Little changes

Welcome to the new look Blog, this is a work in progress that was started by the new logo in January and I who knows when ill be done with changing it :)

Oh, I've also sorted out the problem with comments so that they are open to anybody, you don't need a 'Google account' any more.

All have a great Palm Sunday!!

PS I really need to thank everybody who took the time to visit the Grade 3 blog. They really loved seeing all the hits on the blog and were amazed by the variety of countries that looked in. Thanks!

This is a quick advertising blog :)
Alongside Physical Education I also teach Elementry IT

Since the start of the year my Grade 3 IT class have been designing and upkeeping there own blog. Recently we added a Analytic tool to see how many people visit our site.
We (they mostly) have been extremely excited to see where we have (our few) visitors from.
They are doing a great job; making me proud!

Please have a look, leave a comment if you like, the kids will love it!

www.msagrade3.blogspot.com

Excuse me, I'm busy being an idiot..

I will dance
I will sing
To be mad for my King

'Cause nothing Lord is hindering this passion in my soul
and I'll become even more undignified than this,
and I'll become even more undignified than this.
from: Undignified, Stephen Hurd

I may be well known for sometimes acting like an idiot and sometimes being loud and obnoxious (everyone try ‘The really nasty Horse Racing game’!!) but I’m deciding more and more that we shouldn’t spend more time being ‘sensible’ but spend more time being undignified, in the best possible way.

Every now and again do something completely out of the ordinary.
Every now and again give away all you have.
Every now and again go forward after a service to pray.
Every now and again be a complete and utter fool.
Every now and again physically drop to your knees.
Every now and that crack a joke.
Every now again dance.
Every now and again suddenly pray out loud.
Every now and again beg to God.
Every now and again trust that He will provide.

But always and in everything praise with all you have got.

"I tell you," he replied,"if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
(Luke 19:40)

Trust me.. I'll become even more undignified than this..

and the prisoners shall be set free..

This is the second part in my reflection on the outreach part of the Gateway.

Besides the orphanage the other main part of our time was spent as part of a prison ministry in Abomey.

After a lot of back and forth, when it looked like we wouldn't be granted permission on time to go into the prison, but it worked out better than we could imagine.

In the end we were granted permission to meet with the under-age prisoners in a enclosed area of the prison. 22 young men and 2 young women between 12-20. It turned out that that enclosed space and knowing that the under-age inmates lived in a closed off area was the biggest blessing you could imagine.

To explain: the Abomey prison was built in colonial times with a maximum capacity of 400 prisoners at any given time. Anno 2010 the prison houses over 1000 inmates..

To get to the walled off juvinel area we had to walk through the main prison.. wauw.. I can hardly describe it in words. SO many people, living in such small and basic conditions. The place was.. I dont know...

Working with inmates was not something I would have ever voluntarily chosen if I'm completely honest (and I usually am). But from the first words of welcome from one of the young guys something snapped. The young guys in here were nothing different to the orphans at the home. Yes they were taller, stronger and had a past I didn't even want to hear about, but all the wanted was to have people care.

Saying that the first conversation weren't much more than: 'what can you give us?' Can't fault a man from trying..

Each morning, 6 days, we went in there, each morning we did a skit (they really enjoyed the humour), each morning we shared testimonies and stories, each morning we took time to just be with them. And by the time the last days came around I walked into that prison to visit friends. I wasn't scared, I no longer saw a mass group but individual faces and personalities.

In our absence now, 3 locals pastors and our driver that week will be carrying on the visits and we have already heard encouraging stories.

And what do I do? I pray.. I beg.. I try in my arrogance to intercede with the Most Holy for these young men and woman. That God may be there, and they may know my Jesus.

Please pray with me.

You know you're dating a mercy shipper when..

This goes out to a very special person; to all who have gone before and all who are still to try.

You know you're dating a Mercy shipper when:

- the last question before going on a romantic walk is: 'Honey, do you have a nalgene?'

- you have the choice of 3 restaurants to go to dinner

- romantic evening strolls (after 10.30) are always within a radius of 40 feet

- after your first date you already know you are taking her home

- you remember her phone number cause its only 4 digits

- you meet her collegues before her family

- you know you'll get along with her friends.. because they're your friends too

- all dates last a maximum of 4 hours

- you have to add a ' ratio' to how long you've been dating

- you can have breakfast, lunch, dinner together yet aren't living with each other

- romantic dinners together are: breakfast, lunch and dinner

- sharing a bottle of wine at dinner isn't an option.. you're the only ships driver.

- you start your relationship with a talk with the chaplains

- romantic cruises are not an option as holiday destinations

- going out to a movie involves using a laptop