When your path takes a different direction

I have been thinking during this Advent season about Mary and how her life took a very different path than the one she had been expecting.  As a young girl she must have dreamed about one day getting married, having children and settling into a peaceful family life and all this changed when she received a visit from the angel telling her she had been chosen to carry God's son.  And yet despite the change to her own plans she was humble and obedient to God's call on her life saying, 'I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said.'

It made me think about the times when our own plans and dreams don't turn out the way we expect and how we react to the change in direction.  Some changes occur through decisions or choices we make - about who we marry, where we work, how we spend our money and time or how we react to people around us.  Other changes are forced upon us - when illness, tragedy, redundancy or bereavement strike, when we wait for passionate prayers to be answered or when things don't turn out the way we hoped.  How do we react when our lives change unexpectedly?

People react in different ways - some people react with bitterness, anger, fear or resentment while others seem to be at peace in their hearts and seem to have an inner strength to cope.  I know that in my own life when there have been changes of direction both chosen and forced upon me, it has driven me closer to God as I have reached out for him and sought his comfort, strength and peace.   That doesn't mean that I haven't wrestled with the 'why' of events or that there has been an easy way through grief or pain, but I have discovered that it is ok to feel what I feel and struggle as I come to terms with things. Thankfully though, I have always ended up at a place of peace so that I can say with the hymn writer, whatever happens, it is well with my soul.

None of us know what tomorrow brings or what changes lay ahead in our lives but I pray that we will all, like Mary, be given the strength to deal with what lies before us and overcome by the power and strength of the Lord and that we will look for ways to help each other along.  If you have any issues you would value prayer for then please do let me know so we can keep you in our thoughts.

Wishing everyone a peaceful Christmas and a fruitful and blessed new year.

A Taste of Texas in Taunton

Last Saturday Methodist Women in Britain held our annual World Federation day in Taunton to give people a Taste of Texas.  The idea of the day was to give people who hadn't managed to get to Houston for the World Assembly in August a bit of an overview of what happened there.

Some of us who had been to Texas shared our experiences of our time there and gave a taster of some of the workshops and Bible teaching we had received.  The hospitable people of Taunton gave us an American themed lunch and a good time was had by all.

The theme of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women for the next five years is 'Chosen People, Called to Proclaim' based on 1 Peter 2 vs 9,10 and the plan is to explore that theme more deeply over the years in various ways at our conferences, district days and local meetings and to encourage women around the country to tell others how amazing God is through our lifestyles, relationships, words and actions.

I especially loved having Mark there with me for the day as he wasn't in Texas with me and it was good for him to find out a bit more about what went on there from different perspectives.  And it meant I didn't have to drive myself home!  It also made a lovely change to have an event fairly close to home so that I wasn't travelling for hours at the end of the day.  From Texas to Taunton - if I'm honest I prefer Taunton!!

If you want to find out more about the work of Methodist Women in Britain or the World Federation, please visit our website at www.mwib.org.uk.

The lovely banner made for our area to take to Texas.

Some fabulous banners in the church

Everyone arriving and being welcomed

A welcome TV screen at the church - great idea!

I love the joy in this picture - Anne our president having a moment with Alison Judd

This is the bible passage upon which the theme is based. 

This is me leading the bible study taken by my driver and photographer for the day!

A literal taste of Texas!

Plymouth and Devonport ladies enjoying their lunch

Workshops in the afternoon

Gillian and Jennifer talking about stopping hunger

Jude talking about hospitality and sharing stories of Sandylands Methodist Church in the Cumbrian floods

Alison speaking about the UN development goals

 

Almost a full house!

A very busy month!

Things have been a bit hectic over the past month and I have only just found the time to update my blog with a brief summary of all the events over the past few weeks.

Because I was away in Ireland on my birthday, I had an honorary birthday the next day and we spent the day in Plymouth visiting the Mayflower exhibition (and the gin factory!).   Some of my family have done research on our family tree and discovered that I have a direct relative who was on the Mayflower as one of hte Pilgrim Fathers and was one of the signatories on the Mayflower Compact which was the first governing document of what was to become the USA.  It's exciting to have a personal connection to this history and salutory to think of my ancestors fleeing religious persecution and seeking a new life elsewhere.  Migration and asylum seeking is sadly nothing new - I am reminded that most of us could probably trace some aspect of migration and relocation somewhere in our past and it should help all of us feel more gracious and generous to those seeking refuge today.

