A huge THANK YOU to everybody to all the generous people who sponsor my 10k run on Sunday.  We not only reached our fundraising target, but surpassed it!

I did do the run in fancy dress, as you will see from the photos below.  The good thing about a sombrero is that people generally stay out of your way... but it was rather heavy.  Considering that I had a poncho on as well, I felt my time of 53:19 was respectable.  Another advantage of being dressed like an eejit is that people cheered me on the whole way with, "¡Ándele! ¡Arriba!"  The best encouragement was seeing my Emma and my daughter around the last bend, Niamh pointing and exclaiming, "Yeaaah daddy! Funny hat!"

The 10 MHFS 10k was a great day out and it was good to see so many guys out running with the support of their families, raising support and awareness for the local children's hospital, cancer care, Parkinson's and more.  There was a great atmosphere and wonderful to see so many men out taking part.

Below is a short video with some testimonials  by two destitute asylum seekers about what the support from the St Rollox destitution fund means to them (apologies, the audio quality isn't great, recordings were done in a very busy room).  So again, from us and the folk we support, a huge thank you.

Getting ready for the run...

And I thought the sombrero was heavy! The Yorkhill Children's Foundation Teddies also did the run.  Niamh loved them.

Niamh at the Wobbly Williams stand, a brilliant charity supporting people with Parkinson's.

About 4,000 men running on the day.

Pancho Villa eating the only banana he's likely to eat this year.

Finished!  Proudly wearing my medal on my sombrero.

Niamh and her daddy -- a fun Father's Day!

It was my second time attending International Team's biennial "International Leadership Forum", or "ILF" as we really dig initialism in this organisation.  Two years ago, you might remember that I went to Turkey for the same thing.

Again, I enjoyed the experience.  On the flight out of Amsterdam, I found myself in the same row as some of our workers in Kenya.  It was a good chance to catch up with Peter, who was at Belfast Bible College the same time Emma and I were there.  Small world!

The conference itself was a great time of learning, reconnecting with old friends, and meeting new ones.  Though so many in ITeams are working in different contexts, it's impossible not to be inspired by what is happening around the world.  Casual conversations inspire and can plant seeds... two years ago, Tim Uthmann told me about an Italian football team that was made up of refugees.  A short conversation (that Tim may not even remember) and now I'm helping to coordinate a football team.

Another blessing during this ILF was the presence of so many of our South American, African, Eastern European and Filipino brothers and sisters; they well outnumbered those of us from the UK.  We often hear about a new paradigm in mission that is "from everywhere to everyone" (to borrow Samuel Escobar's phrase) and it was both encouraging and humbling to see that first-hand.  Modern technology is wonderful, but it really cannot replace genuine human contact.  Though I had not seen some friends for two years, the sense of community remained strong.  Confirmation, that after all,  "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all" (Eph 4:6).

I could go on for ages about the teaching and training.  Still trying to mentally digest it all, but to give you a flavour... we looked at working on diverse teams, community transformation and outcome based planning, perseverance in ministry (according to the book of Hebrews), discipleship methods, heard many stories about what God is doing through our teams around the world... I could go on and on.  It was a thought provoking and healthily diverse teaching line up; I was also impressed by how available all the presenters were.  All were generous with their time in discussing questions, which helped to tease out how the taught principles could be applied to our own contexts.

Costa Rica itself is a beautiful country and the food was great, at least what I experienced.  The coffee didn't disappoint and I'm now well stocked up.  In the supermarket I went into, I was  impressed by how ethical much of the coffee was (especially when compared to our local ASDA) and that it seemed impossible to purchase anything grown outside the country (I did only enter one supermarket, so I won't be so foolish to make any grand generalisations).  The weather was a shocker, upwards from 30c and 70% humidity is unheard of where we're living.  I sort of enjoyed the warmth, but found myself disturbed by how I have acclimatised to and (almost) prefer the dreich.

It was well worth the long flights.  I enjoyed my time in Costa Rica, but was even happier to be reunited with my girls and team in Glasgow.  I returned feeling further equipped and enthusiastic about our ministry in Glasgow.

I'll leave you with some pictures:

Beautiful coastline.  A bit of body surfing was good for this Californian's soul.

