think im getting old before my time...i love nothing more than staying at home, watching tv with my mum and dad, or Scott, with a nice cup of tea and a wee biscuit, then bed! I never used to like doing that, when i was a bit younger i was NEVER in the house, i was always out and about with friends and mum used to joke that she forgot what i looked like!

I think it all changed for me during my 3rd year at university. I studied french, spanish and european studies up in good old Coleraine uni, and as part of my course, my 3rd year was spent living in France for 4 months in a tiny town called Pau (pronounced like the littlest tellytubby!) and then 4 months in Spain in the city of Granada. I was out with my good friend Kathryn the other night having a wee coffee in Starbucks and we got talking about our year abroad. I love being at home, i love everything about Northern Ireland, and i mean everything, no matter where i will go in life, whether i live in a different country, i will always return to Northern Ireland. It will always be home for me. I have done my fair share of travel in my life, but everything i love is in Northern Ireland. Anyway, living away for that year really made me realise the importance of family. When i was away, my mum and dad helped me out so much.

I remember one particular day in Spain very well. Kathryn and i had made one of our very frequent trips to the supermarket. I remember i was having a particularly hard day with missing home. I went to take out some cash from the autobank so i put my card in...nothing. Nothing came up on the screen and i pressed all kinds of buttons trying to get my card back...nothing. It had eaten my card, it was lost. Well right there in the middle of the supermarket i burst into tears. Kathryn stood trying to calm me down but nothing was working! We tried everthing, we went to the actual bank building to see if they had anyway of getting my card back but they ended up confusing me more...no was the answer but they didnt just say that!! haha Anyway, mym mum drove up to my friend Kathryn's house to give her mum some money to put in her account so she could take it out for me, then my mum had to drive back to my bank in Moira and sort out a new card for me then have it posted out. It was so much hassle for something ehich to them probably seemed quite funny. But my point is, my mum did that for me without so much as a roll of the eye or any complaint.

This is why i like being at home so much...i love my mum, my dad and my brother so much, and lots of things in the past year or so have happened which really makes me think about how precious our time here is.

Anyway, i have the Unganda auction fundraiser tonight. I'm on the waitressing team. Its going to be a really good night i think!

God Bless x

Prison Break

I think I did something incredibly stupid today...I went and bought the complete first season of Prison Break. I'm sick of sitting in on conversations about all these box sets, 24, Prison Break, Heroes....I have never watched any of them...I have no flippin idea what you people are all on about! I just laugh along and pretend I know (unfortunately this doesn't just apply to tv) But now, I plan to be totally addicted and at last I shall be able to join in on the Prison Break banter!

The day we met Foy

So Laura and I took a trip to Kent on 29th February to visit our friend Dannii who teaches there. It was alot of fun and really good for the 3 of us to be together for a relaxing weekend.

Anyway, Laura and I are sitting in the airport drinking our Starbucks when the final call notice came up on the screen. So there we are rushing over to our gate, balancing coffee in one hand and bags in the other, when out of the corner of my eye I notice a certain Northern Irish hat-wearing singer. It was Foy Vance! I go into 12 year old girl excitement mode and text Scott to tell him (we are both big fans) He texts back to say he wants an autograph and me being the amazing girlfriend that I am, decided that I won't rest until I get it! He is on our flight so when the boarding call goes out for our group, Laura and I linger a bit so we can get in the queue behind him...how primary school...but some Chinese guy managed to get in there before us (we don't think he appreciated the two of us leaning over him the whole time trying to see what Foy is reading!!) We get past the boarding pass collector woman (that is their official title) and we race down the stairs so we can catch him for a quick autograph and a photo before we get on the plane. Now, picture the scene, it's raining, its beyond windy and Laura and I are racing up behind him, still balancing the bags and the coffee, i drop my phone and it goes flying, i then kick my phone which makes it fly even further! If only Foy was aware of the fuss that was happening behind him! We catch him up anyway and in an EXTREMELY out of breath voicxe i declare my undying love for him (well not quite!) and i ask for an autograph. He is touched but he said could we do it when we got to London out of the rain! We get on the plane and Laura and I try to get sitting beside him, but then we realise that the poor guy couldn't handle that so we leave it!! Anyway, we arrive in London and we are wainting for our bags when along comes Foy to sign a little autograph for Scotty (including a kiss at the end of it!) He stood and talked to us for 5-10 minutes and is such a down to earth lovely guy! So that is my little bit of excitement for my blog. I realise that its very long and probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense! Oh, and just to finish...i got the photos to prove it.......

Lent

So this year for the second year in a row i decided, like a right eejit, to go off all chocolate, crisps, sweet things (basically anything nice!) for Lent. Now, last year it was easy, i was tempted a few times (but hey, so was Jesus!) but i successfully managed it and to top it all off i lost over half a stone in weight. I suppose you could say this was my main motivation for doing it again this year. It hasnt worked. I'm still the same weight i was when i started. But the main thing is, i have again successfully completed lent (well it ends on Sunday, so there's time yet i suppose!)
I find it really interesting to hear what people have decided to deprive themselves of, the reason i chose these things is because i am actually addicted to them, so for me going without them for 40 days is a big achievement! Remind me not to do it next year though!
Just to end...my crazy mum ordered an easter egg from Hotel Chocolat at 48 quid! it's gonna be worth every penny on Sunday!!

Aaron.

I have just finished watching Insight on UTV. It was about violence on the streets of Belfast. Early in the morning of 15th Feb 2008, after a Valentine's night out, my friend Aaron Montgomery was killed outside Skye nightclub after being punched in the head. Watching the programme, which featured an interview with Aaron's brother Adam, brought back the reality of it all. I went to school and i went through university with Aaron, and hearing of his death that Friday morning brought me to my knees with shock. You just never think anything like that is going to happen to someone you know. I heard the story on the radio that morning as i was driving to work, the reason it stuck in my head was because they said that a 23 year old man had been killed...i remember thinking "wow i'm 23, that's terrible", but regretfully, like many stories on the news, i forgot about it. Until i recieved that phonecall from my friend Kathryn. The programme featured a close up of some flowers and a card that we left outside the nightclub the day after Aron's death. What bothers me now though, is that many other people watching that programme tonight, will watch it then completely forget about it. But Araon was my friend, he was a friend to many others, he was a Son, and he was a Brother. We will never forget about him.

Footprints in the Sand?

I have decided to name my blog "Footprints in the Sand". Leona Lewis has released a song for Sport Relief with the same name. It is my favourite poem/story ever and as a christian, i think it pretty much sums up what a relationship with God is all about...

One night a man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Scenes from his life flashed across the skyand he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,one belonging to him and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,he recalled that at the lowest and saddest times of his lifethere was only one set of footprints.
Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,you'd walk with me all the way.I don't understand why, when I needed you most,you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious child.I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and sufferingwhen you saw only one set of footprints...
That was when I carried you."

My first post

Ok so Scott got himself a blog, and i thought that if i'm going to keeop up with the "cool" people, i better do one too! I have always been more of a reader of blogs than a writer, but hopefully i can get into the swing of things and blog quite regularly! The posts propbably won't be that interesting, given that i have a very random little mind, but i hope to write about whatever may be going on in my life be it major or not so major! I'm going to go and try to figure all this out now, so, see ya!!