Capernwray in the Spring

With Roxy and Jo - I love these guys!

I travelled up to Capernwray by train over this last weekend for Dougie's 40th Birthday party which was great fun. I think he was genuinely surprised because he was quiet, which for anyone who knows Dougie, is unusual!!
My fantastic friends Jo, Ian, Erynne, Melissa and Roxy took me out for dinner on Friday evening which was a great time. It was weird to be back at Capernwray in the Spring, because the place starts to look like it did when I first arrived there this time last year. WOW! What a lot has happened in a year. This time last year, jenny was just a face (all be it a beautiful one) across a crowded courtyard.

My journey home was incredibly long - I had forgotten that they do all the engineering work on the railways on a Sunday. A journey that takes 4 hours by car, took me 9 and a half hours by train and bus. But I did have a really interesting converstaion with a young Christian couple on the bus, so that made it all the more worthwhile. God's plans are so exciting!

The Quirks of Gant

OK so I was tagged by Jenny.

Premise: blog a blog about six weird things about yourself. Then "tag" via inter web 6 other people to do the same thing. Don't forget to let them know on their own Bloggy McBlogs that they've been inter-tagged.

End result: everyone gets to learn about your lovely little quirks. So here are the Quirks of Gant (there are many more, but these were the first that came to mind)!


1. I cannot stand using a telephone with a twisted cord. I have to hold it up in the air before I dial and let the receiver dangle and unwind its self. This also applies to the lance of the car pressure washers found at petrol stations.

2. I always warm the tea pot with boiling water before I make the tea. However, I don’t think this is a quirk, this is the kind of stuff Britain built it’s empire on (mind you look what happened to the empire). Whilst we’re on tea, I would also have to say I do much prefer to drink tea out of a bone china cup and saucer rather than out of a mug.

3. This is getting worse now – I am very, very particular about how a table is set for dinner. Ideally, the more silverware, china and crystal wine glasses are used, the better. Obviously a white table cloth is a must, as are proper cloth napkins.

4. I absolutely abhor bad manners. However, I know that actually, I can be pretty arrogant at times.

5. I like hot toast, cut into triangular slices and served straight from the toaster in a toast rack (preferably, but not essentially, silver). Slices of toast should never be laid on top of each other, as this causes them to sweat and subsequently get soggy. Soggy, cold toast, as served daily at Capernwray Hall Bible School, is to be avoided at all times!

6. I have an unusually large collection of cuff links! The best/saddest pair being some shaped like steam engines (pictured - I can't believe I'm that bored I took a picture of my cuff links), although I do own a pink diamond pair, but I won those in a raffle, so I don’t own them out of choice – just bad luck!

That's it - weird I know, but then we all suspected it. I choose to tag, Jo, Melissa and Becky.

OK, I know I am very sad!!

Just to confirm (as if confirmation were needed after the pictures of me gardening in my wellington boots), I am a fairly sad individual! Here is a picture of the steam engine that I own. She is an seven and a quarter inch gauge, 0-4-0 side tank engine (which probably means nothing to anyone). Yesterday we moved her out of her shed for the first time since the winter and moved her to the Little Orchard Railway for her annual boiler test. How exciting!! I guess the fact that I have posted three posts in less than a week shows you that I am a bit lonely! Jenny gets here in 14 days, 18 hours.

Church was fantastic this morning. Duncan Banks (one of our Church Leaders) spoke and me and two others gave testimony. It went really well and the church was packed.

Happy Easter - Praise our Lord Jesus Christ, he has risen and is alive.

"I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!"
Revelation 1: 18

Womens' Work!

Some people say that washing up is womens' work, but of course I would strongly disagree. However, Becky and Ashley, my buddies from Capernwray who have been hanging around the Gant Household these last couple of days, are traditionalists who wanted to prove that, despite being women, they were quite at home in Marigold rubber gloves! They'll kill me when they see this, but they'll be in America by then, so it'll be too late. Huh ha!

The Big Three Oh!!

I'm thirty! Help! Actually, I don't feel no different. My Birthday was great. I went out on Saturday night with Dale and Matt (pictured) in Chelmsford back to the old haunt of The Basement. Woke up early on Sunday and got back to Suffolk in time to take my group of lads at youth group. Then went to Sue's for what I thought was going to be a quite lunch, only to discover that she had planned a kids party for me. Lots of my favourite people, sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), jelly, ice cream, chocolate marshmallows, etc. And because the weather was lovely, we sat out on the lawn, ate, drunk Pimms and lemonade and played party games. Great fun.

Then in the evening, Me, Mum, Dad, Alex and Vikki went out for a fantastic chinese meal. A brilliant day - I wished for Jenny when I blew the candles out on my cake!

Back to my Roots!

15oC here in Suffolk in March, so I got out into Mum and Dad's garden and had a bit of a tidy up. I thought it looked so nice, I took a few pics!

Last Night at Capernwray!!

I can hardly believe my year at Capernwray Bible School has now come to an end. It has gone by so quickly. I have learnt so much. I would be lying if I said it had all been fantastic. There were some extremely challenging times, as I learnt more about God and more about Russell Gant, but there have also been some incredible moments and some incredible people. After all, it was at Capernwray I met my beautiful wife to be!! I also met amazing friends, like Ian and Jo, Nevin and all the Tea shop boys, Rach, Emily and Andrew, not to mention the brilliant Zimbabwe team and my prayer group. I love you all. Here are a few pictures of our last banquet together. From top to bottom, me and the crazy Austrians - Bernie and Christian, Ash, Me, Pete and Becky and finally Mike G. (Burnley boy) and I. Great guys who all mean the world to me.

I'm now back home in Suffolk and trying to concentrate on finishing my sermon for Alex and Vikki's wedding, before trying to get some work. Jenny gets back in April...Hooorayyy!

Back from Zimbabwe

Well here's a very small selection of pictures from the 1500 or so that were taken during our fantastic trip to Zimbabwe. The twelve of us really were so blessed by the people we met and the way God used us. We estimate that we spoke to in the region of 2,500 - 3,000 children, young people and adults in schools, on the football field and in churches. Of those, I would say that some 250 accepted prayed an honest prayer in their hearts to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

I had many new experiences, some great, some not so great. In the "great" column goes, sleeping under an incredible star filled sky, having four young people become Christian at the end of one of my talks, bathing and washing our clothes in a warm river. In the "not so great" column goes eating mouse, eating goat intestines and getting used to a culture which is always on time (give or take a bit - like an hour or even two).

We bonded so well as a team and my life has been enriched and enhanced by the people I spent time with. God used the skills and gifts that he has given each of us to do amazing things.

Zimbabwe is a country in desperate need of our prayers, as you will no doubt have seen in the news lately, it is subject to an evil and brutal dictatorship which is crippling an otherwise resource rich nation. But the people of Zimbabwe, as I am sure is the case in many African nations, have a faith which puts ours in the west, to shame. Against great hardships, they pray and give to others in a very humbling way.

This is how I felt on leaving the UK - "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power..."

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Again and again we all felt we could not do what God was asking of us, such as taking a seminar on purity with 50 twenty year old, out of work, young men, or taking a 4 hour church service, or leading a youth cell group in the dark and rain, with an interpreter and 5 minutes notice to prepare, but again and again we saw that we couldn't, but God can. We were given so much energy and enthusiasm despite the char-roasted mouse diet.

Thank you so much for your prayers. God blessed us richly.

Zimbabwe!

Well the time has come and I'm off to Zimbabwe for two weeks to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The team will fly out of Manchester (via London) to Harare on Tuesday 27th February. Thank you so much for your support so far. Thank you also for your prayers. Please continue to pray whilst we are in Zimbabwe as the situation out there is "unstable" to say the least. But we have an all powerful God who we trust will pave the way for us to serve him.

Below are some prayer points. Thank you and God bless.

Russ

1. "That whenever we open our mouths, words maybe given us so that we
will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel." Eph. 6:19

2. For team unity

3. That we would be an encouragement to Tendai (the Pastor), the
Churches, and the schools that we will be working with.

4. For wisdom in dealing with the unexpected.

5. That the logistic details of travelling and housing in Zim would be
simple.

6. For safety and good health.

7. "That whatever happens, we would conduct ourselves in a manner worthy
of the Gospel of Christ." Phil. 1:27

8. That I would cope with soccer schools! Not one of my spiritual gifts!!!

Late January - and the Great Beard Experiment

I had a beard for most of January, so here is a picture just to prove it!

Well as you will see, in order to keep up with my stylish fiancee, I have redesigned by blogsite (actually clicked the mouse a few times and it was all done for me!)

January is proving tough! Jenny is thousands of miles away, I have spent a week in bed with a nasty infection, the weather has been pretty rotten here at Capernwray and Jenny is thousands of miles away...did I mention that?!

Lectures are still really interesting and time with fellow students is a learning process too.

We have a date booked for the wedding which will be in Canada on Saturday 1st September this year. Jenny has chosen a dress, so things are moving along quickly with life. Jenny also has a new job which she has now started. God is good.

I am now starting to investigate what I might do after I leave Capernwray and have 2 churches to contact with the posibility of internships - working with experience church leaders to gain 'on the job' experience. I have also applied to various colleges including Cornhill and Spurgeons with a view to further studies. Please pray that God would open up doors for Jenny and I to serve him.

The Zimbabwe trip is rapidly approaching and the team are taking various services here in the UK over the next few weeks to gain experience.

All prayers gratefully accepted!

Announcing an Engagement!!!!

Happy New Year. And the big announcement is...that on New Year's day, I asked Jenny to marry me. We went for an evening walk through the woods in the snow whilst here in Canada and I bent down to turn my trousers up, which were getting snow on them. I got up on one knee and looked into Jenny's beautiful brown eyes and asked her if she would spend the rest of her life with me as my wife. Before my knee froze, she said, "what did my Dad say?" and when I said he had given me his blessing she said "yes". We hugged for a long time and then prayed together in the coll night air.

We bought the ring a day later and now the most amazing girl in the world is going to be my wife!!! I am so happy and I keep crying unexpectedly. God has blessed us richly.