well January was busy.....

This month has been a weird and busy one.

Obviously, as you know, I started a new job in Anfield (Liverpool) but on top of that Ive had a house to get sorted, football to go and watch, and a life to lead.

My job has started and seems to have never stopped. Basicaly I have been getting to know the area and the young people of the area, working with them to make plans for a youth programme, suggesting the programme to the leaders of the church and the agency, re-writting the youth programme after heated discusions about some of the programmes (mainly to do with timings), working on the streets to get to know the local youths who do not attend current activities, and finally making plans to launch the programme (which starts next week). Ive done all this and more this month but you get the picture.

Theres been frustrations and theres been joy and excitement, and I am 100% convinced I have made the right decisions in moving here and doing this job and am pleased with how this month has gone.

House wise the gas situation finally got sorted on the 9th of December, although the issue never seems to fully disapear - but I wont go into that now. The house is half way to being home. I finally put my bed together and so am no longer sleeping on my sofa. every room still looks messy as I basicaly have no time to get my teeth into sorting it out, which is very annoying as I want to start inviting people round and turning it into a proper home - but I'l get there eventually.

Ive been to 4 liverpool matches since I moved here, so that has been good, even tho liverpool are not exactly playing brilliantly at the moment.

Spiritually its a bit weird at the moment, church is great, the 2 hour services go quicker than any of the 1 hour services Ive been to recently and the pastor is an amazing man who speaks real sense both spiritually and in other parts of life.

Ive also been rewarded by God for taking the risk of following his path and taking a pay cut to change jobs. Basicaly when my grandad died last year he left my dad some money and after Christmas my dad told me and my brother and sister he was giving us £1000 each from Grandads money for us to use to have fun in his memory. I then recieved £600 back from British gas for overpaying bills, £210 back from the council for overpaying council tax, my landlord has said I would have the whole of January rent free and so saved £375 and there was one or two other small amounts of money which have arrived unexpectably. This all adds up to about £2200 and when put together with rent savings of £100 a month it meens my pay £3000 a year pay cut has been completely payed off. Thank You God!

So why did I say things spiritually have been weird? Well I'm struggling to get my head around some issues from my past which will effect my future and still sometimes start thinking about how I am 27, single, living alone, still isolated sometimes etc and sometimes this makes me resent the fact God has called me to be doing the work I do. But thats only some times so dont let that fool you, I definitly feel closer to God than I have done for a while.

Other issues I have at the moment which no matter how much I tell myself to forget about it wont go away, is things happening at my previous job since I left. Basically I was recently told by someone that since I left my name is mud due to things I did and didnt do whilst I was running the place. I dont pretend I ran the place perfectly and I know I made mistakes but it worries and annoys me that I hear that my succesor has started to go beyond questioning the ways I did things and things I didnt do for whatever reason and has now started basicaly accusing me of lieing about things because shes having more issues in here first couple of months than I did in 3 years. I know it shouldnt bother me but all I have is my reputation and for that to be questioned to the extreme of me being called a liar really hurts, especially as I cant defend myself because they are being done in such a way that in theory I shouldnt find out shes making them.

but anyways.....

Please pray for all of the above, especially about the next 2 weeks which is the biggest challenge Ive had for a while.

Anyways enough about me... hows you? what have I missed?