A busy week

Dear friends, I've been trying to find time to write about what's been going on lately, but it's been very difficult.  Tonight things have calmed down enough - and Sheila is watching the latest Downton Abbey with one of our scholars! - so I'm going to write.

I think I'll go back to Sunday.  Michael Ward - local C. S. Lewis scholar (he's the lecturer for the UTC annual lecture in March, btw) invited us to go to church with him.  He goes to the Tolkiens' church, Saints Gregory and Augustine.  Since we are good friends, we invited him to come over for lunch afterward.  Well!  Of all days to go to a Roman church, we go on All Saints Day.  I've never been in a service with so much incense!  I liked it, but poor Sheila was having to hold a kleenex over her face - she's got a touch of asthma.  Needless to say, we won't be going back any time soon!

The sanctuary of SS. Gregory and Augustine.  If it looks a little cloudy up front, well, you know why!

After Michael left the house, his priest, Fr. Saward, and the new head of the St. Barnabas Society here in Oxford - who had been having lunch with the Father - came by to visit.  Turns out, that they live in our neighbourhood.  They had not sat down for long when another neighbour, Fr. Andy Edwards, came to visit.  Fr. Edwards is a retired Church of England priest from up in Cumbria.  So, we had a very ecumenical clerical conclave going on in the common room of the house for Sunday afternoon.

We met Fr. Andy at St. Ebbe's Headington church.  Many of you will be interested to know that his son, Tim  Edwards, has just gone to New St. Andrew's College in Idaho to teach theology.  Anyhow, I would like for you to pray for Andy.  He had a stroke about 6 months ago and struggles with the after-effects.  He's also new to Oxford, having recently retired.  We hope to befriend him and his wife Jill.  They live just around the corner.

This very sociable Sunday got us off to a very busy next two days.  Sally Clarkson, of Whole Heart Ministries, is in Oxford visiting her daughters.  She mentioned something on her Facebook page about being willing to meet with some ladies at the Kilns, if they were interested.  The result was 30+ women from all over the UK, except Ireland, gathered in our library for tea and two hours with Sally.  Everyone seemed to have a good time, but it was a lot of work for us.  We got to spend a good bit of time with Sally and we think we could be good friends.

By the way, one of the ladies who came is here in Oxford with her husband from VA Univ., but he's a South Carolinian and she's from Maryville! :-)

This is Sally in our library; you can see Sheila standing in the corner by the tea-table.

Today, in the morning, we had a tour with a few people who were friends of Peter Greyling and his wife, who head up Christian Heritage London, the sister ministry of Christian Heritage Cambridge, where Ranald Macaulay works.  It was great meeting them and learning more about this really good ministry. 

In the afternoon, we were briefly visited by some truly Irish folks!  Loved their accents.  Sandy Smith, author, and a couple of young people who work for the BBC, stopped through so the younger folk could see the house briefly.  Sandy and his team are making 3 documentaries on Irish aspects of C. S. Lewis' life.  They were in France just today filming in the area where Paddy Moore died.  We enjoyed getting to meet Sandy and the young folks had a really great Facebook sharing time in the house! :-)  They want us to come over and visit them in Belfast.  Hm.  We'll have to think about that one.

Tomorrow, after I give a tour, Sheila and I plan to take a little trip west of Oxford to visit a fellow who restores bicycles - I'm still without wheels and I'm dying!!!  Hopefully, he'll have something for us.  It just so happens that I found out there's a pottery manufacturer in the small village near the bicycle fellow, and so I thought I needed to take Sheila along so she can enjoy the pottery thing.  It should rain some, but you won't do anything around here if you let the rain stop you!

As I write, fireworks are going off in the neighbourhood.  This week is the week of Guy Fawkes Day and Saturday evening there will be a big bonfire and fireworks, which should be a good time to meet some more people. 

Please pray for:
1. Our spirits - we struggle with some things, especially me.  I need my equilibrium restored after the summer and all that's been involved in getting here.  I think I've got the Elijah-post-Carmel syndrome.
2. Our local church involvement; we're down to considering two places and may need to connect with both.
3. Our support needs to improve so we can keep our State-side bills paid.
4. Wisdom with those we live with, that we will be a benefit to them, and not otherwise.
5. Obviously, we need grace with all the people coming and going, that we will be to them what we need to be.
6. Pray for the healing of A., and for Fr. Andy, recovering from his stroke.
7. Pray for clear priorities with all we have to do.

Enough!