UK Summer

The weather has broken now but my boys and their cousin were having great fun

while the sunshine lasted.

Updating you

Last Wednesday we had a visit from a friend I met in The Philippines. Joel or Jose Reuel had come over to be best man to his friend Reddy at the wedding to Naomi Clarke in Kent the other week. He had also spent time in Suffolk and in Southampton before spending his final night here in Childs Hill. I briefly interviewed him at the Wednesday night meeting about the floods and how he came to faith as a 15 year old. His mother is in the Cubao church but his father is a bishop in a Filipino cult. Joel is a deacon in the church and hopes to begin studies at the Grace Ministerial Academy next June.
On the Thursday we went up to see Kenwood House and then in the evening I took him to Heathrow. It was nice to meet Mr Clarke and one of his daughters briefly when they dropped in with Joel's case.

Friday was busy day in the study and speaking at the clubs (on the widow of Nain) restarting after half term. The younger one were making key hooks and we had some Madlib fun in the older club.

On Saturday we headed for Wales where we dropped in on Eleri's brother-in-law and family as it is Glyn's fortieth this week. Eleri's other sister and family were also there en route to Aberystwyth. It was Osian's second birthday (already!) the other day. We came back over the old bridge - the novelty is beginning to wear off. We were not back too late.

Remembrance Sunday went off okay with the two minute silence and lunch after church. I preached on Jesus words against the teachers of the law in Mark 12 and the end of Romans 3. The morning congregation was quite large for us. The evening congregation was not large. People were slow to leave, which is nice.

Amen

This enthusiastic 'Amen' is from our nephew, Osian. Rather than a sign early piety or proficiency in Hebrew, it is apparently the sound of a little boy glad to be able to get down at last!

Osian Huw

I am an uncle again - for the eigth time. This one's very special not only as he's being blogged so young but as Eleri's sister and her husband have been married many years and we were tempted to give up hope. Osian's a big boy (9lb 1 oz) but he and his mam are doing fine and we're looking forward to seeing him.

Osian was a poet in Irish folklore. (The Irish use two s's hence my earlier misspelling).

We now have a four man chain of names in our family that goes Rhodri Tomos Osian Huw Geoffrey Thomas.

Llongyfarchiadau i'r Alsopiaid ac yr holl teulu!