Hellos and Goodbyes

So lovely to meet Uncle Rick and Aunty Ruth this evening. Have been absolutely spoiled by the amazing food and hospitality I’ve received lately!

It’s something that is big on Jesus’s heart. Nearly everytime we encounter Jesus in Luke, He seems to be coming from, going to, or at a meal! I love that God came to earth to seek and save the lost, and that He came eating and drinking. The New Testament word I think is “xenophilia”...the love and embrace of a stranger. Interesting that “hospitality” is so close to the word “hospital”. I don’t know the roots of these words, but there is such a connection between being welcomed and being healed.

And so lovely to spend one last evening with Paul’s parents before they head back to Portugal. It’s a sad thought, that I won’t be seeing them again for a while. But I am very thankful to have had the time I’ve had with them...it’s more than I would have had if the world had been more predictable!

Gratefuls:

- More time with God in the car. There’s something about driving...you can’t be anywhere else, or doing anything else, or feeling like you should be somewhere else doing something else. I find it a really helpful place just to be present with Him, not as hurried or distracted as usual.
- Meeting Lokyee (my sister’s new flatmate from September), what a lovely girl!
- Hearing from my friend Sarah, that she’s doing well. I feel so much joy and relief to know that, she’s been through a lot this year. That’s a big answer to prayer.
- The sun!!!
- Toothbrushes and toothpaste, I take them for granted, but life is so much better with them.
- A sermon on Philippians 4v4, on “rejoicing in the Lord”. Father help me not to forget what I have, in a relationship with You. Help me to always delight in You. Let my wonder in that truth not grow weary but be fresh each morning, like I’m celebrating it for the first time all over again. You are better than life itself. And I will always have You, so there is always so much reason for joy.