6/14 - Taking stock(port)

What I did:

I woke up and got some nice hotel breakfast. I will say the toaster here is really good though – some of the best toast I have had. Then I got ready to go visit c3Stockport. I had a general idea of where they met, so I headed that way. I walked for a while I didn’t see anything and I almost turned back. I decided to go just a little farther and way back in a little building I saw a sign with their logo. I walked in a little late, but they had not started yet. They were actually waiting on someone to get back with milk for the tea. But I agreed that that was worth waiting for.

I met Louise, the leader of c3 (at least one of the leaders, and the one most in charge). She introduced me to several other members that were there. We all talked for a while until the tea and coffee was ready. My conversations always go straight to people’s opinions of church, which I understand why and I am grateful, but it is starting to get old. I may never want to talk about church after this. But they were great people and I enjoyed all the time I spent with them.

Anyway, we started with some prayer, then we had some singing, and a couple of activities to help everyone get to know each other better. Then we had a discussion about loving our neighbor. I know that sounds pretty broad, but it was a really good guided discussion about selfishness and how to follow Jesus’ example of loving others (at least as best as we can). We prayed for each other, then got ready to eat lunch. It was kind of potluck style, and we all just dug in and sat around a common table and ate. There was lots of lively talk, especially because there were several children there, one who was old enough and bold enough to ask some funny (to the rest of us) questions. Then things moved to telling me more about c3, which was nice. I learned that they also do a lot during the week with some creative groups that reach out to the community.

Finally, we had a promise auction. This was really cool. We all promised to do something by writing it down, then each favor was auctioned off and the money is going to be sent to a needy cause. I did not bid on anything since I only had 6 pounds in cash, but I did promise an encouraging email every Monday for 2 months. I really hope I don’t forget. All in all, I spent over 3 hours with them, and enjoyed every minute. I also set up another meeting with Louise later this week to talk more in depth about what c3 is doing.

Then I walked back to my hotel noticing just how beautiful the day was. I wrote up all my observations and made sure I had plans in place for tomorrow. I came back and rested in my room for a while. Then I decided I would go find the train station before I had a very heavy bag on my back to make sure I knew where to go. I also stopped and picked up some groceries. I had to hold myself back because there was a lot that looked good, but I knew I would have to either eat or carry whatever I got by tomorrow. I headed back and tried a new route, but hit a couple of dead ends and finally just went back to my room. I made some Pot Noodles (which sounded like a good idea at first) and watched the England cricket game. It was actually really close and exciting.

I stayed in my room the rest of the night watching some tv. I also tried my hand at a little sketching:

Time to get ready to make another quick move. I will be moving to Cliff College tomorrow, and I am actually very excited about it.

What I learned:

Pot Noodles (like our Cup Noodles/Ramen) only get worse the longer you eat them. I don’t know why I actually thought they would be good for dinner.

I did not learn what c3 stands for. That will be my first question to Louise later.

Stockport:Manchester::McKinney:Dallas (In size/geographical distance) for those of you who remember studying these terrible word equations for whatever silly standardized test they were for.

What a “one-off” is (I think that is what was being said).

Exactly where I need to go tomorrow morning. No more wandering around Stockport with a heavy bag.

This hotel room has a lot of contrasting patterns in the upholstery and wallpaper and all that.

*I admit the title of this post doesn't make a whole lot of sense and is even a little cheesy for me. Oh well.