The Welsh know how to eat a meal

This is a quick little post to say that the Welsh know how to take time eating their food. Uncle Glen brought us to a posh restaurant tonight to treat Chris, Renee, and I. We entered a sitting room and had drinks (I had my new favorite wine-Rose wine). We ordered our main course here as well. We were then seated in the dining area that overlooked the breathtaking valley. Here, we ate our starters and main course and dessert (Salad with the best cheese I've ever tasted, salmon, four sides, and berry crumble). This was all eaten slowly, in order to enjoy the food and the conversation. After dessert, we migrated to the conservatory and had coffee and teas. What a lovely, fulfilling meal. We then took a drive and saw a marvelous sunset over the valleys. The whole night took us 3 hours. A 3 hour dinner trip. What will heaven be like with God and endless sunsets and glorious foods and friends? Wonderful.

My friend Ben

Today I had a wonderful day. Started it off with some proper coffee (not instant!) and hazelnut syrup. Then finished "When God Walked on Campus" and had an awesome time reading my Bible and praying. Really excited about all God has in store as his people PRAY for revival. Why do I want revival? Because I want people to turn from their sins and trust in the everlasting God. And at ANY time, God can spark revival on MY campus.

Then off to Paul and Lisa's for the day. Lisa and I took a walk into town to get sausage rolls and wipes in order to give Paul time to work on his sermon for Sunday.

Spent the afternoon in Merthyr. Went to McDonalds with two of the girls from my Bible study. Mars milkshake might be a new favorite. We walked around town and I desperately wanted to buy some things in this shop. But the lack of cash and lack of space in my suitcase prevented me from doing so. Went to the Lloyd's house and had dinner with their family. Talked with Garreth about what the plans are for missions in the UK and abroad. Exciting stuff.

Then I went to Helen and Michael's house to babysit for Ben. I forget if I have mentioned this couple before. Michael has recently been diagnosed with MS and his body is taking the hit pretty hard. Ben (their son) was born with a condition that prevents him from using any muscles from his hips and below. Their family has and will continue to face many trials. Yet their trust in the Almighty God stirs my heart to praise. Anyhow. I babysat for Ben tonight. We had fun eating chocolate, watching an insane movie, taking pictures, and reading Winne the Pooh.

Pictures are becoming scarce

It's been about a week since my last post. I'm sorry beloved readers (mom). I know you must be sorely disappointed in your lack of reading material. But my computer is turned back on and I hope to continue posts.

The last week, I have spent loads of time with Paul and Lisa and the kids. Have I mentioned my respect for moms of young kids? I get ancy at times, but Lisa never complains about being at home with the kids. Even when all three are yelling with poopy diapers. She finds joy in the Lord and then is able to laugh at all the joy he provides in her children. And may I say he have had some DELICIOUS dinners at their house. Lots of yummy meats, veggies, and wines. And I have found my new favorite dessert (besides icecream) is banoffee pie. Look it up. I have eaten it three times in the past two weeks. I imagine that I will eat it for many days to come.

Friday was Bible study and Teens. Great times in spite of my unprepared topic of Faith and Deeds from the book of James. We know that a man is saved by the good fruit he bears. Someone that is genuinely saved (a Christian) is NOT saved by the good he does. He is saved because of his trust in Jesus Christ as Savior. But this will produce good works because the Holy Spirit is now working to change and conform him into the image of God.

Sorry this is a wordy post. But just want to post something I've been considering. For the last 6 months, I have had a weird peace that I'm not going to live comfortably in the future. I have no stinking clue what the next years will look like. I feel like I could go anywhere the Lord calls me. While that is exciting, it's also scary. Where is God going to call me? I don't think it's going to be a little suburban town where I will live in a nice house with a well manicured lawn, nice kitchen appliances, plush towels, and all organic groceries. Why not? Because all that could be taken away in a second. I don't know if it would be possible to live my life earning money to pay for loads of expendable items that could quickly fail me. Will I go to heaven rich? Heck no. I'll go alone. So why would I spend my life getting stuff down here? I'm still thinking on this.

But I'll leave you readers with this verse from 2 Corinthians. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.". If my eyes are on things here, then I will be living my life in vain. Is a life lived as stated in Isaiah 61 in vain? I think not.

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, ^a]">[a]

² to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

⁵ Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

⁶ And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.

