Caio !!

Well, what a summer. If I haven't caught up with you in the brief gaps that I have been in Guildford or at a wedding or dedication it's been a busy one.

The update is as follows:

June 30th
I Left Plantation and Guildford YMCA after 6 years. It has been a great adventure where I have had the privilege to act like a teeanger at times and to help in a small way to motivate and move some young people on in their lives in one way or another.
I feel very comfortable moving on as I know it's the right time... but as I often say to people you never leave the Y. There all over the place... so is that darn song.

July
Italy 24-7 mission

I Led a team of 7 young people with Beth my co-leader the length of the country spending between 2 and 5 days in the following cities: Milan, Firenze, San Vincenzo (rest stop) Rome, Naples, Piedemonte de Etna , Sicily. Loads to say but it was a great time of learning for all of us and we made loads of important contacts to build on.
For me the highlights were Rome and Naples where not only did we meet some truly inspiring people but could see the potential for future outreach into the cities.
If you are interested in our journey and some of the contacts and reports from the cities we visited. A report will be available from 24-7 missions or contact me for more details.


August

More fun in the sun this time in France/ Brittany with my good friends Pete & Sarah Cox and Rudi & Sally Meseg camping and surfing our way down the coast.
Highlights included good surf, great salads Pete , and loads of chill time with a nice glass of red to wash the pallet.

We travelled down in P&S, VW camper US stylee.... how cool was that !! . Well P&S are cool. Hope I didn't cramp their style too much..

and... the big news is that Rudi & Sal have a proper car that adults buy... Honda estate...
how is it that Rudi can make a Honda look cool ?

..........following that it was back to Guildford to the new house I have bought with Anna & Phil Evans (just married). You know what it's like you move in and all the skirtings fall off... they did ! so a bit of DIY called for....

Phil & Anna's wedding: Great day... great to see so many friends.... what rain?

Momentum (soul survivor) You may know it's that youth thing that for some reason I still go to.... (Grow up I hear you cry ) still apart from a few thunderstorms and too many dancing songs it was great !!. For you guys who know Brother Andrew the legendary bible smuggler he was there.
Awsome talk... and now going into terrorist training camps with the gospel... Just invites himself and gets in... mad for it !!

Godfather again !!! Biz & Steve Butlin's 2nd son Joshua was dedicated on the 2nd september... He's gorgeous ... as is my other God sons Caleb, Joshua brother and the big man himself Sam Green, son of Andie & Mark Green.

and finally................ after some DIY down at my mum's in Cornwall I am off to Cadeliagno just north of Milan (near the Swiss border ) for a 4 month new testement bible school. Why ?
Well coz although i have been a Christian for 20 years I know very little about the history and context of the bible and feel with the time I am taking out at present it's a good time to spend some time studying.
I have no other ambitions with the course apart from improving my Italian and I don't think we should just do things for qualifications and ambition, sometimes it's just good to spend some time discovering for our own enrichment. ... man that was deep.

Oh and as an additional blessing it just so happens that the school is an 1-1.5hour from the ski slopes and I will have my car and board with me. Bring on the snow!!!

So ... I am off tomorrow in the blacked out Nova to France through Switzerland to Italy planning to arrive Saturday.

Keep in touch, and I will do likewise by email to alert you of blog updates.

I hope to get a local sim card so I will let you know of my contact details.

Love ya

Dave