Chris, who works in Little Village in Chicago.  It's always great to catch up all the Urban  Ministry folk;  though our cities are very  different, there are still many common features that our urban landscapes share.  Great to share some of the joys and struggles of living in, serving, and loving our broken communities.

Phil Chester teaching in the main conference room, thankfully air conditioned.

C'mon the Jags! Nate (he and his wife Faith doing great stuff on El Camino in northern Spain) titled this photo "dorks" on facebook and when my wife saw this, her only comment was, "Paul, you're so rare."  I'm glad that Nate can now feel like real Partick Thistle with this lovely footy top that came to South America all the way from the wilds of North Glasgow.  I think we looked classy.

Not all sunshine.  Around 3pm every day there was heaving rain and serious thunderstorms; it always left as quickly as it came.  See poor Kim coming back into the hotel drenched.

My bag going on the top of the bus.

These guys were all over the place.  Bigger than I expected.

More wildlife.  Came across these crabs hanging around outside my room.

Wonderful pinkish pre-thunder storm clouds.

I don't know what this is.  I thought "Pipa" was baby coconut?  But those look way to small.  Somebody correct me?

Lots of lovely hills covered in green.  Altogether different from the lovely green of the Scottish hills.

"Oh, you know, sometimes I just have to shoot the junkies. It's protection."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah.  Or sometimes I can sneak past the junkies and just get them with Legolas' bow and arrow from my window.  I have keep my mom and sisters safe.  But my brother, he's annoying and he can just get through by himself!  Did I tell you he farts too much like the Pinky Ponk?"

Refugee children in Glasgow often live on rough estates.  I find it amazing how they cope with the difficulties of living in a deprived neighbourhood; particularly their resilience and optimism.  My little buddy "Ahmad" is clearly aware of the threat of addicts who live near their flat, but this danger is incorporated into a childlike narrative that includes Lord of the Rings and In the Night Garden.  He's partially aware of issues and often acts older than his years, but an innocence remains.

 

I just finished reading Stephen Kelman's Pigeon English which captures this and other aspects of life in urban Britain so well.  It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize last year.  It's hilarious in a laugh-out-loud way that books usually are not (note: it's not the thing to read in bed when your wife has to get up early next morning), while simultaneously disturbing and tragic.

The book is written from an eleven-year-old Ghanaian immigrant's point of view as he tries to "solve" the murder of a teenage boy in his London estate.   The story is disconcerting in this way: our protagonist Harri, is only half-conscious of the deadly threat gangs and dealers pose on his estate.  All the while, the adult reader becomes increasingly aware that Harri's putting himself in harm's way.  As refreshing as it is to see life from Harri's point of view, it's impossible to ignore the darker elements of the story with adult cynicism.  Harri sees Julius as the family friend who can gets him a remote control car, but it's clear he's abusive to his girlfriend, a loan shark, and involved in trafficking.

The benefit of reading from Harri's perspective, however, is that his story of living on the estate is not all about knife crime, gangs, and drugs.  His council estate is full of beauty, adventure, and humour.  While not shying away from the brutal realities, it's a more rounded and accurate picture.

 

I think it's an excellent novel, immersive and believable.  The tone and heavy use of slang may not appeal to all, but it's worth the effort.  Pigeon English reminded me of a lot of the refugee kids I work with, the main difference in the book being the London accent.

To take a cue from our time in Greece, "Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!" Or as it will be said by many of our friends...

Χριστός Ανέστη! Αληθώς Ανέστη!

المسيح قام! حقا قام!

! ܡܫܝܚܐ ܩܡܠܗ! ܒܗܩܘܬܐ ܩܡܠܗ

Kristo Amefufukka! Kweli Amefufukka!

İsa dirildi! Hakikaten dirildi!

Personally, we've been enjoying a couple days off -- and looking forward to a lamb roast with our friends and teammates Andrew and Faegheh later today.  We had a great time last week with Wendy (far left in the photo), a fellow ITeamer who has spent time serving on our previous team in Athens with refugee Children.  She is looking at what God might have next for her and has been taking 'vision trips' to other teams.  Below is us and the Cottrell family at Loch Lomond on a lovely sunny day (near tropical by Scottish standards).  It seemed that God wanted Wendy to see Scotland in all seasons -- only a couple of days later, there was heavy snow!

