God keeps us on our toes

Here in the life of Marc and Suz, life has taken some funny turns again. Since I last wrote (April 2011) I have been unemployed, have done temp jobs, and it was a tough few months. I struggled with a lot of questions I had to God of where my life was going, where he was leading me, and why nothing was happening like I thought it would! The point where I started to look up was when I heard a sermon at church from our pastor, and he said that as long as whatever we're doing, wherever we're at, we're doing to the best of our ability, then God is happy with where we're at, and we're in his plan. That helped a lot, and helped me start to pray for the right things. And then somehow, a while later, and out of nowhere, I ended up with a permanent contract at Brantano Footwear, where I work part time. It's going fine, its not really a challenge, but it has ticked a lot of boxes that I was praying for, the main one being stability. In January I found out that I have another part time job that'll start next week, with The Leprosy Mission Scotland, as part of the Vodafone World of Difference programme - we came up with a project, applied to WOD and they selected the 500 charity placements they wanted to pay wages for - I got picked, and so will be working part time for the next 4 months on a project called Wipe Out Leprosy, which is all to do with educating young people about leprosy and the role they can play in wiping out leprosy. It'll be a challenge, but it should be good! I'm excited about it.

Marc's job is going really well. He's been involved in the local primary school, doing RE teaching before last Easter and last Christmas, and he'll be doing some more teaching leading up to this Easter. It makes for long hours, but it's so worthwhile and such a valuable opportunity to teach about Jesus to the children in the school. The young people at church are growing as a group and its good to see.

On top of that we're planning another trip to Children's Vision in Colombia - this time we're taking a team from church - there's 5 of us going, so we're trying to organise fundraisers and do all the necessary planning for getting there!

Also our band, The Project, has been writing a lot of songs recently and we're starting to do some recording - the plan is to do an EP to start getting out music out there, and then we'll hopefully be able to do an album! It's so much fun being creative and worshipping God as a band.

So that's the latest...it's not where I thought we'd be a year ago, but if I do everything I can for God and do it the best I can, and I keep trusting that He knows what's happening, then that's ok with me!

Another review of life

As usual, it's been quite a while since I wrote on here. And life seems to have (almost) gone backwards.

On a positive side, we enjoy Church and Marc's job is going really well. These are both big blessings, and we're very grateful to God for how well that part of life is going! Marc has completed about 8 months as the Youth and Community Worker at Netherauldhoue Evangelical Church and they want to keep him on for several more years. Leading up to Easter he had to plan and teach RE lessons for the P2-P7 classes in the local Primary School. This was about 50 lessons all together, and he had to plan all of them, teach around half, as well as do his normal work. He could teach straightforward gospel, and the teachers were sat in the class so they heard it too. For such a fantastic opportunity he couldn't turn it down, but if they ask in the future, more than 1 weeks notice would be nice! As I said, we enjoy attending the church where Marc works. There is a really great sense of community and fellowship which was missing from the last congregation we were part of, good solid teaching, and plenty opportunities to be involved. We are both involved in the music worship team, I occasionally help with the creche, and theres a bible study home group for people our age we can attend.

I am yet again without a job. My 6 month contract at the GP surgery came to end in March, so since about January I've been applying for any nursing jobs I come across, but nothing positive has happened yet. It's slow and tedious, but I'm hanging on to believing that God has something planned for me....I just (yet again) wish I had a vague idea what it was! So to keep myself busy, I'm doing some cleaning jobs, taking driving lessons (not as often as they're expensive!) and doing paintings. And general life takes over and my weeks fill up pretty quickly sometimes.

We've just spent a lovely few days in the lake District with my family (including my soon-to-be-wed brother and his fiance!) and a collection of people from my parents church and various friends and relatives. There was about 30 of us there, covering all ages from 5 - 75, and the weather was amazing, so we spent most of the time outdoors; walking, sitting and chatting, doing some abseiling, and having a lot of fun!

On May 31st I'm heading back to Colombia for 2 weeks (without Marc this time) to take part in the annual Medical Mission. Medical care is very expensive in Colombia so many people miss out on the opportunity to have their needs cared for. The aim of the Medical Mission is to treat as many people as possible within the 2 weeks, even doing surgery if necesary, and give each person the chance to hear about Jesus. I'm expecting it to be an amazing experience, and I'm expecting to learn tonnes, and I'm expecting to be exhausted! A very kind person sent me money to cover my airfares, along with extra money to donate to the charity, so I haven't had to raise much money this time thankfully. If I manage to sell any paintings most of that money will be donated towards to Medical Mission.

Also coming up is Daniel and Rosanna's wedding on May 21st, so thats very exciting!

So heres a few prayer requests summed up:
Pray for - my job situation and my upcoming trip to Colombia, and that Marcs job will keep going so well, and the stress levels of the bride and groom.
Thanks for - a lovely holiday, Marcs job and a fab church to be part of, and the bride and groom!

Get in touch and let us know how we can pray for you. God bless!

