Angel Tree

Regular readers may remember that earlier in the year I spent some time with Chaplaincy Team at Lowdham Grange Prison. One of the things I found out about, when I was there, was the Angel Tree scheme.

Here are some startling pieces of information:

• It is estimated that 150,000 children have a parent in prison
• 66% of female prisoners and 59%of male prisoners have children under the age of 18
• During their sentence 45% of people lose contact with their families
• Maintaining family contact can make prisoners up to 6 times less likely to re-offend.

Angel Tree provides Christmas presents for prisoners’ children. Local Prison Fellowship volunteer groups raise funds and work with churches and prison chaplains to buy and deliver the presents. Each gift is sent as though it is from the parent in prison who is also able to write a personal message to their child. If the parent requests it, a Christmas story book is also sent.

The immediate effect is the delight of the child who receives the Christmas present. Angel Tree is a wonderful link between a child and their mum or dad in prison and helps towards family reconciliation.

If you think that you could help with this scheme, this Christmas, please contact the Prison Fellowship to find out how it is being organised near you.

Tel: 01621 843232
angeltree@prisonfellowship.org.uk

The suspense is killing us...

I'm aware that the blogging frequency has dropped off a bit recently. Despite this we still seem to have a fair few people checking in to see what's happening with us. So, to the faithful, thanks for sticking with us and sorry for being a bit slow at updating you recently.

The major reason for this is not that nothing is happening, but that we can't share the exciting stuff in public. We have been going through the process of looking for a curacy, my first post out of college. We are 99% sure that we know where we will be moving next summer, but until the Bishop confirms it and the church family there has been told, we can't talk about it widely. Suffice to say that we are very positive about the opportunity, are excited about the way God has been working in the area and we are itching to join in.

But, we are here for another 8 months, still have loads to learn and experience and don't want to lose those things by letting our focus shift too early. Having said that, I'm off to see the Bishop in question on Friday morning, so come the weekend I'll be packing :-)

Catching up

Tim keeps telling me I haven't blogged in yonks so here I am at last. This is just a general catch up, then hopefully can blog more on stuff in detail, if I ever manage to get my act together that is.

You know all about the hospital shenannigans (baad spelling I know), glad it's over with but I am happy to report that my lungs have been much happier since the whole IV thing. Lets hope it continues. Also my consultant has been brilliant and they are keeping a closer eye on me now at the Cystic Fibrosis clinic - my condition is the same lung condition as CF patients get and the treatment, physio etc is the same so it's good to be able to get that care.

Enough about that. I am enjoying doing my counselling and pastoral care course and am catching up on my assignments now. It's good to have something to focus my ickle brain on. The reading is all really interesting and I'm loving it.

The kids are very well (well, saying that they both have colds and T has been off school some of this week, but in general!!) and very happy at school and nursery. I am enjoying school governing and have some visits to school to do this term for it which will be good.

Not much else really, for now......here's some photos of the kids on their birthdays...