Homecoming

Sniff, sniff. I booked my ticket to come home yesterday! I'll be arriving early on the 17th June 2008 at Heathrow, and it all seems too soon! Granted, it will be another 5 months before I even pack my bags, which means I'm not even halfway yet, but still it feels like there's so much that I want to stay for. The church is still in its infancy, with this year promising to be a lot different from last year, and next year a lot different from this one. I'm really enjoying being a part of this church, being in Durban, continuing to learn new things and meet new people, etc. I would still love to go back to Zim for a bit, go to Jo'burg, spend some time with the churches in the Cape that are a lot more established than Hope, and so doing a lot of very cool projects, and just generally do life here.

Nonetheless I am coming back home, even though this place really feels like home to me too. I'm sure I'll be making a point to collaborate with my new friends here, to have them come over to the UK as and when, to organise teams to come and serve out here while they learn, etc. I want to take back so much stuff with me, but realise a lot of it can't be exported. Trying to think of some of what I want to really, really keep, and I think it can only be described as atmosphere. There's just a different feel about this place to London. People are different, the climate is different and obviously less gloomy, there's more interaction, it's got room to breathe. There's such an amazing depth of community here in the church too with almost everyone a part of everyone else's life. I know as a church gets big that gets lost somewhat, but we've got a lot of people and it's still going. I guess it's not true that everyone knows everyone, but there is a core of probably 40-50 people who all know one another. It's great to have a large group of friends who are all friends with one another, especially across the cultures and ages we've got here. In SA particularly it's a great accomplishment.

Anyway, enough premature nostalgia. Coming back to England I'm gonna need a job and a place to live. I'm looking at teaching regarding the first one, and not sure about the second one. These are two things you can pray for. Also, if I teach I won't start until Sept, which means I'll have a long "off" period. It'd be good to get some cash doing wedding photography, so keep your ears open for me, huh, folks?

Wishing I could be in two places at once


Andrew