Another catch up

Hello all,

Again, it's been a very long time! And a lot has happened since then.

I started at RBS back in February, and I can assure you it was a blessing, but a long dragged-out difficult and boring sort of blessing! But I survived my 8 months there.

In April it became apparent that we would need to look for a new Church. At the AGM a lot of problems and grumbles were aired from the congregation, and it was better to go separate ways. We did hang around for another few months, but reduced our involvement and started praying about where else God would want us. A couple weeks later we went to check out a church who were advertising a full time youth worker post. We tried to go anonymously, but due to the genuine interest of so many people, we didn't leave anonymously! So after a long application and interview process, Marc was offered and accepted the job at Netherauldhouse Evangelical Church in July, to start in September. We've been there for about a month now, and feel so at home with new friends there that we are so thankful to God for placing us in this church, where we can grow and give, as well as receive (which is a novelty for us!)

In August, when I was thankfuly nearing the end of my job at RBS and had no idea what would come next, a very kind doctor I know offered me 6 months working in his practice, so that I could get some experience as a nurse! So God has blessed us both by giving us jobs in the fields we want to be in. I have so far worked 2 days there, and I've mainly been observing so far, but I know I'm gonna get lots of experience and learn a lot. And to help, its in a beautiful location! This is the view from outside the surgery.

The last 2 weeks of August we led a team of 10 people to work with Children's Vision International, a children's home in Bogota, Colombia. This was my fourth time there and Marc's second. For everyone else in the group, it was their first time. It was amazing experience and we worked hard! Our first day was spent doing the vegetable day, where we had to chop enough vegetables for 200 people for 2 weeks. Then we spent the next day sorting out all the donations we'd taken (plus an extra 20 boxes worth that hadn't been sorted yet), while Marc and the other 2 guys decorated a room...this involved emptying the room and dismantling a bunch of cupboards, taking up the carpet, scraping the ceiling, painting the walls, painting the ceiling, laying a new carpet, and building all the cupboards again! On the Sunday we took a group of kids out for lunch after church, then went to a premiership football game with another group of kids. As of Monday, we spent the next week and a half decorating the ground floor and one of the stair-wells of the younger kids house, the Genesis house. This wasn't an easy job...we had to scrape all the oil paint and plaster that was there before (it was in such a bad condition it just needed to come of), then have the walls re-plastered, then paint them. The scraping itself took about 7 full days of work. By the time it was all decorated though, and we saw the reaction of kids when they saw their beautiful new home, it was all worth it! All in all, the group got on well together (2 weeks in a relatively small house with the same 10 people, working together and spending all free time together can be hard), and we worked well together. It wasn't easy, and we had to pray daily for the strength we needed to get through, physically, emotionally and spiritually. God helped us get there, get on with each other, he helped us get through the tedious work, he helped us get through the language barrier, he gave us love for the kids, and he gave them love for us. Marc and I learnt a lot about leading a team, and we know how we can improve the next time to make it an even better experience for those involved. God was there the whole 2 weeks, and he's still with us now.

So that's been a brief overview of our last 9 months. A lot of happened, God has taught us a lot, and God has remained faithful through it all. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Take care and God bless.

The One With The Long Awaited Job

Hello all,

I realise that its been a long time since we've posted anything on this, so I think it's time for an update! And I'll try not to make this too long...

We've had an interesting few months. God has provided for us in lots of ways, and shown us that He is in control. He's kept us safe and provided for us financially when we've really needed it!

I have a job! It's not a nursing job unfortunately, but it's a job none-the-less. I'll be working full time in a Royal Bank of Scotland call centre from Monday 8th Feb til Saturday 25th September. It'll be so strange trying to figure out how to have a routine again, but it's definitely a blessing! We've wondered why God has provided this job and not a nursing job, but we figure that it's all part of his bizarre plan, and one day it will all become clear. So it's a big answer to prayer.

Marc has finished all of his classes at ICC, and has written all of his essays. So the next 3 months wil be spent reading for and writing his dissertation. He's writing it on 'Salvation in the Cinema' and looking at how films are being used and how they can be used to present Jesus to young people.

In August we're planning to lead a team of people to Bogotá, Colombia to volunteer at Children's Vision International for two weeks. So far there's eight of us going, but there may be others joining us. My sister Michelle and Marc's dad are joining us on this trip, which we're very excited about. We'll be doing fundraisers over the next couple months to raise money to pay for this trip. If you wish to donate anything towards our trip feel free to contact us for more details!

The painting in the photo at the top is one that I've done. I've recently got into painting and have really been enjoying it. I've put photos of other paintings I've done on Marc's Flickr, which you can view by clicking here. If anyone wants to buy any that I've done, or commission me to do a painting, any money from my paintings will go towards our funds for our upcoming trip to Colombia.

I think that's all for now. Let us know how we can pray for you. God bless! Love Suz and Marc

No Job Yet...

This is Suz writing this time.

