Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Summer 2017 round-up

It happens overnight.  I wake up and put on my cosy fleecy dressing gown for the first time in months; later when walking Niamh to school, I see fallen leaves on the path.  Evident signs that summer is well and truly over.  Though August brought things to close on a rather damp note, what's new is that cold bite to the wind.  Summer is over and I'm looking forward to the more predictable pace of autumn.  It's a good time to reflect on what happened.

It was a busy summer as it usually is, but I felt much more present this time around because I wasn't spending every free moment writing my dissertation (and stressing when I wasn't writing)!

Family


We spent two lovely weeks in Northern Ireland.  We split our time between the North Coast and Belfast.  We all had a great time seeing friends and family, but kept a fairly low profile as I "overbooked" our time trying to see the world and its dog last year, and we returned to Glasgow a bit tired (as I'm prone to do, forgetting how taxing this is on my much more introverted wife!).  The kids loved all the extra attention they got from their grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins.  It was a very restful break.





 Here in Scotland we got away for a cheap and cheerful camping break.  A real highlight was spending a long weekend in Cowal and discovering a "hidden" beach with views out to Arran Island.  I also won't forget the amazing flavour of the fresh mackerel that one of our fellow campers caught and cooked for us.
 



Getting outside & running

I've been organising outings in the mountains with a mountaineer friend who was keen to use his skills to connect with refugees and asylum seekers.  Our first adventure was the classic hike up Conic Hill which gives some amazing views over Loch Lomond for a relatively short but steep ascent.  Many of the guys had never been outside Glasgow, so they were blown away by the landscape (and the wind and rain that rolled in!). 

  
Getting outside is really good for these guys.  Most of them live in really rough areas and getting out into an open landscape feels "like freedom!" as one Syrian friend put it.  It's a chance to refresh and get a bit of exercise.  It's also an ideal place to deepen relationships.  There is something about being on a trail that tends to deepen the tone of conversation.  I'm also believe that creation points us to God.  I don't mean that is some kind of hippie way, but I'm amazed how on hikes conversations naturally turn to what we believe and the reasons why.  It's no great mystery, there is a precedent in our Christian faith:

  • In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. 
    • Psalm 95:4-5
  • Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. Do you know how God lays his command upon them, and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine? Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of the one whose knowledge is perfect...
    • Job 37:14-16
  • The wild animals will honour me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people.
    • Isaiah 43:20
  • Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse;
    • Romans 1:20

It's been a great to make time for this and a real natural way to connect with some of our refugee friends.

I've also been making place to start a running group for refugees and asylum seekers.  For the moment, I'm starting small.  I've helped some of the guys register for parkrun (a free weekly timed 5k for all levels of runners -- you've probably heard of them?) and they've been going every week.  One guy called it, "the best weekend ever!" A couple of the refugee runners live across the street from the park where the run takes place, so it's a great way for them to link in with the community, make friends, work on their English, and get a bit of exercise.


Visiting

We've been able to visit more families.  Maybe it's because the kids are a bit older so it's easier to get out.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the best way to connect with our refugee friends.  The two-way street of hospitality forms the relational core of our ministry.

Advice

Emma has continued to use her skills in welfare rights and has started a very popular (too popular for the short time she has!) service that helps some of the most vulnerable people we know access support and sort issues with their housing.  Please pray for Emma in this work as the demand for it outstrips the time that she has available, but we're also thankful that God has been able to use Emma's unique skills so effectively in this way.

Emma's work is so well appreciated, she's always coming home with gifts of home baking!
***

I think that sums most of the summer.  As always, we appreciate your prayers and support for us in this work -- couldn't do without it!

- Paul 
Posted by Paul and Emma at 4:20 pm | 1 comments  
Saturday, April 22, 2017

An Easter Misadventure

Me. Full of the joys of the trail a couple hours before falling ill...

...to this.

 Last week, I should've been running a 31 mile ultramarathon in the beautiful Trossachs national park.  That didn't happen, as many of you know.  Instead of running, I spent that time in a hospital bed attached to a drip.

 So here's the story of what went down:

 I was at the end of what I thought was a normal cold and woke with a slightly scratchy throat on Monday.  I actually felt pretty okay and went for a gentle run in a local park that morning.  Funny thing is, my legs felt great and I was feeling ready for the big race in 5 days time.  I came home, ate lunch and had a shower.  That's when I felt something wasn't right...

 I got a fever which developed into headaches so severe that I was finding it difficult to go up the stairs without crawling. Honestly, I’ve never felt pain like it before.  I had spoken to NHS 24 and been to out of hours earlier, where I was given a basic antibiotic and co-codamol to manage the pain of what looked like fairly standard tonsillitis.  But the pain didn’t ease and progressively got worse.  The painkillers eventually stopped touching the pain and, worse, the come-down from the medication was so severe I started having hallucinations and couldn't sleep.  At this stage, it was clear that something really wasn't right.

 On Thursday, an out of hours doctor came to the house and gave me an injection of voltarol and decided to call an ambulance because of the state I was in.  That injection was the first thing to ease the pain and I finally slept for about an hour.  I was then taken to the hospital in the ambulance and did a series of tests: bloods, CAT scan, chest x-ray, and a lumber puncture.  They initially thought that I might have meningitis, so the doctors wanted to rule that out.  My bloods showed a high level of infection.  I had to be given a transfusion of plasma because my blood wasn’t clotting.  I was put on an anti-biotic drip and fluids to replace what I had lost through the tests and fever sweats.

The tests came back and, thankfully, no meningitis.  Turns out I had nothing more than pneumonia, but they think that my mucus membrane failed and some of the infection got into my bloodstream, thus the severe headaches.

Needless to say, no chance of running the Great Tartan Skidaddle ultramarathon.

I was delighted to be given the all-clear from the hospital and was discharged on Saturday after being admitted on Thursday.  Unfortunately, it didn't end there.

When I was discharged from hospital, I reacted poorly to my medication and had a terrible stomach and then experienced a distressing tinnitus that it kept me from sleeping (it was a loud and unrelenting noise of what sounded like crickets and running water).  These are apparently normal, if not rare, side effects on the antibiotic that I was on.  At the best of times, my body doesn’t react well to antibiotics, so the strength of this course might've been to blame.

I've now finished the course of medication and now feeling much better, if not totally wiped out.  I've been sleeping which is a relief, but my energy levels are pretty low.  Everyday is a bit better though and I was able to walk to the post office yesterday, which felt like a small victory.

Ultra Another Day?

I'm gutted that I didn't get to do the run after 12 weeks of training, which I made it through without injury.  Still, I'm proud of the £675 that was raised for St Rollox.  That money will go to support our destitute friends, who literally have no other form of support.  So thank you so much for your generosity and I hope that all of you aren't too disappointed that I wasn't able to complete my challenge. If you want to give to St Rollox, there is still time.  Just click here to go to the fundraising page.

 I do actually plan to run the race as a "solo" event.  The organisers of the race say that they'd be keen to meet me at the end of the solo run.  Some of my friends from the trail running club are keen to do some sections of the course with me as well.  So even though I didn't do the race, I'm still determined (or just stubborn?) to do finish it -- one way or another.  I'm not sure when that will be... much will depend on my recovery, but I'll let you know!

Emma and I both really appreciate your prayers during all of this and for all those nearby who did practical things for us like watching the kids.

The doctor ordered that I take another week off working and then play it by ear after that.  So I have at least another week of doing nothing (or very little) to make sure that I make a full recovery.  I don't know when I'll be back to 100%, but just taking it one day at a time.

God bless,

Paul

Posted by Paul and Emma at 10:47 pm | 0 comments  
Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )