Three weeks to go

As of Friday I am now unemployed, at least gainfully unemployed. I still got a call at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon seeking my input on a contractual problem - the business is rock solid, unfortunately the NHS have signed a contract which hasn't given them everything they thought they were getting. When you are negotiating detailed contracts, it is easy to miss some details, especially when the negotiations were spread over so many months.

In my final week in the business, I only worked Monday afternoon and then all Tuesday in Manchester. The factory was not quite ready but almost there and processing had started. The rest of the week has been very busy though - putting more items on eBay, writing to all those organisations that need to know that I am moving, clearing out the filing cabinet (which goes tomorrow) keeping only the essentials, planning visits to family and friends next week. I have bought a new camera so I can take photos useable for Medair's publications and a laptop arrives soon. And I have worked out how to load music onto the iPod that Synergy bought for me; I have loaded 30 CD's so far, about another 60 to go.

Friday was my last trip to the theatre for a while - Tango Fire, an outstanding Argentinian tango ensemble. A piano, double bass, button accordian and a fiddle made great music. There was a singer whom we named Julio who had the whitest toothy smile. And 5 male and 5 female dancers who were stunning. There must have been about 2000 people in the concert hall.

And then today was my sending out by the church. I was so pleased to see friends joining me in the church and really pleased that my brother and sister in law came up from London. Jamie has put some photos, music and text together to give an overview of the issues in NE Uganda and then interviewed me. Why me ? why now ? And then the elders prayed for me. A good friend and my brother joined me on the platform - I think my brother was surprised to have the microphone thrust in to his hand and invited to start the praying. David Shearman then invited the congregation to call success over me as in 1Chronicles 12:28 "Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you". Afterwards, about 50 people joined me for lunch at a local hotel - I was able to say something more of the background to the problems in NE Uganda and about Medair. It was just as I wanted it to be: my friends gathered around me and sharing something of this adventure.

As I was praying this morning, God led me to 2 scriptures. Psalm 146: 7-9 "He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and widow, but frustrates the ways of the wicked". How appropriate for the people in the refugee camps. And Phillippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me...............Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to the win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus". I have made it my habit recently each day to kneel before the Lord in the same way that a subject might kneel and do obeisance to a king. I did that this morning and sensed the presence of the Captain of the Lord's host (Joshua 5:15).

So a blessed week, lots of progress and a sense that there is not much more to do before I leave Derby !