oh happy day!

for i have a job!!
i can't quite believe it, but i'm so pleased! so here's what happened:

the application...

• i applied for 5 jobs, 2 of which i really wanted, on the friday
• i receive a letter on the tuesday inviting me for an interview (to the job i wanted!)
• the next day another letter arrives, for another interview (for the other job i wanted!)
• here's the catch... both interviews are at exactly the same time!
• after a small panic, i rationalise, pray and read over both job descriptions and person spec's, and realise the 1st one is definitely for me!

the interview:

• i arrive and there are 21 of us in total, all looking very smart and professional!
• we're split into 4 groups, and for the next 2 hours have team working, problem solving and individual tasks, whilst being observed and written about! (we had to protect an egg being dropped from 8 ft!)
• a buffet lunch is served, where they announce that they will only be interviewing 10 people individually, the rest will be sent home!
• after a nail/sandwich- biting hour, we are called out of the room 1 by 1, with our coats and things, to be told if we were successful to stage 2! it was so nervy, people were leaving and not coming back.... eek!
• i was called, dropped my lipgloss, then my bag, then couldnt find my coat, and finally made it to the room, to be told i was successful and would be interviewed!! yeah! and that i would be last, boo!
• a 2 hour wait ensued, including chatting to other prospective colleagues (and completely tidying the room- my nervous energy needed an outlet, so i also very geekily organised everything on the table into order of height! when on my own, i hasten to add!)
• i was called thru, managed not to drop anything this time, and had what i felt was quite a good interview, being as it was my first ever!

the wait...

• this was all on thursday! due to the holiday weekend i was told we would all be phoned on tuesday, thus spent a nervous weekend anxiously awaiting 'the call'!
• yesterday i was completely on the verge of a small breakdown after my uni ' friends' called my mobile from a 'withheld number' to wind me up! grrrrr....

the news...

• after giving myself the 'it obviously wasn't meant to be' pep-talk, the luvly project manager phoned at 4:50 pm and offered me the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• this was quickly followed by actual screaming with pammy, some celebratory car dancing, and a round of phone calls and texts!

so i am very excited and happy! i start as a personal adviser at a company in 2 weeks! i'm so looking forward to it!

not much really

the sky is beautiful, pink and lilac and pale blue, very pretty :)

i was going to blog but i think i might go for a walk. i have a lot of work to do but my mind's not on it, i think some fresh air might help. at the moment it's like as soon as i finish one thing there's another to start, i know its only for a couple more weeks but it's knackering. i'v been listening to Keane tonite, the Hopes and Dreams album, i forgot how good it is!

Harlem Globetrotters!!

well, last nite saw the world famous Harlem Globetrotter's vs the New York Nationals at Braehead Arena! for those of u not in the know, this is basketball we're talking 'bout, yeah, slam dunk da funk!! this was Chris's birthday present, and i had high hopes after we watched a documentary film on them- they play amazing basketball, but the real secret to their success is their tricks- very impressive, and entertaining!!
We had a really fun nite, but they weren't quite what we were expecting... it was more choreographed basketball, so they could show all their tricks, and included some scripted fights and audience participation! i was a little disappointed, looking for some high-paced competition, but their tricks were great! actually, the funniest part was when their mascot, Big G (a large inflatable globe/ man in a suit!) came on and did some break-dancing moves, spinning on his head- i guess u had to be there, but i was crying with laughter!

perhaps more family fun than pure sporting entertainment, but we had a good time!

[oh, and i have another interview! but it's at the same time as the other one, so hopefully they'll let me come at a different time! how exciting tho!]

interviewer and interviewee!!

so today i did a great final assessed interview!! it's a good feeling to have another bit of the course complete!! and...

i have an interview!! it's a week on thursday with what i think is my first choice of job!! so i'm very excited, although a little apprehensive as it's my 1st proper job interview! involving group exercises, lunch and a panel interview! i'd better not fight over the last sandwich!

back to typing action research project now...

sad news

graeme, our church officer, passed away at half 1 this morning.

please pray for his family and friends, especially his wife eleanor.

sadness and a prayer request

today was dull and rainy. i ate a cookie and it did not cheer me up. there is a lot of sadness in the world, sometimes it's easy to forget but other times it's all you can think about. hurting people, sick people, troubled people- so many people. it's amazing the impact people have on one another. even if you're not that close to someone you can still feel such empathy and hurt for them. when you know that someone does not have long to live you know they will leave behind a whole world of people who care for them, and love them and will miss them incredibly. and even if you know they are going to a better place, which is a joyful thing, you can't help but feel sad.

our church officer graeme is in intensive care just now, and is not expected to live much longer. he is a wonderful man and has served in our church for years. he just overcame a long battle with cancer, and now has a critical lung infection which has left him struggling for life. please pray for him and his family, especially in the next few days.

a little bit of blog for the road...

ok, so i know some of u who read this will despair of my blogging tonite, given we chatted about using blogging as a great way to procrastinate and put off the essential tasks, that often arrive in the form of uni deadlines! [WARNING- other distractions may include alphabetising ur cd collection, or labelling and re-organising everything in ur freezer (thats a good 1, thanx R!), so if u find urself doing either of these take a long hard look at yourself!!] thus, my blog may be a little quiet this coming week, and prayers for high productiveness are more than welcome!

