#Victoria & Melbourne | I shall never forget

[fanaticforlife]

Victoria & Melbourne - I shall never forget

"No man would give you up Drina, unless he knew that it was his duty."

[purplefairyyvibes]

Lord Melbourne

[tears]

You once told me that when I gave my heart, I would give it without reservation.

Yes, I remember.

And you were almost right.

Almost, Ma’am?

I shall never forget.

May I kiss the bride?

Goodbye, Lord M

Goodbye, Ma’am

[ladyofglencairn]

Lord Melbourne is ill. Gravely so. Why didn’t he tell me? He does not want you to know. So as you care for him, you must say nothing.

[fredriksewell]

There's an anti-slavery bill going through Parliament. I'm worried about its outcome. Surely slavery was abolish a long time ago? It's still legal in some Caribbean islands. The Tories have taken up the cause because they think it can bring down my government.

[buffthrawn]

You were once my one companion You were all that mattered

[mortimers-cross]

SPOILER-filled Review of CATS 2019

(or the beginnings of a review...this one was written in the aftermath of the first viewing...I have now seen it twice, and there are plenty more thoughts and some changed opinions I've not got down yet...perhaps I never will...we shall see.) 

Well. This year's Jellicle Ball was certainly something else. Something else entirely. One of those dreams when you just want to wake the next morning and forget everything that happened, except the wonderful moments. (The moooooments of happiness...) So, when that film was good, it was amazing. When it was bad, I was sinking down into the depths of my chair with embarrassment. The bad bits didn't ruin the entire film for me, but it did make me less inclined to invite friends to it. If they don't "get" the show, I don't think they will "get" the movie version. Let's get the negatives out of the way first: 1. Jennyanydots. I thought Taylor Swift would be the worst part of the film, but Rebel Wilson beat her by quite a bit. Apart from Munkustrap and the cute mice, "The Old Gumbie Cat" was one long cringe-fest. Rebel robbed Jenny of any semblance of dignity, and pretty much did the same in every scene she was in. Her stupid jokes and comments were not funny.  2. Rum Tum Tugger. He wasn't exactly bad. It's more that he made little to no impression whatsoever. His song was rather boring (though I did like some of the new instrumentation - once it got going; the beginning was awkward sounding). Throughout the rest of the film, he didn't do very much at all - though to be fair, it will probably take multiple viewings and close observations to notice what any of the characters are doing in the background, just like with the 1998 film. 3. Judi Dench's singing. I adore Judi Dench, and she made a great motherly figure. I especially loved her interactions with Victoria and Munkustrap. But it was painful hearing her attempt the songs. Clearly they were out of her reach vocally, and I don't understand why she didn't just speak everything. If Rex Harrison can get away with it in My Fair Lady, Judi Dench should be able to get away with it in CATS. Sigh. Some Neutrals: 1. The "Macavity and Growltiger Taking Jellicles Prisoner" sideplot. It was so awkward, but I...think I liked it? Not sure how I feel on this one yet. I do wish Munkustrap and Macavity had still had their epic showdown, but Macavity was more of a trickster in this version, not so much a physical confrontation guy. I do like how Skimble, Gus, Jenny, and Bustopher worked together to make Growltiger walk the plank. 2. Macavity, specifically the song. I thought I would hate this scene because of Taylor Swift, but I don't think I did. Still not crazy about her voice, but I liked when the other "Macavity Queens" joined in, and the "hypnotising with catnip" was kind of cool. I loved how everyone was trying to help Misto and Victoria sneak away.  3. The Live Singing. Tom Hooper is obsessed with everyone singing live on set. That's all well and good, but I prefer the more "polished" studio sound when it comes to films. Just a personal preference. And the Positives (in no certain order): 1. Munkustrap! This one was a no-brainer. I love Munkustrap and Robbie Fairchild was a great casting choice. I did think his interactions with Victoria were awkward at times. Was he a fatherly figure, or in love with her? Couldn't tell. (Was this some sort of Lord Melbourne/Queen Victoria reference?) Certainly by the end he had taken on the role of "proud dad who totally ships Mistoria." But anyway, he was so sweet and always trying to take care of others. He even (if I remember correctly) protected Jenny’s singing mice, which she was planning to eat. O.O I also enjoyed all his solos - and the fact that he even got a few extra ones. 2. Mistoffelees. I thought it was an interesting change to have him struggling with confidence issues and still trying to perfect his magical abilities. His immediate and obvious besottedness with Victoria was adorable. He was just adorable all round. I do wish his song hadn't had so many of the awkward pauses in it during his multiple attempts to bring Old D back, but it was still enjoyable. The way he magically made all the musical instruments float up to the ceiling and play the accompaniment?? So cool! 3. Victoria. She was simply lovely. I do wish she had had more dance solos. I thought the bit she danced with Munkustrap just before the Invitation was awkward. Certainly no replacement for the usual Victoria opening dance. I thought her singing was lovely; you could tell she wasn't fully comfortable with it, but that worked well for the state of uncertainty she was in as a character. All her interactions with Grizabella were perfect.  4. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer. I thought their song and scene would be my favorite. Well, it ended up being my second-favorite because of what's coming next on the list. But I have no complaints about them whatsoever. Irish Teazer and Cockney Jerrie? Yes, please! Original London version of the song? Yesssss. Doing Macavity's dirty work but then pleading, "It was just a bit of fun!"? Totally them. 5. SKIMBLESHANKS. This, by far, was my favorite scene in the entire film. The dancing, the set, the costume (hey, the trousers and hat worked for him!), and (the most unexpected) Steve McRae's voice! I had no idea he could sing that well! He sounds so much like the original London Skimble! Overall: I enjoyed it. The cringey bits were very cringey, but I'd still watch it multiple times. But it's not the one I'd use to introduce friends to CATS or try to change someone's mind on the show. I will buy the DVD when it comes out, and it will be one of those I watch/dance along with by myself when no one's around to complain.

