Dear All,
I can't believe that I am writing this in the final week of this academic year at Redcliffe. There is a sense of sadness as I come to this time as many of my friends are moving on, either back to their homes or on to the mission field, but I know that thanks to the miracle of the internet we can keep in touch as I already do with many of my friends who live around the world.
Studies
In this past term I have completed my Leadership module - complete with exam...and it wasn't quite so bad as I'd expected so thanks for your prayers. I have just finished a module on Spirituality as preparation for a module next term entitled The Art of Christian Soul Care and Companionship which is one that I am really looking forward to.
At the moment I am back working on my dissertation. I have quite a lot of reading to do and will be conducting my research over the coming weeks. If you, or someone you know of, uses sign language in worship - I'd be really grateful if you'd get in touch so I can send a questionnaire to fill in.
Placement/s
I am also preparing for my two-part placement which begins in the UK immediately after graduation weekend. In part one, I will be working for four weeks with young people who are unable to attend school or need support to attend school. Once that is over I shall have a few weeks with the girls before heading off to Peru for part two. I have been learning Spanish for the past few weeks and was able to take a beginners course at Rebekah and Abigail's school which was really helpful in getting me started. I now can be often found with my mp3 and my starting Spanish books to get as good a grasp on the language as I can before I go. I will be staying in Lima with my friends, Sarah and Paul, who are ex-students from Redcliffe. I will be helping to run a holiday club, working with the Compassion Centre that my friends are linked with and I also hope to visit my sponsor child, Adriana, in Chimbote which is about 300 miles up the coast and will take about 7 hours to get there and another 7 hours to get back - I anticipate this being a tiring day but I can't wait to meet Adriana as we have been sponsoring her for about four years now.
The girls will be staying with my parents and will also get to see other family while I'm away. It will be a whole new experience for all of us as I've never left them for this length of time before and never travelled on my own quite so far either. I am excited, but also a bit apprehensive. I've had to have some injections, which were a bit uncomfortable for a few days, but I'm getting over those now. While I am on placement I will be updating my blog (alwaysheld.blogspot.com), so check for updates to find out what I've been up to!
Art
When I last wrote I shared with you that I have the pleasure of my art being on display at Bristol Baptist College and my new website was up and running (www.mosaicreations.co.uk) Since then I have exhibited my work at Spring Harvest with Veritasse, who also showcase my work for me, had the exciting news that one of my images, Hands, will be used on the front cover of a lectionary-based resources magazine in September and sold quite a few cards and prints. Also, in this final week of term I have been able to share my work with my college friends and have been really encouraged by their comments. However, the most amazing thing that has happened is that I was contacted by a company a couple of months ago who had a client who was very interested in using some of my images as stained glass in a chapel in a children's reform centre in Rochester. Currently these panels are being produced and I will be able to go and visit them once they are installed. I am amazed that my work is being used this way and I hope and pray that it will bless all those who see it there.
Family
On a more personal front I am pleased to be able to share with you that I am now in a relationship with a lovely man called Andy. We'd been friends for a while, having met through Redcliffe, where he volunteers once a week. Things are going really well and the girls get on ok with him.
All the girls are managing really well at school, Rebekah is currently revising for some of her GCSE's and preparing to do her work experience placement. She will be spending a week, in early July, in London working with my brother who is an accountant. Abi is now enjoying school a lot more and Beth had a brilliant time on an adventure holiday a couple of weeks ago, although she did sprain her ankle while abseiling.
Please pray for them as they continue to adjust to all the changes that have come about through the past 18 months. They can find things very difficult at times still.
We are all so grateful for your prayerful support and are so thankful to know that we are prayed for by you all. It would be lovely to hear from you if you have the time - let us know if there is anything that we can pray about for you.
God bless,
Ali, Bex, Abi and Beth
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For those who pray:
Give thanks:
that I was able to cope with the demands of the two modules I have taken this term
that my art is being used by God to bless others
for my new relationship which is a real blessing
Please pray:
for my placement in Gloucester - that I will be able to develop relationships with the children and be a beneficial part of the referral team for the short while I am there
for me as I continue to learn Spanish - that I will be able to communicate as I serve God in all that I do in Peru
for all the preparations for my trip to Peru and the girls' stay in London
for my time on placement
for my journey to Peru and back
that I will learn more about God
that I will be able to share with those I meet on placement about my faith and about God's love through all I do and say - even if it is in poor Spanish!
that I will be able to encourage my friends as I work alongside them
that my meeting with our sponsor child will be a blessing to her and her family
for Rebekah as she takes her exams
for us as we come to the end of another year at Redcliffe and all the changes that this will bring
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