Wednesday 30 March 2005

Hello from Laura

Hi everyone,

 

Well Paul’s been encouraging me to write a little something on this blog so everyone can see that I am interested in my darling husband’s new adventure! So, here I am. We have just had a wonderfully busy weekend, starting with my sister, Lucy and her family coming to stay. This was truly fantastic and we both love my niece and nephew very much however, them coming to stay for three nights was the best thing that could have happened to me! I am no longer broody and although I do want children one day, not for a very long time!

Exhausted we travelled to Watford and then on to Surry for a family get together on Easter Monday. This was such great fun but arriving home at 1:30am on Tuesday and getting up as normal in the morning well and truly finished me off. I have so much respect for anyone who can survive on little sleep, and for those who don’t have any choice like Lucy!

So now I’m back studying for an essay on the Song of Songs and I’m not getting anywhere fast!!! Does anyone know anything about poetry?!!!

I just want to say great job on this blog thing Paul, your amazing! xxx

New Week

Well after a tiresome weekend I’m back at the grindstone again; Yesterday was an exhausting day – we didn’t arrive home from the family day on Monday until 1:30 AM, after I realised that I did in fact have a 9:30 appointment the following morning; What a pain!!! We did however have a fantastic day on Monday and really loved seeing all the family. Of course we got to answer the usual questions several times over, but that is what family is for! We played some golf though, and I celebrated the final hole with a superb chip in! May and I finished in 3rd place, which we were very happy about.

This week Laura is having a break from her dissertation while she writes another one of her essays; She is currently on target with her work, and is ploughing through it all at a rate of knots – I am very proud of how hard she works, and how well she is doing this year; at the moment she is on course for a 2:1, it must be everything I taught her!!! My job is just plodding along as usual, I still haven’t handed in my notice as I’m waiting for my final contract to come through from NZ – its just a formality, but didn’t want to get caught out.

The order has gone in for the guitar now – I’m very excited that I’ll soon have an Avalon; the guitar I’m getting hasn’t actually been released yet, so it will be hot off the press when I receive it and it will be a real beauty as they all are. Steve, who I have been communicating with, has been really helpful, and I thoroughly recommend their service. I may try and get some strings from d’addario as I’ll need regular string changes to keep the guitar sounding sweet – watch this space!!

As for me, I’ll keep on working here at Millennium Volunteers until the end post is in sight! Have to go now though (breakfast time), so I’ll write something interesting soon.

Paul!

Friday 25 March 2005

UK Passport Office


tours-big

Well, yesterday I received my passport back from the passport office within the 2 week time limit that they set – I was very impressed at this service. I was less impressed however that they had forgotten to put a hyphen in Kingsley-Smith, meaning a thirty minute call to the passport office resulting in having to send the passport back to Durham for them to correct. Apparently they have to allow for human error – how frustrating!!

I need it back by the 4th April so that we can process our VISA applications in time. If we submit them after the 4th April we will have to include a medical which is just such a pain in the backside; with any luck I will get it back in time!

Fingers Crossed!

Thursday 24 March 2005

Avalon Guitars


Well, thanks to the fantastic guys at Avalon Guitars, I will soon be playing one of these. They are fantastic guitars that sound beautiful.

Wednesday 23 March 2005

WOW!!!

Well yesterday was a pretty eventful day in all respects. Firstly i managed to get a handle on the blog, and how to do all the HTML - I gave my self a crash course in HTML, and I'm sure you'll agree that I have'nt done a bad job of getting the site looking like a good one. In the next couple of days I'll figure out how i can link it to my domain name, click here.

Well the 2 great things that happened yesterday were:
1) My cousin was diagnosed with cancer shortly after we go married last june. The doctors said that it was a fairly aggressive form, and the prognosis was fairly bleak. She has completed 6 courses of Chemo, and is now on her 7th. She had a CAT scan last week, and she found out yesterday that she is completely free of all disease - Praise God, how cool is that.

2) Not at all on the same scale, but I received an email last night from the Managing Director of a very large and respected guitar manufacturer; they are keen for me to play their guitars, and have offered me an endoresement deal. This is really exciting for me - i've wanted a new guitar ever since i started playing, and now its finally within reach! The company won't give me free guitars, but hugely discounted which is good enough. Now i need to pray in the money to go out and buy one from them!!

Well, I'm still unsure of what this blog is about, so bear with me until i get into some sort of rhythm - I'll get there in the end. Please do spread the word, I'll do my best at this end!!!
Paul

Tuesday 22 March 2005

All very new to me

Well, this is a first - I never thought i would have a blog, but as Laura and myself are moving to the other side of the world it is a fantastic opportunity to let people know what we're up to and how were getting along.

At present no-one evens knows this address, so I have no idea who will read it - probably someone very random that doesn't know me!!

I hope over the coming months & years we will be able to share with you what God is saying to us, and give you an idea of where you can pray for breakthrough in our lives, as we move as missionaries to Auckland, New Zealand.

To fill you in a little, we are moving to Auckland on June 8th for me to start as Worship Leader at St Paul's Auckland. The church appears to be in its infancy as it was only planted from St Marys, Bryanston Square London a year ago. It is an exciting move, but one that comes with great levels of surrender, sacrifice and faith. I will write more later on, but for now i must go and cook the dinner.