Categories: uncategorized
Date: 25 March 2007 21:32:21
We've had a great weekend.
Friday evening was spent in the company of my mate Dodgy Bloke. Why this name? Well, he is definitely a dodgy geezer. Do you remember the Paul Whitehouse character from the Fast Show? He was a little bit - eeeee and a little bit eerrrrrr and you wouldn't trust him with your car keys. Well Dodgy is a little like that but has many redeeming features that out weigh that side of himself. You can't help loving the guy. For all his faults he just has this honesty and loyalty that you can't help but find endearing. Whatever he gets up too he is always loyal to his friends and would never do anything to hurt them.
I hadn't seen him for almost 2 years and FW had never met him. We got to see his youngest daughter as well. It turns out that she has become a church attender and is taking to this with great enthusiasm. She attends three times every Sunday and goes to two midweek meetings as well. Dodgy Bloke is stunned at this, as is Mrs Dodgy.
She tells the story of the 10,000 tea bags that fell off her dad's lorry. Now Dodgy drinks lager, as we drink tea and coffee, and the rest of the family drink very little tea as well. They therefore thought it a good idea to give them to the church. Unfortunately the youngest had to lie when asked where they came from and say that her dad's employers gave them to their employees regularly.
On Saturday we had a quiet day doing very little. We had lunch in a cafe near our old flat and then had Best Man round in the evening. He provided us with a great Germanic treat - salami, rye bread and Emmental cheese. I used to eat this quite regularly but hadn't had it since we got married. Washed down with Wheat Beer is a great treat. Plus it fills you up quickly as well.
We had a great evening catching up and hearing how he's been selling his soul - he's had a Sacha Baron Cohen booked published (mainly for the US market), that he's describes as something that rakes in some shekels but is devoid of real artistic merit; he's also contributed the writing to a coffee table book about India that he is far more pleased about.
This morning we attended chapel no. 2 on our shortlist. This comprises of an elderly congregation - we were the youngest by a good 20 years - but we had a really good valley's welcome. Everyone in the congregation wanted to know about us and what we were there for. They were really pleased that we'd even considered going there.
We did have a smile when we were told that the pew we were sat in was actually the seat used by one of their deacons, who'd sat there since he was a child. Unfortunately he was in hospital so we were perfectly safe this week.
Oh Dad, Barbara Weaver told us to say hello!
Then today was the last day with our Youth group. After 18 months together, and a further 9 months on my own, we called it a day. We had a little bit of a party and we thanked them for the enjoyment they'd given us. It is this part of the Chapel that we're really going to miss most of all.
During our time in our new home we've heard constant mention of a man from Cardiff who wants to set up an outreach on the estate we live on. I heard about this at a small chapel that a friend preached at a few months ago. Then FW was told on a visit to the local Christian bookshop. Last week at Nodfa and this week at High Street we were told the same. They guy is especially interested in youthwork.
We think that God is giving us a little hint here.....