I then moved to the mall where I people-watched and tried my hardest to resist the need to sleep and to ignore the hunger pangs. It was just before here that I remembered the words of Christ in Luke 9:58 (MKJV) :
And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.
After another three hours in the mall, I went back to the flats and waited outside and when someone finally opened the door I waited til they came out and sneaked inside, I went up the stairs and then waited while I was there I had the opportunity to just sit and pray, it did my soul some good =]. I also fell asleep. Finally the B's came back and I went inside where I had something hot to eat and had a family to love.
I really need to go now and have evening devotions will give an update on what happens next.
Alex
Sunday 16 June 2013
Lessons While In Transit pt 1
So yesterday I said good-bye to my Southampton peeps, it was really sad but I hope that by God's grace I will be able to see them again. I know God has many things in store for me, I am often reminded of it by other Christians but also just because God promised that He knows the plans that He has for me.
Very soon I'll be back home and then should God desire that I go, I'll be on a mission trip to Costa Rica. I cannot even begin to estimate the abundant blessings that my God has awaiting for us and I'm just looking forward to being an even greater blessing to those around me.
From Costa Rica, I will be headed to Belgium, God willing, where I will study for a year.
Leaving my church was really hard. I've only been Adventist for the 5 years and I've only regularly attended three SDA churches since my journey began, but this church has caused me so much joy and pain at the same time that it feels so strange not having to bear it on my heart, I still want to, and so I think I will.
Today was a very interesting experience for me. I was literally homeless which is really my fault.
Friday:
Friday evening I came home from practising at church and I went into the kitchen and looked at the door and it said that i had to be out by Sat 10am -.- so I go back in my room and continue packing. I had a bit left back that I was leaving for Sat evening
Very soon I'll be back home and then should God desire that I go, I'll be on a mission trip to Costa Rica. I cannot even begin to estimate the abundant blessings that my God has awaiting for us and I'm just looking forward to being an even greater blessing to those around me.
From Costa Rica, I will be headed to Belgium, God willing, where I will study for a year.
Leaving my church was really hard. I've only been Adventist for the 5 years and I've only regularly attended three SDA churches since my journey began, but this church has caused me so much joy and pain at the same time that it feels so strange not having to bear it on my heart, I still want to, and so I think I will.
Today was a very interesting experience for me. I was literally homeless which is really my fault.
Friday:
Friday evening I came home from practising at church and I went into the kitchen and looked at the door and it said that i had to be out by Sat 10am -.- so I go back in my room and continue packing. I had a bit left back that I was leaving for Sat evening
So I finished packing and had to find somewhere to sleep for Sat night, I wasn't too worried though I've found that over these past two years I've learnt not to worry so much about these things so I simply told God that that was His problem and that I was going to enjoy the Sabbath
Sabbath:
I get up finish packing the food that I wanted to give away at church, my laptop and a few things J comes for me and my stuff and then we go to church (it took about half an hour to put everything into the car)
Church was very special; I was blessed.
I managed to secure a place to sleep for Saturday night with my friend F, I was so blessed that evening with her, talking about God's will for us and I think we enjoyed each other's company.
Sunday:
I got the bus to church where I collected my phone which I had carelessly forgotten in the kitchen and then walked to my friend H's house. This is where the drama began to unfold. I finally arrived after a nice walk. I rang the doorbell several times, however no one answered. So for about two hours I walked from bus stop and back and then decide to go to the mall because it was getting cold and I needed a warm place where I could sit down. However it was at the bus stop that I had an interesting conversation.
I was sat there for half an hour when an old couple came and sat next to me. Usually I mind my own business and keep myself occupied when others are around but when they mentioned the words 'Lord' and 'church' I could not resist the urge to listen in on their conversation. Although at first it was unclear, I realised that the lady as she considered the line outside Debenhams had said to her husband/friend that it would be such a wonderful thing if people were lined up outside a church like that and almost instantaneously I fell in love with them! I don't know it just warmed my heart so much. Anyway, she then asked him a question about the Ten Commandments which made me even more excited and I prayed, 'Lord, if they mention the fourth, I'm going to talk to them.' (I prayed this because I was quite sure they were Sunday worshippers and I wasn't expecting it) Sure enough, the lady said, 'Doesn't the commandment say we must work six days and rest on the seventh?' I almost fell off the bench! (okay not really...)
