Beefeater

During our time in Beth. we got to know Jason and Sarah, and Hiba their 8 month old daughter. J & S are from the USA and decided to drop into London on their trip home for Christmas to see some friends in Watford, it also gave us the opprtunity to see them again and take them to see the Tower of London and Tower Bridge (2 for 1 thanks to British Rail). We asked a Beefeater about the ravens only to find out that he had visited J & S's home state (Arkansas) and even visited their hometown. We were next for the 'Where are you from?' and you guessed it, he knew Yatton in Somerset because that is where he gets the ravens for the tower! Our international readers may be wondering who are the Beefeaters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeomen_Warders
PS the Beefeater is on the left!

Paul

On Saturday we had a rare day out and travelled to Pip 'n' Jay in Bristol for a service to celebrate the life of Paul. The church was full with friends from university, school, and church. What a roller-coaster of emotions, from laughter to tears, from mourning to celebration:
'So let my heart be full, and let my heart sing!
For I know that you'll be spending this Christmas with your King!
It breaks our hearts to lose you, but you did not go alone.
For part of us went with you, the day God took you home.'
Paul had so much potential, but the service highlighted the fact that he achieved so much and influenced so many lives in his 19 years - challenging to those of us who are more than double his age. P

Advent

Just in case you didn’t recognise me in the poster that was put up in the college dining room – I shaved my beard so that I could dress up as someone from the 70’s, big sideburns and greased back hair. Two weeks of festivities, mostly birthday related, culminated in a brilliant jazz evening in the entrance hall of Easneye House at All Nations College. It was also a chance to use up some of the ‘leftovers’ from previous parties. Unknown to us at this time our close friends in Bristol were with their son as he died from a brain tumour. Even though Paul has been struggling against the cancer for a while, it was still very distressing and upsetting to hear the news. During the advent service at our local church we sang a song with the following verse, the last two lines made me think about Paul, an exceptional and much-loved young man. P

You deserve my every breath

For You've paid the great cost;

Giving up Your life to death,

Even death on a cross

You took all my shame away,

There defeated my sin

Opened up the gates of heaven

And have beckoned me in.

Party, Party, Party...

There has been a delay in our weekly blog because we have been celebrating our 50th birthdays. 10 days ago there was Jane's birthday, followed by our tutor-group party on Saturday, our course party last night - oh and my birthday on Friday. Jane is wondering when the next party is going to be, whereas I have suddenly become allergic to chocolate cake, I now consider candles to be un-green, and I have discovered that the 'Happy Birthday' tune causes severe migraines. The Saturday party was a smart affair and I 'styled' my facial so that I had sideburns similar to Elvis in the 70's and for the first time I bought some hair gel, I couldn't find any Brylecream in the shops - have they stopped making it? The theme of last night's party was P & J, there was a judge, penguin, joker, painter etc. With Jane in the photo are Princess Jenny and 'J' cloth Deborah. P

Now a grown-up?

I realise it has taken me a very long time to actually feel that I have grown up. Today I am 50; people tell me it is the new 40, but I am not really bothered. I am just enjoying every moment of life so why should one put a tag on it?

The party started on Fri with our tutor group celebration with cake and candles and the celebration still seem to be carrying on. I still enjoy birthdays and think they are deserve a mark on the calendar. My parents are here for the weekend and have been plying me with sloe gin and weak tea to calm my excitement. In another two weeks Pete will join me and we will make a century of living. Until then he is enjoying the toyboy thing (being the younger man!) For anyone in Herts. the next 2 parties are on the 22nd and the 27th. See you there! J

Fudge Duck

During a recent visit from Adrian & Lucy we went on a walk to the local nature reserve. A time to relax and catch up with news, only to be interrupted by a loud Shhhhh! The twitchers were trying to spot a rare visitor to the UK - the Ferruginous Duck, colloquially known as a Fudge Duck. I would have told you about it earlier, but by the time we returned from the walk all that I could remember about the duck was that it began with 'F'.

