Countdown...
...only 13 days until Jez flies...
...and only 23 until Andy, Harry, Cas, Fliss and I fly!
It’s hard to believe we’re leaving for Burundi in just a few
weeks. I thought I’d be a mess by now -
stressed, emotional and having doubts - but strangely I feel very
peaceful about the move, and the children seem very calm and accepting of it
too. We’re still in the middle of all the normal school holiday stresses of
entertaining young children on a budget, whilst trying to run a home (sort
of!), but over the last 15 months God has transformed our hearts and we feel
ready now – it’s amazing!
Thank God that his timing is perfect, and that knowing Jesus
can transform every part of our lives :0)
Please pray for our stress-levels over the next few weeks.
We have been moving around a fair amount since we moved out of our home on 16th
July. It’s not easy living out of suitcases, and my poor family have been
putting up with my crabbiness a lot recently :0(
Farewells
RAFT – this has been our model for ‘leaving well’ from the
UK and has been just one of the really helpful things we’ve learned in the last
year (I did a short online course with All Nations Christian College on
cross-cultural mission, we went up to Redcliffe College for a day on preparing
families for life overseas, and we’ve read lots of books that have helped us
hugely. If you’d like details of any of this do let us know).
R = reconciliation (restoring relationships where necessary)
A = affirmations (making sure those we’re leaving behind
know how much we love and appreciate them)
F = farewell (leaving parties, presents, cards, memory
books, photos etc.)
T = think ahead (plan for when we arrive in Burundi)
When you read something like this you can’t always see the
point of it all, but now we’re moving through the process I can see how
beneficial it has been and is to us.
We’ve said goodbye to our house, our All Saints church
family, and some of our friends and colleagues already, and in the next few
weeks we’ll be saying farewell to lots of other people, as well as a final
goodbye to our dogs – of course it’s really ‘Au revoir’ as we’ll be back next
July :0)
Thank God for our wonderful families, friends and neighbours
and the love and support they’ve given us, particularly in the last year. Also
for the wisdom gained from the abundance of resources available for those
preparing for mission.
Please pray for us and all the people we love as we say
goodbye to them until next year.
NEWSFLASH: the sun
shone all week at New Wine!!!
We had an awesome week camping and spending time with lots of friends both
from our church and other churches we have links with. It’s always an amazing
feeling worshipping with thousands of other Christians :0) and the continuous
good weather was the icing on the cake.
I think the main thing God said to me during the week was
not to be complacent just because He has called me to Burundi and I know what
he wants me to do with my life (for the next few years anyway). I need to
continue to seek his will, and press in to this calling, asking him to keep
showing us the way forwards. Although we have a calling, there are lots of
details still unknown to us, and thankfully our God is a God of details , as
I’m constantly reminded when I look at the incredible detail in the world
around us.
The children learned about ‘running the race’, the Armour of
God and that ‘God is with us and will never leave us’ – yay!
Now
Since New Wine we’ve been at my parents’ house near Oxford,
doing lots of lovely summery things and saying goodbye to friends. The children
have been having a great time in the garden making ‘smelly-boss’! This is a
revolting mixture of rainwater, mud, stone, sticks and leaves which they stir
with an old spoon. When it’s raining they peer longingly at it through the back
door! We’ve no idea where the name came from!!
This weekend we’re saying farewell to my family, and then
we’re heading back to Sussex and staying with friends for a few weeks until Jez
leaves. After that we’ll be returning to finish the last little bits of packing
before Thirstyfest in Sussex over the bank holiday weekend (I was trying to
think of how to explain it, if you’re interested google it – it’s basically
lots of Christians camping in a field again, but a LOT smaller than New Wine!!),
and then it’s back to my parents for a couple of nights before we leave. It
will be lovely to be back in our ‘home’ town and able to see friends there :0)
Cas and Fliss will also be having the last of their vaccinations (all the kids’
BCGs have nearly healed after they had them in April!), as well as Harry’s
first orthodontist appointment (how’s that going to work when we’re in
Burundi?!).
Jez still needs to do quite a lot to the house before our
tenants move in mid August, just before he leaves. There are also lots of admin
bits that need completing, like cancelling child benefit, TV licence, utilities
and all the other mundane but necessary bits – I’m very grateful that he’s
doing all that and not me! Andrew passed his driving test a few weeks ago too
so we need to sort out his driving licence before we go, ready for his ‘baptism
by fire’ on Burundi roads!
Thank God that we have loving places to stay until we leave
and that WE HAVE TENANTS!
Please pray that we’ll be able to have some family days
together and that the work on the house will be done quickly and easily. Also
for our tenants, moving into the area, that they will settle quickly and feel
welcome and at home.
Our journey
I was chatting to someone last night about our preparations
in the last year, and was reminded how totally overwhelmed I had frequently
felt. It seemed we had this huge mountain to climb and I wasn’t sure we could
do it. And now it’s mostly done: the packing, studying, vaccinations, reading,
sorting out the house, finding tenants, rehoming our dogs, saying our goodbyes
etc. Wow, it is so true that “with God all things are possible” (Matt 19v26)!
He has given us the strength, patience and wisdom to do everything , and I know
he’ll continue to equip us and meet the needs he already knows we’ll have in
Burundi.
It’s been an incredible journey so far. We’ve seen the most
amazing answers to prayer, including praying for specific costs and receiving
that amount within 24 hours (several times!). I’m feeling more excited now than
I’ve felt before and we’ve learned to walk closer to God and trust him more,
especially as we have no back-up plans!! Keeping this blog is a great way of
looking back at all the things God’s done already, and is a real encouragement
when we have the occasional wobble :0)
We sang this song at New Wine:
God I look to you, I won’t be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like you do.
God I look to you, you’re where my help comes from
Give me wisdom, you know just what to do.
I will love you Lord my strength
I will love you Lord my shield
I will love you Lord my rock, forever all my days
I will love you God
Jez back again...
The King's School
Many things progress over the summer; including building work and building repairs...my Administrator Aime has been busy!
Today we had lunch with my two Headmasters, who are in the UK visiting family for the summer. Everyone's really enjoying the summer, but already we're aware that the start of term will be on us soon. David (the Head of the Senior School) and I are heading back early to encourage along the final works...though we suspect it'll miss its deadline.
We're also aware that many things will need to change next term as the school grows and spreads of more sites....and, whilst we need to let the staff and pupils settle in, some of how the school operates will need to change as soon as we start.
We've also been blessed with an excellent UK school that's keen to form a relationship with The King's School...and we even have the tentative offer of two minibuses next academic year!
Please pray for peace for our teachers...especially the new ones. Pray that they'll enjoy the remainder of their holidays and return keen and refreshed.
Next blog may be from in my new home!!
God Bless,
Jez
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