After trying to find the appropriate moment to join their conversation, I finally mustered the courage to speak and what I found was, though not what I wanted to hear or what I was expecting, wonderful. This lady and her friend/husband were on benefits and were not able to attend church this Sunday because they were going to a free lunch, yet she was worried about not being able to go to church and so conscientious that she wanted to be sure that she was not displeasing her Lord.
I do not think that God was in any way displeased that she missed church that one Sunday, I think He must love her heart. I was so happy to find genuine and conscientious Christian people in the world. Although she may not have a full understanding of the seventh day Sabbath, it seemed to me as though she was walking in the light of the knowledge that she did possess and I pray that because of her faithfulness, God will bring her into even more light on this subject throughout her Christian journey.
I was sat there for half an hour when an old couple came and sat next to me. Usually I mind my own business and keep myself occupied when others are around but when they mentioned the words 'Lord' and 'church' I could not resist the urge to listen in on their conversation. Although at first it was unclear, I realised that the lady as she considered the line outside Debenhams had said to her husband/friend that it would be such a wonderful thing if people were lined up outside a church like that and almost instantaneously I fell in love with them! I don't know it just warmed my heart so much. Anyway, she then asked him a question about the Ten Commandments which made me even more excited and I prayed, 'Lord, if they mention the fourth, I'm going to talk to them.' (I prayed this because I was quite sure they were Sunday worshippers and I wasn't expecting it) Sure enough, the lady said, 'Doesn't the commandment say we must work six days and rest on the seventh?' I almost fell off the bench! (okay not really...)
After trying to find the appropriate moment to join their conversation, I finally mustered the courage to speak and what I found was, though not what I wanted to hear or what I was expecting, wonderful. This lady and her friend/husband were on benefits and were not able to attend church this Sunday because they were going to a free lunch, yet she was worried about not being able to go to church and so conscientious that she wanted to be sure that she was not displeasing her Lord.
I do not think that God was in any way displeased that she missed church that one Sunday, I think He must love her heart. I was so happy to find genuine and conscientious Christian people in the world. Although she may not have a full understanding of the seventh day Sabbath, it seemed to me as though she was walking in the light of the knowledge that she did possess and I pray that because of her faithfulness, God will bring her into even more light on this subject throughout her Christian journey.
Alex
Thursday 6 June 2013
Family*
One of the joys of having young cousins is the constant reminder that teenage pregnancy is not a viable option in life. I could never be a mother right now. I like children, I really do, but when the day ends and it's time for them to go home, I could not be happier.
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I'm at my aunt's house at the moment on Christmas break and it's just so great to be with family. My family is really into Christmas, which is a little weird for me because I'm not the biggest fan of the holiday. However, I'm loving every moment of it.
First of all, it's great to finally be in a house. As much as I love my room back at the university, it can definitely feel like a prison cell at times! I don't know, there's just something refreshing about knowing that 1) there are other people around and 2) I have room options.
Secondly, I love cousins, especially younger cousins. It's fun to just hang out with kids sometimes. I seriously think that they have a better approach to life than adults. Life is not complicated and there's no need to make it complicated. I also love how they look up to me, I feel responsible and like I should be a good example :). Most of all I love to hear their little laughter :)
Thirdly, I don't have to cook! I don't have to do laundry! I don't have to go to the supermarket! I just have to wake up, go downstairs and eat. (It's only for a week, I'm sure I'm allowed to indulge a little!)
Thirdly, I don't have to cook! I don't have to do laundry! I don't have to go to the supermarket! I just have to wake up, go downstairs and eat. (It's only for a week, I'm sure I'm allowed to indulge a little!)
Anyway, it's almost 1am! Don't want to miss breakfast tomorrow! ;)
G'night.
G'night.
Alecksi
(originally posted on my Tumblr 2nd January 2013)
(originally posted on my Tumblr 2nd January 2013)
Standing on the Brink *
I can't believe it's the end of yet another year. I feel sort of uncomfortable about 2013 just because it has just always seemed a long way away.
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2012 has been an interesting year.
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2012 has been an interesting year.
I turned 19. I think I've become a lot more independent, living on my own in a foreign country. I got a first in my first year of university. I worked for God on an amazing mission trip that I will never forget. I lost someone very close to me. I started my transitioning journey. I organised my first youth day at church. I touched a live boa constrictor! :)
2012 has been great and I honestly thank God for everything that He has done for me this year.
