Bonfires and Fireworks

Hello everyone, 

The weeks have effectively melted together, and it's November! 

We are half way done our placement, and the Canadian students are counting down the weeks till they fly home for Christmas. Well, all the Canadians except one. I'm heading off to the Motherland this Christmas! Flights booked and I am thrilled to be spending time with my dutch relatives! I'm already looking forward to the oliebollen at New Years. Lekker.

Speaking of flights, I recently made a decision to go on a class trip to Finland in February. We are learning about sensory integration with children ~ this means a lot of playing games, and activities with the Finnish who apparently have no sense of personal space. For the proper British and reserved Canadians, it should be an experience! 

This past week we celebrated Guy Fawkes day. I don't really know what to think of this holiday. It is essentially remembering the fail of the parliamentary destruction - the gunpowder plot - often commemorated with guy fawkes figurines being burnt in a massive bonfire, to a background of a fireworks display. Interesting. Anyway, it is the most history I've been exposed to to date, so I stored away what reserves I had about the event, and participated like a true local. 

This was how a few of us celebrated Oct. 31. Yes, those are gingerbread men. 

 What happens at Bible Study when it's only the ladies. 

Bonfire Night! Highlights were having 2.5 fresh doughnuts, a giant toffee apple, being in the great outdoors with some new friends.

You never know what you are going to get when you go to town. This was the fair! I give the British credit, they do use space effectively. 

Some days it hits me that I live in England, and this is a normal street view. 

Tiff and I ventured through a nearby church / cemetery. Just for fun we looked at the date of the tombstone. 1852! 

Hi James! This is what it's like to Skype the family back home. People everywhere! Love them, glad nothing has changed!

At the Christian Union last week we were left with some food for thought. "People don't care what you know until they know that you care." How true. Words have a completely meaning depending on who they are coming from and what relationship has been established.

Do we really love people?

 In regards to "christian duty" it was mentioned that you don't talk about a person you love because you feel it is your 'duty', you do it because you love them! 

How do we talk about God?

1 Peter 4:8 

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 

LOVE from across the ocean.