第一堂课，教练在我家附近发掘了一小片比较安静的路段，反复练习点火，上档，起步，停车。做过几遍之后，就不停得围着一个小block练习左转弯。由于我家在山坡上，教练上来就让我练习的是半坡起步，而在中国的时候，这么复杂的东东是放到最后才教的。

第二堂课，小复习了一下，教练见教过的东西我都没忘，开始让我换档，并练习右转弯。

第三堂课，教练终于让我从那个小block解放出来，让我开到山脚下一个交通繁忙的路段。越是不想妨碍交通越是妨碍，熄火几次，还错误地把车开到一个居民区死角，倒车技术欠佳，只好让教练代劳才得以出逃。真是佩服教练的耐心，要是在中国，我早就被骂死了。而他仅仅是皱紧了眉头而已。最后，教练专门找到一个半坡，让我用离合器和油门控制汽车。神奇啊，一边踩离合器一边踩油门，一紧一松就能把个车控制在悬停状态。教练终于比较满意我的表现。

第四堂课，教练大胆拉我出去跑了一圈。从我家下山到镇中心，最后上去附近小镇的干道溜达了一圈。可惜，在回来的路上，从旁路砖上主路的交汇处，我还是没控制好油门，熄火数次，让教练眉头又皱了皱。不过总的来说还不错。还有19个小时，估计至少还要上12堂课。希望进展顺利，早日将驾照拿下。明年春夏就能实现开车游英国和欧洲的愿望啦，口水哗啦中。

要不是中国教练便宜，还真是宁愿在英国从0学起。一个教练带一个学生，整个课基本都在上手。英国教练的耐心更是中国教练所没法比拟的。英国的车每年都要实打实地检修，教练车状态非常好。记得在中国学车时，那个桑塔拉的刹车需要大力踩下才能发挥作用，档位也是生硬得狠，需要大力。而我现在用的这个教练车，只是普通英国国产车，刹车换档都相当舒服。第一堂课还保持中国习惯大力刹车，害得教练不停提醒“gentle，gentle”。

最近太忙，都少有更新了。

昨天得知孩子们的“期中假”（half-term holiday）即将开始（感慨一句，中国孩子期中面临的是考试，英国孩子期中却放假，两种日子两重天）。今天一大早赶紧给我上半年所在的house group leader发短信，我答应她“期中假”时请她和孩子来家吃晚餐的。没等到回复，糖已经带着孩子们来接我了。今天的活动早在两周前就已经酝酿，一周前就定下，昨天孩子们回家后征得他们同意最终敲定。

首项活动是看电影，电影也是孩子们选定的，igor。看完后糖连连摇头，说完全不对自己的胃口。我问Oli，她喜欢。好吧，为了让小孩子们不为自己的选择感到遗憾，我发表评论：“I think there are some good points in this film…”然后列举了一番。其实我也不喜欢。成人和孩子未必口味都一致的。有时候只是尽职而已。

午饭在麦当劳匆匆解决。下午男队女队分头行动，糖和儿子去看哈镇的足球赛，我和他女儿逛街购物。这也是糖特意安排的，目的是让我有机会跟孩子们增进感情。逛了两家儿童用品店和sainsburys。半个下午扔了不少“胖子”，但是很值得，基本了解了孩子们喜欢什么书，什么玩具，什么学习用品，口味如何。大包小包回家后，Oli玩儿，我做他们要求的fish pie。不一会儿，糖和儿子来到。糖弄好了wii，他们玩儿，我在厨房忙。糖不在状态，玩一会儿，就晃荡到厨房来聊一聊。孩子们也渐渐失去兴致，陆续溜到厨房来。我只好劝糖带他们回客厅。

把pie弄到烤箱，菠萝用盐水浸好，蔬菜放进蒸锅，我也解放啦。于是定好时间跑到客厅和孩子们一起玩儿。糖在看跳舞比赛，Oli在看我买给她的新书shark，Con在玩儿PSP。Oli招呼我过去一起看，我也不知道哪里来的神秘能力，居然拿着书像模像样地给她讲起来，讲得还越来越生动，把Con也吸引过来一起看。这一讲，20分钟不知不觉就过去了，开饭。

糖说午饭时提到过，担心孩子们太瘦，希望他们多吃。晚饭我干脆掌握了主动权，给孩子们分了比较多的fish pie。这次改进了做法，fish pie受欢迎多了。每个人都吃得滚瓜肚圆。我吃完盘中的pie之后等着餐后甜点，糖问我还要不要，动手要添，我立刻躲掉连呼不要。夸张的动作逗得孩子和糖都乐了，糖作势要添，我更夸张地躲，大家更乐。于是这成了我们整个晚餐一直在玩儿的游戏，fish pie，甜点，乐此不疲。

餐后糖要帮忙清洗，我劝阻了。把剩菜收藏好后，我也不理会那些碗盘，回到客厅继续玩儿。看了一会儿电视，孩子们又发明了新的游戏。一拨人藏装饰用的小金属球，另一拨人来找。先是我和孩子们玩儿，然后孩子们把糖也拉了进来。玩了两轮，时间已经是晚上9点，孩子们还想继续。还好，孩子们还是很尊重老爸的指令，磨蹭了一会，收拾好了东西，恋恋不舍地离去。临别时，con要求把老爸新买给他的game留在我家。看来孩子们已经认可了我，并且乐意再来玩儿。

