An ordinary life - an extraordinary God!

Hi you amazing people and complete gems

Can it REALLY be a year since I wrote the last blog? Incredible and scary. Here I am listening to the wonderful Japan Collegium with Masaaki Suzuki " A Bach Choral Year" so it seems fitting to be writing this as I am

listening to Singet Dem Herrn Ein Neues Lied from BM190 for New YEAR'S Day. It is a privilege and exciting to be here for such a time as this and I long for more adventures this year.May 2012 be a blessed year for you individually in all you are doing and may there be many wow moments, of stepping out, of vision and minutes when time stands still.

Christmas was great spent with amazing people - sister, boyfriend and niece. Young Fran took this picture of me and passed her maths. We are so proud of you for persevering and sis thanks so much to you both for brill hospitality. How DO you make it look so effortless with

brill colours and food? You are a star!

So what has been happening in Fliss's life? I have moved twice and been away 4 times but more about that later. Yesterday I went to see the film The Lady which I confess made me cry and

is SO like Rangoon it was amazing. I could almost be standing near Sule Pagoda and all the places I recognised were there. Despite the critics comments, I think both Michelle Yeoh and David

T did a great job. Her humanity was much more in evidence

and when she mentioned her 3 main failings I thought ouch!!! That sounds like me!! It was also exciting as I was only in Rangoon in October so it made everything more real. I would urge you to see it as I loved it and will be seeing it another 6 times with different friends so if anyone else wants to see it then I will come as it has the wow factor for me.

For someone who has not been to Europe for about 12 years, I had the opportunity to go to Finland for a conference with a friend. So EXPENSIVE!!! As she told me the previous Sunday that she was going I immediately felt the Lord say He wanted to me to go but I thought "ridiculous Lord that cannot be You, I am working". However sure enough it was Him and 5 days later I found myself on a flight to Helsinki only 3 days after moving to a flat as I had to rent for a month.The flat was His provision and had wow views of Watford ( YES REALLY) with incredible sky lines so thanks to all those amazing people who helped me move stuff up 7 flights via the lift!!! You were wonderful.

I also felt Him speaking to me about Saigon when I have never had the slightest interest in Vietnam at all. I obediently booked a flight and it was absolutely great. Yes I KNOW Lord you are OMNISCIENT AND

REALLY DO KNOW BEST!!!I knew I was meant to stay in Saigon or HCMinh as it is now and I loved it, the people, buildings, coffees, food, the place and ended up riding on loads of motorbikes to get around. I think I will be going back and will probably do the Hanoi/HCM train. Time will

tell. Cambodia and North Korea are also in my thoughts as well as European cities so I am unsure what to do at present so will simply wait. Thanks so much to all you faithful prayers as I would not do all this stuff without prayer backing and where would I be without you?

In May I celebrated my 52 birthday with 11 wow people who I love to bits and even

a lady I met in St Albans in a bookshop came too. You gem. Feel sure we will be friends for life so thank you for your courage. Fabulous to have you there. I had hoped for one other to be there but knew, even when I asked, the answer would be no but still worth a shot as 98% of the time this kind of thing works and remarkably people say yes!! I know you are all astounded!

In October I was due to go to Chin State which, for those of you reading all the blogs ( you need to get out more!!) will remember was the one state in Burma I wantedto visit for years

and it eventually took me 9 years! My guide had not been so we arranged to go as I had loved it, but the night before a flood and damaged a bridge, 100 dead and roads impassable. Change of plan took us to the new capital Naypidaw and to the

Delta. I did not enjoy the first but loved the Delta which you will remember was badly hit by Cyclone Nargis. There are so many wow moments and it was BRILLIANT to see dear Thuzar back to her usual best. Also two others stand out a random lady on a road which we stopped to take a photo of to find she was a Christian and we ended up praying together. The 2nd one was an afternoon when I was reading my Bible ( the Lord faints!!!) when this incredible wind blew up with darkened sky and trees blowing. I found it one of the scariest part of any of my travels as it was on the tip of Burma near Patein and with images of cyclone the imagination was on overdrive. I did pray and within 30 minutes it had blown over and we went down to the beach, found a motorbike guy and the two of us went down the beach where we saw the MOST EXTRAORDINARY sky line and sunset I have ever seen. Next morning at 6. 30 am I swam and took some photos and the one of the boy walking away is in my bedroom as I love it.

