Host UK and a November Visitor

Valentine’s Day and what a better time than to post something about Remembrance Weekend 2011! Nothing like being three months behind!

        In October John and I connected with the Host UK organisation—a volunteer organisation that provides adult students from foreign countries an opportunity to stay in private homes and experience “real life” in Great Britain. Host UK had contacted the Parish Office asking us to run an advert for them in the Church Parish’s weekly news sheet and/or magazine. They were looking for people to host international students over the Christmas holiday. For us, Christmas is a time to open our home, especially since two of John’s daughters now live a fair distance away. John’s sister, Sewing Queen, now lives in South Africa, having moved in October.

I remembered living in dormitories over holidays. The thought of foreigners staying in institutional buildings, no family around, with most businesses being closed over two days for the holiday was abhorrent to me, and I wanted to make a difference for a stranger. So I sent an e-mail.

Our regional representative, Paul Ryall, came to our home for a chat and to complete the application process. Within a day of our visit with Paul, we were notified of our first guest—who would becoming in November. Host UK operates year round—not just special weekends or holidays. John and I were very enthusiastic—and said we’d host once a fortnight (every two weeks) through Christmas.

It is up to the guests to contact us first. Once we hear from them, I send them an e-mail. This is a template of what I send.

Hello.  Thank you for contacting us.  John and I are looking forward to welcoming you into our home.  We truly enjoy meeting new people and learning about different cultures. 

We are accustomed to having lots of guests and have towels, sheets, etc.  All you really need to bring are your clothes, spending money and probably your camera. 

When we have guests, I always like to ask them about food:
1)Do you have any food allergies?
2) Do you have any particular favourites?
3) Do you prefer savoury or sweet?  Hot and Spicy?  (I personally don't like curry, but John loves it!) 
4) Are there any vegetables you don't like?

I've attached a photo for you, so you will recognise us when you see us.  John and I are looking forward to your visit--which is less than two weeks away.  So, how are you coping with the weather?  Are you constantly cold? 

Just a couple of things:

1) It is best to bring layer-able clothes, as it can get a bit cold in our flat after dark.  Also, this autumn has been a bit warm, so having layers will make it easier to deal with the changeable-ness of the weather. Our flat sometimes feels cold, so bringing some extra warm socks is a good idea. 

2) I work a few hours on Fridays, so more than likely it will be John who will meet you at the bus station.  He will have the HOST sign and a sign with your name on it!  And you have the photo of him as well, so hopefully that will help.

3) Have you had a chance to check on bus schedules and possibly train schedules? 

4) Each fortnight we meet with a bunch of friends at 7:30 pm for dinner and Bible study.  The group is about 10 adults and eight children.  We do have a lot of fun.  However if you think you would be uncomfortable, or are not interested, please don't feel any pressure to go.  I only make it about half the time because I struggle with fatigue.  However, the group is very welcoming and love meeting new people

Djuna H. is from Australia and was studying for one term at Royal Holloway University in Egham, Surrey. John and I were very excited and pleased when we received the first e-mail from Djuna. Photos were exchanged by e-mail, and arrangements made for John to meet her at the bus station in Slough. Djuna arrived on Friday, 11^th November.

That Friday evening we took Djuna to the Hillsong Connect Group. Djuna has no church back-ground, so she found the evening different to what most people think of church. Seeing as how half the group are Filipino, it was an excellent opportunity for her to taste Filipino food.

Cooking a favourite dish for a guest is fulfilling for me, which made preparing pancakes for Djuna on Saturday morning a joy. Since this was something she couldn’t prepare in the dorms, and not served as a breakfast dish in the UK, it was a treat for her (I hope, anyway!). Chatting with Djuna on our couch was enjoyable, as we both liked Midsomer Murders, travel and meeting new people.

After breakfast, on Saturday morning, being the bicycling enthusiast, John kitted Djuna with cycling gear and took her out for a ride, using my bike. Though it had been a while, Djuna kept up with John. After they got back, there was some television time. I was a bit tired, but decided it was a nice enough day to venture out. So Djuna and I took a local bus to Flowerland in Iver. It’s a big green-house, nursery with lots of gardening furniture. There are other cubicles with speciality items—including a pet shop and aquariums. After looking at the different fish and booths with Christmas decorations, we went to the Tea/Coffee Shop. Djuna had a cream tea and I had chocolate cake with a cappuccino.

The bus ride was expensive, ten pounds for both of us. If I’d had a car, we could have gone to Iver for about two pounds!

Sunday morning Djuna went to St. Mary’s church with me. On Remembrance Sunday each year there is a procession from one of the local churches to the Epithet in Langley Memorial garden. John wanted to join the parade starting at Christ the Worker Church. That Sunday was my turn to serve coffee at St. Mary’s, for those who were not going to attend the laying of wreaths on the memorial. Djuna had met a couple of people after the service and she walked with them to the park where she met John. After the memorial service, John took Djuna over the Christ the Worker to meet more people and show her around a bit. I met them back at the flat and prepared our lunch. Djuna was very kind and remembered to sign our guest book before she left to catch the buses back to Egham.

In some ways, John and I wish we had more to offer our HOST UK Guests in terms of travelling and seeing things. Having a car would be wonderful, so we could take them to island between Windsor & Staines (Runnymede) where King John supposedly signed the Magna Carta; or to the plain of Salisbury to see Stonehenge and then over to Salisbury Cathedral.

On the flip side, we live on the train lines so getting into London is convenient. We can also take the buses and catch the underground in Hounslow. It is more convenient to take the Transport for London buses and the underground than to have to try to find parking and then paying an extortionate amount for parking in London. There are many fee things in London, like the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Tate Art Museum, the Tate Modern Museum, the Museum of Natural History, walking in the parks of London (Hyde, Regent, Green, & St James), seeing the changing of the guard, walking through China Town.

Slough’s big draw is the large industrial estates where people find work. It isn’t great for touristy stuff. Yet, we are thankful that we have a home to share with strangers. After all, the idea behind HOST UK is for students to learn about the life-style of everyday Brits—sharing authentic food, with common daily life, doing what locals do with those locals.

It was a pleasure to have Djuna and learn more about Australian culture. She is an inquisative, intelligent, articulate, independent young woman. She has respect for other people's opinions and beliefs. I've enjoyed keeping up with her travels and studies through her blog: http://hotterroristdotcom.wordpress.com/

Hosting internation students is a great way to enrich one's life. It has opened my mind to think about countries I've not been curious about previously. Seeing my culture(s) reflected against a different one, whilst still in my own home, is certainly a twist to cross-cultural experience for me. I would urge anyone to open their home to students, missionaries, and even business people from other countries. Here in the UK, contact http://www.hostuk.org.uk/

Conclusion to the Kidney Saga

I’m sitting in my mother’s bedroom in Florida, my laptop sitting on a small sewing table whilst I write. I’ve just finished the Parish newsletter, and decided it’s time to write a blog entry.

I arrived in warm and humid Florida on 17^th January and will be here until 17^th April. That is another story. For now I want to write a series of blogs from the last two months of 2011.

At 6:00 am on Monday, 7^th November, the alarm went off. It was the day of my kidney biopsy, and I had to up early. My friend “Miss Emerald” was arriving about 7:00 am to pick me up and take me to Reading. We wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time in case there was lots of traffic. However, the traffic was smooth and free flowing and we made good time. The hospital in Reading is very big and after parking in the parking garage, we walked for 20 minutes—from one end of the hospital to the other—to get to the correct out-patient ward. I was the first patient to arrive. There were only two of us scheduled for a kidney biopsy, so I knew we would be running pretty much to schedule. After I checked in, Miss Emerald took her leave and returned home. It wasn’t productive for her to sit all day at the hospital—as I was required to be there for a good part of the day.

Eventually the specialist came in and explained the procedure and the risks involved. But the peace wrapped around me like a warm blanket and I was very relaxed. I signed the forms and waited while the doctor and his nurse did all the prep. The preparation took longer than the procedure!

