Verity

The wonderful young lady I have watched grow up for the last 19 years is currently having an adventure in Africa. I wish I had been more prepared this year than just to let her go and be on her own for a year. I wish I had seen her in her new home, been there to look after her when she was ill and celebrate with her as God does wonderful things for her and the people she is working with.

Yesterday she wrote a blog about death, and I can't tell you how proud I am of the adult she has become. You can read her blog about her African adventure here. It's been a development of every kind. The first week was a blur really, if you could hear Verity talk, you would have trouble keeping up and she blogged in the same way, but since then things have become slower and more calculated, which is better for everyone! She still writes letters with no punctuation however!

Her latest blog is just heart-wrenching, but true to the core that God has hold of every child she has seen in the last year.

I can't wait until she gets back, we only have 6 weeks left and then I want to see her off to Uni, spreading the Gospel and finding her feet back here. I can't say with any certainty that God will keep her here, but I hope she'll stay long enough to share her story with the church in Billericay and England...

As for me, I am preparing for all sorts of questions and fun times as SOLID and the summer are racing before me. There are meetings galore (I am 'out' for potentially 10 nights in a row!) and every opportunity to share the gospel with the young people I work with. For the next half an hour I am going to be putting together a prayer list for the church for the summer, which includes the names for the 26 young people who have decided to come to SOLID this year.

I am so immensely proud of all of the young people I work with and all of the adults too. For such a time as this and in such a place as this. Billericay is changing, the generations are changing, dare I say turning to God?