[coffeeandmusic82]

So i just finished the Victoria novel by Daisy Goodwin.  For anyone who hasn’t read it it covered the first 4 episodes of the show.  So basically the majority of the novel was Vicbourne and i can tell you one thing i am never going to get over them :(

[filmya247]

Agree so much. I doubt I will ever come across any ship or episode written more beautifully. I will never ever be over it. 💔😭

i’m rewatching victoria series one and honestly, brocket hall remains the single greatest victoria/melbourne episode we’ve ever had

a literal marriage proposal with both of them shrouded in soft sunlight and holding each other’s hands!!!!

victoria’s constant pining

“no man would give you up unless he knew it was his duty”

the elizabeth/leicester parallels

“he cares only for the memory of his wife.” “that’s what he told you? then that’s what he wants you to believe.”

their playful Banter throughout

lord melbourne’s constant pining

“he closed the greenhouses when caroline died. he must have opened them again for you.”

melbourne sacrificing his own feelings in order to put victoria’s best interests first, even though it would break both of their hearts

“you were happy too?” “you know i was.”

“she should never have left you. i would never do such a thing.”

lord melbourne getting playfully jealous of the russian grand duke, albert, AND prince george

“i have seen the way my niece looks at you.”

“i hope her [future] husband will appreciate her”

lord melbourne telling victoria that he does love her as they’re slow dancing

like this whole episode is an Iconique Cinematic Masterpiece

[encyclopedia-victoria-blog]

History Behind the Story - Was Prince Albert Illegitimate?

Shocking revelations on this week’s episode of ITV’s Victoria seemed to suggest that Prince Albert might not have been his father’s son. 

Who was Albert’s mother? Could he have really been illegitimate? Read some of the evidence and decide for yourself.

Prince Albert’s mother, Princess Louise, was only sixteen when she married the 33-year-old Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1817. Louise was a great catch, not only was she young, vivacious, clever and beautiful, she was also the only child and heir of the wealthy Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. Her husband, on the other hand, was a notorious womaniser and already had at least two illegitimate children. One of Ernest’s mistresses, Pauline Panam, (who was only fifteen when their affair began) later became a famous Parisian actress and publicly humiliated the the Duke and his family by publishing a kiss-and-tell memoir in 1824. Pauline and Ernest’s illegitimate son, also called Ernest, referred to himself as a Prince of Coburg until the day he died.

Miniature of Duchess Louise, date unknown. (via flikr)

Louise quickly gave birth to two sons (Ernest in 1818 and Albert a year later) but Duke Ernest continued to be unfaithful. Louise, who was still just a teenager, was popular at court and had many admirers. In June 1820, one of her ladies-in-waiting accused Louise of having an affair herself, with one of the Duke’s friends, Count Alexander Solms. The rumours found their way back to her husband, who (in a case of textbook hypocrisy) was furious. Solms was banished from court and Duke Ernest launched a bogus investigation that went on for years. “You will laugh when you hear it,” wrote Louise to her childhood friend Augusta von Studnitz, ‘but it has made me cry’: 

If he [Ernest] had been sensible he would have laughed [...] but he took it seriously, and was angry with me. We talked about it and it all ended in tears... Now he watches me, which he has never done before... and he misconstrues everything.

