R&R in Kent

Last weekend was a long weekend here in the UK, so a group of us decided we should go away.. but alas, no money (as usual), so I, with my travel agent background, decided to do a bit of a search to find the perfect getaway.. keeping in budget and location (not really enough time to go too far away!)
At first we wanted to go camping.. but we only had one 2man tent to fit 5 of us, so the next option.... a caravan!
We headed out to Kent (1.5hrs on the train from London), and hit the beach! So good to see the ocean again.. nothing like Oz, but a beach all the same!
We stayed at a place called Romney Sands.. We summed it up as the place English families go on their summer break when they cant afford to go abroad... with their 5000 children! So.. we became 'trailer trash' for a weekend!!
There were some good points... what we stayed in was not just any caravan.. I found us a Luxury 2brm Caravan! and it was! Believe me!
Here are a few photos of our weekend getaway...

This is our Luxury Caravan



Doing what we do best when on holiday



The beach... The mud that made up the beach... mmmm.. lovely..!

So there you have it... I have vowed never to organise another holiday again.. after what we experienced in Spain, and now in Romney.. Where do I find these places?!

But we did laugh A LOT!! A great stomach muscle work out!
:)

My poor unused muscles!!

So this gym thing... HURTS! I knew that it would, and I was sort of ready for it.. but man! feel those muscles burning!!
A few people have been checking up on me (thanks Sez and Nandi), and I'm happy to say that in the first week I went 4times in 3days, and then this week I went Mon, Tues and Wed. Today I slept in.. I thought that I desserved it, but tomorrow, I will definitely be back!

I discovered a new weight machine yesterday.. well, its one I used to use at the gym back home in Jamboree Heights - its one where you sit and you have the weights either side of your legs and then you widen your legs.. make sense?! Anyway - what a way to work your bum muscles!!! I will definitely be using this one on a regular basis!

I went to a Lillywhites equivalent sports shop yesterday - one where they are always having a sale! and got some goggles and swimming cap for bargain prices.. so this means that I have to brave the togs and get in the pool with the grannies! I think that will be next weeks challenge.

I'll be sure to keep you posted!
xox

Brighton

Last Saturday about 200 people from church travelled down to Brighton to witness and support 76 people get water baptised in the sea! It was an amazing thing to see and to be a part of. I knew a few of the people that got baptised, and just to see the look on the faces when they came up, was just priceless.. its amazing to see God's grace and love in action, and expressed on the faces of these beautiful people!

The weather wasnt that great.. as you can expect in England - first minute the sun is out, next its raining.. and the water was apparently cold... so you can tell that they definitely loved Jesus!!

We had a few onlookers too... its great to see them noseing about seeing what we are up too! A great way to put Jesus' name on people's lips!!

Here are a few pics!

Write your dreams down

So... Yesterday I got my gym pass - very excited about that! 1yrs membership for a bargain price of £150! And it gives me access to all 7 leisure centre's in the council.. this is pretty much unheard of in London, so I grabbed it with both hands! On my lunch break I went down and got my photo I.D, and then this morning, I woke up at 6am to go to the gym before work!

Since being in London, I have been blessed with the opportunity to hear amazing speakers.. one which stands out right now, is Helen Burns, and at a womens conference she spoke about dreams. God puts amazing dreams into our hearts - this is His way of showing us that there is an amazing future ahead of us and these dreams are like glimpses into a possible future. After hearing this message, I sat down and tried to see these dreams, and write them down.. if you write them down, you can visualise and strive for them. I couldnt see much then.. mainly because I had mentally capped my potential. But now.. an opportunity has come up, to go to Africa and change the lives of children who have absolutely nothing - not even parents. I'm talking about children who are orphaned through aids.
So... this is my dream, my goal.. and here I am, writing it down.

I am going to Africa in June to build a house for the kids in Uganda.
Africa is going to be hot, and hard work. I'm not the smallest of people in the world, and hence the start of this post.. I have joined a gym. (God has blessed this with it being SO CHEAP!). I am not going to help starving children when I am overweight. That is just immoral to me... So my goal is to lose weight... a lot of weight! I want to be able to play with these kids, go on a hike to see the rhino's (or whatever I find!), and build this house without dying of exhaustion!

So there you go.. Please keep me accountable of this. I am doing this for myself, for the kids, for my dream, and ultimately, for God.

My Beautful Nandi-Jo

Well.... the time has come for this little one to leave us and head back to South Africa.

This chicken is an amazing woman of God, and I am so blessed to have been in London at the same time as her. We have cried together, and laughed together... so hard that our stomach muscles are in agony!!

We had big dreams to go to Morrocco together this year... unfortunately that didnt happen.. instead we took a few days out of London to visit the forest.. it was a great time to relax, get back to nature and all that jazz!

I'm going to miss you chicks! I'm definitely going to miss your hugs! Who am I going to hug now that you and Sarah have left me?? I think poor Jenny is going to take the brunt of that one!! haha!

I pray that God blesses your every decision back home - whether that be what you name your new puppy, or all decisions you make regarding your studies.... I look forward to wearing a 'Nandi-jo' original sometime very soon!

Keep in touch my friend... and I'll see you next year - when you will endeavour to show me a rhino, a hippo, a girrafe, a lion, a zebra and a pumba!

Love you honey!!
xox