I was asked to lay on my stomach with a pillow under my hips. Then the doctor injected a local anaesthetic into my back in the region of my kidneys. After a few minutes, he injected a very large needle into my side. It was uncomfortable, and hurt a bit. Then he took two samples from my left kidney. He placed them in sample bottles with white labels on them, and asked me if I’d like to seem them. They looked like baby worms—very tiny. I couldn’t help but think how different they would look under a microscope, enlarged a couple of 100 times.

After the stitches were put in, I was told I had to lay flat on my back for an hour. This wasn’t too bad, as I had my MP3 player with me and put on some soft worship music. The last 10 minutes did seem long, as I was beginning to feel stiff. After the first hour I was allowed to sit up—but had to stay in bed for another three hours. I’d come prepared with a box lunch My Midnight Man had made-up for me. And I was given a cup of hot tea.

A book is always a good way to pass time and I’d brought “Heaven is in the House” by Bobbi Houston. Bobbi is the co-founder of Hillsong Church, Australia, along with her husband, Brian. She wrote the book about church life—and how it should be a place of warmth, acceptance, and significance. The Hillsong ethos is that church is a place for people to discover God’s purpose for their lives, a place where they can get their hearts healed and a place of belonging.

I had to remain in bed for a total of four hours after the biopsy, and so with good music on my MP3 player, I was able to complete the book in one setting.

I told the nurses, that except for the episode with the needles—it almost felt like a holiday. Who wouldn’t want to spend a day in bed reading? By 4:00pm I’d been given my follow-up instructions and discharged. “Miss Emerald” returned after having an afternoon nap herself, and picked me up. Traffic was heavier in the evening, as people were getting off from work.

My follow-up appointment with Dr. Naik, the nephrologist was on 24^th November. Dr. Naik was originally from Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and we embarked on that part of the conversation because neither of us have British accents! After reviewing the biopsy results, Dr. Naik explained that I had some mild damage to my kidneys, as well as inflammation. This was caused by taking anti-inflammatory drugs—i.e. ibuprofen and aspirin—over 20 years. I was now to change from aspirin-based pain relievers to things like acetaminophen and Tylenol. He also change the acid-blocker I was taking—from Lansoprazole to ranitidine—(known as Zantac over the counter). He said the Lansoprazole could also cause damage to the kidneys.

• Then Dr. Naik reviewed the list of symptoms I had presented: Chronic Fatigue—must get about ten to 12 hours of sleep a night
• Head aches
• Muscle aches in neck and shoulders.
• Tingling and numbness in lower arms, wrists and hands.
• Foggy thinking—when really tired can’t organise my thoughts to speak
• Muscle weakness—loss of support in top of thighs and knees feel like rubber.
• Trembling and Shaking—especially when very tired or feeling stressed.
• Over-acid stomach—often need to take Gaviscon along with acid blocker.
• Sometimes I feel queasy when I get hungry, but then will also feel queasy after eating.
• Occasional bouts of irritable bowels.
• Episodes where my heart pounds in my chest, accompanied by tremors/shaking, breathlessness
• Night sweats—I can go to bed feeling chilled, but wake up a couple of hours later with my pyjama top wet around my neck. Its so sweaty that I have to change it.
• Suddenly feeling weepy, very sad.
• Feeling overwhelmed when I get stressed, tired.
• Oedema in lower legs.
• Increased hair growth on my face and under chin.
• Can only walk about 10 minutes without stopping for a rest.
• Feeling anxious, fearful.
• When I get shaky/trembly, I also get breathless, have difficulty concentrating and talking is an effort.
• Mood swings/ irritability, depression.
• Occasionally get light-headed.
• Lethargy, no energy to do house-hold chores. Some days don’t have the mental energy for administrative tasks.

Dr. Naik said that none of these symptoms were related to my kidney damage. By discussing this with him, he was agreeable to me seeing an endocrinologist. He dictated a letter to my GP with this information and recommendations. I was scheduled for a follow-up visit with urine and blood tests in February. However, that appointment will have to be rescheduled as I am now in Florida. Other than that, this concludes the Kidney Saga. I’m glad to know why my kidneys are releasing blood and protein in my urine. I’m also glad that I have been informed that I can see an endocrinologist about my fatigue issues. Sometimes the system is slow, but eventually we do get where we need to go.