So what is my new home like?I absolutely love it - 2 bedroomed Victorian with lovely

neighbours and I have been given boxes of chocs, cards and a bottle of NZ SB but as you know I DO not drink so passed it on!! Lying of course and one of my favourite people on the planet and I drank most of it one evening as she came to visit my home. I have had about 30 plus visitors in about 6 weeks but it has been brill to have people here. I am thinking of a name. Thought it should be something to do with Haven as everyone says it is so peaceful but I am also thinking of Nahum's Spring as Nahum -the Old Testament prophet (not the guy with leprosy with a different spelling I think) means comfort and I want people to feel comforted and rested when they come!!!

So with Kim J 's death and events in Burma it is an interesting time. Will we really see history being made in our time? I cannot believe it is 11 years since I was first woken up about the above, as it will be 11 years in January since mum died. I feel sure she would have put her foot down about my going to Burma but feel sure that one day we will be discussing that and probably having a laugh about it.

Changes afoot at school and last term was difficult for lots of reasons in particularly travelling 3 hours a day in the last month. Also 3 of my favourite colleagues of 28 years all left in the same term!!! We also have a new Head. I would say that the farewell speech for his predecessor was great and captured her well, as far as she is able to be captured! She has so many great qualities-compassion, kindness, humility all come to mind and we as a school have been enriched by them and now it is time for others to be touched by them too. Long may others be so.

It goes without saying that I have been out to wow places to eat, enjoyed great wines, lunches, teas and that continues to be the wow factor of life with so many brilliant friends who have enriched my life more than I can say. THANK YOU THANK YOU and long may this continue. It has also been a joy to have got to know 4 new people this year including 2 colleagues from school who are great. Thanks to all those who have enriched in so many ways. You are priceless and I give thanks to the Lord for you.

I have also kept up with the author of the Burma book Liz Anderson and now a friend and I have just had afternoon tea with the cloth which I bought at the village in Burma where she lived. A recent email seemed to indicate that she would love to visit so would be great but know

how incredibly busy she is even though retired from being a GP but still living a frantic pace! She and someone else who it has been a joy to get to know this year ( Finland person) recommended "The Hare with the Amber Eyes" so may try it again as gave up after the first 20 pages as bored!!

So this comes with much love, many blessings and a hope that those of you who I have not managed to see this year will join me for lunch, glass of wine or tea one day. It is crazy that time is going so quickly but life is brilliant and opportunities are there to be taken. I emailed Hillary Clinton's office to say if she was ever stuck in London then she could come for tea and cake and get her driver to drop her off. The limo would reach the whole length of my road. Who knows. What fun that would be.

Every blessing and lots of love. Kate are you still reading this and wonder what you are doing? Be great to do that glass of wine one day. Still feel sure we will and I can wait. I have waited for things and people for years ( one area for 35 years and still waiting!!) as they are worth waiting for - tea cosies with hearts, Chin State, green mac, friendships to develop and now my home after 20 years of waiting. So tough at times but the Lord knew that in 2011 Fliss's wow house would come on the market!! Thank you Lord. For someone who is incredibly impatient ( one of my failings) I have patience in this area. Wonder why? Also over the last 6 months I have seen the old gramaphone player in Saigon, Burma, London, on films etc. It was called the Master's Voice and it is a sense I am not listening to Him in a particular area!!! Do tell me if any of you know!!! It is probably blinding obvious.

Would like to meet the 4th person on my list as met the other 3 - Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu, Baroness Cox and have a sense that the 4th one will happen in the next 18th months. We will see. Also like to hear and meet the conductor above as this year I met Philippe Herreweghe after he conducted the Bach B Minor - one of my favourite pieces. So now Harry Christophers, above and Robert King of the King Consort so we shall see.

Bet you are all asleep and only I read this but never mind.

Much love as ever

Fliss x