By 1824 Ernest and Louise were separated and Louise exiled from Coburg. ‘You have dreadfully deceived me’ wrote Ernest to his estranged wife, 'I can affirm before God that you have had my heartfelt love [...] We shall hardly see each other again. May you not become so unhappy as you have made me.’ Two years later Ernest divorced her, naming the young army officer Lieutenant Alexander von Hanstein as her lover in the official divorce proceedings. Louise never officially confirmed nor denied the accusations, but she married von Hanstein almost immediately after the divorce was granted. Ernest married again too, this time to his own niece Duchess Marie of Württemberg.

The legitimacy of the children, Albert and Ernest, was never brought up in the divorce case. Louise’s affair was reported not to have begun until 1822 or 23, when Albert was already three years old. Duke Ernest, as the acknowledged father of both boys, was automatically awarded custody. Louise wrote:

Leaving my children was the hardest, most painful thing of all. They have whooping cough and said, “Mamma cries because she has got to go, now, when we are ill.” The poor lambs. God bless them.

She never saw her children again. Louise died in Paris in 1831, probably of uterine cancer, at age only thirty.

Louise, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, with her sons, Albert (right) and Ernest, painted by  Ludwig Döll, c.1823-4. 

If Duke Ernest had seemingly never questioned Albert’s paternity, then where did the rumours come from? 

One explanation lies in the fact that Victoria and Albert introduced haemophilia, an inherited genetic disorder, into the royal families of Europe. There had been no recorded haemophiliacs in the British royal family before their son, Leopold, was born in 1853, and two of their daughters, Alice and Beatrice, were carriers of the gene. As a result there was speculation that the royal bloodline must somehow have been “tainted,” and both Albert and Victoria have been rumoured to be illegitimate. (We know now that in about a third cases haemophilia is caused by a spontaneous genetic mutation, and it seems likely that Victoria was unknowingly born a carrier).

Another source of the rumours was that Prince Albert seemed not to resemble either his father or brother in either looks or personality. While Ernest was dark-haired like his father, Albert was ‘lovely as an angel with his fair curls’. The boys’ tutor wrote that while Louise was still alive she had:

made no attempt to conceal that Prince Albert was her favourite child. He was handsome and bore a strong resemblance to herself [...]

Both Ernests - father and son - were notorious womanisers, while Albert was shy and generally disliked the company of women. In the early years of his marriage he had caused grave offence by failing to pay enough attention to the senior ladies at court. He was disgusted and horrified by his elder sons’ sexual escapades, writing to the Prince of Wales in 1861 that his behavior had ‘caused me the greatest pain I have yet felt in this life.’

But simply being different from his father does not necessarily make Prince Albert illegitimate. The most likely explanation (in my view) is that rumours about his paternity were stirred up by the xenophobic English press when Albert first emerged as a potential suitor for Victoria. Albert was the second son of a minor German Duke, while Victoria was Queen of England, the richest and most powerful woman in the world. The press lampooned Prince Albert as a gold-digger and they printed lewd jokes suggesting that all he had to offer Victoria was a sausage. 

“Shutting up the Sausage Shop” - Prince Albert and his father are shown closing down the family sausage business because Albert has acquired England’s ‘splendid fortune’ by marrying Victoria. The whole Saxe-Coburg family will ‘skin the English for the rest of our days.’ Cartoon published 18th January 1840 in Cleave’s Penny Gazette. (British Library)

The press poked into Albert’s family background looking for dirt. They discovered that his stepmother was a Catholic and accused him of being one too. After Victoria and Albert became engaged she was forced to write to him asking for him to send ‘as soon as possible’:

a short History of the House of Saxe-Coburg, who our direct ancestors were, and what part they took in the Protestant, or rather Lutheran, religion [...] for a few stupid people here try to say you are a Catholic

What’s more, thanks to Pauline Panam, all of Europe knew about Albert’s father’s affairs and his parents’ divorce. It didn’t help that while in London for his brother’s wedding, Ernest had become seriously ill with syphilis and their father had very publicly tried to seduce half the ladies a court. In this climate, it is not surprising that people began to gossip (there was talk that Lord Melbourne had only okay-ed the match after he learned that Albert was not Duke Ernest’s biological son), and equally unsurprising that a humiliated Albert became sensitive about moral standards of behaviour.

