Birds and Beads

As people are becoming more aware of my approaching trip to Mumbai, India, I just wanted to share a little more about it and give an opportunity for people to support through donations and prayer.

Mumbai is the largest populated city in both India and the world, reaching 14 million in the city alone. It was formally called Bombay and is the business centre of India. It is a thriving city that has all the modern conveniences of other developing countries with plenty of wealth in some areas. Along with the extreme wealth, lies extreme poverty and houses some of the poorest people in the world, and has the largest slums in the world.

I am going to a wonderful ministry called Vision Rescue, under a local pastor, Biju Thampy, who saw a need and started to meet that need in 2004. Today, Vision Rescue reaches about 850 street children per day in 15 locations in Mumbai city where they are taught hygiene, basic education and are provided with a hot meal. The venue for this to happen is on a school bus that they have converted to make a sufficient classroom environment, and they drive this bus to the various locations throughout the day.

When I am there, I have the privilege of getting to train some of the volunteers who teach the children just to give them more skills and strategies in order to teach the children more efficiently as they have no teaching backgrounds. I will also get to spend some time with the children, teaching them English, having fun with them and hopefully building some great relationships.

I have titled this blog "Birds and Beads" for a purpose...

I wanted to raise some support for this trip because I want to be able to give and to bless the incredible work that Vision Rescue do, I want to be able to put more resources in their hands and ultimately, I want them to be able to accommodate more and more children because the need really seems endless.

If you would like to give a donation towards furthering their work in Mumbai, then I would love to give you the above Bird and Bead hanging thingy that I have made especially for my supporters. It doesn't matter how much or little you would like to give, any small or large contribution will together make for something big and life-changing.

My hope is that it will be a reminder, every time you pass it or look at it, to pray for me and to pray for those precious little children and people in India.

Leading up to my trip which will be for the entire month of November, I want to ask you to keep me in your prayers as I prepare my heart and mind for this amazing, life changing and challenging opportunity that lies ahead. While I am in Mumbai, I will be sending out regular updates on the work that I have been doing and what my prayer needs are.

Until next time, think, pray and decide how you can contribute, be in touch with me and I will send you a sweet little "Birds and Beads".

Much love and appreciation xo

Taking a Bite of the Big Apple

New York City never disappoints. It didn't matter that I was by myself this trip, unlike the last time that I was here with 6 crazy friends from around the globe with London as our common home.

My trip had a different feel about it. A bitter/sweet moment of leaving London as my home and embarking on my next adventure - spending the next 4 months of my life as a gypsy in no mans land. I am excited, I am nervous and scared, ecstatic, hopeful and most other emotions that I choose to face.

Nevertheless, I am approaching this space of my life as 'fearless', or trying to at least. Stepping off the plane at JFK was exciting, driving into Manhattan was just as breathtaking as the last, and the city of dreams has really turned up the heat.

I came with one goal only - to get lost in the streets, sights, smells, lights, tastes, sounds and people of NYC - and I must say I did it well.

Foolishly deciding that I would never be seen dead in NYC with trainers on, I swapped them for new flats, hit the streets and hit em hard (and now have the blisters to prove!).

From walking the entire length of 5th & 7th Avenue and Broadway from Central Park to TriBeCa, as well as along the Hudson. Passing landmarks like the Empire State, Madison Square Gardens, World Trade Centre, Lady Liberty and many more. I stopped at a TriBeCa local diner and had a world famous Turkey Club before jumping on the Staten Island ferry at dusk. What a beautiful sight - Manhattan skyline at dusk on the trip there, then dark on the return journey. Other things I jammed in...

Cruised the Hudson river and saw this beauty...

Found my way into a Yankees game....

People watched in Grand Central Station.

Went to the NYDC 2nd Anniversary celebrations.

Rode the Staten Island Ferry and admired this view...

Concluded that Times Square has to be one of the coolest places ever...

 Huge Landmarks...and huger views...

Watched a movie being filmed in Central Park.

Joined in a free yoga class at Bryant Park.

Failed at taking photos of the Farmers market at Union Square.Also got lost in the streets of Soho and Little Italy, finding antiques, vintage shops and delicious little deli's.

So there you have it, my whirlwind adventure in NYC, jammed packed full of goodness. I am getting on this flight exhausted, but excited for my next stop...New Mexico :-)

India - You are on My Mind

Dear India...

