Hi and welcome to another check-in!

My week involved: time in our Community Hub, prayer with colleagues, a meeting with somebody training for reader ministry, going to an afternoon conference, leaving an afternoon conference to crack on with some work, trying a new style of communion service, a one year old birthday party with a visit from ‘punzel, launching our Warm Space project, Sweaty Mamas, volunteering at our Breastfeeding Support Group, and Open Table!

Highlights included a visit to Southport Splash World on our day off and a date night with Nathan. We have decided to share a snack board on a Friday night when Sophia is down. We take it in turns to choose the snacks, and we have a budget of £10. This week was my turn, and I chose snacks that would complement the amazing tomato chutney Nathan made earlier in the week! See the photo at the top.

The Ta-Dah moment was everything coming together for the Warm Space project! This is a network of community spaces who are opening their doors for people to come and sit, have a hot drink or some food, and make friends over the winter months. It’s designed to reduce the amount people need to have their heating on by heating community places and welcoming folk in. I’m so pleased that ours is up and running, and on our first session, we had 5 volunteers, 11 adults, and 3 children attend, which is fab for our first week!

I had such a powerful God moment this week. Sophia is now in her big girl bed. We’ll, I say she’s in her big girl bed, she stays there for something between 2 and 6 hours a night. But it means that when she’s going to sleep, we can sit at the end of the bed, or snuggle with her, or be wherever she wants us to be. This one night, she wanted to fall asleep having a hug. And I just looked at her. And I realised that the biggest thing God has ever asked me to do is be her Mum. He gave her to us to look after and raise. She’s so precious to him. And he chose us to be her parents! And just as I love her, even more so does he love me. Which is bonkers, quite frankly, because she’s much better than I am! But that’s how it works: you can’t earn God’s love by doing anything. He just loves us. That’s it.

After that, even the challenge of Sophia and the bed, and her going completely bonkers and not going down until very late a couple of times, seemed very small. It’s all new to her, and she’s never slept in big girl bed before. We just need patience, and she needs time for the novelty to wear off, which it will.

I am grateful for loads of things this week. But over the last couple of days I am especially grateful that we are safe, that we live freely and that we can worship without fear. Because not everywhere is like that, and we take it for granted far too much.

The Mum moment of the week was Sophia meeting Rapunzel. Her little face as she started to sing! Oh it was brilliant! And then she moved on from songs from Tangled to things like baby shark, the wheels on the bus and sleeping bunnies. All of these are Sophia classics and she was in her absolute element!

New phrases include: woyya cookin Dada? (What are you cooking, Dada?), Poppy (I am not happy about this!), I shwimmin! (I’m swimming), Andoo nana baba please (Andrew, please, can I have some banana? During the Sermon), Dada cafee! (Dada, coffee!) geen, go Mama! (seeing a green traffic light and saying ‘Green, go Mama!).

This week I’m looking forward to harvest celebrations with my family and church family, and S Club with Nathan!

Oh! I almost forgot! I’ve also taken on a new role. I am now Assistant Area Dean – which means working with our brilliant Area Dean and writing more emails. As you were!