Can you believe it?  Our wee girl is now two years old!

Emma made her a cake, we fed the ducks at Hogganfield Loch, and watched The Gruffalo.  A perfect day out for a toddler.  I was also great to have my cousin Charla with us before she headed down to see friends the Lake District.

The only downer is that I was (and still am) recovering from a flu bug that has been generously shared by the whole family.  Hopefully it will pass soon.  Anyway, for now, enjoy some pictures from Niamh's big day:

So the meals of Jesus represent something bigger.  They represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook.  But they give that new reality substance.  Jesus' meal are not just symbols; they're also application.  They're not just pictures; they're the real thing in miniature.  Food is stuff.  It's not ideas.  It's not theories.  It's, well, it's food, and your put it in your mouth, taste it and eat it.  And meals are more than food.  They're social occasions.  They represent friendship, community and welcome.

I don't want to reduce church and mission to meals, but I do want to argue that meals should be an integral and significant part of our shared life.  They represent the meaning of mission, but they more than represent it: they embody and enact our mission.  Community and mission are more than meals, but it's hard to concieve of them without meals...

I can pull down books on mission and church planting from my shelves, I can read about contextualisation, evangelism matrices, postmodern apologetics and cultural hermeneutics.  I can look at diagrams that tell me how people can be converted or discover the steps required to plant a church.  It all sounds impressive, cutting edge and sophisticated.  But this is how Luke describes Jesus' mission strategy: 'The Son of Man came eating and drinking.'

We can make community and mission sound like specialised activities that belong to experts.  Some people have a vested interest in doing this, because if makes them 'extra-ordinary'.  Or we focus on dynamic personalities who can hold an audience and lead a movement.  Some push mission beyond the scope of 'ordinary' Christians.  But the Son of Man came eating and drinking.  It's not complicated.  True, it's not always easy -- it involves people invading your space or going to places where you don't feel comfortable.  But it's not complicated.  If you share a meal three or four times a week and you have a passion for Jesus, then you will be building up the Christian community and reaching out in mission.

Most of you know that I've been spending one night a week at the "Night Shelter" for destitute asylum seekers.  I'll admit that I'm finding the all-nighters much more physically wearing than when I worked the reception desk at the Moody resident halls ten years ago.  A subtle reminder that I'm no longer (edit: soon not to be) in my 20s?

Brian has done a brilliant job organising a motley crew of volunteers so that destitute asylum seekers don't have to spend a night out -- quite literally -- in the cold.  Losing a bit of sleep each week seems insignificant compared to the value of this service.

On Monday night, I had a good chat with a Middle Eastern man who has been staying in the Night Shelter for over a month now.  He is fed up with his situation and is considering returning home.  He told me that he phoned a friend from his city, "He told me that I might be safe now if I went back.  I'm really scared, but I have no future here.  I can't spend the rest of my life sleeping in the Night Shelter.  A life without a chance for a job or family is no life at all.  I might have to take my chances back home?  Maybe God will look after me?"

We talked for a while about his options, then eventually went to sleep.  In the morning, he told me what a thought was a lovely compliment as well as summarising the value of the Night Shelter, "I know I have somewhere to stay, but I also know there will be people here who I can talk to.  I am treated like a real person!"  Though a devout Muslim, he tole me that he felt stronger knowing that the Christians who help at the shelter were praying for him.

Last week, I took a number of pictures with my mobile during my Night Shelter routines.  They are bit "general" as I need to respect the confidentiality of the people staying there, but I thought these pictures might help you to visualise what happens...

Hello!

You might have already received this via e-mail, but for those of you not on our mailing list… here is our most recent prayer letter.  You can view it in the window below, or download a copy via this link.

In Christ,

Paul, Emma, and Niamh

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the Christmas season is upon us.  Emma and I are looking forward to it this year – Niamh has a better concept of what’s going on, often exclaiming “Trees! Lights!”  We’re especially looking forward to time off after a busy couple of months, as well as heading to Belfast the day after Boxing Day.

If you’re looking for something to help you reflect on Immanuel this year, I recommend the podcasts by Roy Searle from the Northumbria Community. The Baptist Union of Great Britain has linked to it.  I’ve found it helpful in redirecting my focus in the right direction.  You can hear the podcasts via a click on the pickture below: