Off to France

Well in two hours we are off to France to get my visa... pray please.. i am nervous but at least Joel isn't!

we are going to a nice little area... and i guess the house we are staying at is way out in the country! So I am not sure how much Internet time we will have.. or how often we can check our email!!

but do try to keep in touch.. if you know my cell pleae call it.. or email and hopefully i can check it!

We love you all, and hope to be back for Christmas!

One Biketastic day

Like any other major city, especially in Europe the cheapest way of getting around the city besides walking is having a bike. Joel has wanted one for a while now, but of course couldn't really afford one, and I thought I would like one because its just faster than walking sometimes. But when we talked about getting bikes, we thought well we will have to save up... maybe next year. Why so long you ask, well like everything in England bikes cost like 2-3 times as much. A nice bike, new and no flashiness costs like 200-300 pounds, that's like $600... so we thought well no that isn't possible. But then Joel's parents, Dan and Janet said they would buy us bikes of Christmas! The hunt was on, now of course we wouldn't buy the snazziest bike.. but we wanted good ones. Then Joel found this second hand bike shop that he was recommended and we went there today! And wow, we found the perfect bikes for both of us. I mean they are like exactly the fit to our personality! ANd they cost very little, both of our bikes together was less then 100 pounds! Now I want to get a basket to put on the back.. and a bell to tell people to get out of my way!

So Joel and I bought them and washed them up, and went for a great ride. A nice long bike ride. Then we needed to go grocery shopping, and normally we need to ask a friend to take us because its far away, but we biked to get our shopping.. how cool is that.

But now we are tired, a lot of biking for newbies like us!!

So as we went riding.. Joel encountered the coolest thing since sliced bread:

(Joel's words) so as you will see from the Photo my bike is a totally cool custom Chopper. I was very blessed to find it. In fact I was sure that it called my name when we found it. Anyway after we bought them we went for a little ride down the seafront to get used to our new rides. As we were Cruising along I saw this old man biking towards us. He was Riding an even more customized chopper than mine! He looked at me and my Phat Hog and gave me a nod and a hey! Probably the coolest old man in southern England, if not the world.

Merry Christmas to Joel and I from the Janet and Dan!!

this is mine (Adriel's) her name is Penelope (not Cruz) !

this is Joel's

and his cool handle bars

look how happy Joel looks

Stop the Traffik

About two weeks ago, Joel and I went to this Youth worker conference to do a bit of networking. And during one of the talks there was a presentation about a coalition of organizations working together to help stop human trafficking around the world. I was inspired to do something about it, to get involved. So as I was listening to the woman speak, I heard God say to have a big dinner, fundraising dinner for this cause. So I got all excited about this, and would like to have a dinner on Freedom Day (March 25) which the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade happened. It was a huge day then, a cry for freedom of those in slavery, and this next year it can be yet again a huge cry for freedom of those again bound in slavery.

So I am really excited about this, i am looking to make this a big deal in the city, I would like to invite influential people of the city, council members, church leaders, business people! And ask them to donate and get involved by informing other people they know.
I do ask for your prayer, its going to be a big undertaking, but I know I got it in me!! But please pray for me, as I plan this meal, and contact the people who will be influential for me during this time!!
thanks
adriel

A very successful feast

Well, its official, I love entertaining! And Joel and I made a great team at it!! We cooked all day long, we woke up and started cooking at 9am, and didn't finish until abut 7:15pm or so! Joel made some awesome sweet potatoes, and TWO wonderful turkeys! We both made some awesome, awesome stuffing! I made homemade cheesecake, pumpkin pies, and an apple pie! Let me tell you everything went down very well. Everyone enjoyed themselves. And we had lots of drinks, laughter and food! We had twenty people there and all of them good friends of ours. I even latticed the apple pie, and well it turned out like a work of art, but it was really hard to cut, so then it was not as showy once cut! But I am sure it tasted good!

(My center piece)

We decorated our "family room" really nice and had lots of fairy lights and dim lighting to set a mood of good eating! I know the pictures of blurring but you get the idea, right?
We asked our housemates to make the mashed potatoes and they turned out fantastic and then we asked some friends to bring the vegetables, and they were great. And then we asked everyone else to bring some sort of drink.. and drinks did they bring. Lots of wine.. I didn't have that much, i was already too tired from cooking, but everyone enjoyed themselves. But the great thing is that everyone ate so much that no matter how much they drank no one really got even a little tipsy! Oh it was a great, great night!

I am now so excited about our next party! Well we don't have one planned but we will have

one some time I am sure!

Thanksgiving

Oh Thanksgiving, my most favorite holiday!! Its such a great day full of family and food. The best part about this holiday is that its just about being with those you love. Not about presents, or selfish things, but about being thankful for those you have and how much they mean to you. This year its Joel and my first holiday as a married couple!! Today we are going to Holmsted to have a Thanksgiving meal but its not going to be the same... we have some concerns... first the guy who is overseeing the cooking is English.. and he cooks and serves Small portions, so we are considering that today is not really our thanksgiving though, tomorrow is when the feast will begin. I am so excited about it. Joel and I are hosting a huge meal for about 15 or so of our friends. I am making a bunch of pies, all hand made thanks to mom's recipes. And we have two turkeys ready to bake... everyone else is bringing the rest of the food. The problem is that we had to make this meal on Friday because everyone who is coming is English and its more convenient being that they don't have the day off like in America.

I spent all day yesterday getting the pumpkins ready for pumpkin pie. What fun, but it took me all day... and i didn't get the hang of a pie crust until my like 5th try.. and then it finally worked.

I have about 4 more pies to make.. oh i love baking.

We both miss our families so much, especially during the holidays. Its tough because these are the times you want to be with your loved family... but luckily phones and email are easy to use!!

We love you and miss you

adriel and joel

ps. more to come about our feast of all feasts tomorrow!!

Ok Go video

You must watch this... you might not like the music.. but my goodness they are good on a treadmill.
ps. they are Norwegian

Oh my Lost

So now I am trapped in the show that is Lost. I just cannot get enough: so much mystery, so much suspense... whats going to happen next, who is that, where did Ethan come from.... okay so I am only on the first season.. so i have some more to watch... but how i love this show!

This weekend we spent Saturday night at a murder mystery night. It was a lot of fun! Joel was cast as an old antique salesman, and I am was a young yet bitter archaeologist. It was fun, Joel shaved his facial hair just to get into character! It was perfect... and well we didn't win, because I gave up after a while. But get this... the couple who hosted the party, I don't know them very well at all, but we were invited anyway, which was very nice. And we then saw these hanging on their wall... what are these you ask... HOMEMADE LIGHT SABERS... yeah that's right homemade.. how awesome is that... i have never met anyone like them before..

These two are our friends Tim and Fritha, she was a pregnant "woman of the night" and he was a vicar!

What a fun weekend!! more to come later my friends!!

ANOTHER car

this is a cool steam engine one.. you can't see the steam but you can see people waving.. oh how great

a car

this is a example of the "cool" cars

Who had the funnest weekend?

We Joel and I did, yes I am talking about last weekend, but this is the first chance I had of blogging... so give me a break. We had a great weekend... let me tell you about it by pictures

WE hosted a Halloween party on Sarturday evening, as I blogged about earlier... Superheros vs. Villains.. and people kind of made up who were super heroes and villains, someone came as Sponge Bob.. i would assume he would be a superhero. Some one came as the Russian Batman.. again.. I didn't make the rules. Well I did, but it was fun to see people's costumes..some didn't try as hard.. but hey it was a fun, fun party. Someone also came as the "Joel of Ole" the former Joel.. that was fun. I guess marrying me made him into a Superhero. That was cool!

And then on Sunday day Joel and I went on our weekly Sunday walk in the afternoon. We went a different route this time... and lucky we did because we ran into the "London to Brighton annual drive." 110 years of tradition where people drive these super old cars, like 1890-1920 (i made those dates up, I am not sure if they had cars then.) who knows.. anyway:

It was like the epitome of Britishness... well old Britishness.. old men in wool hats, and high boots, and tweed hats... and it was just amazing.. and fun to watch.

There was also a terrible fashion mistake that unfortunately i see all the time here... and two too cute dogs NOT enjoying the car show

And then while we were eating our homemade Hummus and bread, we saw a Bi-plane doing tricks.. and another cute dog enjoying the see. I tried to take a picture of the bi-plane.. but that didn't turn out!

See that thing thats near the pier... that looks like a bird.. well thats the plane...
There you go... that was my weekend in a nutshell!!