My forgetfulness is probably down to all the words that are floating around in my head such as Antinomianism, Pneumatology, Tetragrammaton, Adebayor, Defoe and Rooney (an obvious sign of too much theology and 'Match of the Day') P

Day Release

After five weeks we have had our first 'day release' for good behaviour. Our friend Ian visited us to escort us and to make sure we didn't get phased by the big wide world that is beyond the college and our local village, Stanstead Abbotts. We visited Cambridge, a first for us all. Jane thought the speed of the punts was a bit tame and only wanted to go on one if there was an outboard motor - James Bond style. Cambridge is indeed a special place but you need a long weekend to see everything.
Our course is now picking up a pace, with the calender filling up with extra tasks, presentations and lessons. P

Lee Valley

We have walked a few miles in the Lee Valley Park over the last few weeks. It stretches 26 miles along the leafy banks of the River Lee, from Ware in Hertfordshire, through Essex, to the River Thames. Throughout the valley there are many nature reserves that attract many birdwatchers, I must admit that a pair of binoculars would improve our enjoyment of the birds. There are cormorants on the small island in the foreground so a zoom lens for the camera would also be beneficial.
Today and tomorrow (morning, afternoon & evening) are full of lessons covering many interesting subjects including 'living in community'', conflict management', 'listening skills' and 'emotional health'. P

Chores

Another week at All Nations has flown by, lectures have included learning about culture, understanding our own perspectives and working in cross-cultural teams. All the students have daily and weekly chores. At the moment we are on a kitchen team that either serves or washes-up at breakfast, lunch or tea. Our weekly chores include laundry or general maintenance. These chores not only keep our fees down but provide experience of working in teams, practicing humility and preparing us for working abroad. P

The walk home from the shops

Today in the South East of England it has been more like summer than autumn. This has meant that we have been able to enjoy the Hertfordshire country side, including a wonderful nature reserve about a mile away, which is in a beautiful area called the Lee Valley. The college is surrounded by a large wood with footpaths in all directions including Ware and Stanstead Abbotts (both about a couple miles away), which means a scenic walk home from the Saturday morning shop - one of the perks of not having a car. The trees are beginning to turn to their autumn colours so expect some further countryside pictures. There's something special about the English countryside and its one of the things I miss most when abroad. Something not to be taken for granted. P

Hanging up my boots

Since being at college I decided to join in as many activities as possible including the sports. But to my astonishment there was no bowls, croquet or golf, just football. Having played quite a bit in my younger years I thought that a gentle practice game with my fellow students would be OK, I wasn't interested in playing in the competitive games - I know my limits, or at least I thought I did. The only problem was that my head was telling me to stretch, jump & occasionally run, but my little legs didn't want to comply. During a casual game of football with our youth group a few years ago I strained my hamstring (incredibly painful) so this time I stretched every leg muscle, but still managed to strain my inner thigh last week and my quadriceps this week. One reason for my injuries could be that my footballing colleagues are less than half my age, which is now quite a difference. Time to hang up my boots, put on a pair of slippers, find a comfy chair, and watch 'Match of the Day'. P

Back to School!

Have arrived at ANCC a beautiful 18th Century manor house and done 'freshers week'. Pete enthusiastically joined in with a football game and pulled a muscle (he had been warned by Jane). We have an comfy student room with an Emperor sized bed (well 2 singles pushed together do the job). The luxury for us is being in one location for 13 weeks, and just having the time (or not) , to spend that time looking at our relationship with God, our world, the people we meet. I am relishing the opportunity because I don't know when it will come around again. There are no major responsibilities and no academic expectations. The pressure is off! My biggest stress is can I get up in time for my cooked breakfast at 7.50. I think somehow I will! J

20 times in 7 weeks

As we pack our suitcases and rucksacks in preparation of our move to college, we reflect that this is the 20th move in 7 weeks - no wonder Jane wakes up wondering where she is. We are looking forward to living in one place for 3 months. P

