The Mr X factor 14: November 19, 2007

September - November 2007

Tough times and a trip to France

For photos visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157602476021432/ (Sth of France)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidhodgkinson/sets/72157603217513627/ (London times 2007)

Hi all

I last emailed from Brussels in early August, where I had injured my left knee, cycling in Holland/Belgium. It has been an interesting 3 months since, to say the least – uncertain in many ways, and not how I would have planned it if I had the choice! Here follows the continuing story of my OE travels...

After a week convalescing at family friends in Brussels (very fortunately located), I made it back to London by coach mid-August. Next day I saw a doctor, and soon after a physio, who thought I had torn cartilage in my knee. My GP then referred me to a surgeon, whom I saw in early October. I am (finally!) booked in for 'key-hole' surgery (arthroscopy) on 7 December, to have a look inside my knee and clear up any damage. For those inclined I would appreciate your prayers for this.

Unfortunately, my mobility has been limited by my L knee, as well as an ongoing R heel problem. As some of you know, I've had heel problems with my right foot in particular, since playing some football in 2003. Lots of medical investigations have not solved this problem and it has become more painful and limiting over time. I've had to severely limit the amount of walking I do, trying not to walk too far at any time, cycling whenever possible. However sometimes walking can't be avoided and slowly things have got worse, which has obviously been very frustrating and worrying. With the recent L knee injury, I've had to lean more on my R heel to take the weight, which has aggravated it further and is now constantly achy. So everything has felt pretty precarious.

What's the way out of this? I must have asked that Q a thousand times! After many unsuccessful visits to doctors/surgeons - X-Rays, scans, ultrasounds, orthotics etc... the thing that gives me real encouragement to keep searching, is the countless number of episodes and seemingly providential events that encourage me to seek healing from God. In situations like this, this is where the rubber hits the road, faith-wise. Jesus Christ says to seek Him in all things. When I've been reading the Bible at desperate times, specific scriptures relating to feet and healing have just kept jumping off the pages at me – for 3 years now - as well as with people I have asked for prayer from. Recent stunners have been Habbukuk 3:16-19, Psalm 66:8-20 & Psalm 105:16-20.

Key learnings have been to focus on the Lord and wait patiently for Him, to worship & praise the Lord regardless of circumstances, keep knocking on the door and never give up, thank Him in advance for His goodness and healing power, trust that he will refine my life/character through difficulties, and ultimately use everything for His purposes and glory. Have also been learning about spiritual opposition, and have considered the Q of what if God doesn't heal my foot, even though He seems to be indicating He will – there seem to be plenty of desperate prayers in this world, that don't get answered in the way people wish. Not an easy thing to consider, but necessary to work through.

Well, that's the real-life honest stuff - there's been other stuff going on too: Due to my health problems and a lack of suitable jobs, I've been off work and stuck at home since mid-August– think I have only been into central London 4 times in 3 months. Being unemployed and home-bound has been quite an experience. Initially it was quite enjoyable - a chance to slow down, reflect, read, pray, chill out. I did interview for a job with the Royal Bank of Scotland, mid-September, but missed out on this. So I concentrated on sleeping in (!!), reading some books, working on my photo album and photo website etc... - for my latest travel photos check out: www.flickr.com/davidhodgkinson

I also began sewing my European souvenir fabric patches onto my much-loved Scout blanket. Way back in 1985, my Grandparents gave me a lovely green Scout blanket, soon after I started going to Cubs. Over many years, this has become a 'tapestry of my life' – recording places I have visited, things I have done, groups I have been involved with. I am now finally nearing the end of the first side – 255 patches currently, many of them slightly crooked – Mum always tries to make me feel better about this, by saying it adds personality!! Have bought about 80 souvenir patches since I got over here in 2005. I only retrieved my blanket when home in NZ earlier this year, as I knew I had to get started on the sewing mission, before it became too daunting! The final quadrant of the blanket has developed firmly into the 'overseas travel' section. Finishing the first side and turning onto the other side will be a momentous event!! I am now down to a backlog of 40 patches.

