Time flies....

I can't believe the last post was in September - well, actually I can. The last few weeks have been so busy for us that sitting down to update the blog has been the last thing on our minds. We've been juggling our new college commitments, new church life alongside family life and it has just been hectic.

Firstly, college. We both go in on Wednesdays, Jon has lectures on Tuesday and Ali has lectures on a Friday, at least until Christmas! After that it all changes again. The travelling has added a huge amount to our time commitments and our petrol bill! Still, Ali is improving and managed to actually drive on a motorway for the first time last Friday. Making friends isn't easy because we are both part-time and because we meet with different people on each day. The work varies - the lectures are covering some of what we have already studied at Redcliffe but what is new to us is good. Jon has more work to complete than Ali as she is not studying for her degree (yet!)

Secondly, church. Again we are meeting new people with all the blessings and difficulties that brings. It is good to begin to feel more settled as time goes by. We have led a couple of services and been involved in a few different meetings. We are looking forward to taking a bigger role as time goes on.

Lastly, family. Busy is our watchword. Some of the things we have been doing recently include: applying for secondary schools, making time for us and the girls, keeping up with housework, having new double glazing (courtesy of our landlord), etc., etc., etc.

So, where are we now? Tiredness is a constant challenge and finding some kind of routine amid the chaos is also tricky. We have really appreciated the support we've had from Kendal Road Baptist (the church we were worshipping at while at Redcliffe). Catching up with friends seems only possible in the school playground - though we have managed to pop into Redcliffe a couple of times and we have visited Kendal Road during the recent half-term.

What's next? More study, more driving, more church, more juggling!

One month on...

Time has flown by since our last posting. Through the summer we were really busy with visiting family, attending two weddings (friends from college and Jon's brother Chris) and leading a service at our previous church in London. The girls have settled back into school really quickly and we have just begun our courses at Bristol Baptist College. We had induction week last week which involved a lot of early starts and a lot of driving. This week has been our first 'proper' week and has also involved some early starts and quite a lot of driving.

Last Sunday was our first Sunday with Gas Green Baptist Church, the church in Cheltenham that we will be working with. It was their Harvest weekend and we had a lovely lunch together and met lots of new people.

We are planning on catching up with friends at Redcliffe tomorrow which we are really looking forward to.

Gloucester Roads No Longer Safe

For anyone who hasn't read our Cheltenham blog, Ali has passed her driving test!