Paradise on Earth

There are certain days that I cannot imagine how the scenes in heaven could be any better than the scenes on earth. Yesterday was one of those days. I went down with three guys from here to a beach called Three Cliffs. Imagine hiking a mile to get down to the beach. Then seeing rocky and grassy cliffs surrounding you as you stand amidst a stretch of sand. And as the sun's brilliant light makes your eyes squint, you look out at the waters lightly crashing on shore. Then you turn your head and see castle ruins to explore and cows feeding in the distance. We hiked mountains and then sunbathed in the sand. Ah. It was heavenly. And I cannot possibly explain to someone not there. But this was only a GLIMPSE of what awaits me in heaven. I am SURE I'm going there and I only have to wait a lifetime. Following this lovely day, we got icecream, coffee, and beer. Good good day. This was the only picture I got, since Dave took photos on his nice camera.

Sidenote. A man that really wanted conversation came and talked to use for a long time. He told Dave to gaze into his eyes and then asked him if he thought George W. Bush was the mastermind behind the Twin Towers.

Today, I met with a girl from Bible study. She is so sweet to take a train to come meet with me. We talked for a little under 2 hours and I enjoyed every minute. Slow rest of the day followed as I returned emails, worked out financials, did some planning, and packed. Cerianne and I had a girly night together. Going to miss her as she goes on holidays and I go to Ireland! I "move" tomorrow while the family I live with now goes on holiday. Busy day tomorrow. Meeting with four different people in the church. God is good to keep me busy!

Busy Friday and Saturday

On Thursday night, I slept over at Paul and Lisa's to help with the kiddos (and spend time with Lisa:) when Paul was at a conference. So we spent the morning with the kiddos. I don't say this in any way to seem like some baby lover, but I love baby Grace. I have always been afraid of babies. I can do fine with toddlers but babies scare the heck out of me. And when they cry, I still don't know how to handle it, but when they are just laying on your chest and smelling like pure baby... it's wonderful. And I love Lisa. Feels like an older sister to me.
Bible Study and teens was at night. The girls and I tried to make a dessert for teens, but failed miserably. At least I'm trying to show them the Word of God and not how to become little housewives :) We spoke about the passage in James that deals with the taming of the tongue. MUCH good conversation came with this Bible study. God is really using this to show the girls the Word of God. At least it seems so! And these girls are crazy fun, I might add. They love dancing and singing and finding ways to make fun of the fact that I'm American.

Today (Saturday), I independently took the train down to Cardiff to meet my friend Jo. We went to a food festival at the bay. We went to every single stand (probably 50 in total) and tried samples at each one. Wine, cheese, cider, sausage, nuts, chutneys, crackers, bread, muffins, etc. It was sooooo good. And I had so much fun with Jo. God has radically changed her heart in the last few months and she was eager to talk about how the Gospel has transformed her life.
Then I took the train back to Merthyr and got a ride with Dave and Cary to a churchwide birthday party. I was once again was reminded of why I love this church. Every age was represented and people were just eating, drinking, and mingling with EVERYONE. I loved it. I love the older people in this church. One gentleman offered to bring me cycling (he goes for a minimum of 50 miles and is over 65), one to dinner, and a woman invited me over to her house. All within 2 hours. Hospitality is crazy here. I want to be like them. I absolutely love this. Church tomorrow. Followed by a day with a wonderful couple in the church.

FYI. God is doing great things in my heart. Reading the book "When God Walked on Campus". The Gospel is becoming more real and meaningful. We have been saved from so much. Eternal hell. Hopelessness. Despair. And I now serve the ALMIGHTY JESUS CHRIST. One day, every knee will bow to Him. And I will be welcomed into his presence because I have trusted in Him. Praise the Lord!

Hard Labor and Hay-on-Wye

Yesterday, Cer and I went to do some hard labor at the church. We were assigned the task of taking rusty nails out of timber. I think I pulled out 20 nails in 45 minutes. I'm supposing, that upon noticing our lack of progress, we were assigned to clean the pews. The church is beautiful and thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Cer. Spent the rest of the day with people from church and taking walks.

This morning, Norma and Lynda (two women in the church) took me to Hay-on-Wye. This is a beautiful town FULL of book shops. FULL. Although we didn't have much time, I got to spend time rummaging around old book shops and marveling at the age of some of the books. It is a shame I couldn't buy any since I have NO room left in my bags for loads of books. I wanted to buy the old old old books on missionaries and preachers I adore. Books from the 1800s on American history. And historic cookbooks and gardening books. But I restrained myself. There was one bookshop that was outside!

When I got home I walked to Tescos (grocery store) to buy food for Teens on Friday night. It took me forever because I knew where nothing was and all the food is different here. When I dropped it off at the church, Dave (intern here) told me I could stay for a group of kids coming in that were from Bernados (a charity for kids). We just hung out at the church building and played games for a few hours. Awesome that the church is opening their doors to charities such as this one.

Little homesick today. But God is good to put me exactly where I should be at the PERFECT time.