感谢主！和糖及其孩子在一起真是快乐。我也仿佛发现了新的自己，原来我也蛮有幽默感的，也蛮能搞笑的。两个月前去跟summer school的孩子们交流的时候被他们指发音strange，听不懂，但跟糖的孩子们在一起居然毫无沟通障碍。去年这个时候陪June还只会照书念，现在却能比较自如地给Oli和Con讲书，添加不少有教育性的知识和评论。这些，除了英语的进步，一定还有神的引导。心里充满感恩。

As a new Christian, after the pastor talked about this question, I was confused. Why should we go the church? Why shouldn’t we pray at home? The God knew everything of me. He should know how loyal I am. No matter I am at home or in the church, I am the loyal servant of him. Is there any difference between praying at home and in the church? The pastor always repeats something all the Christians know, such as “You should please the Lord by worshipping him”. How about worshipping the God at home, say, listen to the Gospel preached on the BBC4 in the Sunday’s morning, play a CD and sing with it to praise the God, and read Bible or some Gospel online, etc. Why should I go to the Harvest house? There are lots of options around the town. Because I have no answer for these questions, I decided not go to the Church on 23 Aug evening. Hard working on paper and accompanying friends to York made me exhausted in that weekend. I thought that I had plenty of excuse not to go to the church.

However, I woke up at 6.00 in the Sunday morning, and a voice from my deep heart told me: “You must go to the church today.” I agreed. After two other hours’ sleep, I got up and went to the church as usual. However, I mistook the time of service as 10:00 am. I was in the church near an hour before the service. Thank the God! I saw what I never saw before in the church. The choir was rehearsing the songs at that moment. I was touched by their hard work. After a while, Amila came and led me to the prayer room. She introduced me to a kind lady there. The lady prayed for me. I was touched again. After the service, there was a ritual of dedication in the church. Colin introduced the big family to us. He was so happy for the big family that he set it as an example for the whole church. All the singles were called to the front of the church. Colin was surprised that almost half of the Christians in the church were singles. He asked all the married people to pray for us. I felt a little bit embarrassed when we were called on to the front of the church. It reminded the bad feeling that I was called to stand before my classmates because I didn’t hand in my homework when I was a little girl. What wrong with us to be singles? But when all the married people raised their hands to pray for us, I was touched again. Not long later, the miracle happened. When I was in China, no matter how serious I am, no matter what effort I made, my relationship with my boyfriend never ever goes smoothly. But the relationship with the friend I met in the UK is the most comfortable relationship I ever had, which exceeded my expectation on the relationship. My characters didn’t change. My behavior didn’t change. The only thing changed is I have given my life to the Lord. The Lord showed his mercy on my relationship.

Though I was blessed by the God, I was still confused by the questions I mentioned above. When it turned cold and I was under the pressure of time management, I was reluctant to go to the church again. On the 4^th Oct, I decided to take part in the Sunday service twice a month. When I went home on 9.00 pm that day, I thought of doing some transcription work. However, my computer became mute, which means I couldn’t do the transcription work. So I thought that I would better go to the church tomorrow, otherwise I would have nothing to kill the time on Sunday. When I woke up in the Sunday morning, I was still reluctant to go to the church. How about shift to the small church on the opposite of my house? It is easier for me to worship the Lord in a church, if the Lord really wants me to please him in this way. However, I got a message from Annisa, the girl I met in the principle course in the church. She asked me if I would go to the church and she would like offer me a lift. Suddenly, I realized the Lord wants me to the Cathedral House. It’s the church he chose for me. No matter I like it or not, I am his loyal servant, I should go there.

If I didn’t go to the church at that day, I would be regret to death. I appreciated so much what Paul preached at that service. The questions he asked us thinking about are what I was thinking about at that moment. Are we really different from the people around? How do I imagine my preferred future? What is the good life? We need consider our commitment to the purpose of the God. We need to communicate our hope with families. How to make the family last longer? His words threw light on my thought. I realized that the reason why I hesitated to go to the church was that I just thought for myself. I only thought about what I could get from the church. I didn’t think about what should do for the church. I didn’t think about my commitment to the purpose of the God. The first encounter of the God always happens in a church for most of the Christians. The first time I was filled by the Holy Spirit was in a church too. I had shared my experience with lots of my friends. One of them begin going to the Cathedral House now. If I was not there, how could I support her consistently? The Lord guides us and supports us all the time. But he does not do that by showing his image to us all the time. He helps us through the sisters and brothers around us. He also uses us to help other sisters and brothers. Annisa was the angel who the Lord sent to me to show my direction in the morning of 5^th Oct. I will be used by the Lord to help others too.

Finally, here are the answers for the questions which confused me for several months. Why should we go to the church, because the Lord wants us to be there to find our faith, to fill us by the Holy Spirit and to give our guidance and support, and also the Lord uses us there to help each other. If you are the loyal servant of the Lord, you should go to the church. If you are not sure which church should go like me, just humbly follow the Lord’s guidance. He has arranged everything for us probably before we were born.