Jul 2009

Hiya everyone!
I realised this morning that Ive been quite quiet on the updating side of things, but Ive been extremely busy otherwise.
I've spent a lot of time in prayer and discernment, trying to understand the meaning and purpose of what's going on in my life right now. Very pensive, I know! In truth, I'm putting everything of me into my experience out here, and the more I do that, the more I love it, and the more I love it, the more I feel God letting me put more into it, and so the circle repeats.
I've been really busy the past few days, going to schools, leading group discussions, getting to know the youth and the people I work with. Saturday I went to an oblates meeting for the Community of St John (now that Fr Dominique has left, those that are interested in the community gather monthly to further the discussions). It's really interesting and heaped in theology and philosophy.
Sunday I was working. We started our Eastern Lights program and we had about 15 people come along. It was really really good! And I feel my faith getting stronger the more I realise that losing things and leaving things behind, allows us to refresh our faith trust and love for God. Leaving the old leaves room for new, and newness helps us widen the space in our heart which allows the Holy Spirit to enter in. Well, this is what I have found.
So I am on a journey of discernment, and I am loving and losing and living and loving it. The more I give of myself, the more God gives back to me. I just don't want this journey to end, and I have full trust in Jesus that I will grow and be strengthened in every situation he allows me to be part of.
I'm off to school soon, then meeting, then school tonight. Tomorrow and Wed I'm helping run a 2 day retreat, and Thurs and doing a Sacramental program at school.
I've added a few photos from my past few days. The girls who were making their first Confession made the blu-tac crosses
I love this Thank you for all your prayers, God Bless x
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Hi everyone! Ok so I'm feeling much much better than my last entry. Thank you for all the kind words and prayers you've sent me, they've really helped and cheered me up. I spent a good half an hour sitting in the Church across the street yesterday, there was no Mass but I spent the time just getting my head straight and clarifying stuff. The time spent in prayer helped me focus and see that, yeh bad stuff happens, and some times it can be really bad and seem impossible to get over, but, and it's. big but, God never gives us too much on our plate, and when we offer up the bad with the good, he helps us and makes us stronger when we always remember to keep our eye on Him. By emphasising the bad, we focus onto a tiny piece of our lives and forget to zoom out and see all the rest. All the rest, for me, is this awesome opportunity that I still have to experience; the fact my first month is nearly over and there's still so much to enjoy. I'm done with my moping and feeling sorry for myself, and last week is truelly last week.
The past two days I've been at different schools and doing different sessions in prayer and reflection, I've also been to a couple of meetings for the Diocesan Youth Mass for this Sunday. I'm keeping myself busy and focussing on what's good in life. I forgot to mention that my bible, breviary, note pad and diary were in the bag, (and mum, I pure loved that wee diary, and heather, unfortunaty it was the note pad you bought me) and my gran paid for the bible and breviary, BUT, I can get new ones, it's no big deal-Fr Kev has given me a loan of a bible, and Cameron's giving me a loan of a breviary, the iPod can wait, and works buying me a cable for my laptop. So it ain't all bad eh!
I'm going for dinner with Cam tonight, probs to the seminary. I've got meetings all avo so I won't get any gardening done but maybe tomoz.
Thanks for the prayers everyone, there's no doubt they've made me stronger and helped me in this process that is part of life.
Photos of Auckland from my phone I took today, as it's a lovely day, and a photo of me lookin all smart and to show I'm still smiling
Lots of love, Gb x
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Yesterday's entry was all happy happy happy. That's how I was feeling so it made sense.

Then at the end of the day I reached down under my desk, lifted up my jacket, to find a laptop bag that was no longer there. I was confused at first; I thought I had maybe left it somewhere else, maybe in the car or under a chair in the other room. But I had went into the bag at lunch time to skype Mark, so it was only logical that it would still be there. None the less, after the skype call, I put my laptop into my drawer in my desk (I have no idea why), and that's where it remained.

Inside my laptop bag then, was my 30gb ipod with thousands of songs, and my purse with all my cards and memories and photos and holy medals. Luckily though, my main bank/visa card, I kept in my pocket (again I don't know why - but it's a good thing I did!)

So I hunted up and down, several times, looking in places I know for sure it wouldn't be.. Like the toilets and kitchen haha... But no. The bag's been stolen. I'm pure gutted. I narrowed it down to a 2 hour slot that it could have been possible for someone to take it, but I think it must have been someone who knew I had a laptop, cause my desk is quite big, and the bag was well placed at the back of it's wee area under my jacket. I was on the computer til 2pm and by 4pm I was out the front doing the gardening.

