Monday 24 June 2013

Let the adventure begin

Well, we made it!

We landed in London on Wednesday after a relatively short flight (only 9.5 hrs.), grabbed our bags, and were graciously picked up by Bryce Heard, the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mansfield. We headed up to Mansfield, which was about a 3.5 hour drive, fighting off jet-lag, and taking in the scene of this new place we are going to be living. 

This first week has been a time of getting the lay of the land, meeting new people, and adjusting to the time difference. It looks like we will be able to move into our house this weekend, hopefully. Until then, we are staying with the Heard family.

We have explored the local supermarket (Asda, associated with Wal-Mart), local coffee shops, and the beautiful countryside. Here is a picture of Alex in Sherwood Forest by Major Oak, an oak tree that is believed to be 1,120 years old. 


We also enjoyed our first Sunday morning service and after church picnic...though it's England and it was raining and windy, so our picnic was inside the church hall. 



All in all, we are doing very well and are excited to get settled and into a routine. We will be heading up to York next week for the Pastors and Leaders conference, which will be wonderful to see some old friends. 

Praises:
   We arrived safely
   All our bags made it
   The Lord is providing a house and stuff to fill it
   
Prayer Requests:
   That we can move in this weekend
   That we will be able to find a fridge, freezer, and washer for cheap
   Safe travels to and from York
   That we will be able to continue serving the people here and build relationships with them


That's all for now. Thank you all for your prayers!

Blessings,
Alex and Lindsay

Tuesday 18 June 2013

On Our Way

First off, thank you all so much for your prayers during this transition season. It means more to us than you know. Alex and I are currently sitting at Gate 23A at LAX, excitedly waiting to board the plane that will take us to the land we've been dreaming of. We know that there are many challenges ahead, many hardships and trials, but also many blessings. The burden the Lord has placed on our heart for England has been ever-growing these past few years, and in fulfilling the call of the Lord there is great joy. It's not without some sorrow, however, leaving behind loved ones and friends, not knowing when we will see each other again, but to know that the Lord has everyday planned out for us and that we will be able to spend eternity together makes the journey a bit easier. 

Our day started off with packing, and more packing, and re-packing once we found out some bags were overweight (50 lbs. goes quickly!), then we were off to enjoy one last cup of Klatch coffee and In-N-Out burgers with our families before made our way to the airport. We checked in our five 50 lb. bags, 1 guitar, and a few carry-ons without any trouble or airport shuffling, praise the Lord! All this to say, everything with the trip so far has gone very smoothly and we attribute that to all your prayers as well.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. Hopefully, our next post will be from Mansfield!

Blessings,
A&L