Omelette

... at last, I got my replacement passport from the British High Commission in Lusaka 2 weeks ago, only to be told by the Zambian Immigration office that I had been rejected for my work permit.

After a rather stressful week and interesting interactions with a immigration officer who got me the necessary paperwork to leave the country.....

Here I am sitting in my friends lounge in rainy Bedford, England, wondering how I got here and what the next few months might look like. People have been so lovely offering spare rooms galore, meals, space to be and talk and taking me shopping (I have dropped 4 dress sizes! Yeah!).
In the middle of chaos and things not being either in my control or in my plan, one can be left wondering... WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!

I know it's not just me, life is all too often unpredictable and throws all sorts of challenges and things at us that we have no idea of how we are going to get through.
Nearly 2 years ago my brother came up to visit for the weekend, we went for a walk on a sunny Sunday afternoon and he sat me down on a park bench and told me he thought he may have cancer.




The next year was full of hospital waiting rooms, a very sick bro on my sofa and much hand holding as he went through chemo.

It was hard.

Without friends praying, talking and helping practically, I'm not sure how we would have coped.

The thing is we did.

He had 4th stage cancer, that's the variety you don't wanna get, it was in his neck, opposite shoulder and liver.  He now has no cancer, we believe Jesus healed him.

Having gone through that and seeing how he is really thriving in his new life up here in Bedford, (I mean the guy is really loving life), we met up this week and reflected on the past 2 years and I have to say, 

I don't know how it happened, but 

going through that unpredictable, pain filled darkness has produced so much beauty.  

 I gives me hope that even when I don't see the path ahead, I know my heavenly Dad is holding my hand and has a plan that is far better than what I could have come up with.  The trick is to keep holding on to that hand.

Just before I left Zambia I was talking to God one morning and heard Him say
"if life throws eggs at you, make an omelette"

So, here is to eating omelette for the next few months, in England.
Let the new adventures and fullness of life roll.

Whats in a word?

My friend was teaching this weekend in English, her second language and accidently said
"Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a dongle, I mean donkey".
Apart from being funny, it got me thinking about communication and words a bit.

Tim and Gemma, my fellow brits, are back and there are so many phrases i havent used for 4 months that sound funny now Im hearing them again.
Things like,

• she got herself in a real pickle - (did she? really?a jar of branston or inside a gherkin?)
•  Putting your shoes and socks on (hopefully not in that order?)
• Its my pet peeve (your pet what? i have a pet dog) 

and my favourite

• its not really my cup of tea.

Ah the joys of living in a 3 language community.