In the blink of an eye..

Dear friends, dear prayer warriors, dear adventurers, dear kingdom-shakers,

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the ways you have loved me, prayed for me, supported me and carried me through what has been some of the most precious and wonderful months I could have ever imagined. More than I could have dared to hope or dream.. I'm just in shock (and probably denial) that it's all over so fast! In the blink of an eye.

Over the coming days I will share stories, photos and give more detail about what's happened in the 2 months since I left Kona. Stay tuned for more blog posts once I've slept and oriented myself a little/worked out which country I'm in! :-)

For now.. I just want to let you know that I'm still alive and I'm safely back in the UK and that my base for the next few months will be in Reading with my family and at Kings Church Wokingham. I will undoubtedly be spending time in Bury too, but I will not be living there - I will continue to rent my little Out Westgate house out and will be doing substitute teaching work in the Berkshire area and connecting with my family and community here during this season.

Please continue to pray for me through the transition and also as I seek God for what He has for me over the coming weeks/months/years. He is stirring really exciting things in my spirit which I will share with you as they continue to unfold. I don't think I was ever particularly "ordinary" but I am certainly now ruined for any kind of ordinary that may have been lingering!

The photo below is of our Crossroads Kona DTS 2018 class. We've graduated! We've made it! Words cannot express how much I love these people and what a debt of love and gratitude I have towards them. This is a group of world changers - mighty men and women of God and I am undone that I got to do life with them on such a deep level over the last 5 months. All of them: staff, students, kids.. have inspired, humbled, challenged me, pushed me on in my faith and have rocked my world!

For most of the journey home today I had "Find Me" by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser whirring round and round in my head. Here are the lyrics - read them, meditate on them, let them take you straight to the heart of the Father.

I fall down upon the ground

Press my face against the earth

Till my heart it rises over my head.

As the wheat it bows down low

When the autumn wind blows

I kneel before the One I love.

Find me grateful

Find me thankful

Find me on my knees.

Find me dreaming

Find me singing

Find me lost in Your grace.

Like the dust that You first held

In a garden where You knelt

Pull me up against Your face again.

Till the breath of Your hope

Fill the depths of my soul

Till all I know is I've been found by love.