I have also been glad for having a laptop and broadband internet connection at home - for emailing and keeping in touch with people, surfing the net, and liaising with recruitment agents over job applications. As ever, my flatmate Simon (Cuffy) has been good company during the weekdays – between contract work he picks up. I have also had some stellar friends pick me up/visit and hangout/phone/email, which has been really appreciated. Despite my efforts, I wasn't getting many job opportunities from recruitment agents (frustrating), and cabin fever did set in after about 6 weeks – I was starting to bounce of walls! By the time mid-October rolled around I really needed to get out of the flat and see the horizon.

Fortunately, I had a way of doing this. In July, four mates from NZ won a trip to Paris for the Rugby World Cup final, in a World Cup quiz competition. We organised a rendezvous in southern France, over semi-final weekend. I flew out of London on October 11th, with Matt & Barry, two of the competition winners, who had had a few days in London. We were met in Nimes by Ashley, Renee and Alan and drove to nearby Arles in our hire cars, looking at the open-air theatre and ampitheatre. Then we headed to Sommieres, a small town west of Nimes, where Ashley had organised our apartments through family friends. Renee cooked up a lovely pasta meal (that jet-lag is bad coming from London!) and we toasted the start of the long weekend.

Next day was blue and warm – Tana Umaga is onto a good thing, heading to the south of France - the climate was stunning for our visit. We headed for the coast at Sete, with a swim in the Mediterranean Sea firmly in mind! It was 18-20 degrees, and the Med was beautifully blue. We sunbathed/read for a while, then Matt and I headed into the surf: Kiwi lads + water = gotta swim it! Late afternoon, Ashley arrived with Mark and Andrew, fresh arrivals from NZ and London, respectively. We had another swim, before heading into Sete township for dinner at a lovely fish restaurant. We headed home via the airport, picking up Rob - our tour group of nine was complete!

Saturday morning began with the Sommieres market experience. I managed to find a Sommieres souvenir patch for my blanket and take some photos of the township and market, not to mention Ashley, with his stunning 'carrier-trolley for old ladies'. Then we headed for the old walled-city of Carcassonne – a two-hour drive away. We had our lunch from the morning's market purchases, then looked around the town and city walls. While several of us sat down for a beer at a bar, Mark went AWOL finding and successfully recording an interview with a Frenchman, about the upcoming evening's semi-final match up - France v England – a northern hemisphere war about to unfold.

Mid-afternoon we began heading back to our French hosts' lovely farmhouse, on the outskirts of Sommieres. We helped prepare a sumptuous BBQ meal, washed down with lots of wine and beer, before heading inside to watch the rugby match. Most of us were hoping the French would win, so that the Penalty Tryhards - Matt, Barry, Ashley and Mark - would have a great time with the host nation in the final. However, it was England who triumphed in a tight match, with Johnny Wilkinson kicking them to a deserved victory. We began to resign ourselves to an England v. South Africa final, drowning our sorrows, chatting, and having a sing-along until about 2am.

The next day we split into two groups – some headed to Arles for a bullfight. Having studied Latin for 3 years at Wellington College, I was keen for a Roman infrastructure fix. So I went with Matt, Renee, Alan and Carolyn, to the 'Pont du Gard', near Nimes. This is an ancient Roman aqueduct, which used to carry water across the River Gardon. It was massive, and pretty much still fully in tact - they knew how to build things back then! We got some great photos. Matt, Renee and I swum in the river (refreshing and slightly chilly!) and Matt, Alan and I skimmed stones across the near-still river.

After a lovely ice cream each, we jumped in the car and headed for Avignon – famous for the Avignon papacy and Great Schism of the 14th and 15th centuries. We only had time here to walk around/through the city – checking out the fabulous city walls, Le Pont d'Avignon, Notre Dame Cathedral and massive Papal Palace beside the Place du Palais (town square). Matt took me for a spin in my wheelchair here (had rented it in Sommieres), which was a tonne of fun, especially going down some steep hills!