tonite i had the honour of meeting simon varwell! after emailing a couple of times, i finally met the man who has been church-hoppping around glasgow, searching for the church God is calling him to! i have followed his notes with interest, as i'v also visted a number of churches he's rated, and whilst not necessarily agreeing with the concept of rating churches, it has certainly provoked some interesting and entertaining feedback! so simon, it was nice to finally meet u!!

tomorrow i'm meeting my tutor and i fear i will have to confess my brilliant research project is not coming along quite so brilliantly! due in approx 8 days, it has yet to be begun- this is part lack of organisation, part having-a-nightmare-with-interviewee's, and part having so much other work to do it somehow got lodged in the 'denial' pile! so if anyone reading this knows any offenders/ ex-offender's who'v had any careers guidance whatsoever, i'd love to hear from u! by wednesday if poss!!! haha!

on a more exciting note, my mum bought me a ballgown!! she sneakily sneaked onto the internet after i had resigned myself to the fact that i cannot afford a new dress, and managed to purchase the beautiful dress i fell in love with whilst twirling in it in the changing rooms! so a huge thanx to mum!
who is currently in Romania, with a team of 6 others, working again at the baby hospital, orphanage and boys transition house! her and a friend set up a charity, Heart to Heart Scotland, last year to support the wonderful work going on there! check their website for more info. on the wonderful work they do!

alas i have run out of things to say- 'what?!' i hear u cry, 'not possible!'.
as true as that may be, instead of mindless drivel about the fact i have one finger nail painted a luvly shade of pink; bought some hot new plectrums (also pink); and took 10 mins to decide whether or not to have a bowl of ricicles and sultana's (i decided against, they'r more of a morning treat!), i will turn my mind to greater things!

sleep...

motivational speech to self!

ok, i can do this. i have 10 days... nope, 12 days until it's due. i can easily type 500 words an hour, including a wee break and some reading. more probably.

focus on the task, and don't let stupid things distract you. there is plenty of time for emailing friends and blogging after your postgrad degree is completed. do not freak out, do not panic. there is also no need to scare yourself over nothing just because you are home alone and hearing noises. it is the wind and the oldness of the house. concentrate on your work, because you can easily do this. by 11, and then you can watch desperate housewives and actually relax because you know another assignment is complete. just focus on this one essay tonight, that is all you need to do. and you know what you are talking about, so type quickly and confidently.

go lynzy go!

Most exciting things happening!!!

ok, so i know i'm supposed to be typing an essay, but life is just far too exciting for that!!

so here's the thing:i'v been totally praying about the possibility of going to the states (Arizona, Phoenix to be precise!) in the summer to do some mission work through music, involving going on a 'ministry tour' road trip, singing in different places, working with the church there and learning things to take back home to my church here! i has asked God for some confirmation either way, and He has made it abundantly clear where i have to go! in like, 6 different ways!!

1. on april 19th i prayed about it, turned over my calendar, to a picture of Arizona!

2. last week i saw my friend kirst, who appeard wearing a luvly pink hoodie with Arizona emblazoned across the front!

3. on saturday just there i prayed before going to work, turned my calendar again and there was a picture of California! (where the ministry tour is going to!)

4. this is the freakiest and most exciting so far... yesterday morning i was leading the youth prog. and so wasn't in the main church service. i got home that afternoon and saw i had 4 missed calls on my mobile.. from my mum and my voicemail, from 11:23 that morning! my mum sings in church, and i was like, why on earth was she callin me half way thru the service!? i called my voicemail, was told it was a 4 min. message, and it began to play!

(how can i explain this...) my mum's mobile was locked and zipped away in her bag in the church. it had somehow called my mobile in the middle of a set of songs, and recorded on my voicemail, everyone in church singing a song called 'I the Lord of sea and sky'! if u dont know it, the chorus of this song goes, 'Here i am Lord, is it I Lord, I have heard u calling in the night. I will go Lord, where u need me, i will hold your people in my heart'..! what is even more significant about this is that this song is special to me as it was used to send us off on the last mission trip i went on, coincidentally, to the States!! so this blew me away!

5. my mum came home and i asked her if she called me, and explained everything and she was like, eeek, no, how exciting!!! she then re-appeared 10 mins later and asked if there was a particular verse in Joshua that was meaningful for me?! i was like, ohmygoodness, why?! she said she'd been looking at the California calendar picture and realised it was of the Joshua tree, and it came to her mind that maybe God wanted to tell me something else...

guess what we'd been looking at that morning in the youth group!? Joshua 1 v1-9!! with the focus being on verse 9, which says, " I command you- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." !!!!

wowowowowowowowowow!!! isn't that the most exciting thing ever!? i know this is a long blog, but i hope ur encouraged as u read this that God is so real and totally speaks to us today if we ask Him!! so i guess i've to go to Arizona then! this is the last thing i thought i'd be doing this summer, but i'm so excited God wants to use me doing something i love! The trip involves music, singing, young people, travelling and sharing and meeting lots of people!!

The other day at work i was speaking with Doug (who is so wise!) and he asked if it was a God-sized task! the answer is a resounding yes! at the moment i have no money, and no idea where and how to raise enough in the next 8 weeks! but i am completely trusting God with it- He's made it abundantly clear where i'v to go, and i know He'll provide a way to get there!! it's so exciting!

i'll keep u posted as to how He does it!! i hope u have a great day and feel mightily encouraged!!