Saved my bacon

I came across this piece of writing from January 6th - unfortunately I cannot remember which year but it is quite a long time ago and thought I would share the thoughts I had then on hearing a prophetic word I had given to our church about people clearing their diaries for three months to let God set the agenda.

Gobsmacked and terrified, those were my emotions on hearing my prophesy read by Andy. To hear Andy speak the words with such authority made it difficult for me to comprehend that I had actually had a part to play in the writing of those words. To then hear Andy preach from those words were just utterly devastating. I felt in total shock the whole evening. I knew that my prophecy had made some impact on the elders, and I can see some of the far reaching implications of the prophecy but I don't think I really had understood. The prophecy was born out of anguish, I knew what the prophet meant by the non-utterance of a prophecy causing bones to ache, but once given my duty was complete. To then hear those words read back to me numbed me. It reminds me of my favourite song "Beyond these shore". I sang those words to myself before I set off to lead the 3-4's at the Event (a camp and conference organised by Pioneer) knowing that I would never be the same, but then I was conscious of me setting off in the direction that God wanted me to go, not quite sure where it would lead but knowing the direction to go. Sunday night I recall thinking "who put the boat out", I felt at sea without remembering even getting into the boat. I also felt that I did not know which direction I was going or where to. Yet sometimes I feel I do know where I'm going but the summit is too high, I feel like someone who keeps their head down looking at the path because to look up is to see how far and how high to go.

Some things change a lot and some things never change. I feel at the moment like I am looking down at the path just so I can see it, as the path is now rather foggy and I can't see it and the summit is impossible to see- or can I? I have begun to wonder that over the weekend as we talked with others and what we are or rather are not doing , here in Latvia. It has been great to meet with others who have a heart for this nation we now live in or are from this nation and now live in the UK. What crystallised out for me is that Ian and I have a heart for churches working together, for people to feel encouraged and to be courageous in their faith. To see those things happen we are to meet people and eat with them, I think it is so simple it was being overlooked. No grand plan, no set agendas but just meeting people where they are and letting them talk about their hopes and fears and their dreams. Helping them to dare hope that the great Creator of plans had them in mind when he was drawing up those plans and to maybe caution a few who were running ahead of where God wants them at the moment.

This week has also been a week of preparation for a camp where I will be teaching English for a private Russian speaking school. This will be a little different to what I normally do, for one I get paid - that will be a novelty in itself. It is also not a Christian camp although it is being run at a Christian Centre called Gančauskas near Sigulda. I have been to Gančauskas many times before and it is the first place we went to when we came to Latvia in the year 2000 for the first time. So it will be in many ways the same but different - odd how some things turn out!

When we came back we drove to the shop to pick up some bread and milk from our favourite supermarket here in Ērgļi, only to find that while we had been away it had had a fire. Fires are common here as there is a lot of aluminium wiring which burns easily and lots of overloaded systems. We are praying that it was successful enough to be re-opened as the other supermarket here is not so good and doesn't have the range of stock that Elvi had.

So what is the title all about I hear you ask? (Or maybe I didn't but I will tell you anyway). My Mum sent me a link to a website for a new magazine called Home Farmer and it had a blog where the editor explained how to make a passable bacon - something we haven't been able to get since we went to Denmark. Even in Denmark the home of the Danish bacon common throughout England would not yield up anything like English bacon, the Danes send all the good stuff to England!!!!!!! There was always streaky bacon in Denmark and America but it just wasn't the same. The only time I got some reasonable back bacon was some small packets imported from Cornwall as a special and only available twice during our three years in Denmark. The brilliant thing is that the bacon is also lower in salt than the shop bought stuff and no nitrates and although it doesn't last as long, at least it tastes like bacon with the right kind of texture; now all we have to do is find a way to cut the slices thinner. If you are a budding home farmer, interested in saving some pennies or just love reading about homely topics (for my American friends this does not mean plain or ugly in English but something comforting, a homely place is a place where you can feel comfortable kicking off your shoes and just relaxing) then the Home Farmer site maybe of interest to you.

On our way home from a town called Smiltene we stopped to take some photos of a field of Lupins it was just such an amazing sight. Latvia is definitely a colourful place to be at the moment with patches of buttercups and cow parsley amongst the ripening barley fields.