My goodbye curry pie.
The amazing Eyres who have given me a place to rest my head, looked after me and shared their home. I am so grateful to this family!
Goodbye St. Elisabeth's!
The finishing line of my ride home from Eastbourne.
There it is, it has been and now it's gone. Nearly two weeks have passed and Eastbourne is now a happy memory, a great chapter in my life. No longer a Coastal Youth Worker, but I'm sure I will still scribble in years to come - maybe as a youth worker, or a film maker or wearing a dog collar. Who knows, eh? I certainly don't, but it is very exciting knowing someone who does! But for all intents and purposes, we shall presume this will be my last blog post. Let's all break out the Kleenex.
I've been looking back at my daily diary which I started September 19th 2009, my first day in Eastbourne. According to the author, I was nervous, homesick, and lonely. Who knew? I remember the few days before I left, it was the weirdest mix of overwhelming excitement and fright. Thankfully the fright disappeared pretty quickly in Eastbourne, but the excitement never went! It turns out that St. Elisabeth's were very excited to see what I would bring. I'm not going to list the things I've done, I've done that enough already. I've loved building relationships with the youth of Eastbourne. I reckon I met well over 150 of the same children and young people week after week, and dozens of new ones every week as well. It's taken so long to build relationships with these people, it seems mad to drop it all now! But that's how it goes, and I hope that I would have brought them a step closer to God.
Handing over the keys to Luke was a goodmoment. Luke is a very close friend and also happens to be taking on my role and duties come September. He's also chose to join the YES Scheme (which does mean I get a free t shirt. Introduce a friend to Sky TV and you get £50, introduce a friend to the YES Scheme, you get a delightful shirt.) Luke is sometimes forgetful, often late and last minute and often needs a kick up the bum, sometimes to get him going and sometimes just for fun. But where these are his areas that will improve during the year (take it from someone who knows) he is already incredibly gifted as a youth worker. He has has great drive and receives great inspiration, and loves the children and young people. Plus he already knows them and has already got the relationship-building out of the way. He's going to do amazing things at St. Elisabeth's and I have known this since he told me he would do the year. Which is why handing over the keys to Luke was a good moment.
What I have found amazing, is that through being a teacher of the Good News, I have been more of a student than ever before. I have learnt more about the nature and character of Jesus and what it really means to lift up my cross every day.
I said that my year in Eastbourne has been a great chapter in my life, but I think it has quite possibly been the greatest. It has certainly been a page turner. But you know what? I hear the next chapter gets even more exciting...
"I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified,or discouraged; for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go."
Joshua 1:9