Anyway.. I've spoke to Fr Kev, the priest in charge, who thinks it would have been someone who knows the Logos centre, and I told Helen my boss, and I reported it to the police. I tried calling up my insurance company but they're not open til Monday morning so I'll have to wait to make a claim.

I'm just so annoyed that someone would/could come into a Catholic centre to steal something.

As I lay tossing and turning last night in bed though, I thought about the story where Jesus asks the apostles to 'leave everything' and 'follow' Him. I thought how difficult it would have been to just detach yourself, and it made me realise how much I attach myself to material possessions. It does hurt, but I know it won't hurt for long.. I often see things as little tests from God, and yesterday's incident makes me question myself and question how much I value and attach myself to things, that, in the end don't matter as much as what we originally perceive them to be. So, if this is a test, I will spend my day trying to look at the positives, and being happy for the things that actually mean something - friends, family, being alive, actually being able to be happy and smile and rejoice for everything else we can't put a price on.

..Easier said than done, but there we go!
Have a nice weekend everyone, I'm going to town with Cameron, then I think I may be staying at his families house in a wee farming town of Pukehohe to watch the All Black's play Oz tonight.. I'm sure it'll be great

God bless, lots of love x

this is what I've been up to the past couple of days: gardening, eating teeth sweets, staff training aka playing with playdo, and renovating the old chapel aswell as tidying and cleaning, group facilitation (talking about how ur last week has gone-pos and negs) anddd just having a great time and enjoying every part of this
I'll illaborate later and put more photies up then x
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Lovely innit! x
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Todayyyyyyyy was my first day of Logos Youth Work. I prefer to call it Catchesis (teaching the faith). I spent 6 hours with two young girls, explaining and teaching them the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation and Confession. It was awesomeeee. I've did Confirmation Catechesis with the kids at my parish back home in London, but this was very last minute, and it was an intense teaching time. The girls were so responsive, asking loads of questions, and genuinely enjoying everything they were learning. I took them across the street to a Catholic Mass, well that was the intention, but the priest was late and instead we had a 'Liturgy of the Word with Communion.' Then we went for lunch, and then I took them down to Auckland Cathedral (gorgeous Church) which gave them a better insight into the symbols and importance of the sacraments. The day just went so well, I'm so chuffed. And like, I felt I was on fire telling them all this awesome stuff about Jesus... I love Catechesis, it's really my call I feel. And some thanks goes to my parish priest back in Kingston, Fr Vincent, who had the first faith and trust in me to do the Catechesis at St Raphael's. So thank's Father (whether you're reading this or not haha). I evennnn through in a bit of Angel talk - they had no idea about Angels, so woo hoo for that!

You can probably tell I'm on a high right now eh? Me happy lady :D

I've also been to a couple of talks by Fr Dominique, he's just amazing! I was at one on Sunday before Mass, and then one last night (Monday). There's one on tonight but I'm still at work writing up a report from the Sacramental program. My boss has let me take the day off tomorrow to go to his final talk on the dimensions of the human person - all very philosophical based. He's a very blessed teacher.

So yeah, I'll finish this report then head home. Today has been an awesome day, thanks be to God!

Speak soon, God Bless, love ye's xx

So much for my touristy way to spend the day. The rain hasn't stopped pouring and I don't have waterproof trousers or footwear. So instead I've stayed in and ate noodles:

Anddddd what else have I done? Booked my Queenstown flights!

It took a while to find some cheap ones, but I managed to find some offers which is lucky. The return flight was a bit more pricey so I'm departing Dunedin instead (the most southerly city and full of Scots, of New Zealand). That means I'll need to get a coach from Queenstown to Dunedin but it shouldn't be too much bother - quite like megabus, and it means I'll get to see some more of the country.

I'm really really looking forward to it 'cause Queenstown is my favourite place in NZ. I'll be crashing at my mate Alex's for the time, and she's maybe taking me on a wee jaunt around. It'll be good to hang out with her cause she's from Greenock too I'm really excited now; I love having wee things to look forward to! And the last time I was snowboarding for this time last year in NZ.

Weeeeee.. I'm gony go find some online episodes of The Simpsons or something, byeee xx

I've not long woken up - had a bit of a lie in which was good and a change from my usual 6.30am start. I've got the house to myself for the weekend as Amie, Hannah's friend, left for Wellington last night, and Hannah and Leon have been up north on a wee holiday. I'm glad to say I took charge of the heater that was in Amie's room and put it in mine ( thanks Amie :P )

It's pretty rainy today so I'm not sure of what to do. I've got a whole day and night to kill, so I'll either head into Auckland city centre, or go into Henderson town centre (which is a 5 min bus ride). It's one of those Greenock days were the rain just drips and drips and doesn't stop; I don't know if I want to be walking in the city in that. There's a wee Christian book shop I've spotted in Henderson that I'd like to take a gander in, so maybe I'll head there.

I've also downloaded the Pope's new encyclical onto my laptop, so I'll need to start reading that, sounds quite interesting.

The past few days I've just been in the office doing this and that. Nothing too exciting or strenuous, but more relaxed as it's still school holz, and will be for another week. I suppose I should make the most of it before the hard work starts. Yesterday, Cameron came picked me up from work and we headed first to 'Woolworths' (the shopping market), and then to his friend's house. He had arranged a wee get-together with his friends so I could meet some more good folk. And good folk they were, I felt right at home. One of the girls, Rebecca, is doing a degree in Theology and is a teacher, one of the guys has travelled through Europe, staying with various retreat centre's and Catholic communities. We just sat about loads of Catholic/theology/faith stuff, and I was a happy girl. The gang at the Logos centre are still quite young and predominantly into youth work (obv), but no one is really into Theology, so it's been a little difficult trying to 'be myself' as it were. They're more 'liberal' whereas I'm more 'traditional/orthodox', so you can imagine my glee last night, when I found like-minded folk

On Sunday I'm going to see a Theologian and Philosopher by the name of Fr Dominic Faure, from the Community of St. John, who was handpicked by Mother Teresa herself, to do the spiritual formation of all the sisters and nuns of her order. He travels all over, and he's in Auckland this week doing lots of talks. Cameron's arranged for a couple of his friends to pick me up tomorrow (Sunday) and take me with them, which is a really nice thing to do cause I don't even know these folk. And then, I've been invited on Monday night to have dinner (at the same place I had dinner last night) and talks with Fr. Dominic. It's going to be good!

I spent some time looking at flight prices for Queenstown, and my boss thinks I should take some extra time to see the place down south, so I'll be going for 9 or 10 days which should be awesome. And Alex, my mate who's living and working at the ski resort said I can hopefully get a free pass! Yaassss! So flights are around £150 which is still a bit pricey for my budget, so I'll keep looking. I can't wait to see the rest of the country, I miss the experience of last year, of jumping in a van and exploring and sight-seeing, so hopefully next month I'll get to do that a wee bit!

Anyways, this is a long enough update. If anyone's on Skype, add me: cheryl.johnston. (remember the dots).

I think I may head to the city and brave the wet weather. I am a tourist after-all!

Here's a few pictures from the last few days:

Some of the youth using my laptop to watch youtube (there comps are blocked)

Henderson train station (I leave for work at this one)

A nice wrap the Vinnies lady bought me cause I was doing contracts for her.

One of my colleague's neice's, Loretta

Cameron and Pink Pather (you wouldn't think this guy will be an ordained priest next year!)

Lupe, Jo and Maddie posing. They've been renivating the old chapel.

That's me at my desk!

And that's yer lot!
Speak soon, Gb love ya's xx

I've been uploading the photos from my cameras and putting them on my photo album site:
http://public.fotki.com/vexred9irl

Today I had a Chilli Beef and Cheese Pie, and Sushi, they were gooooood!

x

Walking to the train station at 7am
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Waiting on Hannah picking me up-lovely sunset. Afterwards we went to her aunt and uncles massive house and had fish and chips for dinner, and I played with their new wee puppy, Rocko.
I've been getting up for work at 645am and getting the train in. It's been a nice wee journey.
Weathers cold today; I'm wearing two Icebreaker layers, a fleece and a hat-see for yersel!
Byeee x
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Here is my desk and the view from my office window-straight over the Auckland Sky Tower, lovely!
Today I've been hunting down gardener s and rope. As I said, it's school holidays so theres not much to do apart from tidy up the place and get the wee things sorted.
I was chattin to my boss today about when I can visit Queenstown and anywhere else I want to. She's very laid back about it which is great! I'll be helping out with a programme called Eastern Lights, I'll let you know more details when I get them. I'll also be visiting Wellington at the end of the month which should be great for experiencing more youth work stuff.
I'm heading home from work now, weeee! Gb x
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