The Importance of Coffee...

Ok, so I have taken up drinking coffee again. Not sure if this is the best of my ideas but I have felt sharper in the office, not that I have made colleagues bleed at the sight of me, I'm not that sharp (maybe on the football pitch) but it has helped. It even got to the point where I was handed my own sticker by one of the church administrators to stick on a church coffee mug, just so I had my own mug. Well, just out of consideration for the mug, I had to fill it with fresh filter coffee... but in a way I have never drunk coffee before. I had it BLACK, that is WITHOUT MILK!!!!! I don't know what I was thinking, but it was strong and I felt I needed to run 10k right at that moment. Since that day, I have had a coffee every day, even 2 or 3. I have also invested in one of these...

Which is Sweden's answer to a Starbucks card. This also allows me a whole 20% off one of these...

 So in terms of a ministry/missional blessing, this has to be good. Helps me to concentrate, and it gets me money off. So depending on your views on coffee, please support/pray for me, which ever you feel appropriate.

Another amazing discovery was The English Shop. Here are some of the wonders I found there, with the rough converted SEK to GBP cost (and the reason I bought nothing).

 £8

 about the same...

 Ok, so I can buy this in a Sweden supermarket, but it was nice to see a whole wall of it.

£1.80 a packet.

As you can see, it's a little much, but I still spent a good time in there, missing English supermarkets a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I am loving every minute of being here, the youth are all wonderful and I am loving getting to know them, and the church is fantastic. But nothing beats a cup of tea and a couple of custard cremes from the St B's biscuit tin. 

Also Annie and I have started doing the Alpha marriage course (minus the section that we will have to do after we are married...), run by the guy who is marrying us and is part of our marriage prep. We having a great time, investing in our relationship, and will I blog about that very soon as it really is an experience. 

And good news!! I am now officially sponsored by Stewardship, so anyone who would like to support me can now do that via Stewardship, and if you are a tax payer your giving can also be gift-aided. How cool is that? Get in touch if you would like to do that and I can send you a form. 

Thank you to those who are praying for me. Things are really moving over here. I am sending out a newsletter next week, so If you want to here all the news of the ministry then please also get in touch and i'll add you to the mailing list. Your prayers are hugely needed, and appreciated and I really believe they are making a difference. God is so good, and has been making settling in so smooth. Today I applied for my ID Card, the last piece of the puzzle to me being fully integrated into Sweden. Praise God. 

Over and out, 

The Captain!