Vitoria Ariana Heasley

I am happy to announce the birth of my daughter Vitoria Ariana Heasley, yesterday, the 26th of August at 1:26 am, she weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces. Mother and baby are home and all are well. God is good.

Shut Down

I am afraid that being bankrupt means that Virgin Media will not allow you broadband, I will have to move to Sky or something like it that do allow bankrupts broadband, but for now and the foreseeable future, I am offline.

Things are good, God is working, be back soon, probably with a new family member, due 24th by the way. I'll let you know. Bye.

Street Pastoring again

Street Pastoring is something I really enjoy and am comfortable doing, I understand it is not everyones cup of tea, it is mine, I have been recently leading teams, which is something new and something which I am growing into and enjoying as well.

Last week I was out in Norwich city centre, it was a night of finding people on the floor, drunk, beaten, drugged or one guy had seemingly been stabbed, this is not always what nights are like, but this night was and what amazed me, was not the people we were finding, it was the passers by. As Christians, we are generally accused of being judgemental, in fact, during the day there had been a gay pride march, and as a team going out, we thought we were going to get it in the neck for being so judgemental ( were we judging?), we didn't, we only had some very positive remarks from the gay community. In general though, someone was on the floor, we would get people walking up to tell us, they deserved it, calling names, making really stupid comments and of course, when there were girls on the floor, there were blokes who wanted to come over and sneek a peek, there is nothing like an unconscious girl puking on the floor and several blokes hanging around to see if their boobs pop out or what knickers she is wearing.

As street pastors, we get a very positive reaction on the streets, but people rarely have something positive to or helpful to say to those we are helping, I say rarely, but last Saturday there was a passing fella who really took charge in the stabbing incident and when we were helping a spiked young lady, another girl came up offering to help, saying that we had helped her in the same way. I suppose in general I was just a bit shocked at peoples negativity and judgementalism, especially, as I have said, it is what Christians are constantly accused of.

There was also a young lady who we helped, who had been let down by the 'system', it has really started me thinking, I will explain more on another occasion.

Momentum

I feel a need to write and get a momentum about it, there are several things hapeening with me at the moment, several things I think God is saying to me, and just some stories I want to share, but in a nice way, I have not had the chance to sit down and write, this is my first attempt at getting up to date and I have lots of other things to get up to date with, it can be hard to get into a routine during the summer holidays, especially as I am still unemployed and the childen are off, routines go out the window.

I notice I have mentioned, but not really explained, the 2 cars I currently have use of. As a bankrupt, my car has been taken away from me, if I manage to buy another car, while I am still undischarged, or get given a car to own, it can be taken from me as an asset. At the moment, one friend is on a 5 week honeymoon, so we have a huge people carrier to use and another friend has just left her car at ours everytime she is not using it. So, we have had one car taken away, we now have 2 to use. God is good, so is His family. We have also had some great gifts from different people.

It was my first time speaking at DC3 on Sunday, I enjoyed it and have been quite self critical and will look forward to speaking again and growing in it, I was very nervous, I may post it, but if you can't wait, I am not going to do a link to it, but it is available at DC3's website under resources.

I am writing some other things down to remind myself now, just that I was street pastoring and I do feel God is again speaking about family, community and systems. I must keep up.

This week

I am busy again, which is good, everyone is fine and things are good. We continue to have the use of 2 cars and we feel provided for, we know there is a plan, we have to stick to it.

Morgan was at camp last week, which was great, he had a really good time, this is the first time he has been on anything like this, he really enjoyed it, got something out of it and I hope it will be the first of many. This is a busy summer for him, he is at his nans now, then is going to army cadet camp for 2 weeks starting Sunday, followed by a few days doing a short mission trip in London. It is different for Mason, as he is a bit younger, but he is going to spend a few days with his nan and grandad in a couple of weeks and when he starts back at school, he is going away straight away.

We were at the hospital today, the baby is breech, so it is looking like a cesarean section being performed on the 24th August. Turaya is wonderfully herself, enjoying being a toddler.

I was out street pastoring on Saturday night, rough old time, I will talk about on another occasion, but that will be my last outing until the baby is born. I am speaking on Sunday at church, I am looking forward to it, a little apprehensive, but I have a good word, I just want to get it across, we will see, that is us, in God's hands.

Slack

I have been a bit slack with my blog writing this week, I have been busy, it has been good, I am tired and have to remind myself that being busy is better than the alternative.

This week I have got up early, walked to church and met with someone different each day, to pray together. I have enjoyed getting up early, with a real sense of purpose, I should have that sense anyway, but I don't always have. So to have an early appointment has been good and to start off the day praying with someone else, has been good and wonderfully different, sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, but different and there has been a real sense of pushing forward.

We have also been walking a lot this week, due to a lack of car, which has been good for me and very tiring for a very pregnant Tanya. Since Wednesday evening, a friend has lent us a car till Saturday, another friend will be lending us his vehicle on Saturday and Sunday and then on Monday yet another friend is lending us his wagon for a month, brilliant, eh, real family response.

There have also been other blessings this week, through relationships and where stuff is going, a real sense that God is watching over and looking after us and leading us His way. All is going to be ok.

The summer holidays start now, so I don't know what blogging I will be doing for a while, but I will try to keep people informed.

Things are Happening

It has been great to see people over the last week respond, to try to help, even when it is costing people money, there are those just willing to try to help in whatever way they can. We have had offers of car loans for short periods of time, while people are away on holiday or just when they have noticed they could make do with one car in their family for a short period, we have had lifts, I have had to ask for lifts and peoples responses have been great, lots of people have contacted us to let us know they are thinking of us and that their ears are to the ground, it has been great, really nice to see family, acting like family. There may also be some movement for us on the housing front, but it is wait and see time, we really need the right place, and we really want to get it right.

One interesting thing that one person said to me, who is loaning me their car, was that they hate to see cars and houses unused, especially when there are people in need. It reminds me of during my street pastor training, one of the trainers was talking about a time they were speaking to a homeless person and he felt like such a hypocrite, when he thought of all the nice warm church buildings there are, while people freeze on the streets.

I hope I learn a lot about generosity from all of this, it is very challenging, what I am receiving from others, am I going to be so quick to give, I like to think so, but I also know and funnily enough have seen at this time, other people who just could not face someone borrowing their precious object. I am not judging, I am asking myself, because I know I like nice things, would I lend it out or even give it away. We will see.