Memoirs of a Skinny Welshman

Day 2 : Passion for the Children

It was great to end the evening last night with a skype call to Rebekah, who was busy working back in the UK and couldn't come on this trip.   Apparently I woke Gareth Killa (Who I share a room with) up this morning, with a most peculiar high pitched snore.  Of course I denied it as I didn't hear it myself.

Paying VAT on TAX.....

I was recently on holiday, when I started to discuss the raising fuel prices in the UK.  In dawned on us both that with the UK government taking 60% of the cost of fuel as Tax, around 60% of the VAT we therefore pay is VAT on Tax.  Do you think that's fair ?

Chennai

Never having been one to turn down the opportunity to travel, it has been great these last six days to be in Chennai (Formerly Madras), India.

Being picked up at 4am by my good friend Paul Gnanarajan, it didn't take long to realise this was going to be an experience and a half !!

We drove out of the airport and the car and bike horns started from there....

New York, New York....

Having spent a couple of weeks in Florida, speaking in a church, meeting up with friends and having a family holiday, I finally headed upto New York for a one day meeting of Interprayer.

The city is the kind of place you get really excited to be visiting, then about 35 minutes later, a crazed frustration starts to take hold, and then upon leaving you miss the place like crazy.  It's the strongest location drug imaginable.

I stayed with good friends Meredith and Jim, who finally took me to see the Dead Poet Pub, which I must say ha some great regulars, the stories and new friendships were awesome.  Meeting Ayle, who just came back from Ghana, was great, seeing someone light up when talking about helping street kids, and then giving up her time to visit a country alien to our western perceptions, yet still determined to get involved - hats off to ya!!

The following days meeting was in Kings College, within the Empire State Building (what a great location for our meeting).  We were having a working group meeting to develop the work of Interprayer a group totally dedicated to see spiritual and physical transformation of people, places and nations.  It's quite a group, with lots of experience, so the conversation was as usual, excellent.

Then flying back to Orlando via Washington, to return the rental car, pickup my luggage only to get back to the airport, to fly to London, via Washington (yes I did say that again).  We're stuck in the airport right now, due to the loudest thunderstorm I've ever experienced, which it seems has forced me to loose my connection home, so it's likely to be a night in DC, followed prayerfully by a day flight to Heathrow tommorrow.

But hey, I'm not stressed, I have a brilliant trip, having quality time with my family Theresa, Wayne, Kelly & Arran, it's just been brill - they even got me wet on a rollercoaster - what can I say.

Will post soon.  Blessings, Carl.

Finger Holiday

I find myself again this week returning to Ashburnham Place, a great retreat centre near Hastings in the South East of England.  This time the Interprayer Partnership is meeting together as well as people coming in from all around the world that have been mentored in some way by Brian Mills (The Grand daddy of much of the prayer movement in Britain).

So it's a week without email, mobile phones or internet access, and I'm praying that I won't have withdrawal symptoms too much.   The last time I went I felt like someone had cut my fingers off, as about 50% of all my communication is usually typed.   My fingers are officially on holiday (they typed that not me!).

Is fun dependent on how much you spend ?

Back from the wilds of Alton Towers after a world wind tour of the park.  I hadn't been there for about 15 years and can remember precisely what happened that trip, how I felt, the excitement etc. and could very much see an even greater sense of excitement in Kelly (15) and Aaran (11).  They had a brilliant time.  I spent this occassion though looking at the crowds, and considering the fact that these days fun seems to be directly linked to how much money you spend.

Now don't get me wrong, so long as the kids enjoyed themselves that was the goal of the day, but I left the park on the long walk to the car, thinking my goodness between us we've spent more in a day for a laugh, than many people earn in a year in other parts of the world.

Wonderful France

Having three wonderful days with friends in France rounds off a great summer.  Inspite of the brain drain of the life audit proceeding at a pace, it was great to be in Nimes for a few days, sleeping, sight seeing and getting to know friends at a deeper level in person than you can ever do over the phone or through Skype - it was great.

Yesterday we visited the home of the leader of the Huguenot protestant resistenace, an amazing story of how under incredible pressure, inspite of enslavement, persecution and death, the Holy Spirit thrived through these people.

More on this later, as I have to catch a plane.

Life in an Airport

I used to think that going to the airport was so exciting.  I woke up last night in a hotel in London with one of those panic moments where I couldn't exactly remember where I was.  Then I slowly retraced my steps over the past month or so, to realise I was actually in London, on my way to France.

There is a positive though, travel really improves your prayer life, as there's no disctractions, just quite long periods of time, where it's Jesus and you.  You get to talk through all the interactions, prayer for all the people you've met and the projects your involved with.  So apart from the fatigue and disorientation, the redeeming feature is a deeper relationship with God.

Everything that has a downside, has an upside on the other side - work that one out !!

Extending Friendship

Coming to a city like Washintgon DC, which has true global influence, makes you wonder the types of meetings that go on beyond closed doors.  When visiting restuarants like 'The Monicle' or the 'Everett Grill' you also wonder how many deals have been made over the dinner table.

It's a hard life in Connecticut

Arriving at the home of Barbara & Gerry Lachance in Connecticut on Thursday, my body immediately tried to unwind.  Interprayer was the nature of the visit and I must say, we have just had the most  delightful time.

I'm not sure if it was the company, from USA, Switzerland, Malawi (Via Germany) and good old Wales, or was it the food, (fantastic Barbara), or was is the discussion and prayer times (awesome), or was it the location ? - what ever it was - it was brill.