Gorgeous Galya on her 27th Birthday

lovely to see the ol' chicken again, even though we live in the same city we don't get to hang-out to much. But she has some great stories from her work, and all the people she is able to help is amazing- shes getting involved with helping Sudanese refugees intergrate into Israeli society, reuniting men (who were kept in prisons) with their wives and kids (who were placed in a christian shelter in Haifa)...so much on the go- but for those of you reading this in CT, she is flying there this tuesday for two weeks- so be in touch with her!

England's Pastures Green

Flying to the Uk to work, changed into a layover on my way to Israel!! So with very little time in hand i raced around visiting friends in Burford, walking through the graveyard of the Anglican Church, visiting the old homestead on Wysdom Way and having tea with the Longs. I also got see good ol' jo po (who managed to drive to Burford bless her!) who i am happy to say has not changed in essentials- still loves the Lord :) yai
Mr Michael took us on a grand tour of Oxford and some of the Uni's, he's so blessed to study there! (His Library is soo cool- although the floorboards creak and that would drive me crazy!! :) And a visit to the UK would not have been the same if it wasn't for the Zeiglers- it was so nice to see them again, and chat in their garden- still as lovely as ever! ....and thank you sooo much for taking me in!
I went to the Burford Baptist Church where i had grown up, its a lot smaller now, but all the lovely ladies still loyally attend week after week- and it was fantastic to see dear Edith and Gill again, and Jean brought me up to speed on all the 'goings down' with the church's refurbishment and it looks hopeful that the church will have a bigger role in the community in the future which of course would be beneficial for all.
An absolute highlight was taking that bike ride with Felicity through the surrounding villages picking berries at will!!!! Praise the Lord! Deedalee ☺

With the family in Zambia

Being home in July was an amazing time- after a few days in Lusaka with mum and dad i had an oppourtunity to hop a plane down to the bush to chill out with my brothers who were busy with a client. It was magical up in the air, in a small light craft plane bumping up through the atmosphere. Before we landed on the runway in the bush where Hamish had driven to pick me up, (and deposit the client’s wife and son)- we had to circle the runway just to scare off any wildlife or to check out that no big holes had made an appearance since they can be slightly detrimental to a safe touchdown :)

The camp is stunning- a lot of hard work went into the making of it, and it sits alongside a river populated with hippo and even occasionally visited by elephants. There is a great lake close-by where we went and did some fishing- but must of the time I lolled about the camp working on a paper in the morning and when we had to vacate the lunch table at noon I used it as an excuse to put the books away and head to the bar cabinet! I am a Manning that’s for sure ☺

Awesome Jhb Reunion!

You guys are so precious to me, thank you all for your enduring friendships, its such a blessing to know such awesome people!! And thank goodness we made it out alive from billy the bums, now whose idea was it to go there anyway....??



Rach my love i shan't forget the night in that hecticly-posh club in town, whats it called ..? completely forgot, neways, you are an original piece of works who showed that millionaire a thing or two...he still calling :) And josie, i had to repack in the UK in an awful hurry and i left your CD behind (the car-music-hip hop thing) ..soo sad! no worries though i'll get it again when i go back in august...still by then i probably won't like it as much as i LOVED it before :) Wazzieness, chilling with you was a dream come true, it had been too long, thanks so much for flying up from CT to see me- your a sTaR!! Tumi i want to eat your baby!!! sooo amazingly adorable.. keep us posted on your lookout for jobs.

Family!!

it was super great seeing the dode this time round in Jhb, and finally a picture of the family!! its hard to get us all together! :)

New Year...Old life

sadly not much has changed from one day to the next, stepping from dec to jan, i wonder why we always expect it will?

I am sad to have confirmed to myself how people are not brave, and things that should be a joy are hidden for reasons i remain unsure of. I am sad to realise that you can love someone, and that means nothing. that people move on, is important, essential- but that they leave you behind is hard to forgive. at the end of each days journey trust is hard to secure in people, the end result is to follow the words of the Lord, which is not to build your dreams and life in the world but in the Lord- poetical but only partly true. As a human i will continue to interact and move through this existence as i know it, to ask me anything less is folly- now Paul and the others are far from foolish, and perhaps i see this teaching in a warped way- becuase i wish too (asking the question in that way is almost like answering it); but just as i am annoyed by bumping into people who don't live in our world and proclaim the virtures of the Lord as if he had not been among us, so too am i vexed by the sight of those who live only for themselves, God's gift to the street they live on, the town they do their shopping in.

Its not nice to find yourself unchanged at the begining of 'new' year.

ahem, in another news: i recieved an A on my Leviticus paper, i got a 1,100$ scholarship, i live with an angel-Flo, i have an oppourtunity in feb to begin working towards my Phd...and i am complaining- shame on me!! but as one knows, whats going on on the outside, is rarely reflected on the inside.