Good friends and the effective grapevine

A few weeks ago Joanne approached Clayton and Mel about the possibility of us staying in their spare room when we move out of the flat before we fly. They told us that it would not be a problem. But as the flat sale has gotten closer and closer the Englishness and pride in me has risen to the surface and I began to wonder whether the possible three weeks or so that we'd need a place to kip would be longer than they thought it would be when they offered us the room. So I emailed Clayton earlier today just to fill him in on developments and make sure that if the three weeks was too long they'd feel ok to tell us. Clayton came back to me and put my fears to rest. They're more than happy to have us there for the period we need. What a huge relief to know that the park bench is no longer a possibility. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

This has all been a huge test for me actually. I am more than happy to help people in need and we have had people stay in our spare room for weeks on end on numerous occasions. But I find it hard to admit when I need help. I fear being a burden on people, even our Christian family, and my pride prevents me from asking for assistance. I think the Lord has been testing me through this, and I pray that I would grow from this experience - learning to rely on others, to admit when I need help, and to give others the opportunity of joy through service. I pray also that the Lord would help me fight my pride and not rely on my own strength in everything. If you're someone who prays I would greatly appreciate prayer in these areas.

Moving on to flat issues, it turns out that almost all of the 35 further queries I mentioned yesterday have easily been dealt with. Oh, and they weren't in response to the local search results (which were all fine) but actually turned up when a new solicitor acting on behalf of the buyer took over the file after the locom previously looking after it left. Doh!

It was a work colleagues leaving drinks tonight, by the way, and my old boss, Steve, was there. In a quiet moment, when no-one else was in earshot, he asked me if what he'd heard at lunch regarding me being next to leave the company was true. He no longer works for us, and he told me the person he'd heard it from is from outside of the company too (but wouldn't tell me who). My worst fears regarding this have been realised and the news has reached the world. The cocoa grapevine is functioning fine, as I always suspected it would. I just hope that I can get permission from Marcelo to tell my colleagues before they hear it from someone else. That would really annoy me.