Operation World Teamfrom left to right( back)
Jason(Cdn - Author), Peter(UKer), Molly Wall(American), Nkosana(Uker), Tony(Uker)
from left to right (front)
Lisa(American), ME, Jen(Korean American)
This is my last week in London...it's really gone by fast...here's an account of my bouncing around over the past week...
Sunday August 16th Tony and Sylvia Woodward picked me up at 8:30 am to take me to All Souls Langham in London for the 9:30 service...it was excellent...Hugh Palmer spoke on "The Other Lord's Prayer"...it was not what I was expecting...the Scripture was Matthew 9:35-38...if you go to the All Souls Langham website you can listen to it as the sermons are all on line...Tony is a member of the Operation World Team...he's the one with "crown of glory" in the picture! After the service, my cousin Atul, picked me up and took me to Croydon, where I was able to visit both of my Dad's brothers and families...not all of my cousins but spoke with two on the phone, Arti and Amit...saw Uncle Tao, Aunty Kanta, Sheetal,Aunty Sureka,Uncle Mecho, Atul and family. Atul brought me back to Bulstrode by 11:30pm...it was a long but good day! Atul you ROCK! Love you tonnes but Jesus loves you a zillion tonnes more!
Monday August 17th
Went to chapel and worked all day in the Operation World office, went to an Aerobics class in the evening with my friend Wania, worked out hard, and then to Sainsbury, the local supermarket,picked up some cheese and lovely french wine.
Tuesday August 18th
Ran with Molly at 6:30, went to Chapel prayed for Afghanistan election and Yemen, and then worked til noon at which time, my cousin, Sandhya, came with her son, Rohaan, and my Aunty Davinder. Took them for Thai food at the Thai Rack. We had a lovely time....Rohaan is sooooo cute! Worked for the rest of the day and then went to Wania and Mark's for a BBQ with their home group...a lovely group of brothers and sisters in the Lord! They have been praying for Alysha as well...thank you!
Wednesday August 19th was the hottest day since I arrived a day filled with more work on OW...ran in the am, but didn't make it to Chapel...and picnic lunch consisting of pizza, salad, cherries(including pit spitting contest) with the team in the gardens...after work in the evening went to a conditioning class at Chalfont leisure centre with Jen and Abe...it was a good workout...hard workout...but good. Molly took Wania and I to Slough Tesco for some shopping...I got all the fixins' to prepare an Indian meal for the team on Friday night
Thursday August 20th skipped running but went to Chapel...Traugott shared on the Bamar people in Myanmar...good learning...then off to work we went...Molly and I decided to run to Chalfont leisure centre after work, then do the conditioning class, then eat fish and chips(mmmmmmm good), and then walk home...I then proceeded to chop up a zillion onions in prep to make chicken curry on Friday night...it was a late night...but productive day overall...oh yeah and made a chutney recipe my Aunty Kanta taught me...it's tomatoes, red pepper, onion, green chillies, mint sauce and salt blended together, it's great with pakoras or gatia or matia or whatever you'd like to eat it with, she likes it on toast!
Friday August 21st skipped chapel, which was disappointing as Betty from Canada who is now in Russia shared, heard she did a great job! Sorry I missed out! The team meets on Friday for prayer. Jason uses the time to find out where people are at in their work and then provide some direction, it's an opportunity for the team to share how things are going and then to pray together, I have really enjoyed these times together. The team are moving right along and more people are coming in the near future....Praise God...what an answer to prayer! I have been so encouraged to see God's Faithfulness over the past 3 years to this project...it is definitely His work! I worked til about 3ish and then I disappeared in the kitchen to make chicken curry, vegetable sabzi, raita, roti, rice, chutney, gulabjamans(they were ready made), etc for the team and Andrew K. friend from my last time at Bulstrode, he inherited Jen and my vehicle! Oh yeah and Wania, Mark, Lydia and Daniel came too! Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, and survived my cooking! Thanks Lord for answering my prayers as I browned those onions, that took forever! Good time had by all and I didn't have to do wash up...thanks team!
Aunty Manju(Mom's sister) and Uncle Ashok came to pick me up promptly and off I went to Harpenden, with some chutney in hand to share with them! Had a good evening watching two episodes of BBC's "The Street". Thought provoking English drama series...only 6 shows...worthwhile checking out!
Also enjoyed a glass of Rose and Bendick Ginger chocolate, and some 60's music...very nice night!
Saturday August 22nd Happy Anniversary Dami and Raj in Hamilton,Ontario, oh yeah forgot to mention that I met your friends Phil and Nancy Wood on Thursday and had lunch with them...it was soooooooo sweet! Got a picture too! They were so appreciative of your friendship in their lives and I know you are too! What a blessing for me to meet them...they promised to give you hugs from me when they see you next make sure you get those hugs! Well, I'll bounce back to my day in London after that little jaunt back to Canada...hang in there, the week's almost over...
left Harpenden at 8:30 am to visit Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park, Neel, Miranda, Roo and Leo came too. Had a lovely visit in the park and then went to Neel and Miranda's for a delicious, healthy lunch....it was soooooo pleasant to hang out with them! Then Aunty and Uncle took me back to Bulstrode in time for Uncle Raji(Mom's brother) and Aunty Prem to pick me for a family BBQ at my cousin Sunil's place...lovely time had by all....met loads of people....tooooo many to mention...got home at midnight or so....thanks Aunty Manju, Uncle Ashok, Uncle Raji and Aunty Prem for making my visit so memorable once again! I LOVE YOU soooooo much but JESUS loves you even more! You ROCK!
Sunday August 23rd Tony and Sylvia Woodward back to Bulstrode to pick me up for the late service at All Souls Langham, this time, so I got to sleep in a bit! woohoo! Excellent message on Paul's prayer for the Philippians 1:9-11 by Rico Tice...check it out on their website...all about "Growing in Love", I needed to hear that one! Spent the day wandering the tubes and streets of London...Convent Garden, Green Park, Leicester Square, Piccadily Circus, Baker Street, Marleybone, and then back Gerrards Cross by train...sat with two bloakes, one who spent the day in the Pub watching Football, not too happy that Tottenham Spurs won and the other who spent the day watching England and Australia play cricket...England won! Yup it was a culturally good day in the UK!
Well, it's Tuesday now...didn't run yesterday or today, skipped chapel yesterday, worked all day, did laundry in the evening, skipped running today, OW Team did chapel today it was excellent, then I worked in the office on my own as the team went to Milton Keynes to talk with the Publisher on format for the inside of the new Operation World book! Woohoo! Very exciting! Most exciting part of my day was meeting two faithful servants of God...Noel Gibson, he's in his 80's now and served the Lord in India for many years and Patrick Johnstone, the man God has used to create Operation World...if he didn't obey I wouldn't have the privilege of being here and helping out with the next edition! He just popped in what a pleasant surprise...thank you Lord!
In closing I would like to share this with you, I read it this morning in my Quiet Time...I was very challenged by the Lord through Oswald Chambers once again...My Utmost for His Highest...bouncing off to bed now...will add more pictures at a later date...God bless...signing out a tired tigger...woohoo...
August 25, 2009
Sacrifice and Friendship
I have called you friends . . . —John 15:15
I have called you friends . . . —John 15:15
We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, "I’ll surrender if . . . !" Or we approach it by saying, "I suppose I have to devote my life to God." We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see John 15:13-14 ). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.
Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified Psalm 40:8, "I delight to do Your will, O my God . . . ." He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life (see Hebrews 12:1-2 ).
Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional— for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.
"I have called you friends. . . ." Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.
No comments:
Post a Comment