The long spoon………

I am blessed to receive numerous uplifting, encouraging and challenging email most days. One that often helps me is from a man called Pastor Tim Burt who writes a blog called Fresh Manna. You can see it at https://todaysfreshmanna.wordpress.com/

This morning I received the following from him. (Note he has previously granted me permission to reproduce his posts as long as I link back to his blog and acknowledge him as the source.)

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The Spoon That Feeds… (Author Unknown)

A man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

The Lord led the man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The man said, “I don’t understand.”

“It is simple” said the Lord, “it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves.”

Gal 5:13 “For you have been called to live in freedom–not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.”

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This in many ways is the philosophy behind Christian House Sitters.
Christians blessing each other and being blessed at the same time.

Those who are going on vacation get the blessing of having someone look after their home and pets free of charge

Those wanting a vacation get a rent-free house to live in.

Both parties are also blessed by knowing that they are helping another Christian.

For more information have a look at our website. CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

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If money was no issue?

I love travelling. Seeing new places, meeting new people and experiencing new and different cultures.

The only real problem is paying for it.

Through Christian House Sitters people all over the world are enjoying the pleasures of travelling without having to pay any rent for their accommodation and in addition, if needed, having someone who will look after their home and pets free of charge while they are away.

Membership lasts a year so I have just looked back at the past 12 months and I see that we have been able to provide lovely, rent-free accommodation in the following countries.

Scotland

Germany

South Africa

England

Australia

Spain

Wales

Ireland

Mexico

France

New Zealand

USA

Do you know anyone who may benefit from this wonderful opportunity?

Have a look at our website and contact me if you have any questions. CLICK HERE

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Have you got any interesting, funny or heart warming vacation stories that you would like to share on this blog?

If so please let me know using the contact form. Especially if they involve House Sitting!

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God bless you,

Ray

 

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

This could be the answer for your family?

 

 

Are you starting to feel that you need a break?

 

 

Yes I know it is only March but it is a good time to start planning your next vacation.

Many people wrongly think that a vacation is a luxury. No actually it is a necessity.

Everyone needs a break! Working without having a real break will damage your health, harm your relationships and make you less efficient.

Do not be put off because of the cost.

Hotels are expensive but did you know you can enjoy rent-free accommodation all over the world through Christian House Sitters?

Yes I did say rent-free!

Ahh but what about your animals? It will upset them and cost a lot to have them looked after while you are away.

No it will not!

Christian House Sitters will be happy to arrange for someone to look after your pets and your home Free of charge while you are away.

So if you cat (or dog) is getting upset seeing you read about going on vacation tell them we have it all under control.

All you need to do is visit our website, read all about our ministry and register.

Naturally we are very happy to answer any questions but hopefully you will find most already answered on our FAQ page.

We look forward to being a blessing to you and your loved ones.

For details CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

“A Diary of House-Sitting Tails”

I am naturally always interested to read about House Sitting so when I found out about a book called “A Diary of House-Sitting Tails” by Carolyn Slingsby I downloaded a copy from Amazon.

I was thrilled to read about our ministry in this book!

Here is an extract from the first couple of pages:

At the end of November 2008, after living and working in Spain for six years, my husband and I suddenly and devastatingly lost everything, and had no choice but to head back to the UK.

Brian and I had gone to Spain six years previously in 2002, knowing nobody there at all, and we began totally from scratch. I knew I had to find my feet, so I quickly became resourceful in finding jobs, mainly in the property market. At one time, I helped a company to sell villas and apartments, focusing mainly on marketing, but I had other duties, too. Once, I had to do a complete ‘makeover’ on a property, which turned out to be a total full cleaning and fumigation exercise. The property in question was in a terrible condition, covered in excrement and filth which stank to high heaven; he had kept five dogs there, and hadn’t done much in the way of cleaning! Eventually –after hours of cleaning and sorting –I managed to find a buyer, but it still smelled if you were downwind! It was only months later that I realised why I was so ill after that experience.

We loved Spain and its people, and it was our fantastic church community who helped us through the very traumatic ending to our lifestyle there, when –due to the economic climate –we lost our villa and all our money, and had only forty-eight hours to leave and hand the keys back to the bank.

Our compassionate congregation bought all our furniture, including the wood burning stove and very large satellite dish (which went off on the roof of an estate car!), to raise us enough money for petrol to drive back to the UK. We stored ten boxes, containing our various small everyday goods, in the under-house storage of one of those kind church folk, where it ended up staying for two years!

So, back in the UK and having to start again from scratch, we knew we had to survive and get a roof over our heads whilst we worked out what direction life was taking us in.

This was when God led us to The Christian House Sitters website! We found two separate house sits in France on our way back to the UK in December and January 2008-2009, and so began our ‘Tails of House Sitting’ –adventures and experiences we would have missed out on if not for the traumatic ending of our life in Spain!

The book is a lot of fun and well worth reading.

If you have interesting stories about House Sitting please share them with me.

Would you like a break from your normal daily grind. Time to getaway, relax, renew relationships, rest, have fun and generally recharge your inner batteries.

We can help.

We offer rent-free vacations all over the world and, if necessary, we can also arrange for someone reliable to look after your home and pets free-of-charge while you are away

If you would like to benefit from our service please have a look at the website. CLICK HERE.