Bruiser McBruiserton

The perpetrator: the corner of our new "perfect, wonderful" bed.

Its crime, two huge bruises on my left leg

lower calf (though it looks like a normal sized shin.. no, its just my cankels.

upper calf, by the knee

Seriously, I am not sure what is going on, but my bruises are getting ridiculous. I mean, we all know that I have a tendency to bruise like an unripened peach, or at the slightest touch, and that i am also rather clumsy. But I am mystified.

I love our new bed, there are MANY pros to having a bed that is not on the floor... but there is ONE huge con that I was not and am still not prepared for no matter how many times it happens. So because the bed frame is off the floor about shin height.. I am now constantly running into it.. now you may think that I would have learned my lesson, and I have during the day light hours, but not when I am half asleep needing the toilet or just getting up.. i cannot remember to move a little closer to the wall and take a wider turn .. i just can't remember it all.

And another thing: what time is it here? 10 or 11pm? Oh no its only 5:37 and its pitch black.. I now am remember why I am not a fan of winter. My body says, hey Adriel look its dark, wouldn't you want to go to bed, and I say yes I would..but I can't because its only 5:37pm.... oh and then it doesn't actually get light out until 8am either.

I am angry because of the bruises... I had to see them again to take the pictures and I am reminded of the pain...

ps. did you know that cankles is not found in the dictionary? Well it should be and hey all of us sisters could pose for the picture beside its definition.

No more sleeping on the floor

YES .. today has been a good day. So great, not only because of great productivity for both Joel and I but also...

we got our bed and our mattress. We bought this bed litterally the day after we got here in the country.. and it just arrived today... almost 2 months later! But on how sweet it is... and then we had to assemble it (we meaning joel) ourselves..

joel taking the bed out of the many boxes..

the evil other materess that we slept on that had it's springs digging into my rib cage...lovely

the almost complete... it looks so nice, so comfortable

and the bed with the covers on it.. and we have these second hand bed side tables that we got and they matches PERFECTLY!!

AND to make the day even better... we also FINALLY got our boxes that Janet (joel's mom) sent us via boat (we asked her to because its cheaper.. but obviously slower!!) and so now we have our books, and scrabbooks... and the LAST HARRY POTTER.. so joel and i can read it..

we can all breathe now

Finally I can stop worrying, and breathe again... the world has meaning once again...

Beta? Not bad

I decided to go beta, I like new looking things, and this looked new and cool, so I went for it. No turning back now!

Joel, myself and our three housemates have decided to have a Halloween party.. but actually on the 4th of Novemeber because Halloween lands on a Tuesday.. we are super excited.. the theme..

Superheros vs. Villains. I am not sure if I will share our ideas yet... because they are so great I don't want any one stealing them.. but be sure you will see pictures of these good times.

Here in England they are quite big on the "fancy dress" parties.. thats what they call them here. So I am expecting everyone who comes to particapate fully.. and if they don't either we will kick them out or just publicly humilate them as they enter.. we haven't decided.

And the fun thing will be to make our costumes, and then see other people's.. yes fun will be had!

check this out.. this gave me many laughs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GWPOPSXGYI

I am really looking forward to seeing the movie The Last King of Scotland. It looks so interesting, and such a tragic story. I love movies about Africa, and makes me miss it and want to go back!

I am tired and its getting late..

Updating on the blog

(on a great suggestion from a friend, here is the update on our blog as well!)



Hello everyone!

