Getting Harder - Getting Better

We were down to three of us this evening, colds and sore throats took their toll on the rest of our team and I found myself disappointed and a bit annoyed that I was perfectly healthy :o). My only faint excuse was hardly good enough - 'Lord' I prayed, 'I'd rather be tucked up in bed'. A week of Christian seminar/training would put a dent in most people's constitution and I'm an old bloke now - I feel the cold, especially in my feet :o)

After half an hour of chat and prayer, ever-enthusiastic George said, 'let's go'. My heart sunk and we walked up to Alexandra Gardens to the car park and, result!, there was nobody there - time to go home to the warm. But no, Mary said let's pray around the area. So we wondered up to the church, prayed around there and walked back past the car park. 'That's the roar of young people', George said. And he wasn't wrong. On the other side of the car park by The Vyne, there were a half dozen or so of our younger boys and girls. 

One, lets call her Haley, about 4'6" and with a cigarette on the go, says she's been visiting hospital because of a leg problem and was happy for George to pray for her. The lads were really keen to get hold of some of George's £20 notes - they look like £20 notes but they're really Christian tracts. At first we didn't know why the boys were so keen to get their hands on them until an unsuspecting lady wondered past, bent over and picked one up off the floor, (we hadn't seen it being dropped), putting it into her handbag - which of course caused great hilarity amongst the boys. There were some good conversations with the boys as well. They were really open, keen to chat and were very good company. 

I've been asked by Woking BC to find a young person to put their name to a funding application for lighting the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA). Now the boys want nothing more than this, but they're naturally reticent to stick their heads above the parapet. One lad, let's call him Tim, eventually said he'd do it but, he says, his writing and reading isn't that great, so we've said we'll lend him a hand. We have to keep in mind though that it's important that he uses his own words to explain how lighting would benefit him and other young people. 

We've known Tim a long while now. He was one of the first lads we met when we started visiting Alexandra Gardens. This evening he stepped away from his mates for a while and chatted to us about God. He's a 'science man' and his biggest problem is understanding who made God. Big question that one (if you find it hard to accept God's timelessness), especially bearing in mind that much of mankind is confused about who made us and believes we evolved from starfish. I asked Tim if he believed that too. After a couple of seconds he pointed out that it was unlikely as starfish have the ability to regenerate lost legs and we don't. Not bad for a lad who finds reading and writing difficult.

Finishing off at the end of the evening the three of us reflected on a great time out. The harder it is, the better it gets. But come next Monday, I'll still be thinking I wish I had a cold - unless I catch one between then and now, in which case no doubt I'll wish I could be going out with the others. But then, I'm only human.

Much love

John