Well, we finally made it across the pond.
The weather has been gorgeous here, unlike the rather warm TX weather we have been having. 11 weeks of triple digit heat. Yuck! It's mostly been in the 70's during the day and has gotten down in the high 50's at night. It reminds me a lot of Colorado. So beautiful! Everything is all lush and green. There was a shower here on Sunday night, and I was just praying that God would send it over to TX. We so desperately need it.
Here's a snapshot of the craziness that was the youth and us at DFW.
Anyway, our flight from DFW to Chicago was uneventful, but when we got to Chicago our plane was delayed almost an hour due to rain/stormy conditions. Yet again, I was saying, 'Ok, Lord, anytime you want to send that stuff towards TX would be fine by me.' When we did finally get on the plane, Kasey and I were greeted with a nice suprise. When Michelle first arrived at DFW, she discovered that all 3 of us were scattered all over the plane, so when Kasey & I checked in our luggage, she asked if Kasey & my seats could be together. All 3 of us couldn't sit together, but she at least thought that we could sit together. The lady at the counter said that wouldn't be a problem. So, we get on our plane to England and Kasey & I discovered a wonderful suprise. We had gotten the seats that the flight attendants use when their flights are over 8 hours. But since our flight was only 7 hrs & 45 mins, they got sold. Yippee!! Similar to 1st class seats, they almost fully reclined and had leg-rests. = ) Poor Michelle, she got stuck smack-dab in the middle of the rowdy youth. We owe her big time.
We arrived in Manchester, and then proceeded to load up all 150 youth (we were joined by 2 other church youth groups) onto buses. The lack of air conditioning on the bus was not the most pleasant ride I'd ever taken, but we eventually arrived at the University of Durham and were happily greeted by Barbara (Thornaby's church secretary) and Collin, her husband. We dined with the youth at the university mess hall and then left to head toward our host family. We're staying with Paul and Maxine Wright. They are the sweetest people! Gracious and hospitable, and to say that Maxine is a good cook would be a serious understatement. Especially the desserts she prepares; they look like something out of a recipe book. Almost too pretty to eat.
Thornaby Baptist now has a full-time pastor, David Whitehall. We got to go to the service on Sunday morning and he was great. He has a great sense of humor, very warm and welcoming. His wife Mandy is precious! Michelle and I got to sing 'I Stand Amazed' acapella for them during the worship time, and afterwards we went over to Jean's (Paul's mom's) house for Sunday dinner (aka lunch) and had a great time of fellowship.
Holiday Club (aka VBS) started this morning, and was big hit! Though not as polished as we would have liked, but the kids seemed to get a kick out of it. The theme is the circus; so 2 of the helpers (Mandy [who's also one of the co-leaders for my group, 'The Strongmen'] included) were dressed up as clowns.
The weather has been gorgeous here, unlike the rather warm TX weather we have been having. 11 weeks of triple digit heat. Yuck! It's mostly been in the 70's during the day and has gotten down in the high 50's at night. It reminds me a lot of Colorado. So beautiful! Everything is all lush and green. There was a shower here on Sunday night, and I was just praying that God would send it over to TX. We so desperately need it.
Here's a snapshot of the craziness that was the youth and us at DFW.
Anyway, our flight from DFW to Chicago was uneventful, but when we got to Chicago our plane was delayed almost an hour due to rain/stormy conditions. Yet again, I was saying, 'Ok, Lord, anytime you want to send that stuff towards TX would be fine by me.' When we did finally get on the plane, Kasey and I were greeted with a nice suprise. When Michelle first arrived at DFW, she discovered that all 3 of us were scattered all over the plane, so when Kasey & I checked in our luggage, she asked if Kasey & my seats could be together. All 3 of us couldn't sit together, but she at least thought that we could sit together. The lady at the counter said that wouldn't be a problem. So, we get on our plane to England and Kasey & I discovered a wonderful suprise. We had gotten the seats that the flight attendants use when their flights are over 8 hours. But since our flight was only 7 hrs & 45 mins, they got sold. Yippee!! Similar to 1st class seats, they almost fully reclined and had leg-rests. = ) Poor Michelle, she got stuck smack-dab in the middle of the rowdy youth. We owe her big time.We arrived in Manchester, and then proceeded to load up all 150 youth (we were joined by 2 other church youth groups) onto buses. The lack of air conditioning on the bus was not the most pleasant ride I'd ever taken, but we eventually arrived at the University of Durham and were happily greeted by Barbara (Thornaby's church secretary) and Collin, her husband. We dined with the youth at the university mess hall and then left to head toward our host family. We're staying with Paul and Maxine Wright. They are the sweetest people! Gracious and hospitable, and to say that Maxine is a good cook would be a serious understatement. Especially the desserts she prepares; they look like something out of a recipe book. Almost too pretty to eat.
Thornaby Baptist now has a full-time pastor, David Whitehall. We got to go to the service on Sunday morning and he was great. He has a great sense of humor, very warm and welcoming. His wife Mandy is precious! Michelle and I got to sing 'I Stand Amazed' acapella for them during the worship time, and afterwards we went over to Jean's (Paul's mom's) house for Sunday dinner (aka lunch) and had a great time of fellowship.
Holiday Club (aka VBS) started this morning, and was big hit! Though not as polished as we would have liked, but the kids seemed to get a kick out of it. The theme is the circus; so 2 of the helpers (Mandy [who's also one of the co-leaders for my group, 'The Strongmen'] included) were dressed up as clowns.
The Strongmen
(from left to right: Andrew, Michael, Mandy, Jennifer, Kirsty, me, Chelsea, Kerri, Amy, Jaime, & Jaime)
Kasey, Michelle, & I were responsible for the games, the Bible story, theme illustration, theme song, & Bible verse. It has been so much fun playing with the kids and seeing how much they have grown up. The last time I saw a bunch of them was back in 2003. Fortunately, most of them have only grown taller, and still have their adorable baby faces.
Unfortunately, our host family has very limited (pay as you go) internet access, so I won't be able to update the blog frequently, but I will when I get a chance. Must sign off now, relax, and get some sleep (it's 9:28 pm here). Good night, and God bless!
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