WATFORD = BANTER and other things...

So here we go. I have arrived.

I flew in to London on Friday morning - ridiculously early - and luckily my whole family was able to come along for the ride! Move-in day was Saturday and it was really nice to have them there to help me move in and settle. My house is so nice and I love it! It's about a ten minute walk to the church and I have a great room - it's a bit small but it has a double bed and a wardrobe which totally makes up for the size! All in all apart from a few different appliances not really working and our internet not being sorted, all is got in Bruce house. A photo tour will follow sometime. I have four housemates who are lovely and I get on with really well, which is good. On Saturday night we were picked up by a bunch of the others who came to check out our house and we went on a bit of a tour of all the other houses, ending up in the pub. After that though, a group of us decided to go back to one of the houses for a bit of a worship jam. This was such a highlight, because there's something so special and bonding about coming together, worshiping God and praying together. I really felt like I got to see a glimpse of and an insight into their hearts. It was exciting to see that we are all on the same page!

Sunday was a marathon. 10:30 am service, BBQ at Andy and Beth Croft's, 5:00 pm service, 7:00 pm service, chilling at the guys house.

This week has been an orientation week so far, so it's all about getting to know each other and Soul Survivor Church and Watford. We told our testimonies (40!!!), heard about different visions, met and had lunch with all the church staff - Pastors, PAs..., started the teaching (Hardcore intense Bible timeline and overview), were told our placements and so much more! I was so excited and encouraged listening to Andy explaining the vision for the Church, the course and our role in that, as it just really confirmed for me that I am totally in the right place. Everyone here is so welcoming and excited to have us here! I wasn't quite expecting the reactions we've been getting! They are all so excited about what we are here for and what we can be doing as a catalyst for the church. I feel like there is so much responsibility on us and so much expected from us and our time here but only in such a good way. It will be a huge challenge!

I've been placed in Youth Work which is awesome as that was what I was hoping to do! There are 8 of us on team plus the existing team, who we meet with tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect but I'm definitely excited. The teaching is so good and even the 'boring' stuff like admin and health and safety weren't too bad. Who know someone could make Health and Safety Procedures so interesting?

All in all we have all been extremely busy, but that's not a problem for me as I love being busy and anyway that's what we are here for!

All the other people on the course are so lovely and we've all really bonded and get on. I can see how this will become family! We've just been spending time together to get tp know each other better, as we are all completely different. For instance tonight we packed out our living room for a movie night which was hilarious!

So I am loving every moment so far and most of all I am so excited to see what God has in store for us! There is a ridiculous amount of potential in all of us especially collectively and I totally believe God is going to use and challenge us in amazing ways in order to take the church to a new level, change Watford and impact lives in a lasting way. So I am so grateful to God for placing me here with this group, in this church, with these leaders and with this potential. I can't believe I've only been here for 3 and a half days! It feels like forever - but in a good way!

So all in all I'm loving it and am extremely excited for the next ten months!

Sorry this turned out so long! Well done if you made it through!

With love,

Rebecca