The In-Between Times

Hello everyone, I pray that you are all well and that you have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrating with your family and friends. I am aware that it is a number of months since I have written a blog post so here is the latest for you!

I titled it "The In-Between Times" because that is very much where I feel at the moment - that time in the calendar when the last year has just finished and the new one is starting up, the first holiday season without Dad, my last few days in the UK before heading back to Nepal, waiting on the "new" that God has for me for this coming year, whatever that may look like. Mum, Rachel and I went on a cruise around the Canary Islands over Christmas which was lovely - being somewhere different and doing something different.

I found that lots of people on the cruise had a motivation for going away over Christmas - so I had a few interesting conversations with different people along those lines. Some had either been recently bereaved, others had a relationship break down or the intensity and stress of Christmas was just too much for them. There are lots of people to talk to on a cruise and no one is in a hurry - Mum refers to these types of situation as "waiting spaces" - like at the bus stop, the doctors' surgery or waiting in a long queue for something. People suddenly have time to chat as the busyness of life momentarily disappears and there is more room for the Holy Spirit to break into conversations.

While we were away, we had fun feeding chipmunks on Fuerteventura, getting dressed up for dinner and going to shows almost every night, wandering the coastlines of different islands, eating paella on Gran Canaria and pasteles de nata in Lisbon. I also had a lot of time to sit and pray, read and journal. The in-between times and places are really important for processing and reflecting. My natural tendency is to just jump from one thing to the next, and it takes discipline to sit and wait on God and His timing. Something that I am continuing to learn and trying to get better at!

I fly back to Nepal on Saturday and the new term at KISC starts again on Monday. I am continuing to teach Grade 2 (Year 3) which is really special as that is the year group that I taught 13 years ago when I started out teaching. My students this year are full of enthusiasm for God, life and learning and we have a lot of fun together! There are still a number of staff vacancies - please join with us in praying that God brings the teachers and leaders that He has to fill those roles. Specifically, please pray for a new Director and Head of Secondary.

This photo was taken from "Cultural Day" on the last day of term before Christmas. If you look closely, you can see the Himalayas peeking out in the background! I am wearing a skirt I had made in Ghana back in 2009 when I was in Accra for a few weeks with a team helping to build a school and do various ministry bits and pieces. We have many many different cultures represented at KISC but no African nations currently.

My final "In-between Times" thought is that we are living in the now and the not yet - the in-between times of Jesus being born and Jesus coming again to make everything new. My entire life is an "in-between" as I live in between Heaven and Earth - praying that God's Kingdom will come and His Will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Sometimes I see it very vividly and sometimes I don't. A friend shared this song with me called "Home" and I have been listening to it on repeat over the last few months. I pray that you are blessed by it.

Thank you for continuing to stand with me, journey with me and pray for and encourage me, particularly over this incredibly difficult time that we have faced as a family.

If you feel led to financially support me so that I can continue my voluntary teaching in Nepal and sharing the goodness of who God is with the students from many nations that He puts in front of me - then please see below:

Hannah's Stewardship Account

 or  Miss H L Stewart, account number: 00398628 Sort code: 11-08-62