4th of July and Bristol

Fourth of July was spent at a Welsh church and a Welsh Birthday Party. Church was completely amazing. A man that has a 12 year old son spoke on not losing hope (2 Corinthians 4). His son has the brain and development of an 18 month old child. This man has seen many trials. How does he not lose hope? How does he not despair? How does he not grow angry and bitter? Because he knows that these are "slight and momentary afflictions." This man is ASSURED that he'll be in heaven for eternity. His pain is real. But since he is a CHRISTIAN that has trusted in Jesus, his afflictions will come to an end and he will enjoy eternity with Christ.

Then I spent the day resting my knee. Then Allyson had 40+ people over to celebrate her 40th birthday! Much fun. Much food. 5 cakes. (Hence the reason Cerriane and I are not eating sugar for one week). There were sparklers on the cake and this was as close as I got to fireworks.

Got up early this morning to take the 2 hour train ride to Bristol, England. You'd think this would be an annoying amount of time, but it flew by as I met with the Lord. One thing I did was relisten to a message on contentment by Dave Harvey. Probably one of my top favorite messages and always timely. Met up with my friend, Esther, and walked around the boats and sat on a veranda with the suspension bridge in view. Talking to her was priceless. We talked about how we can doubt our faith and then put truth to those doubts. So good. On the way home, read the book "When God Walked On Campus". I honestly think I could quote most of it here. But I won't. All I'll say is that we should pray because I serve a mighty Savior that will work in miraculous ways to save people from hell when he so desires.

Watched "Gone Baby Gone" with Cerriane tonight. Hit me that I could be working in that kind of area in a year. Whew.

Hurt knee and long walks?

Well I have officially done something to my knee. And I can't figure out the problem. For two weeks, the pain has remained but I don't have health insurance (out of complete ignorance that I would need it). So we'll see how this turns out. Prayers appreciated. I'm resting it today (beside the 40 minute walk I took).

Yesterday morning, I had a really long time to meet the Lord. Then went to help clean up the church. Walls are being knocked down, light replaced, and offices built in the beautiful, old chapel. So there is lots to be done. Members of the church serve tirelessly to make the building most effective for use. And they do it on a tight budget.

Walked to the local supermart to get a brownie mix. You can walk practically anywhere in the town. In America, there are 50 different variations. Here, there were two and they took me forever to find. Eggs here are not refrigerated either. Those too, took me a while to find. Came back home. Cerianne and I made the brownies, and added loads of extra Cadbury chocolate. Went walking with a another teen girl, Sophie, around the park. Then Bible study with my girlies. Made curry and rice, followed by brownies and icecream. And talking about trials and temptations from James. Just so happened that I had plenty I could talk about, which made the other girls really open up. The Lord is so kind. Then teens at night. Whew. That was a long list.

Today, just cleaning up for a bday party here tomorrow. Had coffee with girl from bstudy. And having a game night with a couple from church tonight.

Meditated on this this morning: "Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice". The last couple days, I've been tempted to feel bad for myself and give into small thoughts about God. But we are called to be a rejoicing people. No matter what our circumstances are, we rejoice in the HOPE of heaven. There is no excuse.

Wine and Cheese

(This image is from Shaftsbury. The adorable English town Britt and I stayed in for a few days.)

The last two days have been spent with people in this wonderful church. Being back in Merthyr is really wonderful. Yesterday morning, I spoke with Ang Lloyd (pastor's wife) about purpose. Sometimes, I feel purposeless here. I can't check off a "todo" list all the things I've done. I spend time with people. But look at Christ. He was constantly with people. With Christians and unbelievers. So this is a summer I am able to fully commit time to following in the steps of my Savior. What a sweet time. What about back home? What about our lives full of commitments that we must fulfill? Are we making time for people?

Spent the rest of yesterday with a little girl with a broken foot, a teenage girl in bstudy, and my dear friend Amy. And ended the day with 10pm leftover hot curry. Delish.

Today, I went to Paul and Lisa's house to help watch the kids (they have the new baby). Whew. I again respect any mother soooo much. I kept trying to clean and then needing to go pull the boys out boxes they had gotten stuck in or get apple juice in a cup. But after the boys went to bed, Lisa, Paul, Dave (a guy in the church here), and I had a marvelous meal. And the meal was followed by wine and cheese. Which was followed by banana cream pie. MMM.

Oh and we watched "God TV". Yes this exists. Many men that preach false teachings to massive crowds. Where is the Gospel? That we are sinners and that is unacceptable to the Holy God that created us. That trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior is the only way to heaven and forgiveness of sins. Where is this truth in the midst of talking about the fire from our mouths and slamming people to the ground in the name of God?