So first I do want to apologize for the vagueness of our emails the last two months, but the reasons why we need to keep things vague is because we are wanting to do some changing in our roles with certain ministries and other organizations, and until we speak to their leaders we don't want to write them in emails. But as of next week we will be able to share with you more!
But in the mean time Joel and I have been asked to help staff a DTS at Holmsted Manor in January, (http://www.holmsted.org.uk/) which is a base where we were "planted" from and where Joel and I met. I worked there for three years and Joel was there for about 9 months. And after careful consideration we decided to do it, to help staff the school. We are very excited about this and really looking forward to the many good things that will come out of this time.
Staffing will include leading a small group, a local outreach into the local ministries around the area of Holmsted, and then eventually leading a outreach team. And we feel that God has asked us to lead an outreach team here to Brighton. Having an outreach team work here in the city, have the opportunity to work with the local ministries and get a feel for the city.
There are quite a few reasons that we think God is calling us to do this. First of all its only temporary, the school begins in January and will end in the first part of June. At that time we will be coming back here to Brighton full time again. We will be living at Holmsted (which is about 20 minutes north of Brighton) during the week and coming back here for the weekends. Also Joel and I have never worked in ministry together, and we think that working under such a great covering such as Holmsted during this learning period for us is a safe place to do it, and a great opportunity for growth for our relationship. Also we can get connected with Holmsted again. This base, which like I said is where we were planted from when Joel and Dennis first started, and we sort of lost touch a little with them. And we really think that we still need to have their guidance and connection while we are still growing and changing as a base. Thirdly, we think staffing this DTS will be a great opportunity to recruit staff members and give people a chance to see the city and want to stay and work with us!
So we are very excited about this new idea, and new challenge. There are a few draw backs of course but none that God cannot handle. First, we won't really be here much in the city, and we are afraid we will lose touch. But we will not only be back in the city on the weekends, but also we have a cell group with our local church that Joel is a leader of, and so we will be coming back each Wednesday for that. and Monday nights Joel will have a local outreach team come down and do our open mic nights we go to regularly. So we will be in the city enough.
Also financially this will be a stretch. We will have to pay rent both in Brighton and at Holmsted, and also transportation costs. We don't have a car, and may need one, otherwise we will be taking a train back and forth. But again, we have faith that God is calling us to do this, so He will provide what we need!! But hey, if you can pray for transportation for us, I think it would be great to have a car!!
One more thing... today we went to Holmsted to lead intercession (pray) for the base, and God totally blessed us. Not only did we get a bunch of students who were interested in finding out more about our ministries, but God blessed us with His encourage and words of prayer. I have some pictures here showing people praying for the few points we asked them to pray for.

















Thanks for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your prayers and support!!

love,
Adriel and Joel

PS. This is a picture of a Joel playing at open mic night with Robin (the guy who played at our wedding)

Did we like it?

Tonight we went and saw the movie Marie Antoinette! It was interesting, but I am not sure if I liked it. I loved all of Sofia Coppola other films: Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation. So I thought that this one would be great also. But it left me wondering... I am still processing it I think. The great thing about the period piece was that it made their lives more real. I was able to relate to them as people unlike I have done with other period pieces. One thing is for sure, she has amazing taste in actors. Despite what others may say,
I am a HUGE fan of Kirsten Dunst,









and I LOVE Jason Schwartzman!












And Bill Murray was in Lost in Translation..
and we all know how much I love him!!
















I would recommend this one for sure for rental, but I would recommend this one very carefully to others to see it int eh theater...

Here it is

Its been a long time... why you ask? I don't know I just forget. But now I am updating.. but not much because also I am writing our monthly newsletter today so this one will be short.
Its starting to get colder here, but still the sun is shining bright as it can for an autumn sun... and the sea is still beautiful! But when your not in the sun, its quite chilly! And at night its cold!
Joel and I have been really busy with YWAM stuff and also house stuff. When we got back here it was sort of a mess.. for a long time of just boys living here. So it took us a good long while to clean it.. but now its really great and livable and i am not embarrassed to have people stay here or visit.
We also took our hands to the yard.. wow that was fun! Seriously just a good hard day of working outside. We HAD this fuchsia bush that was just growing out of control.. so i took to trimming it.. and well here the after picture..














Not too much more to report. But I do miss you all so much. Really I do.. i miss my family so much, and miss my friends! I miss having girl-friends.. but again this will be details in the email you will receive today! (if you don't get it please let me know... i say this because the people who read this blog should be getting one!! )
Anywho.. yesterday (which I regret dad I did not take pictures and I should have) was the best day ever... well not really because the best day ever was our wedding... but anyway was on the top 5... it was a really sunny day just perfect not hot but really sunny. Joel and I woke up late and decided to go for a walk. SO we walked along the sea front to a quieter beach area and people watched. Also we watched this little spaniel dog go crazy in the sea and surf.. so funny!



















and then we had ice cream and just walked all over. So great.. very relaxing very subdued. it was great.
And so there it is.. what else?
i am not sure not.. but where do think this leads?

Do not disturb

Joel and I all weekend worked on our angry faces... so we could create our do not disturb sign... here they are!





would you disturb us? I didn't think so.