Ataned1958's photostream

Ataned1958's photostream on Flickr.

Photos from the Langley Parish Away Day at St. Paul's church in Slough

A time to remember

           

 “"Remember, remember,
the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
We see no reason why
Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!"

Older British citizens are known to recite this poem leading up to the date of 5^th November.  That’s because on 5^th November 1605 a plot to blow up Parliament and King James 1^st was foiled.  The people rejoiced because the King James 1^st life was spared.  Many of you have read about this in previous new letters, so I am not going to write anything about it here.  But if you want to know more, check out the website. http://projectbritain.com/Guy.html

Tonight is called bonfire night because all over England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales people build huge pyres to burn—a tradition rooted in burning effigies of Guy Fawkes and the other Catholics who were affiliated with the Gunpowder plot.  These large bonfires bring crowds to roast potatoes, cook sausages and shoot fireworks.  I would suspect that for a lot of Brits, the original meaning is a bit lost and it’s just a good excuse to have a celebration.

Because of where we live, we can see several displays of fireworks—from a theme park about six miles from our home; the local town centre and even Windsor. 

On a family level, we also have birthdays to celebrate: 4^th November:  “Mickey”, who turned five on Friday and 21^st November:  “Bell Man”, who will be 14!

            Last night My Midnight Man rang “Mickey” to have a little chat with him and wish him happy birthday. 

“Happy Birthday, Mickey!”  says Grandy.

“Thank you!  Bye!”  says Mickey and hands the phone back to his Mum. 

Since “Mickey” is now five, Grandy was expecting a short conversation—just not that short!  Children can make you smile.

Tomorrow evening St. Mary’s church will be holding an “All Souls” service for the parish.  It is a special service of remembrance for those who have passed away in the parish during the last three years or so.  There are Bible readings, hymns, and then a time when the names of the deceased are read out to the congregation and candles are lit.  It will be the first time I’ve attended such a service—partly as a parishioner and partly to help serve coffee and tea after the service. 

This is a month of Remembrance—All Souls Day, Guy Fawkes Night, Remembrance Day (known as Veterans Day in America) and Thanksgiving in America. 

I can’t help but think that we should be like God in our “memory style”.  For instance, we should remember no more:

·         The mistakes and shortcomings of our past

·         The faults, mistakes and offenses of others

·         The negative people from our past, who have hurt us, but we no longer have any association.

We should and must remember:

·         The promises of God are for today and into eternity.

·         The dreams we are working to make reality

·         The Godly examples who have made a positive influence our lives

·         The lessons we learned from past mistakes

·         That our Glorious Father tenderly loves us in the same manner and to the same degree as He loves Jesus.

·         To daily receive God’s forgiveness and mercy for ourselves, and show that same grace to others.

·         Taking care of today is actually planning for tomorrow.

Our spiritual heritage is listed in Hebrews 11—from Abraham to the prophets.  The apostle Paul put it like this:   ^“Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,”  Hebrews 12:1

Blessings,

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,  "Lady Helene"

Something new--Thanksgiving...an attitude

            On Wednesday and Fridays I go to the Parish office to work on the weekly news sheet and update pages for the Parish website.  Today I wanted to try something different…like writing my blog here in the office.

            Distractions are a way of life—no matter what your plans for the day.  Trying to write at home has temptations for me.   Often the wish to accomplish writing a few pages is interrupted with a phone call, or the sudden “need” for a cuppa.  Worse yet…the television is a major temptation; “I’ll just see what the movies are today.”  And all too often the movie wins and I get no writing, no sewing, and no baking done. 

            When I began my job as a parish administrator, I asked the vicar if I could use the office as a place to work on personal writing projects.  He said that I was more than welcome.  Distractions would be limited, as I knew the phone would rarely ring; there are rarely any visitors and best of all, no television.  So, here I sit. 

            Now I have to get accustomed to this version of Word.  It is amazing how quickly one gets familiar with the formats and tools of one version of software, and to use a newer or older version almost seems like learning a new skill. 