Although the records of Ernest and Louise’s divorce suggest only one lover - Alexander von Hanstein - by the 1920s another possible father was being suggested. A 1915 biography of Pauline Panam entitled “A German Prince and his Victim” suggested that Louise may have had an affair with:

A certain Baron von Meyern, Chamberlain at the Court, a charming, handsome, and cultivated man, of Jewish extraction, much to her senior 

This rumour was subsequently repeated in an antisemitic pamphlet published in Berlin in 1921, which argued Prince Albert was ‘without contradiction [...] half Jew’ and that ‘since his time Jewish blood has been circulating in the blood of the English Royal Family.’ Lytton Strachey, who wrote one of the first biographies of Queen Victoria (also published in 1921), drew upon both of these sources and reignited the gossip about Prince Albert’s paternity. Strachey wrote: 

The ducal court was not noted for the strictness of its morals; the Duke was a man of gallantry, and it was rumoured that the Duchess followed her husband’s example. There were scandals: one of the Court Chamberlains, a charming and cultivated man of Jewish extraction, was talked of; at last there was a separation, followed by a divorce.

Queen Victoria (seated) with Prince Albert (second from left) and King Leopold (right) in 1859. (Royal Collection)

Leopold, who was Duke Ernest’s younger brother, was not seriously suggested as potential lover until much later. When historians began examining Louise’s correspondence they discovered that she had been extraordinarily close to Leopold. In a letter to her friend Augusta, Louise had admitted she had a crush on him, writing naively:

Tell me quite frankly, which do you think the most handsome, him [Leopold] or Ernest? I shan’t tell anybody, and as I love them both - only in different ways - I shall not mind a bit what you say.

When Prince Albert was two, she wrote lovingly that:

Albert adores his uncle Leopold, he doesn’t leave him for a moment, looks at him tenderly, embraces him at every opportunity, and does not feel content except when they are together.

After she was exiled from the Coburg court Louise had asked to remembered to Leopold: ‘I should not like him to forget me completely,’ she wrote. 

Writing in the 1970s, historian David Duff conceded that it was ‘possible’ for ‘a man of Leopold’s character’ to have fathered a child with his brother’s wife. Leopold was in Coburg at Christmastime 1818, nine months before Albert’s birth the following August. He had just lost his own wife, Princess Charlotte, who had died in 1817 giving birth to their stillborn son. Perhaps Leopold and Louise did turn to each other for comfort. Or maybe the calculating and ambitious Leopold had grand plans to father another child who might one day share the English throne. After all, Leopold did always take a strong interest in his nephew, and was one of the chief architects behind his marriage with Victoria.

This is pure speculation of course, based entirely on circumstantial evidence. Most historians agree that it is unlikely that Prince Albert was illegitimate, and even less likely that Leopold was his biological father. But we can never know for sure. As David Duff writes:

It is difficult, if not impossible to prove that a young man and woman slept together a century and half ago. If they had so chosen it is probable that it could have remained their secret, and theirs alone [...] It is hardly likely that a neat confession would have been filed away for the benefit of some researcher much later in time.

So, what do you think? Was Prince Albert really illegitimate?

Further Reading:

Albert & Victoria by David Duff

Albert: Uncrowned King by Stanley Weintraub

Victoria and Albert by Hector Bolitho

[libbycoin-blog]

Why do you stand far off, Yahweh? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise. For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh. The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God. His ways are prosperous at all times. He is haughty, and your laws are far from his sight. As for all his adversaries, he sneers at them. He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble.” His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Under his tongue is mischief and iniquity. He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless. He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net. The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength. He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it.” Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up your hand! Don’t forget the helpless. Why does the wicked person condemn God, and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account?” But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none. Yahweh is King forever and ever! The nations will perish out of his land. Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear, to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that man who is of the earth may terrify no more. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭10:1-18‬ ‭WEB‬‬ (at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8RADDNFYoE/?igshid=19ubpgc2fqp2b

[nellygwyn]

Cries of London, the Precincts of Bedlam

a playlist dedicated to 17th and 18th century London. From the highest in the land to the lowliest link boy and his merry wife. To soldiers, and sailors, adventurers and kings. To the diversity of the London of old, fortunate and misfortunate, in the shadow of St. Paul's.

