Heaven and Hell

Saturday.

5.15am unwelcome explosion from the alarm, stumble into taxi at 6, onto train at 6.28 and snoozed to London listening to a bit of vintage DC Talk whilst anticipating the Woman to Woman conference and hoping Heidi Baker would be as phenomenal as I anticipated.

Bitterly cold, no coat, enjoyed the view over London from Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace) whilst joining the first of many queues with 4,300 other women. Encounter 1: Aunty Rosie.

Blew my Slimming World day allowance by buying a muffin. Encounter 2: Nadia H and Gill F from Sawyers in Brentwood. We dutifully filed into the Grand Hall to be met with the sight of thousands of women worshipping God. Immediate tears. Danielle Strickland - looks a lot like Ellen Degeneres - speaking on the 2 Hebrew midwives in Exodus who saved Moses' life because they loved God more than they feared Pharoah. Coffee with Aunty Rosie and a great chat. Session 2 with J John, pleasing men-are-stupid jokes mixed in with goooooood teaching. Cried.

Lunch. Mostly spent queuing, deciding the queue was too long, finding another queue, changing my mind, finding another queue. £8.50 on sandwich and crisps (also non-Slimming World) with a S. Sudanese woman - late for session 3. Jill Briscoe, a snappy and smiling 77 year old Brit who has lived in the States for 42 years and spent 22 years in the fourth world (third world inhabitants have bread and water; fourth world do not). Cried.

Encounter 3: Christine and Gwyn R from Peterborough.

FINALLY Heidi Baker. I missed the first part, face on the floor as the Spirit literally creased me in half until I was on the floor. Shabba included. Yielding to God, stories of reaching Mozambican islanders who never heard the Gospel and all responded... ALL of them, and then the chief gave her land for the church to meet. A recent story. I LOVE it. She is intimate with Jesus, daily filled with the Spirit, and living a life of love and submission, relying on her team of 8-12 year old kids who make up the prayer ministry team who prophesy and pray for healing. Worried about catching the train, left before the end. Bitterly cold, met a nice Welsh girl called Jo on the bus and tube to Finsbury Park - farewell with 'see you the other side'. Can't wait.  

Struggled with whether to go to neighbours' Halloween party, and reluctantly mumbled 'OK, I'll go' to God as He reminded me if I wasn't there, there would be no light. 1 hour chatting before the tiredness took over so I ate a floating eye-ball and bid adieu to the blood-soaked gang.

Hungry.

Not only because of over-consumption of bread and subsequent craving of all things bulky. But also hungry to know God more, to see Him, to know His design for my life better (I'm sure I miss a LOT of opportunities because I am not paying attention or am stuck in front of the TV). Perhaps not grand and glorious endeavours like Heidi, but small attentions to desperately unhappy people... 
Inviting a friend for dinner...
Buying a Big Issue seller a good cuppa coffee...
Helping a drunk person...
Kind words to mum...
Living on less, curbing the constant consumption and chasing Jesus, relying on others for help.
Ooh, tough.

Blessed are those who hunger...