Renovation

Saturday 9. August
Another day with not much to write about. Went in the morning to a large shopping centre because Lukas wanted to look for a playstation game. He didn't find it, but it still took us 2 hours to find the exit from the centre. A sports shop had a rain set at reduced price and I went in to have a look at it. I need something to use when cycling in Manchester, at it does happen to rain once in a while. It is not enough for the set to be able to keep the rain out, it should also be able to breathe, otherwise you quickly become as wet on the inside as on the outside. According to the information in the set it should be able to breathe, but to what extent? Look for a sales assistant and one quickly jumped to assistance. "How much it can breathe? Let me have a look" after which he read out loudly what the note in the set said. "It says it does breathe" he summed it up, which would have been immensely helpful I was not able to read for myself "but it doesn't say how much". I stood back in amazement - before our very eyes we beheld a sales assistant who was able to read Danish! Unfortunately he didn´t have a clue otherwise. I smiled politely and thanked him, put the set back and left the shop, slightly amused.

We did pick up a new, very cheap suitcase. We have been packing Maria's stuff, which she had left at my Mothers. Called DHL to hear how much it would cost to ship 3 boxes to Stockport from Copenhagen and decided £ 700 was a bit too much! Instead we packed the most necessary stuff in the extra suitcase which we will take home when we leave from Denmark. Does mean we will have luggage to check in and have to queue in the airport. I hope Maria appreciates this enourmous sacrifice.

Have managed to finish The Russia House by John Le Carré. It got better towards the end, but it was not a book I just had to return to or could not put down. I don´t think I will continue reading other of his books. Have tried twice and not too impressed. Began reading The Odessa File by Frederic Forsyth. Began well, will see how it proceeds.

Lisbeth and I set off for dinner at Hanne and John's, a couple of very good friends and colleagues. Good food and good (and long) conversations. Were not home before after midnight, but we were determined to get up for the service next day. Lisbeth and I had decided to go to the Temple Corps, where we were corps leaders for 5 years before moving to Latvia, but Lukas had decided to go with Granmother to Valby, which is just down the stairs. He did claim it was not because he could sleep longer, but because most of his friends goes to that corps.

Sunday 10. August
Entering the Temple corps I thought I had gone to heaven. It was not because the presence of God overwhelmed me, nor the friendly welcome from many old friends and acquaintances, but the hall it self. It had been refurbished and decorated and everything was kept either in white or very light colours. My first impression was thinking of movies where someone wakes up after an accident, everything is white around them and a beam of light surrounds them. Then the band started playing and I realised it wasn't heaven (actually that was not a fair joke, the band played really well, but I needed to end that paragraph somehow).

The platform had been rebuilt, making it much more approachable and friendly, there were new chairs, much more comfortable than the old ones and they even had a screen and a projector, although they couldn't get it to work this Sunday, things had moved forward and improved since we left the corps. The service was fairly traditional (this is a very kind description), but it was good. It had a lot to do with the leader and the preacher, not because they necessarily were brilliant, but you could feel the Spirit in them and their authentic spirituality.

The text was from Matthew 12, where there is a passing reference to Jonah. The preacher mentioned how the book of Jonah said that Jonah paid the fare when he bordered the ship to run away from God and the call he had given him and commented there always is a price to pay when we try to run away from God. Just that thought was worth the whole service.

The corps has been unofficered for a year and will continue to be so for the next 12 months. If someone had asked me there, I might have volunteered for the job stragiht away (when I told Lisbeth afterwards she commented that she hoped I would have asked her first!), but reflecting over it I realised it partly was the leader in me that reacts and want to act when leadership is needed, partly it was the thought of getting a platform again and having a people to share the word of God with. We have now been to services in 2 of our previous corps and been outside the door of a third, and in every instance I have considered volunteering to take leaership of the corps - probably is good we are going home before next Sunday.

Early tomorrow morning we will take the train to Vejle, stay with Allan and Ea one night and then fly home from Billund Tuesday. Have realised my diary entries were somewhat more entertaining while covering our first stay with Allan and Ea, maybe there will be more fun to write about tomorrow.