            One thing I must not do here in the office is discover if I can watch programmes on I-Player via the Internet.  Should I investigate that possibility, I would leave open a door to being seduced into time-wasting.  It would be pointless to stay here—I might as well go home and watch TV there. 

            With us being four days into November, holidays are approaching and the contrast of being an American in Great Britain becomes clear.  My American friends are focused on Thanksgiving.  For many Americans thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving is just unacceptable.  I have always been one of these, as I love Thanksgiving. 

            As I’ve lived here in Britain, I have been surprised by the number of friends around me who want to know if I’m going to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Of course, when I came here in 2003 to not celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday felt awkward, unnatural—a trigger to homesickness for family and friends.  I did cook a turkey dinner on the Saturday and invited my Sister-in-law (Seamstress Supreme) and her husband (Mr. D.) over to share it with us.  It was an educational, as well as festive, evening for them. 

            In 2005 My Midnight Man and I went to Florida in November to be with my Mom and sister.  It was Midnight Man’s first—and so far—only time to be in the USA for Thanksgiving weekend. 

            Last year (2010) my friend, “Calla” offered to provide some food for a Thanksgiving meal, if I was willing to cook it.  It was the first time someone had approached me about Thanksgiving, instead of me inviting people over to celebrate. 

            This year, nothing has been planned so far.  “Calla” and her husband have moved out of the local vicinity.  I feel more British this year, so feel less need to make an event on that last Thursday in November. 

            After all, Thanksgiving is really about heart attitudes.  As a Christian, to give thanks and show appreciation to God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is a life-style.  Even on days when I don’t feel good, or I have truly messed up, I can still say, “Thank you Glorious Father, for the blood of my Saviour, that cleanses me from all my sins, heals all my brokenness, and restores me to fellowship with You.” 

            Thanksgiving, praising and worshipping are choices—decisions to be made on a daily basis.  For me, celebrating Thanksgiving is not about being American—its about being a Christian. 

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,  “Lady Helene”

           

God is into the details!

        So many times in my life, I have seen that God is in the details.  Here is a little story about our Heavenly Father revealing Himself in the detail in my life yesterday. 

        An appointment for a kidney biopsy is scheduled for me on Monday 7^th November.  As part of the preparation, I must have some blood tests done.  Now I had totally forgotten about that.  As a matter of fact, blood tests were the furthest thing from my mind Wednesday afternoon.  I had a headache. 

This headache was behind my eyes, pressure on top of my head, and tension in my neck.  I’d taken some pain relievers, but they didn’t seem to be working.  So after waiting for half-an-hour, I went to the shower and sat with the hot water washing away the tension in my body and reducing the pain in my head.  I’d wrapped up warmly and crawled into bed afterward, to sleep off the residue of tiredness.  As I lay there, trying to clear my mind and drift off to sleep, the Holy Spirit softly spoke to me. 

“Monday’s procedure requires a blood draw a few days before.  Tomorrow is Thursday—you can’t have the blood test any later than Friday.”  I looked at the clock.  Yes, it was still possible to ring the local surgery and see if I could get in on Thursday or Friday.  I rolled out of bed and come to my office, where I rang the doctor’s surgery (office) and waited for my turn in the phone cue.  Thankfully the headache had totally receded—and I was simply tired.  Once the receptionist answered, I quickly explained what I needed, and scheduled an appointment for 1:10 pm on Thursday afternoon.

About 30 seconds after I’d hung up, the phone rang.  It was the nurse from Royal Berkshire hospital.  She wanted to know when I was having my blood test done, if there was someone to pick me up after the procedure and someone to be with me all night.  Wow—not even a full minute after I’d book the necessary blood test, I was being contacted about it!!!  And until ten minutes before that, I’d completely forgotten about it.  The whole situation could not have been more perfectly time! 

I was listening to Joyce Meyer on the Inspiration Channel.  She says that just as God keeps a book of remembrance, we should make a record of everything God does for us.  By doing so, our hearts will grow more and more thankful.  So, I wanted to share my thanksgiving with you.  

Have a great day!  And may you see God in the details of your life.

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,  "Lady Helene"