So while daughter number two nears the end of her very first term at university, the cycle of applications, interviews and offers begins all over again for thousands more students.

At College the number of applicants is well up on this time last year, but it’s hard to know at this stage if this is students being organised earlier or indeed whether we will see a larger percentage of the year group applying.  Whatever the reason, it’s incredibly hard work at this stage of the year, checking every application and then checking every reference to ensure it is accurate before finally pushing the button.  There are only so many hours in the day, but with Christmas looming we’re keen to get the bulk sent by then if we possibly can.

Last Sunday we had a One More Step meeting locally and were really encouraged.  With a mixture of sons/daughters already at university and in the middle of applying, it was great to be able to talk informally about how they are all getting on, workloads, 2^nd year accommodation, how Student Finance works (don’t we all wish we knew the answer to that one!), when offers might come etc etc.  And then we spent some time praying for our students, and also for their CUs, and for the student workers at their Churches.

So let’s continue to remember our students in prayer:  for happy Christmas celebrations at university, for everyone getting along together over the festive period at home, for those applying at the moment for university and those facing the prospect of selective interviews.

And here’s a challenging Bible verse as we re-configure as families over Christmas:  “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”  Ephesians 4:2

As we enter this period of Advent, waiting for Christ to come, I for one can’t wait for the Advent of the daughters too!

Half Term

Half Term – a breather for us and a chance to go and see our younger daughter at university.  We had fortunately already decided to go on the Tuesday, so thereby avoided the storm on the Monday.  Definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be towing a caravan in that wind!

For daughter, self catering, it was a welcome opportunity to be fed each day and to have transport to Asda to stock up.  As it turned out, it also meant being able to have hot showers!  Heating in her house (campus-based university accommodation) has been erratic, but all of a sudden there was no hot water either.  In fact the 12 of them in the house were without hot water for a whole week.   Since we returned the heating has again been erratic (just as the temperatures have plummeted) and then last night I got a text to say they suspected a gas leak and that they were awaiting someone to come and fix it.  Thus ensued a few more texts along the lines of “don’t cook, don’t switch the light on/off, open a window…” before gas repair man arrived and fixed the leak.

Our elder daughter had none of this sort of excitement in her first year – she was always sitting there in a T shirt whenever we skyped.  Is our younger daughter unlucky with her accommodation?  Have you come across these sort of ongoing difficulties?

Anyway, we had a lovely few days and we reckon she is doing really well, academically, socially and looking after herself.  It’s a big thing for any of them, really, isn’t it?  She’s still doing the rounds of churches, but had enjoyed the recent CU weekend away.

And so back to college, where we’re up to our eyes in this year’s university applications.  The cycle continues…

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!          2 Cor 5:17