Birmingham

We have just had an enjoyable weekend in Birmingham. We stayed with P & L (also celebrated L's 50th) and used them as a base for our visits to churches that are going to support us. The financial support that people give to us is very humbling. It is also incredibly encouraging to know that there are people all over the UK who are praying and supporting us. Our training over the next few months will take a lot of our funding, but CMS spread the cost over 3 years which makes the budget easier to balance. Off to college next week - we'll update you as soon as we get a connection -http://www.allnations.ac.uk/ - we're going to an 'ac.uk'. P

Book Review

'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is a brilliant little book. Although it was originally written for children it is thought provoking for all ages. The theme is relevant for us as we prepare to return to Is, but I also found that it raised questions about how we perceive others in light of our own circumstances. I was also struck about the barrier/fence that separates the two innocent boys, and the similarities to the situation in the Holy Land at the moment. I usually like to read the book before seeing the film, which has just been released in the UK. If you want to read it before you see it then there is still time because it is a very, very short read. P

Long Novels

Why do good novels have to be so long? They don't. I'm reading 'The boy in the striped pyjamas' by John Boyne which is a 'small wonder of a book' (review in the Guardian). It was recommended by a friend we were visiting in Glastonbury. Whilst we were there we checked out the charity shops, which is becoming a bit of a custom as we stock up with things to go to college & the ME. J bought some clothes - no comment (actually I suppose 'no comment' is a comment) and I bought another small novel: 'The five people you meet in heaven'. We're off to Dawlish for a short break, we choose anywhere on the train network for our holidays! Book reviews to follow. P

Greenbelt

Between 22nd and 26th August we went to Greenbelt, a Christian Arts Festival http://www.greenbelt.org.uk/ It has taken a while to recover from the late nights, mud and portable toilets. We had a great time - look at the website to see what you missed. My highlights were Beth Rowley on main-stage, the late night Gregorian Chant service, and Simon Mayo interviewing Douglas Alexander MP (Secretary of State for International Development). The festival has a huge variety of worship, music, theatre, comedy and seminars. We were able to spend time with Ken and Lois who have recently moved from Nailsea to Cornwall - they couldn't really avoid us as we were sleeping in their caravan awning! There were more people than in previous years (25,000) which meant that you had to queue to guarantee getting into events that were indoors or under canvas. Jane and Lois were obviously determined to see a seminar on 'How to be a mature, sensible and serious Christian'. Click on the picture to get a close-up of Jane and Lois as they compose themselves for an intense seminar. P

Possessions

We have quickly adjusted to the British way of life and the weather - it has rained every day! But the one thing that I am not getting used to, is living out of a suitcase again. I assure you that my side of the bed is the tidiest! I'm constantly losing things because nothing has a 'home' - any organising tips gratefully received. No matter how many things I seem to get rid there is still no more room in my suitcase, so no birthday or Christmas presents this year! P

England's green and pleasant land

We have arrived safely at home in England and are getting used the different climate. I have learnt not to moan too much about the weather (rain interspersed with showers and occasional heavy storms), because in our home in the WB people would gladly trade a day of sunshine for a few English showers. The thing that always strikes me on returning home are the lush gardens and vegetation - the result of sunshine & showers - and Jane's parent's garden is no exception. P

Never a good time to leave

We are fortunate to be living in a ground floor flat which is surrounded by trees and bushes. The landlord is retired and spends his days pottering around his garden. There are lemons, peaches, figs and we are going to miss the grape harvest - he is very generous and shares his produce with his tenants. Hey, no fresh grapes, but it will be good to see the green, green grass of home - decided that an actual picture from our back door would be a better link than Tom Jones! P

Tour de France

Whilst flicking the TV channels I came across a sports channel that was showing the Tour de France - with the commentary in English! I have never watched the race before, but on returning from work each day we started to follow it, it is also a great way to see the fantastic French chateaux and countryside (there are helicopters covering the race) including the Pyrenees & Alps. But it has to be said that I would rather have the Internet than the local TV; I prefer listening to BBC radio than watching the local english TV which is dominated by USA programmes (Dr Phill, Oprah, and 'The Moment of Truth'). The only other programme that I have watched regularly has been Top Gear, again not something that I watched in the UK, it is very amusing and entertaining - even though the programmes are at least 2 years out of date! P

