A Week

Me blogging late into the night and the FairTrade food I used for my Sunday morning youth group (that was this week's theme, and was handy for getting respect!). As it was Harvest Sunday at our church today, I asked them:

"Do you want to eat this FairTrade food, or would you rather give it as a harvest offering?"

Some fella will benefit from our teabags and bananas.

One week has been and gone. And what a week!
It has been full to the brim of different duties and events. This week has consisted of:

• Planning meetings
• JAM and Jaffa lunchtime clubs at schools
• ClubOne (Or Clu-Bone as I now call it) evening youth club
• Mid-week services
• Delivering leaflets and getting my bearings of the local area
• Interiour design for the youth room (inc. carpet fitting!)
• A lot of visiting people in the parish
• A lot of planning
• Paperwork
  
• Totz mother and toddler group (60+ people)
• Confirmation class
• Home group
• Under the Dome, a coffee morning for those north of 70yrs.
• Preparing a Harvest Supper
• Planning and leading the Sunday youth group
  
• Some shopping
• Drinking lots of coffee

And on the more leisurely side:

• Going to Beachy Head
• Pub lunch
• Watching movies at the house
  
• Reading
• Relaxing in the sun
• Going to the cinema
• Photo editing
• Playing lots of music
  
• Lots of phone calls to friends and family
• Some shopping
• Drinking lots of coffee

A lot of the latter was with Grace (my girlfriend) who has already come up twice to see me! Mum and Dad came up today (Sunday) which was lovely. I now have a venus fly-trap which I have fed some leftover chicken. My friends Colin and Sue are coming up on Sunday to visit as well!

So as you can see, I've been very busy! I've clocked 35miles this week (average of 5miles a day for the less able mathematicians and tired). I get 20p a mile for some reason that I'm not worried about finding out, so it's turning into a nice little earner! I've managed to write a page in my diary every day so far (usually in the early hours of the next day!) with a bible passage relevant to how I'm feeling or what has happened during the day.

I was thinking about going into the local university to see what kind of thing young people would want from the church and also get involved with the Christian Union. I wasn't sure if people would not listen to me as I would be the same age as the first-years. I was given this as an encouragment.

"Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportnat because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith and your pure life."

1 Timothy 4 : 12

I will let you know how that works out.

Again, for those of the praying type, please pray for

• Good relationships with those I work with and meet
• Clarity and guidance for my fellow youth worker and friend Josh Bellamy

If you're not of the praying type, try it!

Thank you for all your kind messages, phone calls, texts, thoughts and prayers - each one really boosts my confidence!

Speak soon,
Mikey x

The Scribbles of a Coastal Youth Worker

Welcome to my blog! The fact that I am coastal makes no difference to my line of work, but I could not think of any other adjective. I hope you have a good read of this and future blogs, as I wouldn't like to feel that the irritating tap-tap-tap of the keys is for nothing.

Well here I am. Eastbourne! I'm in my lovely house (not home) where I shall be for the next few months. In reality, it's nearly a whole year, but I have to keep saying things like "a few months" because in all honesty, I'm homesick. Despite knowing I probably should leave it a while, I've been making lots of phone calls to friends and family. Yesterday I left home. It was very sad, but it had to be done some time, and I believe that this is a great way to do it!

The internet here is, shall we say, limited. I would love to be streched out on the lovely green lawn in the sun, or on my cosy bed, but I'm stuck in a little dark office as the wireless is ineffective. Hopefully next time I blog it will be sorted.

Double dose of church this morning. There was the very traditional Anglican 9.30 service (not my cup of tea) and the more young-family based 11am service. Both services I was interviewed at the front with questions like "What footie team do you support?", "Do you like tripe?", "What was the last film you saw?" (The title was too rude to say! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/) and "What are your hopes fo the year?". I was truely interrogated.

The 9.30 was all robes and cassocks, silverware, scripted prayers and to top it off, an organ. It's been an age since my last traditional Anglican service, and it was a shock to the system. The 11am was great though. Despite being told not to plan anything, I was given the task of leading the youth group spontanaeously. It went really well, and we had 8 teenagers in the group. After church, they had their monthly Bring & Share meal. I had no food to bring, but I certainly eat.

I am missing home and I hope home is missing me, but in less than two weeks I will be home. Grace is coming tomorrow as Monday is my day off, she knows Eastbourne better than me and can give me a tour! She gave me a lovely note before I left with the verse Joshua 1 : 9 written on it.

"I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the LORD your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go."

It was really encouraging for me.

If you're a praying person, please include:

• Mum and Dad
• The other seven girls doing the same scheme at other churches across the south.
• Meeee!

Photos are of my room. Keep checking for blog updates!

Mikey x