GETTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT...

...at Gorse Hill Baptist Church Community Fridge.  Darren and I were there early and just got on with the jobs in hand.  I was glad to have gloves to wear as some of the fruit was a little squishy.  However, we didn’t let that bother us but chatted while we were working and soon got the jobs done.

I did ask Darren for permission to use his photograph and he said he was happy - I did tell him it would be zooming all over the world, but he seemed quite unfazed by that!  One of his jobs was to get the coffee percolating - a very important job - especially so that some of the volunteers could have one before we opened.  However, every time I looked around, Darren’s coffee was cold because he said he got so engrossed in what he was doing!

I had some good chats with new people in the café this morning and was delighted to find a different translation app, which did help when I was speaking to a Moroccan lady, who didn’t understand much English.  When I spoke into this app, it immediately translated it to Arabic, but I obviously need to enunciate my words a bit more carefully, because it “heard” some strange things!  I’m hoping she will come to the English classes after Christmas, which will also help her.

One of our regulars who is Polish was telling me how to pronounce certain names of Polish streets in North Swindon, because our town is twinned with the Polish town of Torun, so that was another interesting chat.  

There is lots going on at Gorse Hill Baptist Church in the next couple of weeks - see the Notices in my collage - and it seems unbelievable that Christmas will soon be here.  First of all, it seems to be months away and we think we have plenty of time to do things, then it’s weeks and then WHAM it’s almost here and before we know it, another year will have gone.  I wonder if we will look back and feel grateful because we have been able to help and encourage so many people and also that we have helped the environment by saving so much from going into landfill?  It’s certainly good to hear the regulars now ask us how we are - and I hope that they know that we are interested in their wellbeing.  

There are many who also help behind the scenes, packing the Bags of Hope, delivering them, and then cleaning the bags before they go out to the next family, giving presentations in school assemblies and at the Church and a myriad of other ways.  How much more we get out of life when we decide to help others!

Today, I am so grateful for all I learned from those I met in the Community Café - and even if some of them couldn’t speak much English, their smile said so much! :-) 

“You have not lived today 
     until you have done something 
          for someone who can 
               never repay you.” 
John Bunyan