For the Monarch

Zadok the Priest (Coronation Anthem) // George Frideric Handel // Rejoice! Rejoice! God Save The King and Long Live the King!

Birthday Song for Queen Mary II (1694) // Henry Purcell // Tune all your voices and instruments play to celebrate this triumphant day!

Music for the Royal Fireworks // George Frideric Handel // Fireworks at St. James’ echoed with the sound of pomp and ceremony. And so say we, Vivat Rex! and a curse on England’s enemies.

Birthday Ode for Queen Anne of Great Britain (Eternal Source of Light Divine) // George Frideric Handel // The day that gave great Anna birth who fix'd a lasting peace on Earth

For the Gentlemen

A Postcard to Purcell // from Pride and Prejudice, 2005 // Could you ever love me, I think the happiness would be so great that it would make me immortal!

Main Titles // from Emma, 2009 // Go, go, sir! For you are a Fop.

The Highwayman // Loreena McKennit // One kiss, my bonny sweetheart! I’m after my prize tonight.

Lord Melbourne // from The Young Victoria, 2009 // At night I strolled into the Park and took the first whore I met, whom I without many words copulated with free from danger, being safely sheathed. She was ugly and lean and her breath smelt of spirits. I never asked her name. When it was done, she slunk off. I had a low opinion of this practice and resolved to do it no more.....

For the Ladies

Weep You No More Sad Fountains // from Sense and Sensibility, 1995 // Melt not in weeping, whilst she lies sleeping, softly, softly.....

The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba // George Frideric Handel // Because, knowing the value of her wit, she is well aware that it is sufficient by itself to make her a queen in any society.

Georgiana // from Pride and Prejudice, 2005 // Such indeed was her image, that neither could Shakespeare describe, nor Hogarth paint, nor Clive act: a fury in higher perfection.

I’d Pluck A Fair Rose for my Love // from Poldark, 2015 // Red is my heart, wounded and forlorn and your heart a’needin'

For the Mob

Ship’s Cook // from Emma, 2009 // London’s people gorge on vice and drunkenness.

Barbary Allen // Joan Baez // Sweet William died for love of me and I will die of sorrow.

Meryton Town Hall // from Pride and Prejudice, 2005 // Kindlers of riots, enemies of sleep.

Rule Britannia! // Thomas Augustine Arne // To thee belongs the rural reign; Thy cities shall with commerce shine; All thine shall be the subject main, And every shore it circles, thine.

For the Downtrodden

We’ve lots of work to do, you and I // a scene from Amazing Grace, 2006 // I wish I could remember all their names. My 20,000 ghosts. They all had names. Beautiful African names. We called them with just grunts. Noises. But we were the apes...they were human.

My Father’s Favourite // from Sense and Sensibility, 1995 // This is a token. I am giving it to you. Because I have nothing else to give you. Because I am very poor. You can keep it as a reminder that I exist if you wish. Or you can exchange it for something else and forget about me if you wish. The choice is yours.

When I Am Laid In Earth (Dido’s Lament) // Henry Purcell // Remember me, remember me but ah, forget my fate...

                     Who can resist such mighty, mighty charms?

[fanaticforlife]

Victoria & Lord M - I shall never forget

This show, this song, the human complexities, they all have me on chokehold. Time had the audacity of flying while I withered in molasses, basically, time flies.

Masterpieces are made by @keepfallingx !!!

[rapturechris-blog]

A year off the grid in Sydney City. What’s it like as a committed Christian?

This concept of stepping out and doing this came to me after I met a married couple who gave up being doctors to go off the grid in Perth City Western Australia. However I shall throw in a short story of a lovely couple I met when I first arrived in the state.

A couple of years ago I decided to go traveling up and down the west coast of Australia with nothing except a backpack and essentials. I decided to go to Albany which is on the bottom west coast of Australia. This is one of the most remote places on Earth only for a few towns scattered up the western coast. When I arrived I got myself an outside lock up garage and I slept in it for a few weeks. It was then I decided to go to a Baptist Church.

One Sunday as I was leaving and walking back down the hill to go into the main town area a person from the Church who was a complete stranger stopped and asked me if I wanted a lift. So I accepted it and he asked while we were making our way back into town whether I wanted to go back to his house and have lunch with his wife and children. So I accepted and ended up having lunch with his family.