Farewell friends

Yesterday we said good-bye to friends who have become close to us over the last few months: JAHAMA (an acronym for the team from USA), they bought a youthful energy & humour into our lives; Ruth returned to the UK for a holiday - much needed after providing company for Jane during her illness; and last but not least Minnie who I think has gone to a place where there are no cats or traps. She kept us company for many days and made herself at home in our kitchen and bed (small amounts of evidence were found). The trap finally deprived her of her liberty - a basic but effective devise when fried bread was eventually used as bait. P

Travellers from the west

It really lifts the spirits when you have visitors from home. 2 weeks ago we had a visit from our 'old' vicar at Pip 'n' Jay, Malcolm Widdecombe & his wife Meryl, and Judith Pratt. We were able to chat over old-times and chill out on our famous veranda. Today our God-son, Simon, was able to come and visit us. In the short time he was here he was able to get an understanding of the living conditions of the local population. We have also been able to meet up with him at other times during his trip - but not even the Mount of Olives or Temple Mount could come close to the veranda! P

High and Tight

Team work is important, and cutting hair is just one of the ways in which we can help one another!! We recently received a call from Jonathan who had just returned from the hairdressers and wanted help to rectify his haircut disaster. He didn't appreciate his new hairstyle and so came to our home for a crew-cut with my hair-clippers, a number '5' all over - my first happy customer. A few days later Andrew decided he wanted a 'high and tight' (American marine style). I clipped his hair all over to a number 3 length, but I couldn't take the responsibility of shaving the sides (he's taller then me), so that was deligated to Jared - who did a good job. I know that our church group at home is making a list of belongings and skills that can be shared with one another, so I can see that there will be queues outside our door for a 'high & tight'. I'm sure it would suit Rod! P

Veranda

J is slowly recovering from the virus she picked up a few days ago, but she still lacks energy so evenings are spent on the veranda rather than going out 'clubbing'. I am passing the veranda moments serenading her on my guitar - 'Blackbird' by the Beatles is now just about recognisable! The other bonus is the view. P

Always On Call

The wonders of modern communication means 24 hour contact. Jane has had a bug which has confined her to bed, but how to summon nursing help? Answer: call 'husband assistance' on the mobile-phone and he'll come running. Jane is slowly improving, and hopes to be better next week so that the Orange mobile phone network can get back to normal again. P

Tourists

When you live and work in an area you take places for granted and you often fail to see the things that are on your doorstep, so this weekend we are taking a long weekend in Jerusalem at the Anglican Cathedral Guest House - a well deserved break!!! The temperature is rising so staying in the Judean Hills (2,500') is much cooler than travelling down to the coast, Galalee or the Judean desert - we'll have to save that for another time. P

The Lolly-stick Dilemma

During the visit of our friends from the UK we cooled off with some ice-lollies, but then found ourselves with a dilemma: throw the sticks onto the rubbish along the street or hold onto them until we finally found a litter-bin. Any open land is a licence to throw litter. Four lolly sticks wouldn't have been significant but we held onto them until we found a litter-bin, which had an open piece of land immediately behind it full of rubbish - I felt guilty making the litter-bin untidy because there was nothing in it! The picture shows some of the open land behind our apartment which is typical of many places here. The moral of the story is buy an ice-cream cornet then there is no lolly-stick dilemma. P

Mrs Mop MSc!

One of the things I really love about working here is the opportunity to have a go at anything! Working in the college guest house I regularly clean floors and make up beds and change the 'poo bags' (here in B not every thing can be flushed down the toilet!). For me it has been a positive career move; I get the chance to influence and change my immediate surroundings and I have been given a big dose of humility. I am not to to big or clever to do this stuff. It reminds me of the monks of latter days whose rhythm of life was created by daily chores and prayer. Hopefully it will have a positive spiritual effect on me too! We have just had a group of Mexicans staying who have really taught me so much about serving. If there is a job to be done, they just get right on and do it without complaint.
On a lighter note- I have just discovered this amazing breakfast cereal called 'cinnamon minis' which is a bit like flavoured crisps. I am trying to restrict my intake they are so nice!