At the Mayflower Steps, Plymouth

Edward and John Tillie were my relatives.

Mark has taken on the added responsibility of Ivybridge Methodist Church and we are both excited to begin to get to know people there and encouraged that people seem keen to make use of our gifts and what we have to offer.  It's going to take time to get to know everyone as there are over 150 members but we're having a good go at it!  During half term we went along to help at the holiday club there on a pirate theme which was great fun!  

I've been away a fair bit in the last month to the first meeting of the new executive of Methodist Women in Britain in London, to Methodist Council in Hertfordhsire, to One Mission Forum in London and to the Methodist Women forum in Derbyshire.  My case has been constantly packed and ready to go!

The MWIB district reps and executive meeting at Swanwick in Derbyshire

One Mission Forum in London

The MWIB executive having a cup of tea in Regents Park while waiting for our trains.

It's been so busy I have been teetering on the edge of being ill for several weeks and some days felt pretty dreadful so we were very glad to have a short break on the Isle of Wight to enjoy some walking and catching up with our sleep as well as meeting friends and family there.

Meeting up with old friends

Ventnor

Alum Bay

Headon Warren

Sandown

Tennyson Down

During Mark's sabbatical I had a real sense that God was saying that our time of restoration and recuperation after being overseas was over and now the work was going to begin and it really has! Our feet haven't touched the ground!  But we both believe we are exactly where God wants us at this time and that we are fulfilling his call on our lives so we are excited and keen to see all the doors that open in the coming months and years.

Walls

This weekend conference in Northern Ireland is such a blessing and I feel so privileged to be enabled to be here and share with these wonderful Irish ladies and experience their generous hospitality including copious amounts of tea and cake!  

On Friday afternoon we (Anne and I) were driven from the airport in Belfast to our conference centre in Newcastle, and as there was some spare time our kind host took us for a little drive into the Mountains of Mourne. There were lots of stone walls made of some huge boulders and we discovered that most of them are made by hand. Amazing that anyone could lift them let alone fashion them into a wall! 

On the first evening our speaker introduced her theme ‘Inside Out’ and spoke about the story of the woman at the well meeting Jesus from John chapter 4. She talked about boundaries and described how the woman in the story put up barriers to others and to Jesus in her words and actions but how Jesus crossed the boundaries to reach out to her.  She went on to suggest that all of us sometimes put up walls to create boundaries to try to protect ourselves from others and about how some of those barriers can be unhealthy and unhelpful in building close relationships.  We were reminded that Jesus isn't put off by the walls we try to build and no matter what we've been through in our lives, still loves us and wants to reach out to us if we will let him.  

View from the conference centre

Karen, our speaker for the weekend

View from the back of the car in the Mountains of Mourne

More Houston Happenings!

All the new world Area officers at our induction service

The past 8 days have been so busy I have hardly had time to breathe as I've been attending meetings and sessions from morning till night.  I have met some wonderful people from around the world and learned so much about the variety of cultures and nations represented.  

On Friday night I was installed as the British Area Officer for the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women, and Vice President for the Britain and Ireland Area.  I will be working over the next five years with Louise Wilson from Ireland who is the President of the Britain and Ireland Area and thankfully we get on with each other like a house on fire and I think we're going to have a lot of fun!  

On Saturday we had a few free hours and were taken to the NASA Space Station for a visit.  It was an amazing opportunity and awesome to see the mission control centre from where the Apollo space missions were conducted.  

Yesterday and today I have been wearing my other hat as I attend the World Methodist Council.  This council comprises Christians from various parts of the Methodist family and we are all part of standing committees looking at some global issues from many perspectives.  

I feel as though I have been away from home for months and feel a bit homesick especially as I'm missing out on all the new beginnings with Mark’s new church at Ivybridge, and I'm so looking forward to heading home tomorrow.  It will be good to spend some time processing all I have learnt and experienced and catching up with my sleep! 

Mission Control

NASA visit

A session of the World Methodist Council.

A very important certificate.

Meeting of the old and new executives of the WFM&UCW 

Louise and I relaxing after a busy day.