Blog's are like Buses

Hi All,

I was sitting there thinking that blogs are like buses.  You wait and wait for them and then three come along at the same time.  My work is raised to frantic worry proportions; in my mind; now and therefore there is no way I will get round to doing a blog tomorrow.  So here is tomorrows blog today.

I think that makes Blog output from the Fawkes household topped out.  I really do wonder what all those people who've finished exams are really doing with their time.  lol.  I feel I cannot let Joe's comment about age pass without mention.  Thank you kindly Joe for reminding me that I'm old enough to be a Dad.  I think that you will find you have huge connections with Jake on the trip if you continue along this line of discussion.

Ok to Thailand prep.  50% packed, laminated passport done, consent forms drafted and left with Jane to complete all the allergies I certainly couldn't be trusted to remember.  Joe's comments again were helpful here, must sort out those medicines required in foreign parts.  I'm sure Jane will be fully sorted for the second two weeks, but the first week on my own, I think I'll need to be more prepared.

Practically in terms of reflections I really have not had much time to think.  I am excited to be going away with the group and have been looking forward to experiencing the culture of Thailand.  Not really nervous so much this week.  I think there come a point when you can't do any more planning and you just have to get on and do some more doing.  It was great to see Jill at the BBQ and amazing that so many miles away we can be in such close contact.

Anyway thought for the day "Packing", it's never too early to start and a list is always better than ending up without something vital when you are in Thailand.  That being said you are certain to forget something.  Your attitude to that should be, it can't have been that important otherwise I would have remembered it.  Obviously this doesn't apply to passports!!!!!!!

All the best

Pete

Getting in Early

Hi All,

OK I'm next on the assigned list to Blog so officially I shouldn't be doing this until tomorrow, but ever keen and enthusiastic and extremely short of time tomorrow here I go.

I am now officially on countdown to Thailand last night I did my second triathlon and somehow in my head that was always the watershed point between just getting stuff sorted out and the trip proper. I did fine thanks for asking, and felt it went much better than the last one. I guess there is something in doing something for the first time which is always uneasy, the second time I think you feel more confident in what you'll encounter. That was certainly the case for me yesterday and I think that is perhaps something we should all remember on our trip to Thailand. I have never been there before as most of us haven't so we should all remember that an uneasy feelings therefore is really normal. In that way we are all lucky to have Jill and Simon and a number of others who have had the experience of Thailand in particular or trip travel in general to help us along the way.

I have a question. Is intending to pack packing or not? We have our cases out at home and my floor is filled with a stuff that I pulled out from my wardrobe on Friday night last week. But that is as far as I've got. That must count for something eh! I think the emotional energy that goes with having those sorts of things hanging around should definitely be credited as packing!

I met with my boss from work today, he has just come back from 3 weeks helping Wateraid in Bangladesh and really enjoyed the experience. I met with him specifically to get his perspective on what he saw out there and him being also a person of generous years I wanted to get some advice on how he approached it. I was really glad I did and as he spoke it was amazing how the things he said resonated so much with the stuff Alice and Rosie talked about when they returned 3 years ago. He described a shock at the state of living and yet a recognition that despite the circumstance some of the joy and happiness he observed far exceeded that that he had generally seem amongst people young and old in the west. It made me reflect that despite all our comforts do we sometimes miss the human contact and interaction with one another for which God designed us. Something of what I had hoped to get from this trip was a resetting of my priorities / perspectives.

The final bit of advice he gave I also thought was worth passing along. He said so into it with a truly open mind, don't go there trying to save the world and don't carry too much guilt about circumstance. He said that he had come back with great feelings of waste and disillusionment with how we lived, but having had time to reflect that too much of that would prevent you encountering the true experience of the trip. Anyway I found those to be good pieces of advice so I thought I'd pass them along.

Examinees, good luck, soon be over now. Finishees well done, best feeling in the world. Life changees I pray for you every day, I'm sure you'll both do great. So 8 days!! Exciting huh!

Count down from 11.

I really enjoyed Emma's blog yesterday. I find when I think about the Thailand trip delivering a sermon translated into Thai that is the thing that generates the nervousness then Emma raised. It's not that I feel I got nothing to say or that I don't know God speaks to me. It is just that Thailand seems such a different country.

Anyway to matters less lofty. Although I'm really keen on Thailand I still have a whole load of stuff to do before we go away. First a meeting Tuesday then I have a triathlon on Wednesday night. I have a church awayday on Saturday and then our Service and BBQ on Sunday. Jane and I are hoping to sell our old house on the 30th and there is still cleaning to be done there. Oh yes and there is that little matter of sorting 5 weeks worth of work cover in the next 11 days!!

Wow 11 days now that brings things into focus. We have been planning and discussing this trip for over a year. Despite the fact that Will and Ali are constantly ribbing for even going to Thailand (I was very vocal about the previous trip so that ribbing is entirely appropriate). I am looking forward to the trip, but not without some trepidation.

Basically though I think it will be great. Jill new project idea to build toilets and washrooms in an orphanage seems like a good addition to the time out there and it fits really well with the 'practical helping' we discussed at our time together. I hope that all the elements of the program work really well together. We have certainly have tried our best to arrange a good trip, but I have been really surprised at the amount of work that it has needed. But then as I read once nothing that is really worth something doesn't need some amount of effort.

Anyway I have gone on long enough. My thoughts and prayers to all the people still finishing off their exams. I hope you get all the best questions and do really well.

See you all later

Pete