Honoured Guests

Over the last few days we have been graced by the presence of good friends from Tewkesbury, UK. It was great to have some familiar company so far from home. We were able to show them some of the sights away from the tourist trails, as well as spend some time exploring the Mount of Olives, where we spent a few hours sitting and gently plodding down the hillside - they had previously only spent a few minutes there with their tour guide before whizzing off to the next destination. It hadn't changed since I last visited the Holy Land with my father 24 years ago, this was his favourite location in the HL - you can see why. P

Cock-a-doodle-do!

No need to set the alarm clock because our new neighbour wakes us an hour before sunrise (sunrise is 5.45am). He is very close, about 10 yards from our bedroom window! I am beginning to adopt the local way of life which is early to bed and an early start - hence I am blogging at 6am on a Saturday morning! Tomorrow we are going to Jer. to meet some good friends from the UK, they are here on holiday. Next week we are planning a trip to Naz. to see the church, Anglican School and mission hospital, possible future placements - more news to follow. P

A Floater

Sorry for the delay in publishing our blog, we hope that we will not lose you as a regular reader! We had a brilliant conference in Wadi Rum & Aqaba, Jordan. We then took the opportunity to look at some Anglican projects in J - a school for the deaf, boys sch, girls sch, a kindergarten and the local Anglican church. We also had the chance to visit Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, but rather than have a picture of one of the most stunning places you can ever visit, here is a picture of another wonder of the world floating in the Dead Sea! P

Morning Makeover

Have you seen '60 Minute Makeover' on glorious daytime TV? Whilst someone is out of their home a relative lets in a crew of carpenters, decorators etc and in 60 minutes the house is transformed. Today we had the 'morning makeover'. We have been house-sitting for Jane's parents who have just returned from their 8 week holiday in NZ, and we are leaving within 24 hours before they notice anything wrong!
Our blog may be a bit quiet for a couple of weeks whilst we visit J, but we will try and post some info and pics as we travel. P
PS see Harry Hill's clip about the programme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc-0cA5tefo

Israqi

On a recent visit to the hairdressers the hairdresser was interested to hear that we had just returned from the Middle East.
The conversation continued, "Where were you living?"
I replied, "Beth..."
She said, "Beth...? I thought that was just at Christmas, is it a real place?"
I bit my tongue to prevent the giggles as the hairdresser continued the well-informed conversation with another question, "Is it safe there, are the Israqis still fighting?"
A quick change of the subject was required so I asked her, "Where are you going on your holidays this year?............"

Travelling

As well as visiting the travel agents to book our flight to Jordan/Israel we have been regular visitors to the travel hub of England, namely Yatton railway station. On our last visit tickets were bought for our next trips to Birmingham, Blackburn and Devon - and so far we have not experienced any delays on our many journeys to far, far away lands (we were baby-sitting this week and managed to watch Shrek 3 - a trilogy to match 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Matrix'). Just heard that BA international flights will be transferred to Terminal 5 at the end of next month - hopefully after we leave on the 24th, perhaps the Yatton station-master should offer his advice to Heathrow - the wikipedia photographer got bored waiting for a train to appear for his photograph, strange because there is at least one train a day!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yatton_railway_station

House still in one piece !!

This is a picture of my parents house in North Somerset. P and I have just been for a sunny spring walk up a local hill. Mum and dad have v kindly left us to house sit for a couple of months whilst they truck around N.Zealand. It is a regular 70's grey brick house, but to us it has been a sanctuary; somewhere to rest and re-group before returning to the Middle East in April.
'Mum and dad' as u can see its all in one piece! So far we have had no breakages; just a slight cracking and a melting of some kitchen implements ( nothing serious!). Those of you who are aware of my culinary skills will appreciate this comment above. J

