Up at eight to a day of changeable weather. The temperature is now sixteen degrees. After breakfast I took an hour to read a document Rufus sent me, reviewing his first six months as Missions to Seafarers Welsh Ports Chaplain, and proposing a development policy plan for the coming years. It was an interesting read observing major changes in shipping, implications for the work of the organisation in the light of church decline, and shortage of volunteers generally. The document is still a work in progress, but I was able to give him encouraging feedback and spot the odd typo. At times like this I wish I was younger and could get involved on the ground.
With all local obligations all behind me now, I could turn my attention to case packing and ensuring I have included essential adaptors, chargers, digital devices and little bottles of liquid in the right bag to present to airport security scanners. I'm taking my Panasonic TZ95 and my two Olympus cameras. The great thing about the Olympus ones is that they're compact. They all fit neatly along with my laptop, so I'm confident I'm within prescribed cabin bag size limits with room to spare.
Clare cooked hake for lunch to go with our usual organic veggies, reminding me of something I'm looking forward to in Nerja. In spring there's an abundance of fresh baby hake available at fish counters, one of my favourite easy to cook items done in a dish on top of a pan of boiling water with olive oil and lemon. After we'd eaten, I made the video slide show for next week's Morning Prayer and uploaded it to YouTube. I've no idea of what awaits me in my first week, getting used to working in a Chaplaincy House in a different location, so can't be sure of what time I'll have to prepare this next week, or what distractions there will be. As Ashley would say "Expect the unexpected."
At four o'clock the roofing team arrived as promised to put a slipped tile back in place on the extension roof. Fortunately it hasn't rained much since Clare spotted it on Wednesday. One of the three man team is a born again Christian, a young adult convert. We talked briefly before during the re-roofing work, but today when he arrived he started asking me why preaching on the Old Testament blessings and curses is rarely heard in churches. He'd done a three year bible college training apparently, but was dissatisfied with the ethos of the Pentecostal tradition where he'd come to faith. Study of scripture fascinated him, as for connecting this to church life and discipleship, he's still working on it.
I explained to him that synagogue sermons would be more likely to explore that aspect of the Torah, where Christian Gospel preaching on Jewish scripture focused on Prophets and Psalms that were important to Jesus. It seemed to me that he needs to be in a church community with a lively interest in study and debate about biblical issues, but not necessarily an academic one. After this brief exchange the job was done and our brief conversation ended.
Clare and I then went for a walk around Pontcanna Fields, and listened to the news when we got back. The Israeli Army reported on its enquiry into the killing of seven aid workers, concluding that sloppiness in complying with rules of engagement for identified cleared convoys. A couple of field commanders have lost their jobs as a result. Journalists are commenting that 100 colleagues have been killed, during the war in Gaza. Nearly 200 aid workers, and nearly 500 medical workers have also died. In most cases there have been no speedy or thorough enquiries into the circumstances. People actively serving others in different ways killed, defenceless, unable to avoid being trapped in a battle zone, fought by two sides indifferent to the suffering they cause others, cynically lazy about sticking to rules of engagement. The phrase 'trigger happy' was coined long ago to describe such behaviour.
There was more work to be done before supper on finalising bag packing. It's the little details overlooked earlier when are the stumbling block, as they come and go when attention wanders. In the end, both are ready for 'grab and go after breakfast. Then a quiet time writing before watching 'Astrid - Murder in Paris' and after a shower and hair wash, bed.
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