2012 has been great and I honestly thank God for everything that He has done for me this year.
2013?
You know, I feel almost on the brink, as though there's some breech between 2012 and 2013, I feel as though I can almost control whether or not I can jump over and into the next 365 days of life, almost as though I have a choice of staying in 2012 or advancing into 2013. Me parece que 2013 is like opening another door, another door leading to a world that I have never stepped into, a journey that I have yet to embark on. Unknown, mysterious, even intimidating in some respects.
You know, I feel almost on the brink, as though there's some breech between 2012 and 2013, I feel as though I can almost control whether or not I can jump over and into the next 365 days of life, almost as though I have a choice of staying in 2012 or advancing into 2013. Me parece que 2013 is like opening another door, another door leading to a world that I have never stepped into, a journey that I have yet to embark on. Unknown, mysterious, even intimidating in some respects.
2013 will mean entering a new decade of life. A new decade filled with varying sorts of experiences. I will turn 20. People will expect things from me, and I will have to stand firm and face their expectations with the resolve that things will happen in their time and according to God's Will. If all goes well, I'll graduate, I will have my first real job, I might own a car, I might buy a house, which includes the m-word. I might even get married during this next decade, or even have my first child!
But somehow I just can't figure out how I got here so fast? I constantly feel as though I'm waiting for life to start some day, without realizing that it has started years ago and is happening even as I speak. For as long as I can remember I've always had everything planned out, it has never ever happened according to plan, (at times I'm ever SO grateful for this) but I spend so much time organizing the future that the present goes by unnoticed, unexperienced, unsacado de provecho.
2013 will be different (how cliche!) well, we'll see.
This is my attempt to loosen up.
M.I.A.
2013 will be different (how cliche!) well, we'll see.
This is my attempt to loosen up.
M.I.A.
Alecksi
*(originally posted on my Tumblr 31st December 2012)
There She Goes...Again
So I'm trying to decide if I should introduce this blog or not. This is the fourth blog I've started and I really hope to be a consistent blogger but we shall see how things progress! Perhaps I should introduce it.
For so long I've felt as though I've been running from life and have feared not being in control and this experience that I've been so blessed to have here in England for the past two years has really helped me to just let go. Now let's be honest I'm still the opinionated, structured perfectionist that I've always been but I can truly say that just being here and meeting so many different people has helped me to see that there's no use in running, that in running I will not grow, I will not learn anything about myself as an individual. If I hide myself from every challenge or uncomfortable situation my heart will never be truly open to anyone and I will not have the privilege of being a true blessing to the world around me.
I'm already half way through my time here in the UK and it's been so much more than I can ask for. Now it has not been perfect and I have spent more than half of my time here wishing that I were on my island in the comfort of my small home surrounded by the ones that I love the most. However, I'm shocked at the way the time has passed and am desperately watching the grains of sand left in the hourglass willing them not to go so quickly. And so, I've resolved I will not let the next two years pass without a consistent record just for me and anyone who wants to check in to see what is happening. I can't promise that it will be interesting and I can't promise that it will be extravagant but it will be genuine and honest.
So here goes!
Alecksi
For so long I've felt as though I've been running from life and have feared not being in control and this experience that I've been so blessed to have here in England for the past two years has really helped me to just let go. Now let's be honest I'm still the opinionated, structured perfectionist that I've always been but I can truly say that just being here and meeting so many different people has helped me to see that there's no use in running, that in running I will not grow, I will not learn anything about myself as an individual. If I hide myself from every challenge or uncomfortable situation my heart will never be truly open to anyone and I will not have the privilege of being a true blessing to the world around me.
I'm already half way through my time here in the UK and it's been so much more than I can ask for. Now it has not been perfect and I have spent more than half of my time here wishing that I were on my island in the comfort of my small home surrounded by the ones that I love the most. However, I'm shocked at the way the time has passed and am desperately watching the grains of sand left in the hourglass willing them not to go so quickly. And so, I've resolved I will not let the next two years pass without a consistent record just for me and anyone who wants to check in to see what is happening. I can't promise that it will be interesting and I can't promise that it will be extravagant but it will be genuine and honest.
So here goes!
Alecksi
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