Plans

Following meetings with CMS this week here are our provisional plans:
24th April: Fly to Jordan for CMS regional conference.
7th May: Fly from Jordan to Israel, either using our volunteer visa (still not processed) or trying to get a tourist visa.
24th September: Start at All Nations Bible College, Hertfordshire, for a foundation course in cross-cultural service.
Christmas & New Year: With family and friends – wherever there's a spare bed.
2009: Learn Arabic at a language school in Jordan for 5 months before returning to Bethlehem or another Arab country.
And when we have time, we will be visiting our supporting churches in the UK. P&J

CMS Mission Partners

The result from our CMS selection conference is that we have been selected to be 'Mission Partners', which means that we will have the support and prayers of link churches, individuals and CMS, we can now be committed to going on a longer placement. Following meetings at CMS next Tuesday we should have a better idea what we will be doing over the next few months/years. In the mean time we retrieved some of belongings from our storage crate, not a huge crate (7' x 7' x 5'), but difficult to find things when the storage boxes weren't properly marked!!! P

Another Week

Last week, during the school holidays, we helped at the church kids club. We had a great week and I think the kids did as well - especially the gunging of the leaders at the end of each session. We also enjoyed the opportunity to house-sit for friends whilst they were on holiday. The next blog will have the result from our CMS selection conference where we find out if we will remain as short-term workers or possibly become mission partners (long-term workers), we can then start making some plans for our future. P

What wet weather?

After a very wet UK winter we had only blue skies for our holiday in Cornwall. We had a great time and we were able to go on some lovely contry walks, which weren'y too muddy - a good thing as I only had one pair of shoes! On our return we have decided to help at our home church children's holiday club , so you know where to find us next week - up to our necks in 'gunge'.
We have decided to go on a Mission Partner selection conference weekend on 29 February, if selected we would then have support from various churches & individuals, which would enable us to have a longer spell abroad, and more time to getvisas! Selected or not we would hope to return to Israel in the spring when our visas are sorted out - still no news. If selected, then we would have to go to Bible College some time later in the year, and then review where in the world we go next.
Still lots of unknowns and uncertanties, still living out of suitcases and staying with friends & family, still learning what its like living day to day and not having definite plans. P

The Future

Our immediate future is now a bit clearer - a holiday in Cornwall followed by a Mission Partner selection conference at the end of the month. We are currently working as volunteers, which means that we are self financing, if we are selected as Mission Partners it would mean that we would receive some support from churches and individuals through CMS, it would also mean that we would probably serve a longer term abroad.
We have returned to the UK so that our visa extension application is processed, this will take as long as it takes and then we hope to return. P&J

England Merry England!

We are home, warm and safe. We are totally moved by so may offers of beds, meals and hospitality. It is good to be here with our friends and family but it feels so strange returning to a English culture. As I sat on Oxford Railway station this week in between the roar of the trains and the tannoy was total silence. In a Arabic culture people would be shouting and loudly gesticulating. A television or blaring exotic tunes would be filling the air. There would be sweet cakes and strong coffee available in every spare corner. It is good to be back but I kind of hope it is not too long before we leave again.The blog will continue, the pictures will be of English scenescapes. The story goes on so please continues to track and pray for our movements. J

Back in the UK

Our visas expired on 26 October and because of lack of communication with the Ministry of Interior and our legal representative it couldn't be renewed. We were expecting to be questioned by border control about the reasons why we had over stayed and what we had been doing for the last four months. The least we expected was a fine, but we walked through border control without a single question about our visa - it was if we they couldn't see the stamp in our passports even though they were checked on four occasions. Other friends and colleagues have experienced lengthy questioning and searches because of the length of their stay - not for us. Thank you for your prayers - I've only heard things like this happening to other people. P

Flying the flag so soon

We have bought forward our return to the UK so that visas can be arranged for us. We fly home on Thursday 17 and return whenever things are sorted. Quite a strange feeling after you set up your home and then have to return to being homeless, cold, wet, hungry and without jobs, does anybody have a spare guitar we can borrow so that we can busk? We have invented a new game of visiting friends and family and squatting, 5 points for a night, 10 points for weekend and 50 points if you get a spare set of keys and a rent book. The wonders of skype and email are that you can never avoid us, we will track you down wherever you are, it also means that you can still call us. P