I am dreaming of you and thinking what it will be like when I hit the tarmac in the November heat.

Will it be anything I've ever experienced or seen before? Will it be like anything I have read or watched on T.V? Will it be like the media portrays it? Or how people talk about it?

I think it will be everything, yet so much more. More because of the people I meet and the way they change my life and perspective. More because of the homes that I enter that are made of cardboard, yet the atmosphere is more generous, courageous and faith filled than I could ever build. More because of the children I meet playing in the slums have the biggest and brightest smiles I will ever know. And more because it will challenge me to my very core.
India - that's the experience that I'm imagining you'll give me but I also know that it will be so much more than even I can imagine because that comes from the mind. India, you will hit me in the heart, in my emotions, in my faith and in my dreams.

I know that I will never be the same. I am preparing for my life to be changed, for my world to be rocked and for my dreams to shift.

India, you scare me because of it, but yet I feel this magnetic pull to you, stronger than ever as you get closer and closer.

Time is nearing, and so is my heart.


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My NEW Year

A year full of change, anticipation, excitement, of growth, of new experiences and of great challenge. A year that will be determinative in my life, that will speak volumes of my character, faith and trust in God. A year that will see such incredible favour and blessing on everything that I do as I step out of what is comfortable, and move into a direction that is far beyond my comfort levels in every way. A year that relationships will grow and form and blossom, a year that new, strong people will enter my life who will mentor and bless me, people who will challenge me like nothing else before, but who will love me deeply with a sense of unconditional love.

This year of being 27 will be rich, full and blessed so that I can be the most amazing blessing. There will be time, strength, power and resources to meet the needs of people in every way that is required. A year that is abundant, that is overflowing, that is full of direction, wisdom and intention.

My hopes...

friends

This is a photo of some fabulous gals that I have the privilege of doing life with. We had a fun night of cocktails for my birthday, was a quality night full of friends from everywhere in the world, but call home London (for now), in this photo alone there is a Brit, Australian, South African, Colombian and me the kiwi of course.

I'm having a constant realisation about just how cool my friends are here in London. I am truly blessed to be around a bunch of fun, amazing people, who thirst after God's heart and truth and who passionately love people.

Being around them stretches and grows me and challenges me into new depths of life and love and relationships. The conversation, the motives and the heart of the people I'm surrounded with is world class. I've never been around such a massive bunch of people who are just so connected to a sense of purpose for life. The sheer quantity of people amaze me. Yeah, I've always been a part of a group with such passion and purpose, but never quite this many. I'm constantly just in awe of all that God is doing here.

This environment is amazing, who wouldn't want to be a part of it?

I'm realising more and more that life isn't necessarily about what you are doing, but the people and the heart that you're connected with. Being connected to the right people and place will bring about incredible fruit and send you in a direction that will be a blessing in this world. It is the togetherness that will bring about change, freedom and love to a hurting humanity.

God had a cool plan when he dreamed up just how powerful and effective the church can be in this world. We are all in this together.

Fun times.

Also in my birthday weekend, I enjoyed my last coffee for the rest of the month. Ouch it's hurting, and I have had a caffeine headache for 4 days now.

At my cocktail party a candle decided to spill out of its seams. It was an interesting shape at the end of the night. Not much point in me telling or showing you, except I think it was kinda cool.

So that's the end of this little blog. Just thought I should share something from my world since it's been so long.

Basically, I'm just loving London friends (notice I didn't say London?), loving being a part of Hillsong and I really, really like my house.

That is all.

Can't Complain about a day that includes Magaritas

Today was a fun day out with a great friend in London. We had coffee and food and boat trips and movies and shopping and GMT zone and best of all Magaritas.

How can I complain about my life or the city I live in when it turns up such fun all the time.

It was a rare occasion that the sun even turned up to play today. How kind of it.

And tomorrow - what will I do with my holiday? Make the most of my Cineworld Unlimited card and see just how many movies I can cram into a single day. My butt muscles have been duly worked out today to make up for tomorrow.

Love it. Hope you love yours right now.

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Sharing a little photo love of Africa...

The Living Hope ladies hard at work in Gulu, Northern Uganda,

and below in Kampala

Above: Some woman ready to receive gifts from Living Hope, I had the privilege of being able to give these woman everyday items that we take for granted

Beautiful Watoto babies in Kampala

The mud brick house the team built at Bbira Watoto Village,

and photos taken around the villages of incredible children, woman and men that we met: