Alex Bekunda

On my return from Uganda, Africa last year, I had a few conversations with my mum about how heartbreaking it was working with the kids in the orphange and in the school so you can imagine how delighted I was at Christmas when she got me a kid, (not literally, she began sponsoring one) ...He's called Alex and is from the town Kabale, which sounds very familar, I think Joy and I stopped there on our travels! I got my first letter from him yesterday, he's the cutest wee guy out..

It's only about £30 a month to give these kids a better life, thats basically nothing to us and everything to them.

At least think about it.. www.worldvision.ie

An Old Farmer's Advice

Pastor Phil put this in the cornerstone last Sunday, I liked it...

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig tight and bull strong.
Life is simpler when you plough around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster that a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.
Meanness don't just happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies - it messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It doesn't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about isn't ever going to happen anyway.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good honourable life then when you get older and think back you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with something that isn't bothering you none.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror very morning.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.
Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in.
If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around.
So, Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly...
Leave the rest to God.


Good advice eh?

Boredom, Beauty and Pain

I've been thinking about this above topic since our last intern retreat up north at the start of January and boy is it interesting!

I used to be guilty of using the term... 'I'm bored' up until we looked into this and now it cracks me up anytime someone says they're bored, arrgghhh!

Trent (the guy taking this part of the retreat) came to the conclusion that boredom is restlessness for the story of God, beauty is the honor of sharing the dreams of God and pain is the privledge of sharing and experiencing the aches of God. I find this to be sooooo cool and so true, I'd just never looked at it like this before.

When we get lost from the restfulness of not knowing Gods story as it unfolds in the Bible and begin to engage in it then it leaves us and we become open to the beauty and pain of the world and will never be bored again.

I think it's incredible, we never need to be bored again... live the life you dream about, engage and believe, you can do it... don't be restless!!

Intimate Issues

Was at the Intimate Issues conference over the weekend, it was sooooo good!! Sitting around talking about sex with 1100 women, what more do you want? hmm...

The fact that it was Jills dream being fulfilled was incredible. So it was extremely touching to be part of it.

The sessions consisted of why God gave the gift of sex, how you can be godly and sensuous, what role your mind plays in your sexuality (did you know that your mind is the greatest sexual organ? it has 12 billion cells, every sexual thought is there, you process 10,000 thoughts a day, you have a great deal to do with what remains in your mind and your thoughts are always from God, Satan and Yourself), how you get over the guilt of your past and for us singles girls; a single session. It was all very interesting, especially reading Song of Songs in detail.

Anyone confused or interested in the intimate issues topic of sexual desires etc then really do look into it, its worth a read. The book 'Intimate Issues' is by Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus and it has just about everything you need to know.

Keep watching and praying, that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)


OOOO and I had my first broadcasting session at the radio, it went really well. I was on for half an hour just after 9am and talked about some funny stories from the newspapers. To all my dedicated listeners....thank you xo

Growing Up

Went out for dinner last night in Belfast for Laurens birthday (thats her in the photo), those girls... Joy, Amy and Lauren are actually the most funniest, amazing ladies I know. (Carly unfortunately couldn't make it). We all have brilliant relationships, ones where you don't really have to make much of an effort because we always know that we're here for one another and if we haven't seen eachother in a few weeks its never awkward, we always just pick up where we left off. The type where you know we'll be best friends forever :) how soppy...

I've known each of them for years, Lauren from Comber, the longest, since we were two (our families became friends at Cranfield back in 1990). Amy (a Belfast bird) for a numberous amount of years too and Joy and Carly from home (I did also meet Joy in Cranfield). We all have caravans up there and it's class. Summers are my favourite time of the year simply because I know Cranfields open and its just an hours drive away...

I owe everything to that place, ALL and I mean all of my childhood memories are from there, happy and sad ones. It is by far responsible for most of my life changing experiences and best friends.

Remember the good old days of bonfires on the beach and at the point, camping out in tents, the summer romances, Lauren and Johnnys (Amys brother) on-off relationship, 'out in the water' days, 'CYR' antics, kilkeel band parades, fun fair in town, lunch in the port-o-call, the cabin gamesroom, learning to drive, adventure days across the fields, the Thompsons caravan, picnic at the castle (getting chased by the boys with water bombs, then swimming in the sea on the way back), Pudge; what a funny guy, lighthouse shop days, James Newell and his quad, CSSM...I could easily go on forever.

We talked for ages about the things we used to do but then the more I thought and talked about it I got really sad that we're all growing up. It's just not the same these days... It's pretty stupid because we're all 18 - 20 years old and you'd think then we'd still be creating loads and loads more memories, which we are, but I guess growing up just isn't as fun as what it used to be back in the days where we didn't have to work and we had to rely on parents for lifts and permission to do things.

I always wanted to be 18 years old, able to do whatever you want, go wherever you want, no worries about parents saying no or anything but I'm over it now, I wish I was 14 again just for the fun of running around Cranfield chasing after the boys!

The purpose of this post really is to make me appreciate every moment in life. It actually flys by and before I know it they'll all be married with kids, jeepers!! So go on... rekindle those carefree days with friends, rebuild those memories!!

Can't wait for Cyprus '07, love you ladies xo

Radio

For as long as I can remember I've alwayssssss wanted to be a TV presenter.

I used to tell myself that it was totally unrealistic and that I should keep such dreams to myself. It's only really been the past few years that I started to think that someone has to do it and why shouldn't that person be me? :) So I began telling people because you never know who that persons going to tell and how the network in the media world works.

Since beginning internship last september I've thought about nothing more than how to go about getting into TV after this year or after uni but with being so hectic I haven't had as much time as I would have wished to do research so I keep telling myself Psalm 37 v 4...


"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."


Anyway, to cut a long, long story short....

I was due to start an OCN in Youth Work on saturday morning but after a conversation with a friend on Friday night about it I came to the conclusion that Youth Work really isn't for me and that it's media I really want to pursue, so I asked God to give me a better reason to get out of the course.....

That evening when I got in I got a text message from my dear brother Dave Mull telling me that a guy from UTVs Radio Station U105 was in contact with him looking my number because he heard I was interested in Radio (good networking eh?) and that there was a few positions now available!!! Exciting or what?!! Straight away I knew the course was down the drain. He passed on my number and I waited in anticipation all Saturday morning for my phone call...


The guy was a legend who called, He told me that they were looking for a paper reviewer and if I was interested I could come along tomorrow morning (last Sunday) for a wee look around during the show. (arrgghhhhhhhh) I 100% believe it's a God thing.

Sunday morning was amazing, just being in the UTV buildings hanging out and learning all about how it all happens and works was class. Good old George Jones and Gerry Kelly were there too and any time they introduced me they said, 'This is Ellen, a new member of the team'.

SO EXCITING!!

So yea, I GOT A JOB AT THE UTV RADIO STATION!!! U105!! woohooooo!! I begin getting trained this Saturday and then they're introducing me on the show on Sunday morning and I'll start off with reporting one or two stories before a progress to four or five. Great experience for my TV career...

If any of you are early birds and like radio then tune in to U105.8 FM, Sunday mornings 7 -10 Am Sunrise....


"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37 v 4