I still have no job. I have finished my degree, done everything I need to, have handed in lots of application forms, and have had nothing back. Absolutely nothing. No interviews. And for the first time that I can remember, I have no idea what to do. I am completely out of control, and have no idea where I'm going! It's happened to my family before, and therefore I've been impacted by it, but I don't think it's ever happened to me before. It's quite a scary feeling.

But...God is in control. God has a plan. I know that only by God's grace I made it through my degree - it was not easy! So God must have a reason for doing that. And now, even though I don't have a job and feel completely out of control of my own life, it's ok. It's frustrating, and sometimes I feel quite down about it. God is control though, he has a reason for everything - he has the whole world in his hands, and I'm part of that world.

I'm currently listening to a song based on the words of Isaiah 53:4-5.
"Surely he took up our infirmites, and carried our sorrows. Yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was piered for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. And by his wounds we are healed."

All this evening I've felt very unsettled about not knowing whats going to happen next in my life, not knowing God's plan or purpose. But after listening to that song and thinking and praying, it's ok. It doesn't really matter that at the moment, for this relatively short space of time, I don't have a job. God is providing for us. He's shown that. Marc and I are still breathing, eating, enjoying the company of our friends, driving our car, going to church, and he's working. God hasn't forgotten us. But none of that even matters - looking at the bigger picture, God sent his son to die to me! And for Marc, and my family, and you. I am healed because of his wounds and his death. God is ultimately in control of EVERYTHING, he has a perfect plan for me, and for you, and in his time he'll show me what he wants me to do. Maybe this is just another test to see how closely I follow God and trust in Him.

So, all I need to do is keep praying, trusting, waiting, listening and thanking God for what he's blessed me with - a wonderful husband who (currently!) has a job, a lovely place to live, good friends, wonderful family, and a degree in nursing! Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Excitingly Scary...

We're on a path and we don't know exactly where it goes.

We don't know what's next and the fog appears to be drawing closer.

But there is a path there, and God walks it with us as our guide.

Even though we stumble, he will not let us fall, as long as we "Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with our God" (Micah 6v8)


Life:

God has blessed us hugely over the last 3 months since we've been married. The wedding was great and we shared the day with loads of people who are incredibly special to us. Following the wedding we got away for a few days for some much needed R & R, but not too many as we both needed to be back in Glasgow pretty sharpish.

Other developments have seen us re-homing a rabbit and sacrificially taking on a car that would otherwise have sat still for the year. The latter has been a huge blessing in giving us freedom to visit the familials, and also allowing more options with regards to work.

All in all, married life is treating us both well, and we like it even better when we get to see each other!

Work and college:

Work to this point has been busy, with us passing like ships in the night and sometimes not seeing each other for days due to shifts, but for all our grumbling about that so far, what's to come may be even more frustrating...

Come the end of this week Suz will have finished her consolidation placement and will officially be signed off and put forward for registration as a fully-fledged nurse. Because she hasn't got a job yet lined up it means that, although she has many application forms in for jobs, she will need to sign on next week.

Next week is also the first week back for me at ICC for my fourth year. There are several different ideas in my head for dissertation topics, but I want it to be relevant to where I am and where I'm working... and at the moment, that's a blurry area!

As it stands the funding for my job isn't guaranteed so I am working on a month to month basis, with very few other opportunities being visible at the moment. (and even if it was guaranteed, it wouldn't bring in enough money for both of us to live on...)

Church:

Church is an interesting organism to be part of at the moment, with Martyrs' being in a period of change and opportunity. I'm involved in leading and preaching as part of a rota and Suz is leading worship regularly. Although we are currently happy to give to Martyrs', we are mainly only there because of my work, and if that changes to another church, we will have to follow

In other news...

Laura (Marc's sister) has moved to Italy for a year as part of her degree, and therefore the family are looking forward to cheaper holidays...

Aaron and Lynne (Suz's Parents) are on sabbatical for the next couple of months, looking forward to a trip to Africa, and adjusting to an empty house...

Michelle (Suz's sister) has moved to start her course at college near Middlesborough...

Daniel (Suz's brother) is dreaming with God and the local church...

Alan and Jackie (Marc's parents) are listening to God...


So things to thank God for:

Being happily married!
Suz having a degree (God really must want her to be a nurse because of the way He has blessed her over the last 3 years!)
The opportunity to study
Church and what it could be
His faithfulness even when we can't see what He's doing


Thing to pray for:

A willingness to see what God has in store for us
Jobs and God's other provisions
Faith and Patience in even greater amounts
Discipline for Marc in studying
More opportunities to share God with those we meet
Wider families in exciting times


So... Have fun, be good, Act, Love and Walk!

Marc

We're Blogging Because...

"I don't know... Why are we blogging?!"... My wife is particularly helpful tonight...

We're blogging because we have valuable things in our heads that the world needs to know about, but also because this may well be the easiest way to keep people up to date with our lives and life together, what we're up to, and with things for everyone else to pray for...

So this is as much a newsletter as it is a blog... more will follow soon I am sure... but for now, we'll get back to "the Resistance"...