Autumn

It is a beautiful day on the south coast of England and it is the last week of term. In a world of increasing hopelessness and confusion, I am so thankful to know and trust in a God who stays the same and is utterly reliable.

Autumn is my favourite season of the year, I love the changing colours of the trees, the crisp and fresh air, the snuggly blankets, thick scarves and woolly socks.

I am still living in Stubbington, in between Portsmouth and Southampton with my friend and colleague, Karen, and we are both living on Nepal time (i.e. getting up at 2:15 every morning and going to bed around 6 in the evening UK time) in order that we can teach live on Zoom in Kathmandu and be available for our students during their working hours.

On an average Zoom lesson, I have Nepal, South Korea, Uganda, the US and the UK calling in! That's 4 different continents! Isn't technology amazing?! I am so grateful for how easy communication is and that I can continue teaching despite the fact that we are dispersed around the world.

Here are some fun things about living on a different time zone from the country I'm in:

- The sun doesn't rise until 11:30am (and when the hour changes, it won't rise until lunchtime or later!)

- On Sunday I slept in until 9am, drove to the New Forest, watched the sunrise, had lunch, drove back from the New Forest, did the laundry and made it back on time for Church online at 10:30am 😊

- Often we cycle to the beach in the afternoons (around 4pm) and people are still saying "Good morning!" as we cycle past.

- Because the nights are drawing in now in the UK, I'm going to bed when it's dark which I am really glad about because that wasn't happening in June!

- I can sleep in on a weekend, drive for 1h15m to visit my parents and be there in time for breakfast with them.

- On a Zoom call with my class last week, I took the laptop outside to show them Mars! It was so bright and, of course, still pitch black outside.

- It feels like some bizarre secret that we are living on a different time.. like being in a parallel universe!

Something else that has brought me a great deal of joy over the last few weeks are these books, written by Lynn Austin. She writes Biblical fiction and it really opens up some of the perhaps more obscure parts of the Bible. They are extremely readable and hard to put down! In this particular trilogy, the first book "Return to Me" follows the story of Zechariah, the second "Keeper of the Covenant", Ezra and the third "On this Foundation", Nehemiah. Definitely worth a read! They are also available in audiobook form.

I have also had the joy of being able to invest much more in Kings Church as a result of church being online. This enables me to serve and fully participate via Zoom in a way that I had never imagined. In fact, I feel more a part of my home church than I have been for many years! If you are looking for a church community to be a part of, then let me know and I will get the Zoom details to you.

In the summer, as I asked God how He wanted me to spend my time (in lieu of travelling and hanging out with my friends around the world!), He asked me to record myself worshipping. This was somewhat of a strange and vulnerable thing to do, but now I am able to lead worship in church in this way and use it to bless the students that I teach.

Some prayer requests:

- Please keep Nepal and KISC in your prayers through the virus and various levels of lockdown. Pray for those living in poverty who have no income, no food, no hope.

- For me to keep my eyes and ears attuned to what God is saying and doing in this time.

- For Kings Church as we continue to navigate online and bring the hope of Jesus into our communities (albeit virtual communities).

- For God to provide a way for me to return to Nepal at the right time. I long to be with my class and my colleagues in person!

- But in the meantime, that I will steward the students that God has given me well and love, encourage and cherish them, even though I can't physically be with them.

Blessings to you all. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.

With love,

Hannah