Clifford Arboretum Take 2

I went with Nick to church at Sandy Bay this morning, instead of going to Jamestown at 7 pm. It was lovely to be out at church this morning instead of being at home on my own, and although the boys tend to be a bit more of a handful during a daytime service, they were still okay. I had to take Aaron out for a smack during the missions focus though because he started crying because I said he couldn’t sleep! Nick continued in his series from John, with the portion of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. It was such a good sermon, and although he said he struggled with the passage because it’s so well known, he really drew a lot out of it, the application being “am I like a little loaf of barley, yielded to the Lord?”

When Nick returned from Knollcombes this morning, we took a picnic lunch and headed out to the Clifford Arboretum, which we attempted last Sunday but decided not to continue. Today we started out and had our lunch in a shady spot, then tucked the cooler box and blanket away inside a lean-to for later retrieval. Then it was time for the serious walking to begin! Last week we turned back just before a steep downhill, so today we knew what was waiting. It was really steep! Unfortunately it just carried on going down and down with no apparent circular route or ascent; the boys started complaining so eventually we had to turn around and head back. For two little boys though, they did really well. I’m sure we must have walked for more than an hour over very steep up- and downhills. (And the cooler box was still there waiting for us). Then it was home for a sleep, and the rest of the afternoon was very laid back.

Yesterday I did the teaching at the Good News Club, but I don’t think it came across very well. I spoke on jealousy but was ill-prepared. But the rest of the club was good. I find that it’s a blessing if I consider the need of these kids as individuals, and that this is the only place where they can really grow as Christians (for those who are). We went to Ardees for lunch, and Nick had his usual cheeseburger (can’t go wrong with a burger) while I decided to go for soup, having little appetite. It turned out to be some sort of spicy island soup, which would have been delicious if I could have tasted anything after the first spoonful.