It just so happened that he was building a granny flat outside his home and asked if I would be interested in helping him finish it and I moved into it half built. So in those days I helped him finish it and in the few weeks I was there they gave birth to a child and I was one of the first to see their baby. They asked me to stay but I declined and came back to Perth City. It was here I met a couple briefly who recently had given up both of their careers as doctors and went off the grid to become missionaries. They would do Bible studies a few days a week at the library and a few homeless people and others would attend.

They were around their early 40’s with 3 children. I went to one of the studies just to try it out and they had some weird beliefs at the time I thought however the fact that they left their jobs as doctors to live in a caravan with their 3 children and put the Gospel first showed me something on that scale I had never seen before. One day I got a chance to be with the husband only a few minutes alone as he left the Bible study and I explained to him I was on social welfare. It was there he put a challenge to me I will never forget. He said to get off the social welfare and take nothing with me except $1 and trust God to provide me with the rest.

I thought he was mad and I certainly wasn’t in a financial position to do it so I took the advice with a pinch of salt and left Perth and travelled to Western Australia still on social welfare. It was here I met a woman online in another state of Victoria and then travelled to Melbourne seeing if a relationship was possible and if I could live a normal life with a job and a home. It turned out she had a job and was close to paying off her home from a bank loan.

She had been a Christian for 5 years and me 20 years. I was in that relationship for 1 year. It so turned out we were not compatible because I wanted to do ministry and reach out to people with the gospel and she was not interested and instead wanted me to work fulltime in a secular job away from ministry. After the relationship fell through and not seeming to get anywhere I came back to Sydney and decided out of complete madness to leave social welfare and go off the grid and become homeless.

I would be lying if I said what that doctor told me wasn’t niggling away at the back of my mind for the last 2 years before I went off grid. Maybe I was going mad….trying things out of desperation to draw closer to Christ not knowing where it would lead me even at the expense of my own security. So I finally go off grid and move into the city. At least there were a few homeless places and shelters that offered free showers and food. It was here I started doing Bible studies with people that frequented the shelter and decided to start a FB group and create my own posts online.

In the past year quite a few strangers and people I don’t know have come up to me and given me money, some of the orthodox Christians, others Catholics….others of other faiths and no faith.

One man woke me up when I was sleeping outside the State Library with other homeless people and out of 12 homeless people all sleeping side by side picked me and woke me up and said God told him to give me $50. When I told him I was a committed Christian we prayed for each other and I never seen him again…..I’ve had about 15 similar incidents like it. I also met a woman who was a lecturer online and she supported my ministry doing the Bible studies for 6 weeks and put me up in a hotel room for a week.

This doesn’t include all the homeless shelters and community centre and churches who come into the city handing out clothes and food and toiletries. Sometimes Ive woken up after being asleep and someone has left me $20 next to my backpack in full view of the public without it being stolen.

One time I was at the state library and as I sleep there when it closed I went outside it and was making up my bed (sleeping bag and matt) and as the library closed a Japanese student asked me a few questions and we ended up having a chat through google translate.

How’s this…I ended up sharing the Gospel with him all about Jesus and his message through the app Google translate. It took about 1 hour but it was well worth it. And just at the finish some Christian came along and gave out free sandwiches’ and water. I told him to take 2 bags of it on his journey and he was stunned. The timing was perfect.

I’m still off the grid, and I’m still homeless but if I could tell you all the other stories how God has blessed me and others through my time off the grid I would have to write a book. Through all my experiences in being at this end of town I know for sure that I would never meet all the people who I have blessed and blessed me if I hadn’t taken this course.

Regardless of how long the adventure and where it leads I’m grateful to the Lord Jesus by experiencing moments I would never get to experience by living a normal life in security. The doctors were right. God did bless me and many others but I had to take a leap of faith and put him and his Gospel first before anything else in this world.

Blessings Chris Dobson.

[ladyofglencairn]

I’ve missed you, Lord M.

[fredriksewell]

[keprambles]

M.● Saturn [Victoria + Melbourne] mondschein Victoria: You once told me that when I gave my heart I would give it without reservation. Melbourne: Yes, I remember... Victoria: And you were almost right... Melbourne: ...Almost, ma’am... Victoria: I shall never forget...Goodbye Lord M...