After this we drove back home to Sommieres, for another fabulous meal (roast) at our French host's place, swapping stories from each group's experiences, before settling in for RWC semi-final 2, Argentina v. South Africa. The Pumas gave it a good shake, but SA had a few more gears when needed and won through to the final, versus defending champions England, the following weekend. The Penalty Tryhards would be at the Stade de France in Paris for this!

Monday was my final day of adventures. Mark and Matt cycled into nearby Nimes, After lunch, Matt and I explored Nimes by bicycle, while the others visited Avignon and the Pont du Gard. We checked out Nimes's ampitheatre, listening to the audio commentary about gladiatorial fights in Roman times – we even spotted a broken sword in the arena itself. This proved too much of a temptation (boys will be boys!), so Matt 'accidentally' dropped his rugby shirt over the wall and 'had' to jump in to retrieve it. With 2 school tour groups and plenty of other tourists watching, he dashed to the sword, as if there were lions and gladiators about to surround and attack him. The broken sword wouldn't have helped if this was the case– it turned out to be a wooden prop! After a few quick photographs of gladiatorial poses, he climbed up the 8 foot wall in a single bound – back to safety (and yes, he didn't forget to grab his rugby shirt!).

Our final destination in Nimes was a tower on a nearby hill above Nimes - 'the Tour Magne'. While on the way there we cycled through the Jardins de la Fontaine, stopping briefly to watch several groups of Frenchmen playing petanque – a major French leisure activity.They were all very skillful and amazingly accurate with their throws. Atop the Tour Magne, there was a grand view of Nimes. We were able to make out the ampitheatre and temple we had visited. After a beer at the bottom of the hill, we caught the train home. It had been a fantastic and memorable day, exploring Nimes with a good mate.

Next morning I got up early and flew home with fellow Kiwi-Londoner Andrew, to London. My five days in France had been great and had rejuvenated me a fair bit. However, now I was back home to more uncertainty– health and job-wise. Reality set in when I realised I had worsened my heel problem on the French trip. It had felt manageable while there – I guess the adrenalin and enjoyment of the time there masked it, but I in hindsight I should have made better use of the wheelchair we hired while there. I was kicking myself over all this.

I celebrated my 32nd birthday on Friday 2 November, at a bar in Willesden Green. It was great to see a whole lot of my London friends and have a few drinks with them.

By now I really needed a job. My recruitment agents finally got me an interview on 5 November, for a role with the Youth Justice Board. The interview went well, although I felt I could have answered a couple of questions better. But I obviously did alright because two days later I was offered the job! Relief! However, the next day it all fell apart and the offer got withdrawn. There had been a mis-understanding over the level of my security clearance. It would take me 6-8 weeks to get the required clearance, and they needed me to have clearance to start immediately. It was a bit of a setback - I thought I had finally cracked it. Still, I was relatively upbeat as I knew I had done well in the interview. I just have to keep trying.

So, that's what has been going down... As I look back on the last three months, it has certainly been a roller-coaster ride – with quite a few challenges. I have been mindful of holding my nerve and waiting patiently for the Lord. There is a definite sense He has used this time to reveal a lot of stuff to me, about all sorts of things. I have also had some fantastic support from some great friends, and have managed to keep busy at home - I am aware that being stuck at home over this time could have gone a lot worse than it actually has.

What next? I have several things to focus on up to Christmas. My knee operation on 7 December looms large– hopefully this will be straight forward and successful. I also have recently got some new orthotics (foot inserts) to try and start wearing – slowly building up the time spent wearing them each day. And I need to get a job – one possibility came through late last week, which will hopefully work out soon. Hopefully in the next five weeks these things will come together. I need them too! In September I booked (in faith!) Christmas flights to Barcelona with friends, so I obviously want to be able to make that trip and end 2007 on a high note.

That's all from me. I wish you health, peace and happiness this Christmas season. If you are going through some tough stuff, all I can say is keep fighting and don't give up!

Love from Dave :)