God bless you,
Ray

 

Christian House Sitters
is part of the registered charity
TLC Children’s Trust
UK Charity number 1156786
www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

2 Tips for a Better 2017

Phew 2016 was some year!

I am sure there have been many more difficult and stressful years but understandably 2016 is fresh in my memory.

Just a brief recap. It was the year of

• UK Referendum on the EU
• The American Presidential Campaign
• The Rio Olympics
• Multiple Terrorist attacks around the world
• Hurricane Matthew killed 900 people
• There are so many more but that will suffice.

Here is the GOOD NEWS.

2016 is finished. It is now 2017 and we enter a new year that holds to many unknowns. Exciting prospects, scary potentials and things that at the moment we can’t even really imagine.

As you prepare for 2017 may I suggest that you consider doing 2 things that will help make your year better.

First surrender your life and your plans to God. I go forward in confidence because God knows what is in store and He remains in control no matter how bleak the circumstances may at times appear. He who gave His only son for you will never leave you.

You can trust Him. He really does love you and want what is best for you.

Second consider a vacation. A break from your normal daily grind. Time to get away, relax, renew relationships, rest, have fun and generally recharge your inner batteries.

We can help.

We offer rent-free vacations all over the world and, if necessary, we can also arrange for someone reliable to look after your home and pets free-of-charge while you are away

If you would like to benefit from our service please have a look at the website. CLICK HERE.

God bless you,
Ray

Christian House Sitters
is part of the registered charity
TLC Children’s Trust
UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

This made me laugh

A  kind friend sent me the following which she found in the Diocese of Salisbury Magazine

Genuine holiday complaints printed in parish magazines…

 

“We found it was not like the sand in the brochure – your brochure shows the sand as yellow but it was white.”

“On my holiday to Goa in India I was disgusted to find that almost all the local restaurants sold curry – I do not like spicy foods.”

“We booked an excursion to a local water park but no-one told us we had to bring our swimming costumes and towels.”

“The beach was too sandy.”

A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained his soup was too think and strong. He was inadvertently slurping his gravy at the time.

“Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women.”

“We bought designer sunglasses for five Euros from a street trader, only to find out they were fake.”

“It took us nine hours to fly home to England from Jamaica, but it only took the Americans three hours to get home.”

“I compared the size of our one-bedroom apartment to our friends’ three-bedroom apartment and ours was significantly smaller.”
“
“The brochure stated: ‘No hairdressers at the accommodation.’ We’re trainee hairdressers – will we be OK staying there?”

“I was bitten by a mosquito. No-one said they could bite.

“No-one told us there would be fish in the sea. The children were startled.”

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Are you planning some time away?

Would you like rent-free accommodation?

Would you like someone to look after your home and pets while you are away. Free of charge.

Have a look at our website. http://www.christian-housesitters.com

 

 

If you have any other questions that are not answered on the website please use the contact page and I will do my best to answer you promptly.

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Letter from a Cat – Reminder

I was browsing the news on Google when I saw a wonderful article about a cat that uses a zebra crossing to safely cross roads. I will put a link to the video and the full story at the end of this blog post,

It brought to my mind a blog post from 4 years ago and I felt it was time to re-post that entry (with a few edits)
I love animals, always have done so when I received an email that claimed to have been written by a cat I was naturally fascinated.

The email was sent to Christian House Sitters as a thank you from a cat whose ‘owners’ had been away on vacation.

 

Here is what the cat wrote:

 

Hi,

My name is Calypso and I wanted to say a big thank you to Christian House Sitters for the way that you have improved my life.

I have staff (they mistakenly think that they own me but actually they just work for me) and from time to time they have a habit of deserting me. They say that they are going on their annual vacation and I see them excitedly packing their suitcases and getting ready. They look really happy but I have learned that it is bad news. It means I am going to be dumped at the cattery for 2 weeks. Now don’t get me wrong it is a very good cattery and they seem to try their very best but I ask you, do I look like someone who should be locked away in prison?

I have tried to explain this to my staff. I have even tried pulling stuff out the suitcase when they are packing but to no avail.

Once I decided to climb into the  case and join them on their vacation in order to find out what it is all about but I was discovered and ended up in the cattery again. But this year it all changed!

I saw them packing and I felt really depressed but instead of taking me to prison they had arranged for substitute staff to take their place. They called them House Sitters. They were great. Gave me the attention I deserve, fed me my normal food, in the normal place and at the normal time and I had a great time.

Vacation is no longer a word that brings dread to my heart. Thanks for sending the House Sitters. I am telling all the other cats in the street to share the good news with their staff.

Yours thankfully,

Calypso the Cat

If your cat or dog is trying to tell you something it might be saying that you should click on this link CLICK HERE

If you are thinking of going away and would like a sitter let me know asap. Do not wait until the last-minute.
Remember it is a FREE service.

Just visit our website and register as a home owner. It is quick, free and easy. CLICK HERE 

Remember

• It is far safer to have someone in your home while you are away.
• Less chance of being broken into.
• Less chance that something in the home will become faulty leaving you to return to a disaster
• Your pets will be much happier
• You will save money
• You will be blessed and be blessing another Christian.

God bless you,
Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

Here is the link I promised to the article about the cat crossing the road.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3778106/Spot-Chauffeur-claps-delight-cat-stops-traffic-scurry-zebra-crossing-him.html

 

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